Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Martha Edwards]

Wow. I'm really glad to hear that some of you are doing this sort of
thing!  And yes, it's a bit obsessive to be doing it once a week, but I
really hope that more people will try it - start less often if you must,
but it's the sort of thing that can be done anywhere, in the middle of
tradition-rich New England, or in the middle of just about nowhere.

Our philosophy is that anyone with a thoughtful, convincing idea can be
"the expert of the moment," so you don't have to have a world-class caller
to guide you if you don't happen to have one handy. Or if one shows up,
it's amazing how often their ideas are the most thoughtful and convincing.
But there's always the Internet to help you find good ideas - and the books
and handouts that have been mentioned in this thread.

If you only have four people to dance, try switching the orientation of the
set 90 degrees the second time through the dance, and back again the third.
You get a new partner and a new neighbor, with the lady conveniently on the
right. We call it the Calling Party Progression. You don't need it for
English, of course, because the next time through you just switch from
being a one to being a two.

Part of the reason it works is that we don't mind when only a small handful
of people show up. I always prefer having the perfect number, of course -
10 to dance, plus one to call, plus one to start the iPod or sit out - 12
in all, but I always enjoy the conversation even if only one person besides
Bob (Green, my husband) shows up. And if no one shows but Bob and me?  That
only happened once, and even then, the company was excellent.

And every once in a while, fifteen people show up, and three of them are
musicians who want to play, and isn't that fun?

I really love hearing that some of you are using these kinds of events not
only for practicing callers, but for aspiring musicians as well. And
organizers!  (We give each person who participates in the Calling Parties
and our once-a-month Callers Choice Dances the opportunity to put together
the program, on a rotating basis, and many of us have started showing up
early to get the hall ready, take the money, help clean up, etc. So it adds
to the pool of talent on lots of fronts.)

So, if you think something like this would work where you live, TRY IT!
And I hope you have as much fun doing it as we have.

M
E

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Rich Hart]

Those calling parties do sound like a good idea, and they sound similar 
to 3 regular dances that we have here in NH. There are 3 regular dances 
here where there is always an open mike for callers, and musicians can 
join the band, or play for a dance or two themselves.


Calling is shared at these dances by all callers who attend and wish to 
call a dance, regardless of experience level. The experienced callers 
are always willing to help a new caller pick a dance to call, based on 
the dancers present, and the caller's abilities. Then, afterwards, talk 
with them about what went right, and any problem the caller might have had.


Musicians at these dances can also join in and play for a a single dance 
or more, if they wish, and then dance the rest of evening.  Experienced 
musicians are always willing to help the new ones, as well.


These 3 dance include Dover (1st Thursday), Milford (4th Friday), and 
Nelson (every Monday).  In Dover and Milford, there is a single big band 
that musicians may join, while in Nelson musicians usually take turns, 
and seldom all play together - which can result in considerable 
variations in musical styles in a single evening.


I love these dances because I get to both call and dance the same 
evening.  Callers will often use these dances to try out a new dance, 
either one they just wrote, or one they picked up somewhere.  
Experienced callers will also talk with a new caller to help them pick  
a dance for the crowd, and one that will fit in the sequence of dances 
that evening. Dancers are usually helpful and appreciative when a new 
callers attempts a dance, and almost always a new caller will be guided 
to call a dance that the experienced dancers have danced many times 
before, so that failure is not a real possibility.  Among the things 
that happen for a new caller is that the musicians will pick a tune for 
him or her, and a mentor caller will provide an "appropriate" dance, so 
the new caller just needs to think about the walk through and the words 
to use when calling the dance, perhaps emulating another caller they 
heard recently or that evening.


We have had callers and musicians at these dances who range in age from 
about 12 to 80. Actually, I think Bob McQuillen will make that 90 next 
year!  Experienced callers and musicians are always willing to help a 
new younger caller or musician get started.  And as I think about it, I 
realize how much here just happens "automatically" so that a new caller 
or musician can concentrate on just what he or she needs to do, while 
letting others handle details that they can consider later once they've 
gotten the basics. But these details that the new caller may ignore 
initially, are also so important to help to keep the dances organized, 
and the dancers satisfied.


Rich Hart.

On 5/12/2012 12:39 AM, Greg McKenzie wrote:

Martha's calling parties sounds like a great tool for new callers as well
as new dances.

Too often I have attended an open, public contra dance and heard a local
caller announce that they will be calling the next dance at a festival, or
dance camp, and want to "try it out" at our event before they present it to
the, more sophisticated, special event attendees.

This has always seemed so strange--that they would inflict this unknown
quantity on our local, public dance where we have welcomed non-dancers to
join us for a social event.  Better that the festival crowd should be the
ones to try it out.

The "calling parties" sounds like an even better venue for this kind of
"try-out" dance.

- Greg McKenzie
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Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Greg McKenzie]

Martha's calling parties sounds like a great tool for new callers as well
as new dances.

Too often I have attended an open, public contra dance and heard a local
caller announce that they will be calling the next dance at a festival, or
dance camp, and want to "try it out" at our event before they present it to
the, more sophisticated, special event attendees.

This has always seemed so strange--that they would inflict this unknown
quantity on our local, public dance where we have welcomed non-dancers to
join us for a social event.  Better that the festival crowd should be the
ones to try it out.

The "calling parties" sounds like an even better venue for this kind of
"try-out" dance.

- Greg McKenzie

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Mark Hillegonds]

AACTMAD (Ann Arbor, MI) is doing something similar to what Alan describes
below. We're calling it Dance Lab. AACTMAD sponsors the hall rental and we
use local aspiring musicians.

New callers can get some flight time. More experienced callers can work on
dances new to their repertoire. Choreographers can try out new dances.
Musicians get practice playing for dances. And the dancers get to try out
some new dances. Time is built after each dance to allow discussion of what
worked well and what could use some more work.

Dance Lab is held monthly. We've held 4 Dance Labs so far and it seems to be
getting some buzz in our community.

Mark Hillegonds

cell:  734-756-8441
email:  mhillego...@comcast.net
blog:  www.defriction.com

-Original Message-
From: callers-boun...@sharedweight.net
[mailto:callers-boun...@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Alan Winston
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 4:55 PM
To: Caller's discussion list
Subject: Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

Martha wrote about calling parties.

Partly inspired by the Webster Grove calling parties, by the "house dances"
and "Potter's Porch" tradition, and partly by the availability of a dance
space for $25/night, I've been organizing "Woodshed dances" 
for the last year and a half.  Callers split the rent, everybody else gets
in free, and we get to sort out new choreography, puzzle out other people's
dances, etc.  BACDS adopted the series (which means extending insurance
cover and putting the info on the website) this year.

http://www.bacds.org/series/woodshed/atherton/

It's very helpful, and trying stuff out there definitely reduces the
instance of crashing and burning in front of paying customers.  
(Challenges sometimes include trying to make a worthwhile evening for the
three dancers who happened to show up.)

-- Alan



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Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Alan Winston]

Martha wrote about calling parties.

Partly inspired by the Webster Grove calling parties, by the "house 
dances" and "Potter's Porch" tradition, and partly by the availability 
of a dance space for $25/night, I've been organizing "Woodshed dances" 
for the last year and a half.  Callers split the rent, everybody else 
gets in free, and we get to sort out new choreography, puzzle out other 
people's dances, etc.  BACDS adopted the series (which means extending 
insurance cover and putting the info on the website) this year.


http://www.bacds.org/series/woodshed/atherton/

It's very helpful, and trying stuff out there definitely reduces the 
instance of crashing and burning in front of paying customers.  
(Challenges sometimes include trying to make a worthwhile evening for 
the three dancers who happened to show up.)


-- Alan

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Martha Edwards]

I've said this before, but this may be a good thread on which to repeat it.
One of the unexpected delights of our Calling Parties, set up  to give us a
place to call dances in private before we call them in public, to find out
where the trouble spots might be, has been the development of dance
writers.

And not just our dance writers.

A select group of people from around the country send us dances, and we try
them out at our Calling Parties, take videos of the Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly and send them back to the choreographer, who can tell where and why we
went wrong, and whether we enjoyed it, both of which we often do. Voila!
Instant mentorship, straight from the sorts of people who will be doing the
dances, namely, dancers.

You could do the same thing. Buy a camera (ours is a Zoom, since we first
wanted a pretty good sound recorder) and a gorillapod/tripod and invite
over some people, call your dance and see where it needs to go back to the
drawing board. I've seen some dances go through ten or more revisions over
several months - but in the end, they turned into a dance for the ages.

If you do this, you will never have to waste dancers' time at a regular
dance with something that just doesn't work.  Or, if it does work, but just
needs better calling, you'll have a place to make that happen, too.

Start having Calling Parties!

M
E

On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 8:35 PM, Mark Hillegonds wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Three of questions for you:
> 1.  Do you see this [Caller] list an appropriate place to publish new
> dances? Too many postings of new dances could dilute the [Caller] aspect of
> the list.
> 2.  Do you feel there would be interest in a separate [Choreographer] list?
> I can see this list really focusing on creating new dances, getting
> feedback, and getting the word out about new dances. It could be a nice
> venue for choreographic student/mentorship stuff to happen.
> 3.  What would you think about a monthly dances-of-the-month email to
> consolidate new dances into a single or some moderated number of emails.
>
> Mark Hillegonds
>
> cell:  734-756-8441
> email:  mhillego...@comcast.net
> blog:  www.defriction.com
>
>
> ___
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> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>



-- 
As you set out for Ithaka, pray that your journey be long, full of
adventure, full of discovery...
May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, with what joy,
you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time.
~Constantine Cavafy, "Ithaka" 1911

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Keith Tuxhorn]

Back to the original Q, sort of... I went to a 1-day caller's workshop in
OKC in '01 where I caught the calling bug a little, but the locals who
taught did no "mentoring" to anyone who took the workshop after that.

In '05 I decided to take the plunge, and told the local Austin TX callers.
Several of them did an afternoon workshop for me and a woman who was also
interested. From that point, we were eased into the weekly Wednesday dance
here. I called 1-2 dances in someone else's program for several months,
then was given half an evening a couple times. After 4-5 months, I was put
into the caller rotation, and had a full dance every 5-6 weeks.

As for mentoring, which I define as a regular and more intense contact with
someone with more experience... I have pretty good presentation skills, not
nervous in front of crowds, so I probably didn't need as much help there as
others. I also had a good understanding of timing your calls, because I had
taught aerobics years before, and the "tell 'em just before you do it" idea
is the same... So, my help was in the area of what words/phrases to use
while teaching and calling, and how I was using my voice during those
times... Chuck Roth, Dale Rempert, Marc Airhart were all helpful.

But here's a problem many of you east of the Mississippi, and west of the
Rockies, may not have... The four Texas dancing towns are isolated by
distance from every other state. We are so far away that the only times we
see callers from elsewhere in during dance weekends, and the rare occasion
when a caller passes through TX. So, the mentoring pool for callers is the
people currently calling in TX, and usually just the town you're in,
because it's a long drive between towns. And, with no disrespect to any
current TX callers, if the talent of your calling pool is not the best,
then getting any mentoring from those folks isn't likely. I'm not saying
the callers are bad performers, but many of them are still thinking through
the more basic levels of calling that I, and several others, have already
got a grasp on. I'm also not saying I wouldn't listen to anyone's
suggestions. I'm thinking about mentors being people who have a certain
overall level of quality skills with a good understanding of the process,
for this post.

On the east and west coasts, you have the blessing of many talented callers
passing through, either just coming to dance because they live in the area,
or they've been hired to come by. At least on the east coast, with the
closeness and quantity of people and dances, it's literally physically
easier to find a mentor.

Of course, videos, Skype, and phone calls can all connect us with mentors.
I suspect those would work better for callers who had some of the basic
concepts down.

For continuing and periodic guidance and help over the years, I thank
Joseph Pimentel, Seth Tepfer, Carol Ormand, Nils Fredland, Rich Goss, and
Bob Green.

Keith Tuxhorn
Austin TX

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[r...@rochester.rr.com]

Gee, Alan, it sounds like you're ready to to be a mentor!  It's a relationship 
that enriches both sides. Often the mentor learns as much from the mentee (is 
that a word?) as the "student" from the "master".  I use quotes because I think 
the true master always feels a bit of a fraud just because they know how much 
they don't know. 

Rich

- Reply message -
From: "Winston, Alan P." 
To: "Callers discussion list" 
Subject: [Callers] mentorship
Date: Mon, May 7, 2012 5:49 pm
Part of me would still like to get formally mentored; part of me thinks that 
might be kind of emotionally 
Difficult when I've been calling for 27 years and am (in some ways) pretty 
good, and in a fair amount of
demand (when you add up the ONS, Regency, Civil War, English, and contra, I 
gigged about 50 times last year
and seem to be on track to do that again this year).  I know I don't know 
everything, by a long shot.

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Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Perry Shafran]

Agree with Barb.  Callers who are nationally known sometimes tend to come to 
dances expecting that everyone's experienced but in reality there are a fair 
amount of new dancers there.  Glen Echo is a place that is popular and does 
tend to attract a lot of experienced dancers, but also a place that can have up 
to 100 new dancers in an evening.  A good caller can gauge his crowd and call 
dances appropriate for everyone in the crowd.  If you're going there to call 
and expecting to call dance weekend-caliber dances because it's a well known 
place, you're basically ignoring a good chunk of the hall there and making them 
feel like they don't belong.  Contra dancing being by and large a community 
dance means that you have to be aware of everyone's skill level and adjust to 
that.  
Perry

--- On Thu, 5/10/12, barb kirchner <barbkirch...@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: barb kirchner <barbkirch...@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
To: call...@sharedweight.net
List-Post: callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 5:20 PM


disagree.  one thing i learned from my university years (besides some things 
about plants) was that it was CRITICAL to say things in various ways.  i taught 
science majors one semester, non-science majors the next.  non-majors were the 
most fun.  you had to realize that every single person in the room came with a 
different agenda, a different background, a different expectation - and you 
have to say something that EVERYBODY can understand use IMMEDIATELY.
 
if you are a good teacher, you are a good teacher for everybody.
 
cheers -
barb
 

> Date: Thu, 10 May 2012 14:14:56 -0700
> From: mjerryfue...@yahoo.com
> To: call...@sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
> 
> Perry wrote: " I've danced to a few nationally-known callers who I don't 
> think are very good at all."  Without mentioning names, what did or didn't 
> these nationally known callers do to make you feel they were not good???
> Perry wrote: "... most callers, whether they stick to local areas or whether 
> they are national are very good."   This might confirm the suggestion that 
> calling is quite easy with practice.
> Dancers at events  with a "nationally known" caller will be quite skilled, 
> and the caller does not have worry about selecting dances appropriate to the 
> crowd's skill level, or changing their program to correlate with the crowd's 
> collective skill.
> What my makes a caller good with a crowd of one skill level, might make that 
> same caller not so good with a crowd of a different skill level.   For 
> example,  I know of several callers whose dance collections  contain solely  
> relatively straightforward dances--which they can teach extraordinarily well 
> to a crowd with many less experienced dancers--but an experienced crowd would 
> be quite bored.
> Michael Fuerst      802 N Broadway      Urbana IL 61801       217-239-5844.  
> Links to photos of many of my drawings and paintings are at 
> www.ArtComesFuerst.com
> 
> --- On Thu, 5/10/12, Perry Shafran <ps...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> From: Perry Shafran <ps...@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
> Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 2:31 PM
> 
> Ron,
> 
> You pose a real excellent question.  WHAT makes a "good" caller?  Now if you 
> were to ask the dancers on the floor who their favorite callers are, they 
> generally list popular, well-known callers who travel a lot.  But does this 
> mean that they are the "best"?  Or that other lesser-known callers aren't any 
> good?  
> 
> I've heard a lot of local callers who I have a LOT of fun when they call.  On 
> the other hand, I've danced to a few nationally-known callers who I don't 
> think are very good at all.  As a matter of fact, most callers, whether they 
> stick to local areas or whether they are national are very good.  
> 
> My opinion is this:  a real good caller is one who picks dances that are 
> appropriate for the crowd that he/she is calling for.  They do their research 
> ahead of time:  Will I be calling to mainly newbies?  Mainly experienced 
> dancers?  A mix?  What percentage of each approximately?  And then program 
> said dance with the appropriate mix of dances for the crowd that is expected 
> to be there.  And also be flexible to change your program on the fly if the 
> unexpected shows up.
> 
> Also - the ability to explain those dances well.  It's tricky in mixed crowds 
> - you want to be just detailed enough so that the new dancers can pick up on 
> it but not so wordy so that the experienced dancers are getting antsy.  A lot 
> of this depends on the crowd mix (experienced-to-newbie ratio).  This also 
&

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[barb kirchner]

disagree.  one thing i learned from my university years (besides some things 
about plants) was that it was CRITICAL to say things in various ways.  i taught 
science majors one semester, non-science majors the next.  non-majors were the 
most fun.  you had to realize that every single person in the room came with a 
different agenda, a different background, a different expectation - and you 
have to say something that EVERYBODY can understand use IMMEDIATELY.
 
if you are a good teacher, you are a good teacher for everybody.
 
cheers -
barb
 

> Date: Thu, 10 May 2012 14:14:56 -0700
> From: mjerryfue...@yahoo.com
> To: call...@sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
> 
> Perry wrote: " I've danced to a few nationally-known callers who I don't 
> think are very good at all."  Without mentioning names, what did or didn't 
> these nationally known callers do to make you feel they were not good???
> Perry wrote: "... most callers, whether they stick to local areas or whether 
> they are national are very good."   This might confirm the suggestion that 
> calling is quite easy with practice.
> Dancers at events  with a "nationally known" caller will be quite skilled, 
> and the caller does not have worry about selecting dances appropriate to the 
> crowd's skill level, or changing their program to correlate with the crowd's 
> collective skill.
> What my makes a caller good with a crowd of one skill level, might make that 
> same caller not so good with a crowd of a different skill level.   For 
> example,  I know of several callers whose dance collections  contain solely  
> relatively straightforward dances--which they can teach extraordinarily well 
> to a crowd with many less experienced dancers--but an experienced crowd would 
> be quite bored.
> Michael Fuerst  802 N Broadway  Urbana IL 61801   217-239-5844.  
> Links to photos of many of my drawings and paintings are at 
> www.ArtComesFuerst.com
> 
> --- On Thu, 5/10/12, Perry Shafran <ps...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> From: Perry Shafran <ps...@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
> Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 2:31 PM
> 
> Ron,
> 
> You pose a real excellent question.  WHAT makes a "good" caller?  Now if you 
> were to ask the dancers on the floor who their favorite callers are, they 
> generally list popular, well-known callers who travel a lot.  But does this 
> mean that they are the "best"?  Or that other lesser-known callers aren't any 
> good?  
> 
> I've heard a lot of local callers who I have a LOT of fun when they call.  On 
> the other hand, I've danced to a few nationally-known callers who I don't 
> think are very good at all.  As a matter of fact, most callers, whether they 
> stick to local areas or whether they are national are very good.  
> 
> My opinion is this:  a real good caller is one who picks dances that are 
> appropriate for the crowd that he/she is calling for.  They do their research 
> ahead of time:  Will I be calling to mainly newbies?  Mainly experienced 
> dancers?  A mix?  What percentage of each approximately?  And then program 
> said dance with the appropriate mix of dances for the crowd that is expected 
> to be there.  And also be flexible to change your program on the fly if the 
> unexpected shows up.
> 
> Also - the ability to explain those dances well.  It's tricky in mixed crowds 
> - you want to be just detailed enough so that the new dancers can pick up on 
> it but not so wordy so that the experienced dancers are getting antsy.  A lot 
> of this depends on the crowd mix (experienced-to-newbie ratio).  This also 
> means that a good caller KNOWS the dances he's calling inside and out.  
> (Though I've been known to call a dance that I picked up just that day, but 
> before I do so I make sure I understand the dance and how it flows.)  For me, 
> one of the most important things is to emphasize the tricky parts without 
> spending an hour on explaining it - that makes a good caller.  
> 
> And then there's good caller-to-dancer relationships.  By that I mean, you 
> also need to be likable to the crowd, personable.  You're the party host.  
> Those that than treat their guests as welcome to the party.  
> 
> Of course things will go wrong often to most callers, but a good caller 
> handles those with style and grace and doesn't show frustration.  "Never let 
> them see you sweat" - a good rule of thumb.  
> 
> There are probably more, but this note is getting lengthy and I can't think 
> of any more right now.  It's an excellent question and conversation starter.
> 
> Perry
> 
> --- On Thu, 5/10/1

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Michael Fuerst]

Perry wrote: " I've danced to a few nationally-known callers who I don't think 
are very good at all."  Without mentioning names, what did or didn't these 
nationally known callers do to make you feel they were not good???
Perry wrote: "... most callers, whether they stick to local areas or whether 
they are national are very good."   This might confirm the suggestion that 
calling is quite easy with practice.
Dancers at events  with a "nationally known" caller will be quite skilled, and 
the caller does not have worry about selecting dances appropriate to the 
crowd's skill level, or changing their program to correlate with the crowd's 
collective skill.
What my makes a caller good with a crowd of one skill level, might make that 
same caller not so good with a crowd of a different skill level.   For example, 
 I know of several callers whose dance collections  contain solely  relatively 
straightforward dances--which they can teach extraordinarily well to a crowd 
with many less experienced dancers--but an experienced crowd would be quite 
bored.
Michael Fuerst      802 N Broadway      Urbana IL 61801   217-239-5844.  
Links to photos of many of my drawings and paintings are at 
www.ArtComesFuerst.com

--- On Thu, 5/10/12, Perry Shafran <ps...@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Perry Shafran <ps...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
List-Post: callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 2:31 PM

Ron,

You pose a real excellent question.  WHAT makes a "good" caller?  Now if you 
were to ask the dancers on the floor who their favorite callers are, they 
generally list popular, well-known callers who travel a lot.  But does this 
mean that they are the "best"?  Or that other lesser-known callers aren't any 
good?  

I've heard a lot of local callers who I have a LOT of fun when they call.  On 
the other hand, I've danced to a few nationally-known callers who I don't think 
are very good at all.  As a matter of fact, most callers, whether they stick to 
local areas or whether they are national are very good.  

My opinion is this:  a real good caller is one who picks dances that are 
appropriate for the crowd that he/she is calling for.  They do their research 
ahead of time:  Will I be calling to mainly newbies?  Mainly experienced 
dancers?  A mix?  What percentage of each approximately?  And then program said 
dance with the appropriate mix of dances for the crowd that is expected to be 
there.  And also be flexible to change your program on the fly if the 
unexpected shows up.

Also - the ability to explain those dances well.  It's tricky in mixed crowds - 
you want to be just detailed enough so that the new dancers can pick up on it 
but not so wordy so that the experienced dancers are getting antsy.  A lot of 
this depends on the crowd mix (experienced-to-newbie ratio).  This also means 
that a good caller KNOWS the dances he's calling inside and out.  (Though I've 
been known to call a dance that I picked up just that day, but before I do so I 
make sure I understand the dance and how it flows.)  For me, one of the most 
important things is to emphasize the tricky parts without spending an hour on 
explaining it - that makes a good caller.  

And then there's good caller-to-dancer relationships.  By that I mean, you also 
need to be likable to the crowd, personable.  You're the party host.  Those 
that than treat their guests as welcome to the party.  

Of course things will go wrong often to most callers, but a good caller handles 
those with style and grace and doesn't show frustration.  "Never let them see 
you sweat" - a good rule of thumb.  

There are probably more, but this note is getting lengthy and I can't think of 
any more right now.  It's an excellent question and conversation starter.

Perry

--- On Thu, 5/10/12, Ron T Blechner <contra...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Ron T Blechner <contra...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
List-Post: callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 3:12 PM

I might suggest that there's a natural break-out topic:
"What makes a good caller? (both perspectives of caller, dancer, band,
and dance organizers all)"

I've heard a *lot* of callers talk about the difference of being "a
caller" and "a really good caller", and while experience is a
necessary condition, it is not, I believe, sufficient.

In dance,
Ron

On Thu, May 10, 2012 at 10:33 AM, Michael Fuerst <mjerryfue...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Laurie:
> Your remarks don't contradict mine.   You emphasized "FEEDBACK"  and an 
> individual's disposition to accept such.     I suggested that calling takes 
> "40-100 hours practice over 10- 50 dance events needed to experience the 

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Perry Shafran]

Ron,

You pose a real excellent question.  WHAT makes a "good" caller?  Now if you 
were to ask the dancers on the floor who their favorite callers are, they 
generally list popular, well-known callers who travel a lot.  But does this 
mean that they are the "best"?  Or that other lesser-known callers aren't any 
good?  

I've heard a lot of local callers who I have a LOT of fun when they call.  On 
the other hand, I've danced to a few nationally-known callers who I don't think 
are very good at all.  As a matter of fact, most callers, whether they stick to 
local areas or whether they are national are very good.  

My opinion is this:  a real good caller is one who picks dances that are 
appropriate for the crowd that he/she is calling for.  They do their research 
ahead of time:  Will I be calling to mainly newbies?  Mainly experienced 
dancers?  A mix?  What percentage of each approximately?  And then program said 
dance with the appropriate mix of dances for the crowd that is expected to be 
there.  And also be flexible to change your program on the fly if the 
unexpected shows up.

Also - the ability to explain those dances well.  It's tricky in mixed crowds - 
you want to be just detailed enough so that the new dancers can pick up on it 
but not so wordy so that the experienced dancers are getting antsy.  A lot of 
this depends on the crowd mix (experienced-to-newbie ratio).  This also means 
that a good caller KNOWS the dances he's calling inside and out.  (Though I've 
been known to call a dance that I picked up just that day, but before I do so I 
make sure I understand the dance and how it flows.)  For me, one of the most 
important things is to emphasize the tricky parts without spending an hour on 
explaining it - that makes a good caller.  

And then there's good caller-to-dancer relationships.  By that I mean, you also 
need to be likable to the crowd, personable.  You're the party host.  Those 
that than treat their guests as welcome to the party.  

Of course things will go wrong often to most callers, but a good caller handles 
those with style and grace and doesn't show frustration.  "Never let them see 
you sweat" - a good rule of thumb.  

There are probably more, but this note is getting lengthy and I can't think of 
any more right now.  It's an excellent question and conversation starter.

Perry

--- On Thu, 5/10/12, Ron T Blechner <contra...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Ron T Blechner <contra...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
List-Post: callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 3:12 PM

I might suggest that there's a natural break-out topic:
"What makes a good caller? (both perspectives of caller, dancer, band,
and dance organizers all)"

I've heard a *lot* of callers talk about the difference of being "a
caller" and "a really good caller", and while experience is a
necessary condition, it is not, I believe, sufficient.

In dance,
Ron

On Thu, May 10, 2012 at 10:33 AM, Michael Fuerst <mjerryfue...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Laurie:
> Your remarks don't contradict mine.   You emphasized "FEEDBACK"  and an 
> individual's disposition to accept such.     I suggested that calling takes 
> "40-100 hours practice over 10- 50 dance events needed to experience the 
> various things that might go wrong or that one might do wrong, while having 
> more experienced callers nearby to counsel one through the mishaps."  I 
> certainly could/should have added that suggestions to aspiring callers can 
> also come from dancers.   In our context, "counsel" and "feedback" seem 
> synonymous.    But in any case,  a caller unwilling to accept/ponder such 
> counsel (feedback) from callers and dancers will not improve.
> Also you noted that some, after mentorship, classes, and support, still lack 
> "the thing that callers make."  Can you explain what to you the missing 
> "thing" is?     I suspect some of such persons either (1)  need closer to 50 
> experiences to master the necessary skills, and/or (2) have been unlucky to 
> have well-meaning, but less effective counselors
> Michael Fuerst      802 N Broadway      Urbana IL 61801   217-239-5844
>
> --- On Thu, 5/10/12, Laur <lc...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> From: Laur <lc...@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
> Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 12:28 AM
>
> Michael,
>
> Trust me, I (and I'm sure others) have seen callers go through mentorship, 
> classes, support, etc.  And - they do not have the thing that callers make.  
> Callers that are serious want and need feedback, the community, the mentoring 
> and again FEEDBACK.  Those that are

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Perry Shafran]

When I think of mentorship, I'm thinking of a one-to-one relationship where one 
experienced caller really guides a newbie, but I don't think I went through 
that per se. Tom Hinds taught a 4-week (maybe more?  I forget) caller's 
workshop back in 2002, and I jumped at the chance for the opportunity.  He was 
an excellent teacher, focusing on knowing your dances so well you don't need 
your cards to call them.  
Once that was finished, we had a group of experienced and new callers in the 
DC/Baltimore area called the Caller's Collective.  Occasionally we would get 
together for a potluck and some calling practice, generally to recorded music.  
Lots of experienced dancers helped guide us in gently giving us constructive 
criticism and lots of positive feedback.  
In time I went through the route that Ron is doing now - finding callers who 
would give me a guest caller slot. There were several who were happy to do so - 
Susan Taylor, Greg Frock, Ann Fallon, etc.  (Though unlike Ron I didn't travel 
hither and yon to get these guest spots - but in DC/Maryland there are plenty 
of dances to get opportunities.)  I am supremely grateful to these folks who 
gave me a slot - especially Peggy Hesley who gave me my very first calling 
opportunity at my home dance of Annapolis December 2002.  Hard to believe 
that's nearly 10 years ago!
There have been occassional other workshops - mainly focusing on one-night 
stands and such, and we had another new caller's workshop I think 2007 where I 
focused on square calling.  Nowadays though I find myself on the other end of 
giving callers guest spots whenever they ask.  
Perry

--- On Tue, 5/8/12, Ron T Blechner <contra...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Ron T Blechner <contra...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
List-Post: callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 8:35 PM

Hi Lynn & SW:

When I first was dabbling in the idea of calling, last summer, Marty
Fager from CDNY was a person I bounced ideas off, and he was happy to
share experiences. He's continued to assist me, but since I live near
Princeton, and Bob Isaacs seems to always be sniffing around for new
callers, he took me under his wing. (And a large wing, as then Bob
would create a caller's workshop for a dozen of us!)

There is an *incredibly* large amount of things a new caller needs to
learn. A lot of it can be written down and then reviewed by a mentor,
and then the calling is all about getting opportunity behind the mic
with real dancers.

If CDSS is interested in fostering more shared resources / creating a
framework for a remote new caller mentoring program, some ideas:
- There are a few Internet solutions for free-or-cheap, real-time
meetings / voice calling.
- One of the biggest challenges is learning dances. A library of
shared dances would be invaluable. (Also, for a dance
choreographer...)
- There's a number of good books already written by a number of good
callers. Bob wrote his own sizable workbook for the caller's workshop,
too. The CDSS shopkeeper could create a sub-section of the books on
the website for just calling, and just dances - it's difficult
sometimes to weed through everything. Maybe a book-club for one or
more of these contra calling books could have a basic curriculum
developed?
- There seems to be a wide variety of feelings on guest calling
opportunities. I'm blessed because Glenside, PA has local caller
nights and has been receptive to new callers, Princeton encourages
guest calling with *every* local rotation caller, and I've known the
CDNY folks for years and so have been able to secure guest spots
there. However, there are many dances that just aren't receptive to
guest spots. There are still others where the organizers don't care
either way, and put it on the individual callers to decide. I'm
certainly not saying that there ought to be any unified way, but
discussion overall across CDSS of how dance organizers and callers
feel about guest callers would go a long way in opening people up to
the idea, maybe planning for it, maybe encouraging it.
- There's a gap in time between when a trained new caller CAN call and
when they get gigs. I'm faced with this now. I've got a few
half-nights lined up with dances that are my regular dances *and*
because I have strong recommendations. I hear time and time again from
callers with 3-5 years experience that the first year and booking
first gigs is really, really difficult. What I might recommend would
be a database listing of new-caller-friendly dances, for example,
smaller university dances that have difficulty drawing premium callers
and bands and may only have 20 - 30 dancers per night.
- These online groups are great. Shared weight has a lot of
interesting discussion, and though I'm a lurker and just listen in,
I've gained a lot of insight, even just on seemingly trivial threads.
(Like talking about the merits of one particular

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Perry Shafran]

I was just thinking the opposite.  I think learning dances and knowing dances 
and how they flow is a supremely huge part of being a caller and learning 
calling skills. I don't think another list is necessary - especially 
considering that most if not all of us will be on that other list anyways.  
Perry

--- On Wed, 5/9/12, Michael Fuerst <mjerryfue...@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Michael Fuerst <mjerryfue...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers
To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
List-Post: callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 2:47 AM

A separate 
Choreographers list would be best.   Some excellent dances don't experience a 
period of popularity because callers can't visualize them.   How callers might 
expand their dance visualization skills would be a worthwhile topic for this 
callers' forumNew dances range from those  (1)  that recombine figures into 
original and enjoyable but non-ingenious ways, and (2) those that show 
ingenuity by inventing a new variation of a figure or new transition among 
figures.     

Michael Fuerst      802 N Broadway      Urbana IL 61801   217-239-5844

--- On Wed, 5/9/12, Laur <lc...@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Laur <lc...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers
To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net>
List-Post: callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 12:01 AM

Although I definitely appreciate and incorporate the discussions of new dances 
in this list, I would also appreciate, and mostly prefer, a differentiation.  

I would like to know that this is the list for calling and another list I can 
gravitate to for new dances and discussions on them.  I would subscribe to 
both, and read both.  I feel that the distinction would be most beneficial.
~

Laurie P
West MI~


--- On Tue, 5/8/12, Mark Hillegonds <mhillego...@comcast.net> wrote:

> From: Mark Hillegonds <mhillego...@comcast.net>
> Subject: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers
> To: "'Caller's discussion list'" <call...@sharedweight.net>
> Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 9:35 PM
> Hi all,
> 
> I've been following with interest the discussion on calling
> and mentorships.
> Ron Blechner mentioned choreographers in his recent post and
> I'd like to
> expand on that a bit, so starting a new thread.
> 
> It's been my experience that unless one is a well-known
> choreographer
> (Ravitz, Hume, Ormand, Sanella, Olsen, and any number of
> others) it can be
> difficult get new dances into the light of day and, in the
> theme of
> mentorship, get feedback on them.
> 
> There are certainly a number of dances posted to this list
> and feedback is
> readily and warmly given. I have gleaned a number of dances
> from this list
> and am glad to see them, both as a caller and
> choreographer.
> 
> Three of questions for you:
> 1.  Do you see this [Caller] list an appropriate place
> to publish new
> dances? Too many postings of new dances could dilute the
> [Caller] aspect of
> the list.
> 2.  Do you feel there would be interest in a separate
> [Choreographer] list?
> I can see this list really focusing on creating new dances,
> getting
> feedback, and getting the word out about new dances. It
> could be a nice
> venue for choreographic student/mentorship stuff to happen.
> 3.  What would you think about a monthly
> dances-of-the-month email to
> consolidate new dances into a single or some moderated
> number of emails.
> 
> Mark Hillegonds
> 
> cell:  734-756-8441
> email:  mhillego...@comcast.net
> blog:  www.defriction.com
> 
> 
> ___
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> 
___
Callers mailing list
call...@sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
___
Callers mailing list
call...@sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Rich Goss]

I may have missed it, but I haven't seen William Watson's excellent collection 
of caller resources.

http://www.quiteapair.us/calling/

Rich

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Laur]

Although I definitely appreciate and incorporate the discussions of new dances 
in this list, I would also appreciate, and mostly prefer, a differentiation.  

I would like to know that this is the list for calling and another list I can 
gravitate to for new dances and discussions on them.  I would subscribe to 
both, and read both.  I feel that the distinction would be most beneficial.
~

Laurie P
West MI~


--- On Tue, 5/8/12, Mark Hillegonds  wrote:

> From: Mark Hillegonds 
> Subject: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers
> To: "'Caller's discussion list'" 
> Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 9:35 PM
> Hi all,
> 
> I've been following with interest the discussion on calling
> and mentorships.
> Ron Blechner mentioned choreographers in his recent post and
> I'd like to
> expand on that a bit, so starting a new thread.
> 
> It's been my experience that unless one is a well-known
> choreographer
> (Ravitz, Hume, Ormand, Sanella, Olsen, and any number of
> others) it can be
> difficult get new dances into the light of day and, in the
> theme of
> mentorship, get feedback on them.
> 
> There are certainly a number of dances posted to this list
> and feedback is
> readily and warmly given. I have gleaned a number of dances
> from this list
> and am glad to see them, both as a caller and
> choreographer.
> 
> Three of questions for you:
> 1.  Do you see this [Caller] list an appropriate place
> to publish new
> dances? Too many postings of new dances could dilute the
> [Caller] aspect of
> the list.
> 2.  Do you feel there would be interest in a separate
> [Choreographer] list?
> I can see this list really focusing on creating new dances,
> getting
> feedback, and getting the word out about new dances. It
> could be a nice
> venue for choreographic student/mentorship stuff to happen.
> 3.  What would you think about a monthly
> dances-of-the-month email to
> consolidate new dances into a single or some moderated
> number of emails.
> 
> Mark Hillegonds
> 
> cell:  734-756-8441
> email:  mhillego...@comcast.net
> blog:  www.defriction.com
> 
> 
> ___
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Janet Bertog]

I have just recently joined this list and I am very new to calling.  I took
a caller's workshop at Contradancer's Delight Holiday and have called one
half night and one full night at my local dance.  But, I would like to point
out that Cary Ravitz has a tremendous resource on his webpage
(http://ravitz.us/dance) for callers and choreographers.  In addition to all
his dances, he also has a link to Michael Dyke's index, and to most other
webpages where dances are published.  He also has his own notes on calling
and writing dances as well as links to several other people's notes, and
links to several dance collections.  

I am also interested in the sharing of new dances, either on this list or a
separate list.  I like the idea of sharing ideas and seeing what other
people are doing.  

Janet


-Original Message-
From: callers-boun...@sharedweight.net
[mailto:callers-boun...@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Ron T Blechner
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 8:36 PM
To: Caller's discussion list
Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship

Hi Lynn & SW:

When I first was dabbling in the idea of calling, last summer, Marty Fager
from CDNY was a person I bounced ideas off, and he was happy to share
experiences. He's continued to assist me, but since I live near Princeton,
and Bob Isaacs seems to always be sniffing around for new callers, he took
me under his wing. (And a large wing, as then Bob would create a caller's
workshop for a dozen of us!)

There is an *incredibly* large amount of things a new caller needs to learn.
A lot of it can be written down and then reviewed by a mentor, and then the
calling is all about getting opportunity behind the mic with real dancers.

If CDSS is interested in fostering more shared resources / creating a
framework for a remote new caller mentoring program, some ideas:
- There are a few Internet solutions for free-or-cheap, real-time meetings /
voice calling.
- One of the biggest challenges is learning dances. A library of shared
dances would be invaluable. (Also, for a dance
choreographer...)
- There's a number of good books already written by a number of good
callers. Bob wrote his own sizable workbook for the caller's workshop, too.
The CDSS shopkeeper could create a sub-section of the books on the website
for just calling, and just dances - it's difficult sometimes to weed through
everything. Maybe a book-club for one or more of these contra calling books
could have a basic curriculum developed?
- There seems to be a wide variety of feelings on guest calling
opportunities. I'm blessed because Glenside, PA has local caller nights and
has been receptive to new callers, Princeton encourages guest calling with
*every* local rotation caller, and I've known the CDNY folks for years and
so have been able to secure guest spots there. However, there are many
dances that just aren't receptive to guest spots. There are still others
where the organizers don't care either way, and put it on the individual
callers to decide. I'm certainly not saying that there ought to be any
unified way, but discussion overall across CDSS of how dance organizers and
callers feel about guest callers would go a long way in opening people up to
the idea, maybe planning for it, maybe encouraging it.
- There's a gap in time between when a trained new caller CAN call and when
they get gigs. I'm faced with this now. I've got a few half-nights lined up
with dances that are my regular dances *and* because I have strong
recommendations. I hear time and time again from callers with 3-5 years
experience that the first year and booking first gigs is really, really
difficult. What I might recommend would be a database listing of
new-caller-friendly dances, for example, smaller university dances that have
difficulty drawing premium callers and bands and may only have 20 - 30
dancers per night.
- These online groups are great. Shared weight has a lot of interesting
discussion, and though I'm a lurker and just listen in, I've gained a lot of
insight, even just on seemingly trivial threads.
(Like talking about the merits of one particular dance, for example.) I've
heard the singing squares workshop from Pinewoods has a great group.
Princeton has a group from Bob's class and there's a lot of discussion
between us informally.
- I'd love a list of every dance everywhere, divided by region, with
listings of address, organizers, contact info, links to websites, and their
policies toward callers. (does this resource exist?)

Anyway. Watching this discussion unfold is heartening - as I join the caller
community, I have met a LOT of callers who are warm and welcoming and foster
a spirit of cooperation. I would say it's easily the majority of callers who
do this. Continuing to cultivate a spirit of cooperation and concreting it
as the social norm in the contra community at large is a big benefit for new
callers.

In Dance,
-Ron Blechner

On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 7:08 PM, lynn ackerson <cally...@pacbell.net> wrote:
> Why am I aski

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Perry Shafran]

Agree with Brian - sharing dances here would be a most useful resource for 
increasing one's repertoire!

Perry


Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Brian Hamshar]

I love the idea, and I would utilize it as a very useful resource. I'm not so 
concerned about deeing possibly inferior material ... I'd be interested in the 
exchange of ideas.

Bring it on! 

Brian Hamshar
Virginia 

Alan Winston  wrote:

>On 5/8/2012 6:35 PM, Mark Hillegonds wrote:
>
> > It's been my experience that unless one is a well-known choreographer 
>(Ravitz, >Hume, Ormand, Sanella, Olsen, and any number of others) it can 
>be difficult get >new dances into the light of day and, in the theme of 
>mentorship, get feedback on >them. There are certainly a number of 
>dances posted to this list and feedback is >readily and warmly given. I 
>have gleaned a number of dances from this list and am >glad to see them, 
>both as a caller and choreographer.
>
> >Three of questions for you:
>
> >1. Do you see this [Caller] list an appropriate place to publish new 
>dances? Too >many postings of new dances could dilute the [Caller] 
>aspect of the list.
>
>I do see it as an appropriate place.  It seems mutually beneficial to me 
>for choreographers to put new dances under caller's noses, and the 
>volume of new dances posted so far isn't very high.
>
>There are three types of postings that, for me as a caller (acting like 
>a filter feeder who snags things as they come by) have almost the same 
>effect:
>
>  - I wrote down this dance - anybody know what it is?
>
>  - I think I made up this dance - does it exist already?
>
>- Here's my cool new dance - I hope you'll like it.
>
>I don't see much point in segregating the third type of post to another 
>list.
>
>
>
> > 2. Do you feel there would be interest in a separate [Choreographer] 
>list? I can >see this list really focusing on creating new dances, 
>getting feedback, and >getting the word out about new dances. It could 
>be a nice venue for >choreographic student/mentorship stuff to happen.
>
>If there were one, I would probably sign up so that I didn't miss 
>anything.  That's different from thinking there's actual demand for it.
>
> >3. What would you think about a monthly dances-of-the-month email to 
> >consolidate new dances into a single or some moderated number of emails
>
>The devil is in the details there.  From what pool are the new dances 
>drawn?  Who's doing the moderating?  What makes the cut?
>
>-- Alan
>
>
>___
>Callers mailing list
>call...@sharedweight.net
>http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Brian Hamshar]

This sounds great!  A centralized resource for sharing dances -- new or not -- 
is something I would consult and post to often.

Brian Hamshar
Virginia 

Mark Hillegonds  wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I've been following with interest the discussion on calling and mentorships.
>Ron Blechner mentioned choreographers in his recent post and I'd like to
>expand on that a bit, so starting a new thread.
>
>It's been my experience that unless one is a well-known choreographer
>(Ravitz, Hume, Ormand, Sanella, Olsen, and any number of others) it can be
>difficult get new dances into the light of day and, in the theme of
>mentorship, get feedback on them.
>
>There are certainly a number of dances posted to this list and feedback is
>readily and warmly given. I have gleaned a number of dances from this list
>and am glad to see them, both as a caller and choreographer.
>
>Three of questions for you:
>1.  Do you see this [Caller] list an appropriate place to publish new
>dances? Too many postings of new dances could dilute the [Caller] aspect of
>the list.
>2.  Do you feel there would be interest in a separate [Choreographer] list?
>I can see this list really focusing on creating new dances, getting
>feedback, and getting the word out about new dances. It could be a nice
>venue for choreographic student/mentorship stuff to happen.
>3.  What would you think about a monthly dances-of-the-month email to
>consolidate new dances into a single or some moderated number of emails.
>
>Mark Hillegonds
>
>cell:  734-756-8441
>email:  mhillego...@comcast.net
>blog:  www.defriction.com
>
>
>___
>Callers mailing list
>call...@sharedweight.net
>http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Bill Baritompa]

Hi Mark,

 I pretty much agree with Alan. For me calling and choreography are 
intertwined
 and this forum is the ideal place for new dances.

Cheers, Bill

Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Richard Mckeever]

of the 3 type of dance questions you listed - only the first seems to be a 
caller's issue.  The other 2 don't seem to fit as well in this forum.


While I like the idea of sharing new dances - there are a lot of them out there 
and that would pretty much take over this group.  


I don't write dances - but would probably join a separate group if one was 
created.  


Your last set of questions are much harder to answer

Mac McKeever
St Louis.




 From: Alan Winston <wins...@slac.stanford.edu>
To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net> 
Sent: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 9:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers
 
On 5/8/2012 6:35 PM, Mark Hillegonds wrote:

> It's been my experience that unless one is a well-known choreographer 
> (Ravitz, >Hume, Ormand, Sanella, Olsen, and any number of others) it can be 
> difficult get >new dances into the light of day and, in the theme of 
> mentorship, get feedback on >them. There are certainly a number of dances 
> posted to this list and feedback is >readily and warmly given. I have gleaned 
> a number of dances from this list and am >glad to see them, both as a caller 
> and choreographer.

>Three of questions for you:

>1. Do you see this [Caller] list an appropriate place to publish new dances? 
>Too >many postings of new dances could dilute the [Caller] aspect of the list.

I do see it as an appropriate place.  It seems mutually beneficial to me for 
choreographers to put new dances under caller's noses, and the volume of new 
dances posted so far isn't very high.

There are three types of postings that, for me as a caller (acting like a 
filter feeder who snags things as they come by) have almost the same effect:

- I wrote down this dance - anybody know what it is?

- I think I made up this dance - does it exist already?

- Here's my cool new dance - I hope you'll like it.

I don't see much point in segregating the third type of post to another list.



> 2. Do you feel there would be interest in a separate [Choreographer] list? I 
> can >see this list really focusing on creating new dances, getting feedback, 
> and >getting the word out about new dances. It could be a nice venue for 
> >choreographic student/mentorship stuff to happen.

If there were one, I would probably sign up so that I didn't miss anything.  
That's different from thinking there's actual demand for it.

>3. What would you think about a monthly dances-of-the-month email to 
>>consolidate new dances into a single or some moderated number of emails

The devil is in the details there.  From what pool are the new dances drawn?  
Who's doing the moderating?  What makes the cut?

-- Alan


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Re: [Callers] Mentorship for Choreographers

[Alan Winston]

On 5/8/2012 6:35 PM, Mark Hillegonds wrote:

> It's been my experience that unless one is a well-known choreographer 
(Ravitz, >Hume, Ormand, Sanella, Olsen, and any number of others) it can 
be difficult get >new dances into the light of day and, in the theme of 
mentorship, get feedback on >them. There are certainly a number of 
dances posted to this list and feedback is >readily and warmly given. I 
have gleaned a number of dances from this list and am >glad to see them, 
both as a caller and choreographer.


>Three of questions for you:

>1. Do you see this [Caller] list an appropriate place to publish new 
dances? Too >many postings of new dances could dilute the [Caller] 
aspect of the list.


I do see it as an appropriate place.  It seems mutually beneficial to me 
for choreographers to put new dances under caller's noses, and the 
volume of new dances posted so far isn't very high.


There are three types of postings that, for me as a caller (acting like 
a filter feeder who snags things as they come by) have almost the same 
effect:


 - I wrote down this dance - anybody know what it is?

 - I think I made up this dance - does it exist already?

- Here's my cool new dance - I hope you'll like it.

I don't see much point in segregating the third type of post to another 
list.




> 2. Do you feel there would be interest in a separate [Choreographer] 
list? I can >see this list really focusing on creating new dances, 
getting feedback, and >getting the word out about new dances. It could 
be a nice venue for >choreographic student/mentorship stuff to happen.


If there were one, I would probably sign up so that I didn't miss 
anything.  That's different from thinking there's actual demand for it.


>3. What would you think about a monthly dances-of-the-month email to 
>consolidate new dances into a single or some moderated number of emails


The devil is in the details there.  From what pool are the new dances 
drawn?  Who's doing the moderating?  What makes the cut?


-- Alan

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[David Millstone]

Ron wrote, "One of the biggest challenges is learning dances. A library of shared  
dances would be invaluable."


I'll call folks' attention to a resource that's been mentioned here before, the  
detailed syllabi from the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend:


http://www.library.unh.edu/special/index.php/ralph-page-dance-legacy-weekend

The whole collection contains hundreds of dances-- mostly contras, as well as  
squares, triplets, dances in odd formations, chestnuts, new compositions. Each  
dance is carefully notated, and there is frequently backgroun information to round  
out the interested caller's knowledge. Some dances are easier, suitable for mixed  
crowds, and some are more complex. (Occasionally, the syllabus editor, David Smukler,  
will add a cautionary note that clues in the reader that this particular dance  
may be more complicated than it appears.)


All in all, this is a superb resource for callers both experienced and those newer  
to the mic. I think it's the best collection available on the web.


 - I'd love a list of every dance everywhere, divided by region, with listings  
of address, organizers, contact info, links to websites, and their policies toward  
callers. (does this resource exist?)


Don't think you'll find the "policies toward callers" but there are several excellent  
resources that do the rest:


* http://www.contradancelinks.com/

* http://www.neffa.org/Top/Folk_Dancing/Contras/Dances/index.shtml

* http://tedcrane.com/dancedb/

* http://www.thedancegypsy.com/

* http://www.contracorners.net/contra/links/dancemap.html

Hope this helps.

David Millstone

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Ron T Blechner]

Hi Lynn & SW:

When I first was dabbling in the idea of calling, last summer, Marty
Fager from CDNY was a person I bounced ideas off, and he was happy to
share experiences. He's continued to assist me, but since I live near
Princeton, and Bob Isaacs seems to always be sniffing around for new
callers, he took me under his wing. (And a large wing, as then Bob
would create a caller's workshop for a dozen of us!)

There is an *incredibly* large amount of things a new caller needs to
learn. A lot of it can be written down and then reviewed by a mentor,
and then the calling is all about getting opportunity behind the mic
with real dancers.

If CDSS is interested in fostering more shared resources / creating a
framework for a remote new caller mentoring program, some ideas:
- There are a few Internet solutions for free-or-cheap, real-time
meetings / voice calling.
- One of the biggest challenges is learning dances. A library of
shared dances would be invaluable. (Also, for a dance
choreographer...)
- There's a number of good books already written by a number of good
callers. Bob wrote his own sizable workbook for the caller's workshop,
too. The CDSS shopkeeper could create a sub-section of the books on
the website for just calling, and just dances - it's difficult
sometimes to weed through everything. Maybe a book-club for one or
more of these contra calling books could have a basic curriculum
developed?
- There seems to be a wide variety of feelings on guest calling
opportunities. I'm blessed because Glenside, PA has local caller
nights and has been receptive to new callers, Princeton encourages
guest calling with *every* local rotation caller, and I've known the
CDNY folks for years and so have been able to secure guest spots
there. However, there are many dances that just aren't receptive to
guest spots. There are still others where the organizers don't care
either way, and put it on the individual callers to decide. I'm
certainly not saying that there ought to be any unified way, but
discussion overall across CDSS of how dance organizers and callers
feel about guest callers would go a long way in opening people up to
the idea, maybe planning for it, maybe encouraging it.
- There's a gap in time between when a trained new caller CAN call and
when they get gigs. I'm faced with this now. I've got a few
half-nights lined up with dances that are my regular dances *and*
because I have strong recommendations. I hear time and time again from
callers with 3-5 years experience that the first year and booking
first gigs is really, really difficult. What I might recommend would
be a database listing of new-caller-friendly dances, for example,
smaller university dances that have difficulty drawing premium callers
and bands and may only have 20 - 30 dancers per night.
- These online groups are great. Shared weight has a lot of
interesting discussion, and though I'm a lurker and just listen in,
I've gained a lot of insight, even just on seemingly trivial threads.
(Like talking about the merits of one particular dance, for example.)
I've heard the singing squares workshop from Pinewoods has a great
group. Princeton has a group from Bob's class and there's a lot of
discussion between us informally.
- I'd love a list of every dance everywhere, divided by region, with
listings of address, organizers, contact info, links to websites, and
their policies toward callers. (does this resource exist?)

Anyway. Watching this discussion unfold is heartening - as I join the
caller community, I have met a LOT of callers who are warm and
welcoming and foster a spirit of cooperation. I would say it's easily
the majority of callers who do this. Continuing to cultivate a spirit
of cooperation and concreting it as the social norm in the contra
community at large is a big benefit for new callers.

In Dance,
-Ron Blechner

On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 7:08 PM, lynn ackerson <cally...@pacbell.net> wrote:
> Why am I asking? As a CDSS board member particularly interested in contras,
> I'm brainstorming about what a long-distance mentoring program could look 
> like.
>
>
>
> - Original Message 
> From: "Winston, Alan P." <wins...@slac.stanford.edu>
> To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net>
> Sent: Mon, May 7, 2012 2:49:20 PM
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
>
> Over in English country dance land, I've gotten a lot of help from Bruce
> Hamilton over the years
> (auditing his weekly caller classes in 1985, taking caller classes at English
> Week), and also taken
> a bunch of English and contra caller sessions from other leaders like Scott
> Higgs.  I did a year as
> apprentice to Jody McGeen in English.
>
> I haven't really had an ongoing mentorship relationship other than that, and I
> definitely haven't
>
> had one in contra.  (I basically jumped over from the English ladder to the
> contra ladder without
> climbing the

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Bill Baritompa]

Hi Rich,

You were very helpful to me providing resources. I neglected to mention that
in my previous email.

Cheers, Bill

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Rich Goss]

Sounds like a great project.  I'm currently working to encourage local callers, 
suppose you could call it mentoring.  A couple of them quite actively.  Also 
have mentored to some degree long-distance.  The long distance bit mainly is 
providing resources and being available to discuss upcoming gigs and what they 
might expect.  I also help them to get gigs through my contacts.  I think a 
long distance mentor should be willing to make themselves available for 
confidential discussions.  Another aspect would be to travel to do a workshop, 
then remotely advise and mentor the attendees.

Rich


> 
> On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 6:08 PM, lynn ackerson  wrote:
> 
>> Why am I asking? As a CDSS board member particularly interested in contras,
>> I'm brainstorming about what a long-distance mentoring program could look
>> like.

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Bob Green]

Thanks Bill. I have had the tremendous privilege of being allowed to video
a number of the dances being called by some of our truly great callers. As
the dance video archive project is focused on cataloging the dances, I have
restricted my permissions and public postings to that end, and the videos
are shot from that point of view of each particular dance works. However,
one of my rewards in editing these videos is the chance to study some of
the nuances that help these callers be so successful. There has been many a
case where I had wished I'd had the camera focused on the caller to see how
they did a demo, what gesture they had used, etc.

The idea of doing some kind of "Best of ..." series came to me in the
process of getting posting permissions from a dance weekend. One of my
idols, who had called the weekend, asked if I had any footage of the
teaching, so that learning could be obtained from all the mistakes. Of
course I had just spent several hours dissecting all the fantastic things
that went so well,( Wasn't hard to see why we were on different
octaves as callers [?]), it hadn't even occurred to me the potential mutual
benefit.

BTW...if you want objective feedback on you calling, and you have access
to  video camera, it doesn't get any more objective. Caution: Do be
prepared for the brutal truth!

Bob

On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 10:35 PM, Bill Baritompa <
staf...@ext.canterbury.ac.nz> wrote:

> Hi Lynn,
>
>
> > Why am I asking? As a CDSS board member particularly interested in
> contras,
> > I'm brainstorming about what a long-distance mentoring program could
> look like.
>
>  A long-distance mentoring program would be great. And Bob your idea
> sounds
> promising (your video dance archives are a useful resource).  Even using
> skype in some
>  way might be helpful.
>
>   When I learned to call MWSD, I was very lucky to be mentored by an
> excellent
> local caller, Kelvin Love, here in Christchurch and helped by
> understanding dancers
> who were willing put up with my first steps. In Japan, "Fancy" Tanaka took
> me under
> his wing and allowed me to call regularly for his club. Both these men
> have a fantastic
> understanding of how to move dancers in unbroken flowing patterns, and
> this imparted
> skill has helped me greatly when working out contra dance choreography.
>
>  Calling for contra has come from dancing to and learning from
> visitors who have
> come to NZ. Bev Bernbaum,  Mike Boerschig, Bob O'Brian, Gaye Fifer, Steve
> Gester,
> Alice Millmoe, Andrea Nettleton and Susie Rudder have all be extremely
> helpful when
> they have been here. I've learned much from them.
>
>   SW is a great resource, and off list a number of people have been
> very helpful to me.
> In particular Bob Isaacs has been very generous answering some technical
> questions,
> David Millstone has helped me get dancing established here with his advice
> and resources
> he has provided to me.  I enjoy Linda Leslie's regular continuing help and
> encouragement
> and honest appraisal of my ideas.
>
>  Of course nothing is better that personal contact. On our recent trip
> to San Francisco,
> it was great to finally meet you Lynn, and our brief conversation when you
> drove me home
> from the dance was a kind of mentoring for me :-).  Sharing ideas with
> Alan Winston and
>  Jim Saxe  at the special 'woolshed' dance series arranged by the BACDS
>  really made me
> feel part of the contra community.
>
>  Success with your mentoring program. I'm happy to help if I can.
>
> Cheers, Bill
>
>
> __**_
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/**mailman/listinfo/callers
>

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Bill Baritompa]

Hi Lynn,

> Why am I asking? As a CDSS board member particularly interested in contras,
> I'm brainstorming about what a long-distance mentoring program could look 
like.

  A long-distance mentoring program would be great. And Bob your idea sounds
promising (your video dance archives are a useful resource).  Even using skype 
in some

 way might be helpful.

   When I learned to call MWSD, I was very lucky to be mentored by an 
excellent
local caller, Kelvin Love, here in Christchurch and helped by understanding 
dancers
who were willing put up with my first steps. In Japan, "Fancy" Tanaka took me 
under
his wing and allowed me to call regularly for his club. Both these men have a 
fantastic
understanding of how to move dancers in unbroken flowing patterns, and this 
imparted

skill has helped me greatly when working out contra dance choreography.

  Calling for contra has come from dancing to and learning from visitors 
who have

come to NZ. Bev Bernbaum,  Mike Boerschig, Bob O'Brian, Gaye Fifer, Steve 
Gester,
Alice Millmoe, Andrea Nettleton and Susie Rudder have all be extremely helpful 
when
they have been here. I've learned much from them.

   SW is a great resource, and off list a number of people have been very 
helpful to me.

In particular Bob Isaacs has been very generous answering some technical 
questions,
David Millstone has helped me get dancing established here with his advice and 
resources
he has provided to me.  I enjoy Linda Leslie's regular continuing help and 
encouragement

and honest appraisal of my ideas.

  Of course nothing is better that personal contact. On our recent trip to 
San Francisco,
it was great to finally meet you Lynn, and our brief conversation when you drove 
me home
from the dance was a kind of mentoring for me :-).  Sharing ideas with Alan 
Winston and
 Jim Saxe  at the special 'woolshed' dance series arranged by the BACDS  really 
made me

feel part of the contra community.

  Success with your mentoring program. I'm happy to help if I can.

Cheers, Bill

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Paul Wilde]

Lynne,

I have not had a formal mentor, as such, but owe a great deal of gratitude
to this list, and especially to Tony Parkes & Dan Pearl for their great
warmth and willingness to share.  Both have taken time to answer questions
and/or sit and chat on the sidelines of a dance talking w/ me about callers
issues & techniques.  Humility, a willingness to listen closely, and
knowing how to phrase the right questions for your situation are all key.

Pinewoods type caller workshops are also an excellent way to get some
intense practice and mentoring (3 hrs. a day for 5-6 days).  Spent a wk.
taking Kathy Anderson's Square Dance Callers Workshop.  Very informative
and helpful in general, but unfortunately I only get to call about a dozen
or so squares in a year.  But there are probably lots of these sorts of
workshops at camps around the country, covering a variety of genres.
 Gathering a list of these would be beneficial.

A format I especially appreciate is the RPDLW (Ralph Page Dance Legacy
Weekend) callers open mic, where the two staff callers for the weekend tag
team for 90 min. each taking on callers 1,3,5 or 2,4,6 etc. for 90 min.
taking notes and debriefing the mentoree as they finish.  I found this
incredibly helpful, and can still recall nearly all that was said to me on
both occasions where I was lucky enough to get on the roster (thank you
Lynne & Tony).  Unfortunately, there are far more applicants than slots, so
it would be nice to see more of this going on in other places.

I've only been calling full scale for 3 yrs. but am also racking up 45-50
gigs a yr.  Approx. 15 of these are community dances where new people are
encouraged to practice calling.  It's a monthly Jammers dance, w/ a large
totally acoustic band (12-15 players) and contra/ECD/Int dances.  It is how
I got my start, and as programmer for the series, have done my best to
encourage others to try their hand and offer whatever help they feel they
need individually.  This is a ftf on the ground mentoring situation, and
not the long distance plan you are suggesting, but I felt it worthwhile to
mention.  It is a very non-threatening environment, w/ someone w/
experience standing w/ you (if that's what you want) and generally helping
out as each feels the need.  Debriefing is good, but sometimes hard for
certain people to hear.

There's still soo much to learn, but the joy is in the journey.

Thanks so much to everyone on this list, and for it's creation and
maintenance.

warmest regards,
Paul

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Bob Green]

Funny you should mention that LynnIve had this idea kicking around
about a video project...I'll forward you some stuff off list first.

bob Green

On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 6:08 PM, lynn ackerson <cally...@pacbell.net> wrote:

> Why am I asking? As a CDSS board member particularly interested in contras,
> I'm brainstorming about what a long-distance mentoring program could look
> like.
>
>
>
> - Original Message 
> From: "Winston, Alan P." <wins...@slac.stanford.edu>
> To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net>
> Sent: Mon, May 7, 2012 2:49:20 PM
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship
>
> Over in English country dance land, I've gotten a lot of help from Bruce
> Hamilton over the years
> (auditing his weekly caller classes in 1985, taking caller classes at
> English
> Week), and also taken
> a bunch of English and contra caller sessions from other leaders like Scott
> Higgs.  I did a year as
> apprentice to Jody McGeen in English.
>
> I haven't really had an ongoing mentorship relationship other than that,
> and I
> definitely haven't
>
> had one in contra.  (I basically jumped over from the English ladder to the
> contra ladder without
> climbing the lower rungs of the contra ladder - my first contra gig was a
> mixed
> English/contra evening
> at the Scout House.  I got a lot of help from Lynn Ackerson and Susan
> Petrick on
> putting that evening
>
> together, and with Karen Axelrod and Dave Langford playing and  a room
> full of
> excellent dancers who
>
> loved both forms it was, I think, quite successful.  That was a much
> easier gig
> than the ones I've been doing
> lately, as I belatedly call small dances in outlying areas, work with
> inexperienced bands, etc.)
>
>
> Other callers have been very generous with me - I've gotten helpful
> feedback
> from Erik Hoffman, Jim Saxe,
> and others.
>
> Part of me would still like to get formally mentored; part of me thinks
> that
> might be kind of emotionally
>
> Difficult when I've been calling for 27 years and am (in some ways) pretty
> good,
> and in a fair amount of
> demand (when you add up the ONS, Regency, Civil War, English, and contra, I
> gigged about 50 times last year
> and seem to be on track to do that again this year).  I know I don't know
> everything, by a long shot.
>
> I've been very grateful for this mailing list, where we can discuss
> problems,
> approaches, philosophy, etc
> (and get multiple contradictory answers).  There's also been a number of
> learning and discussion opportunities
>
> for me on the ECD mailing list.
>
> Lynn, I'm wondering why you ask?
>
> -- Alan
>
> ___
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
> ___
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[lynn ackerson]

Why am I asking? As a CDSS board member particularly interested in contras, 
I'm brainstorming about what a long-distance mentoring program could look like.



- Original Message 
From: "Winston, Alan P." <wins...@slac.stanford.edu>
To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net>
Sent: Mon, May 7, 2012 2:49:20 PM
Subject: Re: [Callers] mentorship

Over in English country dance land, I've gotten a lot of help from Bruce 
Hamilton over the years
(auditing his weekly caller classes in 1985, taking caller classes at English 
Week), and also taken
a bunch of English and contra caller sessions from other leaders like Scott 
Higgs.  I did a year as
apprentice to Jody McGeen in English.

I haven't really had an ongoing mentorship relationship other than that, and I 
definitely haven't 

had one in contra.  (I basically jumped over from the English ladder to the 
contra ladder without
climbing the lower rungs of the contra ladder - my first contra gig was a mixed 
English/contra evening
at the Scout House.  I got a lot of help from Lynn Ackerson and Susan Petrick 
on 
putting that evening 

together, and with Karen Axelrod and Dave Langford playing and  a room full of 
excellent dancers who 

loved both forms it was, I think, quite successful.  That was a much easier gig 
than the ones I've been doing
lately, as I belatedly call small dances in outlying areas, work with 
inexperienced bands, etc.)  


Other callers have been very generous with me - I've gotten helpful feedback 
from Erik Hoffman, Jim Saxe,
and others.

Part of me would still like to get formally mentored; part of me thinks that 
might be kind of emotionally 

Difficult when I've been calling for 27 years and am (in some ways) pretty 
good, 
and in a fair amount of
demand (when you add up the ONS, Regency, Civil War, English, and contra, I 
gigged about 50 times last year
and seem to be on track to do that again this year).  I know I don't know 
everything, by a long shot.

I've been very grateful for this mailing list, where we can discuss problems, 
approaches, philosophy, etc
(and get multiple contradictory answers).  There's also been a number of 
learning and discussion opportunities 

for me on the ECD mailing list.

Lynn, I'm wondering why you ask?

-- Alan

___
Callers mailing list
call...@sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Winston, Alan P.]

Over in English country dance land, I've gotten a lot of help from Bruce 
Hamilton over the years
(auditing his weekly caller classes in 1985, taking caller classes at English 
Week), and also taken
a bunch of English and contra caller sessions from other leaders like Scott 
Higgs.  I did a year as
apprentice to Jody McGeen in English.

I haven't really had an ongoing mentorship relationship other than that, and I 
definitely haven't 
had one in contra.  (I basically jumped over from the English ladder to the 
contra ladder without
climbing the lower rungs of the contra ladder - my first contra gig was a mixed 
English/contra evening
at the Scout House.  I got a lot of help from Lynn Ackerson and Susan Petrick 
on putting that evening 
together, and with Karen Axelrod and Dave Langford playing and  a room full of 
excellent dancers who 
loved both forms it was, I think, quite successful.  That was a much easier gig 
than the ones I've been doing
lately, as I belatedly call small dances in outlying areas, work with 
inexperienced bands, etc.)  

Other callers have been very generous with me - I've gotten helpful feedback 
from Erik Hoffman, Jim Saxe,
and others.

Part of me would still like to get formally mentored; part of me thinks that 
might be kind of emotionally 
Difficult when I've been calling for 27 years and am (in some ways) pretty 
good, and in a fair amount of
demand (when you add up the ONS, Regency, Civil War, English, and contra, I 
gigged about 50 times last year
and seem to be on track to do that again this year).  I know I don't know 
everything, by a long shot.

I've been very grateful for this mailing list, where we can discuss problems, 
approaches, philosophy, etc
(and get multiple contradictory answers).  There's also been a number of 
learning and discussion opportunities 
for me on the ECD mailing list.

Lynn, I'm wondering why you ask?

-- Alan

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Lisa Sieverts]

Lynn,

I was lucky enough to be one of the many callers mentored by Larry
Jennings. He completely changed my ideas about caller responsibilities. I
owe him so much.

One of the very specific things he did was to force me to recite
"walk-throughs" in front of him, over and over, until I developed good
words for teaching dances.

More importantly, he helped me to see that my role at the dance was to
serve the dancers.

Best,
Lisa

On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 12:02 PM, lynn ackerson  wrote:

> In your calling career, do you now or have you ever had a mentor? If so,
> who was
> it and what specific things did they do to help you grow as a caller and a
> person?
> thanks,
> Lynn
> ___
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>



-- 

l...@lisasieverts.com
603-762-0235

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[David Lawrence Harvey]

I was introduced to Dudley Laufman by a friend in the spring of 1994.  I
attended and sat in as a musician with many dances led by him for many
years while I lived in NH.  He also let me talk shop with him at his place
in Canterbury, NH, and let me borrow titles from his huge personal library
of books, tapes and CDs.  He also got me my first paying gig.  There's
simply too much to share via email about how helpful he was and continues
to be.

Yours,
Dave Harvey
NYC Barn Dance

On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 2:27 PM, Don Veino wrote:

> I don't have a formalized single mentor but draw on the established regular
> callers in my area (or internet extended area :) for advice and feedback.
> At least one of these callers created opportunities for me to try out
> larger venue public calling which nudged me over the hump to try doing a
> full evening on my own, which was great.
>
> BTW, one area caller just opened himself up for very public feedback on a
> recent gig via a Facebook note discussion, which included the dancers as
> well - I found to be very brave and smart, as it seems to be producing rich
> results.
>
> -Don
>
> On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 12:02 PM, lynn ackerson 
> wrote:
>
> > In your calling career, do you now or have you ever had a mentor? If so,
> > who was
> > it and what specific things did they do to help you grow as a caller and
> a
> > person?
> > thanks,
> > Lynn
> > ___
> > Callers mailing list
> > call...@sharedweight.net
> > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> >
> ___
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
>

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Don Veino]

I don't have a formalized single mentor but draw on the established regular
callers in my area (or internet extended area :) for advice and feedback.
At least one of these callers created opportunities for me to try out
larger venue public calling which nudged me over the hump to try doing a
full evening on my own, which was great.

BTW, one area caller just opened himself up for very public feedback on a
recent gig via a Facebook note discussion, which included the dancers as
well - I found to be very brave and smart, as it seems to be producing rich
results.

-Don

On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 12:02 PM, lynn ackerson  wrote:

> In your calling career, do you now or have you ever had a mentor? If so,
> who was
> it and what specific things did they do to help you grow as a caller and a
> person?
> thanks,
> Lynn
> ___
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>

Re: [Callers] mentorship

[Donald Perley]

We have a local group (Mad Robin Caller's Collective) that helps new
callers along.  In the past couple of years we've had workshops
focused on total beginners, squares, and chestnuts.  There are
practice sessions where you can try out and get critiqued on both
calling and walk through for a new dance, and we team up for dances so
you don't have to dive in the deep end responsible for a whole
evening's program.

-Don


On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 12:02 PM, lynn ackerson  wrote:
> In your calling career, do you now or have you ever had a mentor? If so, who 
> was
> it and what specific things did they do to help you grow as a caller and a
> person?
>     thanks,
>     Lynn
> ___
> Callers mailing list
> call...@sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers