[Callers] Re: Ralph Sweet pictures needed

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Make sure a few have the plaid shirt!

All you male callers might not know how important he is to women dancers --

I've sent more than a few female newbies off to a dance I couldn't be
at, saying "look for the guy who looks like a retired teacher, in a
pink/salmon plaid shirt, he's a lovely human, you'll feel totally safe
-- and you'll learn more in 12 minutes dancing with him than in any
other hour with anyone else."


And how often they've come back and said "You're SO RIGHT!"

And you can quote me on this, on your display.

Amy



On 11/7/19, jmitchell.nc--- via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Here are some that I took when I did the Singing Squares Course at
> Pinewoods with Nils and Ralph. If you use any of these, I just ask that
> they be credited to me. High resolution versions should be able to be
> downloaded from flickr without any login.
>
>
> https://flickr.com/photos/jhm4/6031971569/in/album-72157627409253900/
>
> https://flickr.com/photos/jhm4/6031972889/in/album-72157627409253900/
>
> https://flickr.com/photos/jhm4/6031973471/in/album-72157627409253900/
>
>
> I particularly love this pair of photos:
>
> https://flickr.com/photos/jhm4/6032533416/in/album-72157627409253900/
>
> https://flickr.com/photos/jhm4/6032533882/in/album-72157627409253900/
>
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[Callers] Re: Album tracks you can dance to

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Look on Larry Unger's earlier albums, there's a bunch of good ones,
including a couple that go jig-to-reel.

 Can't remember which albums right now, I had them converted onto a
cassette mix tape (!) for use in the older student activity room...

On 2/28/20, Rick Mohr via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> After 25 years of calling to only live music I started a teen dance which
> so far has a pretty limited budget. So I've found a bunch of album tracks
> we can dance to -- see below for the ones we use.
>
> While I have a lot of great tracks I'd love to find more for variety,
> especially with 11-14 times through where I don't have as many. Any ideas
> for me?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rick
>
> Here's a spreadsheet showing the tracks we use (with tempos and number of
> times through):
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AGHHI1hH7VJcvBRdXB_FmYeHkS-SGllL7Zp-tRY_imM
>
> And here's my album list (showing how many tracks we use from each.
>
> Airdance -- Airdance (1)
> Airdance -- Cloud Nine (2)
> Assembly -- Other Side Of The Tracks (1)
> Becky Tracy, Keith Murphy, Andy Davis -- Any Jig or Reel (7)
> Berea Castoffs -- Folk Buddha's Path to Enlightenment
> Big Bandemonium -- The Big Bang (1)
> Elixir -- Rampant (1)
> Great Bear -- Magic Fantasy Dream Dance (3)
> Great Bear Trio -- Dancing Again (1)
> Mary Cay Brass & Friends -- Green Mountain (3)
> Rodney & Randy Miller -- New England Chestnuts Vol. II (2)
> Susan Kevra -- Full Swing (5)
> Wild Asparagus -- Live at the Guiding Star Grange (3)
>
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[Callers] Re: actual timing of calls for hey for four

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Clarifying: "as" in this case -- for me -- means "as you look at the
person you're about to cross", not just as the *shoulders* brush.
Still a little ahead, but not the full four beats a lot of moves get.

On 2/28/20, Amy Cann via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> I agree with your assessment.
>
> Sometimes calling is "prompting" -- saying what needs to happen next,
> and saying it early enough to mentally "land" and turn into action.
>
> Sometimes calling is repeating a real-time narration, a rhythmic
> script for the dancer to memorize and then internally recite/follow.
>
> It's good to know which one to use, when... :)
>
> On 2/28/20, Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers
>  wrote:
>> hello - first time posting to this list so i'm sorry if I do it wrong
>> (looked in archives and couldn't see obvious answer)
>>
>>  I am going to teach and call my first dance with a hey this Saturday..
>> (ie
>> tomorrow)
>>
>> our group takes things slow so i'd like to cue every interaction for the
>> first few times, as our previous caller did I don't know how common
>> this is but our previous caller would actually say--
>>
>>  ravens pass right
>> neighbours pass left
>> larks pass right
>> partners left
>> ravens pass right
>> neighbours pass left
>> larks pass right
>>  partner balance and swing
>>
>> I'm wondering if someone can clarify for me about delivering the calls
>> for
>> this heynormally of course I deliver instructions so the last bit of
>> instruction ends on the beat prior to the figure starting.
>>
>> But in the case of the Hey, if I remember correctly the caller actually
>> called out  the actions *as* they were happening
>>
>> Am I remembering correctly and if so is this the best approach?
>>
>> In essence-- do I start by calling "ravens pass right" *just before* they
>> do it, or *while* they are doing it?
>>
>> thanks muchly :)
>>
>> Katherine Kitching in Hfx NS Canada
>>
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[Callers] Re: actual timing of calls for hey for four

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

I agree with your assessment.

Sometimes calling is "prompting" -- saying what needs to happen next,
and saying it early enough to mentally "land" and turn into action.

Sometimes calling is repeating a real-time narration, a rhythmic
script for the dancer to memorize and then internally recite/follow.

It's good to know which one to use, when... :)

On 2/28/20, Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> hello - first time posting to this list so i'm sorry if I do it wrong
> (looked in archives and couldn't see obvious answer)
>
>  I am going to teach and call my first dance with a hey this Saturday.. (ie
> tomorrow)
>
> our group takes things slow so i'd like to cue every interaction for the
> first few times, as our previous caller did I don't know how common
> this is but our previous caller would actually say--
>
>  ravens pass right
> neighbours pass left
> larks pass right
> partners left
> ravens pass right
> neighbours pass left
> larks pass right
>  partner balance and swing
>
> I'm wondering if someone can clarify for me about delivering the calls for
> this heynormally of course I deliver instructions so the last bit of
> instruction ends on the beat prior to the figure starting.
>
> But in the case of the Hey, if I remember correctly the caller actually
> called out  the actions *as* they were happening
>
> Am I remembering correctly and if so is this the best approach?
>
> In essence-- do I start by calling "ravens pass right" *just before* they
> do it, or *while* they are doing it?
>
> thanks muchly :)
>
> Katherine Kitching in Hfx NS Canada
>
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[Callers] Re: Totally open question: what's a "quadrille" ?

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Wonderful post, with one quibble: you left out the best sentence!

"The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all.”

;)

On 2/24/20, John Sweeney via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> For those who have asked about the style of the early quadrilles, please
> see
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSD37PF2_Dw
>
> Thomas Wilson documented the standard stepping for country dances in the
> early 19th century as being three chassées, jeté, assemblé.  You can see
> that being performed, complete with pointy toes, in this video.  In modern
> terminology: three polka steps and a jump.  Note: this is how ALL country
> dances were done then!  Don't believe what you see in Jane Austen movies!
>
> Note also the arm shape for a hand turn.  The smooth downward curve was
> believed to look best, rather than the elbow-down-hand-up W shape that we
> use now.
>
> Each sequence is only danced once by each pair of couples.  But there are
> many sequences.  Very different from a modern dance with multiple
> repetitions of one sequence.
>
> For lots more detail see the papers listed at
> https://www.regencydances.org/paper000.php
>
> People have referenced quadrilles as being sometimes done in a sort of
> Becket formation, by pairs of couples. As it says at
> https://www.regencydances.org/paper011.php, "Most early Quadrilles were not
> the 8 person Sets that arose in the 1810s (most notable amongst which was
> the First Set), but rather a variation of the Cotillion usually arranged
> for
> just four dancers."
>
> = = = = = = = =
>
> Colin referenced La Russe as having derived from a quadrille; indeed when
> the EFDSS published it in 1948 it was titled "La Russe Quadrille":
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/EFDS4806-LaRusse.html
>
> = = = = = = = =
>
> I think that we have to accept the fact that "Quadrille" has joined the
> ranks of words such as Allemande, Swing and Dosido which all have multiple
> different meanings depending on the country, century and dance genre.
>
> 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it
> means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
>
> 'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many
> different things.'
> ...
> 'When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'I
> always pay it extra.'
> https://sabian.org/looking_glass6.php
>
>     Happy dancing,
>    John   
>   
> John Sweeney, Dancer, England   j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
> 940 574   
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
>
> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent 
> http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
>
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[Callers] Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Betting that Colin Hume has the definitive answer to this...

(There's some really cool old ones for square dancing, lemme see if I
can dig a few up)

On 2/9/20, Becky Liddle via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> I doubt this exists, but thought I’d ask:
> I have seen on-line apps that demonstrate just one particular move (a ravens
> chain or whatever) showing how each dancer moves in that single call/move.
> But has anyone yet programmed something that allows you to put in all the
> moves of a full contra dance, so you can see how all the dancers in a contra
> line interact?
> I’m trying to figure out movements and end effects using a magnetic
> whiteboard, moving magnets around, but it is both painstakingly slow and I
> keep screwing it up.
>
> I know the ideal way to figure out end effects and make sure a dance works
> before calling it is to get a few friends together to walk it thru, but
> short of getting that many contra dancers in a room (I have one friend who
> offers them pie as incentive, but I’m no pastry chef!), has anyone figured
> out a better system for visualizing dancer interactions and end effects
> other than magnets on a whiteboard?
>
> Assuming an on-line simulator doesn’t exist, I’m about to go that
> magnet/whiteboard route, so if anyone cares to suggest the least
> mind-boggling way to set that up (Lark 1A, Raven 1A, Lark 2A, Raven 2A,
> etc?) do chime in! I need some way to label each dancer so that when they
> leave their minor set, and then, say, do a left diagonal ravens chain back
> to their partner I can tell if it really IS their own partner or if I’ve
> screwed up again. :-(
>
> I find online videos can sometimes help me visualize the interactions in the
> middle of the line (if the videographer will hold still long enough for me
> to see a whole run-thru of the dance with one minor set), but I can almost
> never see end effects in those.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions!
> Becky Liddle, Toronto
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[Callers] Re: Best '20s Dances

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

If it's dancers, for 1920's I'd do 12th Street Rag.

Engaging and familiar novelty tune, fun "typical" moves that most can
pick up fairly quickly.
Actually easier than Salty Dog, which usually gets mentioned.

Dead-pan Youtube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQv38Lpj6V0

If it's civilians, you can modify 12th St  to make it easier, ask for
details if you want or just make up your own.

On 2/21/20, John Sweeney via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Hi all,
>
>   Since it is 2020 I have been asked to call a dance with a
> '20s
> theme.
>
>
>
>   What are your favourite dances from:
>
> 1520s
>
> 1620s
>
> 1720s
>
> 1820s
>
> 1920s
>
> 2020s
>
>
>
>   Thanks.
>
>
>
> Happy dancing,
>
>John
>
>
>
> John Sweeney, Dancer, England   j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
> 940 574
>
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
>
>
> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
>
>
> http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
>
>
>
>
>
>
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[Callers] Totally open question: what's a "quadrille" ?

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

What do you think of as a quadrille, tune and/or dance?

I'm very curious to hear as many different answers as there are
ages/locations/opinions on here. :)

(Tell you why *after* we have a nice long thread. :)

Cheers,
Amy
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[Callers] Re: Easy but super fun 4X4 contras

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Are you dead set on 4x4?

There's a good/superfun/easy 3x3 but I'll be darned if I can think of
it at the moment... I'll get back to you...

On 1/10/20, jmitchell.nc--- via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> I'm a big fan of Rick Mohr's "Dance All Night". Its also good for teaching
> a grand R before doing a square. It's on his website.
>
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[Callers] Re: Recordings of 40 Bar Tunes

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Have you tried the Scottish repertoire/resources?

On 1/3/20, John Sweeney via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Hi all,
>
>   Despite having an extensive collection of music I have
> nothing
> suitable for a 40 bar contra dance.
>
>
>
>   Please can anyone recommend any good recordings of 40 bars
> and
> 7 to 11 times through?  Preferably they should be downloadable
> individually.
>
>
>
>   Thanks.
>
>
>
> Happy dancing,
>
>John
>
>
>
> John Sweeney, Dancer, England   j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
> 940 574
>
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
>
>
> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
>
>
> http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
>
>
>
>
>
>
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[Callers] Re: Recordings of 40 Bar Tunes

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

I'm going to head off-list and talk to my friend Norb Spencer,
accordionist extraordinaire, major tune-hound, and player of all three
likely-to-be-not-32 genres (Oldtime, Fr.C, and Scottish). Watch this
space...

On 1/3/20, John Sweeney via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Hi Amy,
>   You asked about the 40-bar dance.
>
>   The dance I am currently working on is " Ladies Walk Around Their 
> Contra "
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/FormationsDances.html#LadiesWalk
>
>   I was at a dance on New Year's Eve where it was called and realised it 
> was
> a new formation for me.  It is a Becket dance for Trios (Lady-Man-Lady).  It
> is Formation #102 at http://contrafusion.co.uk/Formations.html
>
>   I don't know who wrote it.  Does anyone know?
>
>   A good 40-bar tune will also be useful for:
> "Major Hey" by Erik Hoffman
> http://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=5030
> “Apple Pie Quadrille” by Ron Beeson
> http://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=12522
> "Not So Solitary" by me (Nine dancers in a 3x3 grid doing lots of Heys)
>
>   Thanks.
>
> Happy dancing,
>John   
>   
> John Sweeney, Dancer, England   j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
> 940 574   
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs   
> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent 
> http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
>
>
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[Callers] Re: Coronadance

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

We should all just switch to ECD...

On 3/18/20, Martha Wild via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Amounts on the last spiral are approximate - until you face your new
> neighbor…..
>
> Martha
>
>> On Mar 18, 2020, at 11:40 AM, Erik Hoffman via Contra Callers
>>  wrote:
>>
>> Make sure all are at least six feet away from each other…
>>
>> From: Mary Collins via Contra Callers
>> > >
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2020 5:18 AM
>> To: Martha Wild mailto:maw...@sbcglobal.net>>
>> Cc: contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
>> 
>> Subject: [Callers] Re: Coronadance
>>
>> LOVE this!!! Thanks.
>> Mary
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 17, 2020, 9:37 PM Martha Wild via Contra Callers
>> > > wrote:
>> A contra dance for social distancing:
>>
>> Coronadance
>>
>> Duple improper
>>
>> A1) Do-si-do neighbor
>> Mad robin (facing partner) ladies in front
>> A2) Single file circle 3/4 around
>> Spiral around your partner 2x until gents are facing across
>> B1) Full hey, gents passing left shoulder to start
>> B2) Gents spiral left 1 1/2
>> Spiral right neighbor 1 1/2
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>
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[Callers] Re: List migrations

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Bless you for doing this.

:)

On 5/7/20, Seth Seeger via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Hello Shared Weight community,
>
> I’m sorry for the short notice, but I need to move the mailing lists to a
> different host this evening.  There will be some down time between now and
> 10pm EST.  No messages will be lost, though there may be duplicates in the
> digests.
>
> I’ll send another email once the move is complete.
>
> Nitty gritty details:  AWS hosting looked like the right option, but their
> pricing structure is not clear.  Turns out to cost nearly 2x what I had
> expected.  I am moving us (back) to Linode, where we should have stayed all
> along.  Better service, clear pricing, good support.
>
> Seth
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[Callers] Re: Does anybody know of active vaccinated-only, in-person contra dances?

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

I can tell you that the tourist-y Open Farm / Harvest Fest / Pumpkin
Days haybaler gigs are up and running in VT/NH.

On 10/15/21, Ridge Kennedy via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Bethlehem PA is starting in November.
>
> https://valleycontradance.org/
>
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2021 at 11:51 AM Becky Liddle via Contra Callers <
> contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi caller friends,
>>
>> I’m the president of Toronto Contra Dance and we’re about to survey our
>> membership about when they’ll feel ready to return to in-person dancing,
>> and under what circumstances. We’re expecting that at first dances will
>> be
>> vaccinated-only spaces, probably with masks required. But it would be
>> very
>> useful to us if we knew of other dance organizations that had already
>> begun
>> vaccinated-only dances, so we could learn how that’s going. (Do they
>> require masks? Can people enjoy the dance with masks? Has anyone gotten
>> sick? What adaptations, e.g., slowing down the music, have they needed to
>> make to accommodate mask-wearing? What systems have worked well for
>> verifying vaccination status?)
>>
>> I had hoped CDSS would be monitoring back-to-in-person dances to inform
>> the rest of us how those ventures are going, but as far as I can tell,
>> they’re not doing that.
>>
>> Any information anyone can provide would be most appreciated!
>> Back-channel
>> messages welcome! If I’m re-inventing the wheel here, please put me in
>> touch with whatever group is looking into this!
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Becky Liddle
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>>
>
>
> --
> Ridge Kennedy [Exit 145]
> When you stumble, make it part of the dance. - Anonymous
>
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[Callers] Re: Squares from Northern Junket

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

How neat! I have a few early copies I picked up as spares at  Ralph
Page weekend and they make for fascinating reading.

Also, I had to explain to a twenty-something the other day why they
were "purple", which was fun.

They totally didn't believe me about sniffing fresh mimeographs.

On 11/23/21, Tony Parkes via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Sounds like a monumental task, Colin. More power to you -- we need all the
> easily accessible sources of good squares that we can put in place.
>
> Tony Parkes
> Billerica, Mass.
> www.hands4.com
> New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
> (coming in December)
>
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Colin Hume via Contra Callers 
> Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2021 4:11 PM
> To: Contra Callers 
> Subject: [Callers] Squares from Northern Junket
>
> Northern Junket was a magazine which Ralph Page edited from 1949 to 1984.
> I've now started copying out the Squares he published there, sometimes with
> my own comments and suggestions - I've finished Volume 1.
>
> I know some of you dance and call Squares as well as Contras.
> If you're interested, please read my page at:
> https://colinhume.com/instnj.htm
> and let me have any corrections and comments either through the list or by
> email.
>
> Colin Hume
>
>
>
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[Callers] Re: Squares from Northern Junket and Happy Birthday Amy!

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

It has been, building a chicken run with power tools, yay!

On 11/23/21, Lisa Sieverts via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Hey, Happy Birthday Amy Cann!
>
> Hope it’s a great day
>
> Lisa Sieverts
> 603-762-0235
> l...@lisasieverts.com
>
> On 23 Nov 2021, at 17:21, Amy Cann via Contra Callers wrote:
>
>> How neat! I have a few early copies I picked up as spares at  Ralph
>> Page weekend and they make for fascinating reading.
>>
>> Also, I had to explain to a twenty-something the other day why they
>> were "purple", which was fun.
>>
>> They totally didn't believe me about sniffing fresh mimeographs.
>>
>> On 11/23/21, Tony Parkes via Contra Callers
>>  wrote:
>>> Sounds like a monumental task, Colin. More power to you --
>>> we need all the
>>> easily accessible sources of good squares that we can put in place.
>>>
>>> Tony Parkes
>>> Billerica, Mass.
>>> www.hands4.com
>>> New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
>>> (coming in December)
>>>
>>>
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: Colin Hume via Contra Callers
>>> 
>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2021 4:11 PM
>>> To: Contra Callers 
>>> Subject: [Callers] Squares from Northern Junket
>>>
>>> Northern Junket was a magazine which Ralph Page edited from 1949 to
>>> 1984.
>>> I've now started copying out the Squares he published there, sometimes
>>> with
>>> my own comments and suggestions - I've finished Volume 1.
>>>
>>> I know some of you dance and call Squares as well as Contras.
>>> If you're interested, please read my page at:
>>> https://colinhume.com/instnj.htm
>>> and let me have any corrections and comments either through the list or
>>> by
>>> email.
>>>
>>> Colin Hume
>>>
>>>
>>>
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[Callers] Re: teaching Naked in California

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

On 12/6/21, Tony Parkes via Contra Callers
 wrote:

> I actually accepted a gig at a “naturist” resort in New England.
>I had to come up with patter

Since mostly all humans are pretty asymmetrical, how 'bout:

"Promenade and don't be slow,
Right (x) high and left (x) low"

:)
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[Callers] Re: Looking for a Tune

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

I'd look at schottisches, especially trhe Scandi ones. A lot of them
start with some sort of

YUMP tiddy DUM, ti diddy diddy diddy dum


What's the rest of the dance like?




On 3/23/22, Linda S. Mrosko via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Can anyone think of a recorded danceable tune that would fit the following
> A1 opening?
>
> Shake R hands with P 1 _ 2 _ 1-2-3-4 (8 beats)
>
> I've listened to so many tunes that my brain is fried.
> Many thanks.
>
> --
>
>
>
> *Looking forward,Linda S. Mrosko*
> *(903) 292-3713 (Cell)*
> *contradancetx.com *
>
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[Callers] Re: Bridgerton wedding dance/experience with using non-contra or non-ECD music to modified ECD/ceilidh dances

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

In my experience wedding dancers can learn four, maybe five dances.

You do one seriously easy circle mixer dance IMMEDIATELY after the
toasts while everyone is standing right there.

Then you do a flight of three dances that all use the same basic moves
but are in different configurations: one longways, one random mixer,
another circle but this time it's Sicilian.

Somewhere in there you break for the cake. NEVER EVER let them serve
the cake before the dancing starts, once people eat cake they are DONE
with trying things just because the couple wants them to.

At the very end you do one more "hard" dance for the hardcores.

I'd pick the five best of all of these and then simply Make Stuff Up.

Adapt Galopede. Adapt Lucky Seven. Just torque all the best wedding
dances out of shape a little until they fit what you have. Take your
favorite moves and quilt them together.

And charge them extra for the research!

A

On 5/19/22, Erik Hoffman via Contra Callers
 wrote:
>
>
> From: Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Contra Callers
> 
> Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2022 10:30 PM
> To: contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Subject: [Callers] Bridgerton wedding dance/experience with using non-contra
> or non-ECD music to modified ECD/ceilidh dances
>
> Hi all,
>
> I’ve been asked to call a Bridgerton-themed wedding dance.  Part of what
> makes the Bridgerton theme is the music… So I’m wondering if anyone has
> experience (of either the successful or unsuccessful variety) of calling
> dances to music that isn’t our normal dance tempo (these sound a little
> faster than normal contra tempo) and aren’t in our standard AABB pattern.
> Some of the music examples I'm trying to work with are below (I’ll be using
> recorded music)
>
> The event is normal wedding fare- not experienced dancers. Which will either
> mean everything falls apart or they won’t mind the dance being sloppy
> because they’re just so excited by dancing and the cool music.
>
> The dances I’m planning to use are very basic (Galopede, LaBastringue, a
> scatter mixer, some version of duke of Kents waltz etc.)
>
> So if you have related experience: Have people been into the music so much
> they don’t mind that they’re finding it hard to dance with the phrase and
> remember the dance?  Are you able to keep them together just by your
> calling?  Do they kind of figure it out?  Other ideas?
>
>
>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCIG6nbyiUM
> This is about 120 BPM. It has 16 beat parts that might be able to go A A’ B
> B’ or some way to make it work
>
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKTnO9fOcE8
> This one is around 140. Could be played slower. Take some orchestration…
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qi1ApgkdCo
> This one is very close to 120. Interesting how the bass starts on melody.
>
> So far I would find all of these tunes interesting to dance to. They are
> constructed so differently than fiddle tunes by their primarily
> rhythmic—long note melodies. It is the rhythmic section—which does include
> fiddles—that make these dunes infective.
>
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMU1RZVX5mQ
> This one is a bit more fiddlistic, a nice melody.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZhzFE2C-_w
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un4SsyvnKH4
> This one is more fiddlistic, too. Around 128 BPM, could be played slower.
>
> Cheers,
> ~EriK
>
>
>
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[Callers] Re: Need help fitting to a tune

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Ragtime tunes actually often go *slower* than flat-out reels.

Their grove isn't a fast

deedlediddledeedlediddledeedlediddledeedlediddledeedlediddledeedlediddle

like note-y Irish, or

diggachukkadiggachukkadiggachukkadiggachukka

like hot southern.

They go more like:


DAda, da, d'da Da - UH!
DAda, da, d'da Da - UH!
DAda, DAAdada, DAda, DAAdada,
dadada DA d'da DA - UH!

SO -- do NOT do dances that are sinuous and connected and snake-y spaghetti-y.

They will feel weird and pointless.

Instead, try dances that have that 1 - 2 - 3 - UH!
built right in.

Long lines forward and back.
Allemande 1/2 way to form a line and balance the line.
Petronella type turns.
Balance and box the gnat.

That kind of stuff, where your body makes shapes on the floor that are
sharp four-beat lines that reverse and turn around and stop/start on a
dime.

Steve Zakon's ZigZag has the right idea, but the zigzag thing happens
in the B, I think, and Beaumont needs it in the A. The B is where the
more connected-y stuff is, where you want the swings.


On 4/27/22, Laur via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> A local band here plays Beaumont Rag As a part of their routine dance set.
> It’s a popular band.
> I’ve never experienced  a contra dance The  band has  chosen to play for a
> dance work. It doesn’t work for the dancers and it’s agonizing for the
> caller.
> Can anyone suggest a dance that could fit? At this point I’m planning to
> request they don’t include the tune.
> I know there’s an English dance written to match but not interested in that
> for this set.
> Laurie
>
> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
>
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[Callers] Re: Need help fitting to a tune

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

>versionated

Oh, now THAT's a keeper!

***

I've been wondering during this whole thread if their version involves
punching the heck out of the hemiola in the B part?

(hemiola: Italian for "I'm going to mess with your head by moving the
emPHAsis to a new syLAHble")

People who aren't paper-trained, don't flinch, ok?
You can do this visually.

Look at this version: http://www.folktunefinder.com/tunes/113330

and look **carefully** at the beginning of the sixth and seventh lines.

Look at the three heavy black horizontal "BEAMS" -- do you see how
they bind the notes into groups of four? That's the grouping we dance
to - we put our feet down on those "diggachucka, diggachucka"'s.
ONE-234 ONE -234. Our feet land on the ONEs.

Now look carefully at the blobby dark oval HEADS of the notes.

Do you see the four little slanty LOW-MEDIUM-HIGH, LOW-MEDIUM-HIGH bunches?

That's the hemiola.

For fiddlers, whacking that LOW note comes natural. The bow just
automatically stomps on it. ONE-23 ONE-23 ONE-23 ONE-23

So you end up with an internally conflicted

ONE-two-three-ONEtwo-three-ONE-two  three-ONE-two-three.

which in playwriting is delicious. Internal conflicts are the spice of drama.

But in a dance?

IF the fiddlers whack the threes AND the rhythm section stays true and honest,
the bass/guitar/piano keep up a steady BOOM chuck  BOOM chuck,
you have zesty syncopation on top of expected solidity and all is well.

BUT.

If the band decides to be all cool and EVERYbody hits the threes,
everyone jumps on the hemiola accents with both feet, the dancers will
start to fall over theirs.


There's an obscure tune called "Catharsis" that sometimes inspires
this same unfortunate circumstance, which the composer regrets.




On 5/2/22, Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Here's a common version of Beaumont Rag that's square and well phrased:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FTuWotf7TQ
>
> Jeff
>
> On Mon, May 2, 2022 at 1:09 AM Roger Diggle via Contra Callers <
> contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Beaumont Rag is a tune that is incredibly versionated.  Without knowing
>> their particular version, no way to create a dance that fits.
>>
>> Another way to look at the problem ...  If they really want to play the
>> tune for dancing, there is no reason they cannot concoct a version of
>> there own, using the grab-bag of pieces that are laying around, to
>> create a square version.  Next questions: Do they actually understand
>> what a square version is? Do they have a feel for the kinds of things,
>> in actual square tunes, that sometimes confuse the caller and/or
>> dancers?  Do you or they know a musician or caller that could help with
>> that?
>>
>> If they feel like they'd like to use more pieces than can be
>> accommodated by typical A-A-B-B construction, there are several
>> possibilities.  Think about A-A and B-B each being rectangles that form
>> a square  You could concoct a C-C part.  Then play the tune,
>> alternately, A-A B-B / A-A C-C.  Also possible - perhaps a 16 bar
>> rectangle that does not internally repeat  [as chestnut Maggie Brown's
>> Favorite does]  Or A-B-C-D, [like chestnuts Opera Reel and Chorus Jig]
>> If I were doing this project, I would be inclined to play the A-A
>> rectangle alternating with other rectangles, beginning by alternating
>> A-A B-B  until the dancers get a grip, then throw in other alternations,
>> but always the A-A in the lead.
>>
>> I have a batch of dances that fit variants of A-A-B-B-C, if they'd go
>> for that.  Could even be A-B-C-D-E.  If anyone is interested, I'll
>> supply those dances.  Most are old contra-corners patterns, which
>> deserve more circulation than they get - with some stretch limousine
>> treatment.
>>
>> Roger Diggle
>>
>> --
>> Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.
>> -- Walt Kelly, cartoonist extraordinaire
>>
>>
>> > *From:* Laur via Contra Callers
>> > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 27, 2022 3:50 PM
>> > *To:* Contra Callers 
>> > *Subject:* [Callers] Need help fitting to a tune
>> >
>> > A local band here plays Beaumont Rag As a part of their routine dance
>> > set. It’s a popular band.
>> > I’ve never experienced  a contra dance The  band has  chosen to play
>> > for
>> > a dance work. It doesn’t work for the dancers and it’s agonizing for
>> > the
>> > caller.
>> >
>> > Can anyone suggest a dance that could fit? At this point I’m planning
>> > to
>> > request they don’t include the tune.
>> >
>> > I know there’s an English dance written to match but not interested in
>> > that for this set.
>> >
>> > Laurie
>> >
>> >
>> > ___
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>> contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
>>
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>> 

[Callers] Re: Need help fitting to a tune

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Can I just say that I really enjoy the depth of the rabbit holes we're
willing to go down on here, and how much fun it is to take a dive
along with *other people* who don't think it's weird at all?

On 5/2/22, jim saxe via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Jeff,
>
> How would you describe the phrase structure of the version of Beaumont Rag
> that you just cited? A A B B? A1 A2 B1 B2? A B? Something else?
>
> In the instructional video
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS2Wb6nIjlU
>
> the narrator begins (0:00-0:39) by playing a similar version of the tune. At
> about 1:19, he says, "It's in A B form." At about 2:00 tablature appears in
> the upper right corner for what the narrator describes as "measure number
> one." The time signature isn't shown, but from the beaming of the notes, I'd
> infer that it's 4/4. In any case, each "measure" of music in the tablature
> includes what contra dance writers and callers would typically refer to as
> "four beats" or "four counts" or "two measures" or "two bars" of music.
>
> --Jim
>
>> On May 2, 2022, at 7:48 AM, Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers
>>  wrote:
>>
>> Here's a common version of Beaumont Rag that's square and well phrased:
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FTuWotf7TQ
>>
>> Jeff
> 
>
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[Callers] Re: Need help fitting to a tune

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

HOW HAVE I NOT KNOWN THIS DANCE BEFORE THIS MOMENT??

On 4/28/22, Ridge Kennedy via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Balance the Star qualifies as a chestnut and works well. The stars
> encourage a little hand jive action that is a lot of fun.
>
> Here's my go-to dance for raggy tune sets which stole a good bit from
> Balance the Star -- and Beaumont would work just fine with it.
>
> (And per what I think others said, tembo matters. It's no fun -- not even
> very raggy at -- warp speed.)
>
> Ragtime Sammy
>
>
> Contra, Duple, Improper
>
> Ridge Kennedy
>
>20
>
> A-1  Right Hands Across Star(8)   Left Hands Across
> Star  (8)
>
> A-2  Gents Turn Back over right shoulder (peel off) make eye contact
> and and swing Neighbor
> (a short gypsy) (4-6)Long Swing
>  (12-10)
>
> B-1  Circle Left Three Quarters (8)   Partner
> Swing  (8)
>
> B-2  Ladies Allemande Right 1 1/2 (8)   Neighbor Allemande Left
> 1 1/2 (8)
>
> Notes: The first version of this dance was made up in about 2013 for a
> dance with Big Phat American K-Lee Band in Glen Echo. Early in the program
> – maybe first dance, the band was going to do a set of rags.  So we wanted
> a dance that would work well with rags and that was pretty easy – a starter
> upper. The only tricky bit here is moving from the allemande left with
> neighbors to the next star. Just keep dancers mindful of which way they
> will be going to progress, and it will work out fine.
>
> The idea behind using the hands across stars was to encourage dancers to
> use their free hands to do a little hand jive if the music so inspired
> them.  And so it did.  The final ending sequence for the dance was finally
> locked in place during 2015, I think.  For all the time the dance was
> evolving it was my “raggy, starry hand jive dance.”  Recently though,
> noting that bands frequently included Ragtime Annie in their raggy sets and
> since (little known secret here) my first name is Samuel – well Ragtime
> Sammy seems like a fitting title. Yeah, it’s a silly little dance, but when
> the music is right, dancers really do feel encouraged to get into the hand
> jive and more.
> Ridge Kennedy [Exit 145]
>
> Hey -- I wrote a book! *Murder & Miss Austen's Ball. *
> It's a novel with musical accompaniment. Now that's different.
>
> Read all about it here! 
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 28, 2022 at 3:17 AM Colin Hume via Contra Callers <
> contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:46:36 -0400, Jacob or Nancy Bloom via Contra
>> Callers wrote:
>> > Balance The Star was written to go to Beaumont Rag.  It's a simple
>> dance, usually done as a Sicilian Circle, so it
>> > may not be what you want for your crowd.
>>
>> That's the one I was going to suggest.  Here's how I explain it:
>> https://barndances.org.uk/detail.php?Title=Balance_the_Star
>> and the vital phrase is "turn your back on your partner" - if callers
>> can't get that across there is general confusion.
>>
>> Also a contra by Susan Kevra where she actually specified "Beaumont Rag
>> and similar":
>>
>> Country of Marriage
>>
>> Longways  Becket, single prog.  32 bar rags
>>
>> A1: Circle left 3/4.  Do-si-do neighbour to a wave.
>>
>> A2: Balance right and left; ladies allemande left all the way
>> (rapidly).  Swing neighbour, finish facing across.
>>
>> B1: Right & left through.  Men allemande right 3/4 to meet next man;
>> allemande left with him 3/4 while ladies move to
>> left.
>>
>> B2: Balance and swing partner.
>>
>> Dance: Susan Kevra -- English Dance & Song, Winter 1992.
>>
>> Colin Hume
>>
>> Email co...@colinhume.com  Web site http://colinhume.com
>>
>>
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[Callers] Re: Need help fitting to a tune

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

> If they're a dance band (rather than a bunch of prima donnas)

-- Colin Hume

> Ay, there’s the rub!

-- Hamlet

>The origin of the term lies in the ancient game of bowls (which Americans may 
>know as lawn bowling; nothing to do with tenpin). A rub is some fault in the 
>surface of the green that stops a bowl or diverts it from its intended 
>direction. The term is recorded first a few years before Shakespeare’s time 
>and is still in use. It appears, too, in golf, in the expression "rub of the 
>green", which refers to an accident that stops a ball in play and for which no 
>relief is allowed under the rules.

-- The Internet

:)

On 4/28/22, Colin Hume via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> On Wed, 27 Apr 2022 20:08:28 +, Bill Olson via Contra Callers wrote:
>> The BAND is suggesting the dance that you should call to a tune they want
>> to play?? u...
>>
>> That ain't how it works. Make it easy on yourself.. You are in control
>> here.. Just tell the band NOT to play the
> tune..
>
> I don't agree, Bill.  I think a good dance is when dancers, caller and band
> all enjoy it, so I try not to be the man
> saying "I'm in charge - you do what I say".  For instance, I'm calling the
> opening contra dance at May Heydays tomorrow:
> http://mayheydays.org.uk/programme.html
> and the band said they had two good sets of jigs going into reels and asked
> whether these would fit any of my dances, so
> I told them which two and they'll enjoy the change and so will the dancers
> and the caller.
>
> Surely the way to approach it is: "That's a great tune, and it goes well to
> this dance, but it needs to go faster than
> you normally play it" - and then give a tempo indication.  If they're a
> dance band (rather than a bunch of prima donnas)
> they'll welcome the opportunity to get the whole room dancing to a tune they
> really like playing.
>
> Colin Hume
>
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[Callers] Re: Need help fitting to a tune

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

You need an EarwormCancellationDevice  (I forget how to say it in German).

It's a tune -- personal to you, everyone has their own -- that when
you sing or hum it will nudge the parasite out and take its place, and
then you can stop singing *it*. It's a two-step process.

The person who educated me about this uses "Simple Gifts", my own is
Le Marche De Rois from Bizet's L'Arlesienne.

On 5/3/22, Ridge Kennedy via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Curse you callers & musicians. I am now infected with one of the most
> insidious of parasites: The earworm Baumontum Raggus. The nasty little
> creature is crawling through my subconscious at a leisurely 86 bpm,
> frequently raising its volume and causing erratic shoulder shimmies and the
> occasional bobbing of the head. Shame on all of you for allowing
> this beastly little bug to spread.
>
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[Callers] Re: The most ______ gig ever

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Calling Andy Davis -- tell about the one on the covered bridge!

On 7/31/22, Luke Donforth via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> Contras are starting back up, and I thought we might play a little game.
> I recently had the joy of calling my "most Vermont gig ever".
>
> I had to go down a dirt road to get there.
> Hosted by a farm, it was outdoors in a cow pasture.
> Half way through the cows came down to the adjacent pasture.
> There was a fabulou view of the sunset on the nearby mountains
> The music was a wonderful local band.
> The dancers were intergenerational, kids with grandparents and folks in
> between.
> When I finished my gig, I went to another contra dance less than an hour
> away.
> Over half of my pay was in maple syrup.
>
> So that's my "most Vermont gig ever". What's a quintessential experience
> calling for you? The most __ gig ever, where the blank might be your
> own state, or festival, or wedding, etc.?
>
> Happy dancing, happy calling!
>
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[Callers] Re: mechanical sorting systems

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

As someone who *ran* a card sorter for IBM as my summer job working
through college,
I'm simultaneously laughing and shuddering.

My cards are the standard white kind -
except for the ones I wrote or rejiggered, they're on cream colored stock
Beckets are blue paper and double-progressions are green. Chestnuts
are light brown.

A pink highlighter stripe across the top means the two women have
action together (remember the days when that was heady?)
A blue stripe means the two men interact specifically. Yellow means
you escape your foursome somehow. Shadows get a grey pencil stripe.
Orange is particularly aerobic. Purple is proper.

Top left hand corner hand corner has a custom acronym - EFE means
"easy for experts", LNBD = "late night brain dead", FC = "feels cool"
but is actually simple.

Top right hand corner lists specific moves I prob. want to avoid doing
twice in a row - heys, down the center four-in-line.

The progression type is centered on the top edge.

If I fan them correctly, I can check everything at once.

Dances I do a lot are tattered.
Dances I do rarely are more pristine.

"Roll In the Hey" has a coffee stain.
"The Snow Dance" is missing a chunk I tore off to give someone my phone number.
"Baby Rose" was rolled up and used as an impromptu hot-pad for a stove
handle and doesn't stay flat.

Dances I learned prior to 1994 are in ballpoint.
After that it's finepoint felt tip.
Anything after 2018 when I started needing reading glasses is in thicker gauge.

I'm only on my second freezer-weight Ziploc bag, ever, and really proud of that.

:)

A



On 1/11/23, Joe Harrington via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> The short version of this post is, how should I organize my dances?  But,
> I'm sure if I ask that, the thread will have 100 replies and lots of
> confusion.  My search of the list archives and web were surprisingly spotty
> on this question, with lots of anecdotes and no summary or comparison.  And
> I'm not just asking for myself. While I've got a whopping 15 evenings of
> dance calling under my belt, I'm being called on to train some students to
> call for our college club, and they're asking the same question.
>
> So, I'm looking for one or more summaries from those wiser than I (ok, low
> bar!) of the kinds of systems for cards.  This might better be asked as,
> what are the different approaches to programming dances, and what
> organizing systems make each of those easier?
>
> In a workshop of his last summer, Bob Isaacs related his system of colored
> cards for easy, hard, bouncy, flowy, sweetheart, and divorce-reconcile
> dances (I think those were the categories). Call easy dances first, call a
> sweetheart right after the break when they're most likely to dance with the
> person they came with. Save hard for festivals.  Give them variety.
>
> But, I've wanted more categories, and what about finding the bouncy
> sweethearts?  I'm really busy, so the idea of re-copying a hundred or more
> cards to make a new system doesn't thrill me, if I don't like my initial
> system. Maybe I'll get a database system to select dances with, and then
> have a set of alphabetized printed cards for the actual calling, though
> what if I'm wrong and need to change my program, as has already happened a
> few times when a ton of newbies shows up?  I'm interested in hearing about
> anything particularly clever or efficient, especially if it doesn't involve
> a computer or tablet.
>
> A comparison of the different computer systems would also be welcome.  I'm
> aware of programs by Will Loving and Colin Hume.  I asked on one Facebook
> group for a comparison of these but got no response.  Is the Caller's Box
> up to real-time dance selection at an event? That presumes wi-fi, of
> course, or at least cell signal.
>
> I'll toss in one amusing and possibly workable paper system, for a
> dedicated and extremely nerdy caller, which might be me...
>
> I heard recently (I believe from Angela DeCarlis) of a mechanical sorting
> system based on the Jacquard loom concept that became the Hollerith punched
> card system.  I've never seen it in use.  Does anyone do this?
>
> Figure out the ten or so characteristics you might want to sort on.  For
> example, easy, medium, hard, bouncy, flowy, separates partners, sweetheart
> (keeps partners together), etc.  Take a stack of cards and drill holes near
> the bottom edge, one per characteristic (you can drill a stack of cards if
> you sandwich them between wood and clamp them).  Now, on a given card,
> punch out the rest of the paper between the hole and the edge of the card
> for each hole the card DOESN'T match.  So, for an easy dance, you'd punch
> out the rest of the paper for the medium and hard holes (among others), but
> leave the easy hole intact.  If you make a mistake, just fold a piece of
> tape over the gap above the hole to close the gap.
>
> Now, when you want to look at your easy, flowy, sweetheart dances, flip the
> stack so the holes are up, push a pencil or knitting 

[Callers] Re: the Yemenite dance step

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

We used to grapevine while circling in the Hudson Valley in the late
80's, but it was probably just us young'uns that thought we were extra
cool. :/


On 12/19/22, K P via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> All this grapevine chitchat got me thinking: Krikey, this is one of those
> instances where you don't realize something changed until much later. Kind
> of like trying to remember the last time you rolled down a grassy hill as a
> kid.
>
> We used to do the grapevine-ish step when circling when I started contra in
> Ottawa about 25 years ago - kind of as a way of allowing one to look both
> forward and back. I have no idea where or when that stopped. Weird!
>
> Ken Panton
>
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[Callers] Re: Do you add a 'do anything' move into a contra? OR other playful strategies? :)

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

One night in Nelson it was someone named - I think - Larry's birthday.

I was calling a generic dance with a generic "First gent + second lady
do something for 8 beats that makes them swap sides" moment.

(I don't remember what the exact original move was - maybe allemande R 1&1/2?)

but Larry hollered "I don't want to do that, makes my arm hurt! It's
my birthday so I'm going to do a gypsy instead!"

So I said on mic -  "OK, folks, you heard him, everyone has to do what
Larry says instead, it's his birthday"

So each time through the dance Larry hollered "Swing!" or "DoSiDo!"
and we all did that.

Being Nelson on a Monday in the summer, the choices started to
get...creative...and by the time the dance was over we'd done The Swim
and the Funky Chicken and the Macarena as well as the whole repertoire
of contra moves.

I think the card might still be in my stack, re-named "What He Said!".
Should go find it. :)

Thanks for kicking up that memory!
A


On 2/4/23, Emily Addison via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Hey folks,
>
> After a number of relatively quiet caller years (parenting; pandemic), I've
> started to dig deep to expand my repertoire and up my skills.  It feels
> like it's time for lots more dance fun! :)
>
> One dance that I've really enjoyed is Heartbeat Contra (by Don Flaherty -
> see below).
> Tom Calwell called it in Ottawa way back in 2010 and  at the top of the B1,
> he called Al R 1.5 or ANYTHING (R shoulder round, swing, DSD).
>
> *Do any of you throw in a 'do anything' moment in an evening of contra
> programming?* I'm always looking for fun, playful moments that make dancers
> smile and this feels like a lovely one.  If you throw in an anything
> moment, how do you choose when?
>
> *And do you have other strategies for adding playfulness to an evening?*
> I've got some dances which I find super playful and fun (e.g., Three's
> Company - Altered & Alternating - Paul Balliet)
>
> Thoughts on this?
>
> Thanks!
> Emily in Ottawa
>
> ---
> Heartbeat Contra (Don Flaherty)
> A1
>
> Bal Ring & Petronella Twirl
> Bal Ring & Petronella Twirl
>
> A2
> Bal Ring & N Sw
>
> B1
>
> ROB Al R 1.5  *OR ANYTHING! *(Al R, Rshoulder round, swing, DSD... original
> was RH round)
> P Sw
>
> B2
>
> Cir L 3/4
> Bal Ring & California Twirl
>
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[Callers] Potentially dumb question not quite about calling

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

I'm in the midst of changing my email for the first time in twenty two years

(I've had invasive surgery that was more fun)

and could use a hand --

the various resources/archives/boxes/files we regularly link to on here --
any warnings on which ones I'll need to re-register/sign in/update?

I'm trying to remember all the places where this email is part of my
bonafides/access and I KNOW I'm missing a few.

For the record, the new personal one is amycannmu...@gmail.com,

and the other work ones (amy.c...@uvmusic.org and
ac...@thegrammarschool.org) are both still valid,

it's this venerable Putney School one that's finally sunsetting.

Thanks
A
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[Callers] Re: Spilled Milk analysis (was Re: Do you add a 'do anything' move into a contra? OR other playful strategies? :) )

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

I think I need either a martini or a cigarette after reading this.
Maybe both.

Well done, Jim!

On 2/25/23, jim saxe via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Colin Hume wrote, regarding the dance No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk, by
> Chris Weiler:
>
>> I called this last night, and one woman said she spent the whole dance
>> around the end of the set and couldn't get out of
>> it, and she said a woman at the other end was in the same situation.  I
>> haven't had time to analyse the dance (or check
>> that I called it correctly) but I'll do so eventually.
>
> I did such an analysis several years ago, after doing the dance in the
> womens's/robin's role and, I'll confess, having a similar experience of
> getting stuck at an end for multiple rounds. I ended up diagramming about
> five rounds of the dance to be sure I really understood the end effects. I
> won't give full details here because people who'd have the patience to study
> a fully detailed explanation would also have the patience to work it out for
> themselves. But here's a high-level summary. It's still pretty wordy, and
> anyone who doesn't have the patience for it can of course feel free to skip
> the rest of this message.
>
> The dance is a single progression for the women/robins and a triple (not
> double, as I've heard someone say) progression for the men/larks, making it
> a mixer. Here's s sketch of what's supposed to happen as you approach and
> reach an end of the set if you're dancing as a robin. [Note: Henceforth,
> I'll use the gender-neutral role names, and the word "you" will refer  to
> the experience of someone in the robin role.]
>
> As you progress along the set, you will encounter various larks, some
> progressing in the same direction as you are (but more quickly), and some
> progressing in the opposite direction. You will swing as a "partner" with
> each lark who catches up to you as they progress in your same direction, and
> you'll swing as a neighbor with just half of the larks you meet as they
> progress in the opposite direction. (You'll allemande left with the other
> half.)
>
> After you swing any particular lark as a "partner," they will continue
> progressing along the set ahead of you, then reach the end and start
> progressing back towards you. When you meet again, you might swing as
> neighbors. As you move closer to the end of the set, the time between
> swinging someone as a "partner" and swinging them again as a neighbor (if
> you do) will grow shorter and shorter.
>
> Eventually, you'll swing with some lark as "partner" on one side of the set
> and then swing that same person again as "neighbor" at the very end of the
> set just a few seconds later. Then there will be another lark with whom you
> swing at the very end of the set, but as a "partner", and with whom you
> never swing as a "neighbor" (or at least not until you meet again near the
> other end of the set). And then there will start being larks with whom you
> swing first as neighbors and then as "partners", with the intervals between
> two swings with the same person now growing longer and longer as you
> progress away from the end of the set.
>
> During the time that your two swings with the same person are first as
> "partners" and then as neighbors, those swings will be happen on opposite
> sides of the set (except in the one case where the second swing is at the
> very top of the set). Let's say that the first swing (as "partners") happens
> near the "kitchen" wall and that the second swing (as neighbors) happens
> near the "clock" wall. After you turn around at the end of the set and start
> meeting people with whom you swing first as neighbors and then as partners,
> your "partner" swings will now be near the clock wall and your neighbor
> swings will now be near the kitchen wall. That means that the _first_ of
> your two swings with the same person will still be near the kitchen wall,
> and the _second_ will still be near the clock wall, *just as they were
> before.* Also, since the  dance is a mixer, the "partner" swings don't feel
> very different from the neighbor swings.
>
> The result of all this is that when you've reached an end of the set and are
> just about starting to progress in the opposite direction, you can get a
> strong sense of déjà vu. It can feel like you've gotten stuck at the end,
> and you can be tempted to "fix" things somehow.   Whatever you do to "fix"
> things may then prevent you from progressing normally. Effectively you will
> have traded places with the robin who had been following you along the set,
> allowing them to reverse direction a little early and to start progressing
> the other way just ahead of you. Also, you may have set yourself up to get
> the same déjà vu experience all over again, and then to try to "fix" things
> again, leaving yourself stuck at the end for another round. And since the
> dance is a mixer, the other dancers are unlikely to notice that anytihng is
> going wrong, as they would if you 

[Callers] Re: Potentially dumb question not quite about calling

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

edit: you know what? I'm probably conflating sharedweight with the
pourparler archives, that *are* linked to the listserve
emails...apologies.



On 2/25/23, Amy Cann  wrote:
> I'm in the midst of changing my email for the first time in twenty two
> years
>
> (I've had invasive surgery that was more fun)
>
> and could use a hand --
>
> the various resources/archives/boxes/files we regularly link to on here --
> any warnings on which ones I'll need to re-register/sign in/update?
>
> I'm trying to remember all the places where this email is part of my
> bonafides/access and I KNOW I'm missing a few.
>
> For the record, the new personal one is amycannmu...@gmail.com,
>
> and the other work ones (amy.c...@uvmusic.org and
> ac...@thegrammarschool.org) are both still valid,
>
> it's this venerable Putney School one that's finally sunsetting.
>
> Thanks
> A
>
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[Callers] Re: Spilled Milk analysis (was Re: Do you add a 'do anything' move into a contra? OR other playful strategies? :) )

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

One end of this community is "fun things intoxicated wedding guests can do!"

The other end is "if we were all cryogenically frozen and trapped in a
space loop, what kind of four-dimensional-chess dances could we make
up in our heads to pass the time?"

It's part of what keeps me coming back. :)

On 2/26/23, K P via Contra Callers  wrote:
> I dunno nuttin but, seems tuh me, iffen a dance needs a PhD dissertation
> for the explainin, maybe it otta be... given to Maistre Sam for
> "safekeeping" in the secret library. :)
>
> Reminds me of the dance, The Hobbit, which caught me eye but, for the life
> of me, I can't understand how the end effects are, uh, effected. I
> sometimes wondered if there's a secret decoder ring that, if worn,
> illuminates everything.
>
> Hey, Baby Rose... wanna dance?
>
> :)
>
> Ken Panton
>
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[Callers] Re: Contras of unusual length?

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

And Black Joke -

the one in the community-level version that goes

8 measures plus Hey, Down, Diddledy Dum
8 measures plus Hey, Down, Diddledy Dum
4 claps, 4 claps
8 measures plus Hey, Down, Diddledy Dum

that can be a contra or a sicilian
and which can of course also be much more elegant or complex or
athletic if you replace the sung "diddledy"s with a circle balance or
setting step or capers- but don't look up the history!



On 2/26/23, Bob Morgan via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> Any favourite unusual length dances or dances that do unusual things with
> timings - across the music or unusual figure lengths?  I'm thinking dances
> like Money musk at 24 bars and Major hey at 40 bars for instance.
>
> Thanks,
> Bob
>
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[Callers] Re: Rompin' Stompin'

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Wait, what? Did I ask a question I don't remember asking?
Or are there more Amy's out there??

On 2/5/23, K P via Contra Callers  wrote:
> Hey Amy,
>
> Barn Burners, eh?
>
> Tough question cuz, in my mind, barn burner is more than just the chosen
> dance; e.g. what tune is driving it. (Might be a question of what's the
> fuel and what's the match?)
>
> Nonetheless, I'd think that dances having
> satisfying-to-get-there-just-in-time timing would be good bets. More 4 and
> 8 count figures, less circling, alternating between longways and across
> orientation, maybe extra-minor-set daliances, pass-through or cross-trail
> progressions, maybe(?). Avoid gimmick figures but look for interesting
> ones(?).
>
> So (just a few possibilities of various degrees of difficulty, some
> probably on your list already): Chuck the Budgie; Young Adult Rose;
> Streetsboro Daisies; Beneficial Tradition; California Twirlin'; Cows are
> Watching/Boys from Urbana; The Bus Stop; Pedal Pushers; Joel's in the
> kitchen.
>
> ???
>
> Sadly, those times when I've said to myself "I must remember that dance", I
> rarely have. Take this list with a grain of salt.
>
> Ken Panton
>
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[Callers] Re: Gentlespoons/Ladles (from Rompin' Stompin')

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

I LIKE THIS!
I hereby nominate "jets and rubies" as the likeliest contender, far
outshining my own personal fallback, suns-and-moons.

And btw, I'm absolutely seeing "jets" in my mind as black shiny beads,
not flying machines.

On 2/13/23, Michael Fuerst via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> jets/rubies might be the best solution several reasons:
> (1) no relation to gender roles,
> (2) sound like gents and ladies, satisfying those who cognitively have
> difficulty associating larks and robins with the corresponding roles.
> (3) easier and faster to say.   Jets, unlike larks, has no hard consonant.
> Rubies has a hard consonant "b", but the sound of the "u" leaves one's lips
> and tongue positioned perfectly  to utter the "b". (This is a benefit to new
> callers, who often have difficulty prompting on time.)
> -
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[Callers] Re: Gentlespoons/Ladles (from Rompin' Stompin')

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Since no one else has mentioned this, I'll just say that my entire
personal difficulty with birds comes from fairy tales and ornithology.

When we say "robin" we are mostly thinking about that bird with the
"red breast", right? Not something kinda reddish-brownish? That's the
male. In my childhood I read any number of books with
anthropomorphised birds, and Mister Robin Redbreast was male. In a
bunch of the stories there was also small, sweet-singing female lark.

Add to that that in the states the robin is a different bird from in
the UK, and much larger, I've got two good reasons to think of the
robin as being the "male" role. My brain weighs the imagery and
memories against that silly little detail of starting with "R" or "L"
and defaults obstinately  to the exact wrong conclusion every time.
EVERY time. It's somewhat maddening. But "Ravens" was even worse,
because ravens are black and men in formal clothing dress in black, so
I guess things are better now??

Whew. Change is hard.

On 2/9/23, Peghesley via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> Bree, I’m making the same change as well and am calling without reference to
> role and don’t need bird terms. Louise Siddons’ position is a compelling
> one.
>
> Peg Hesley
> www.peghesley.com
>
> Sent from my iPhone using voice recognition
>
>> On Feb 8, 2023, at 7:04 PM, Bree Kalb via Contra Callers
>>  wrote:
>>
>> 
>> I made the same changes Chrissy did and for the same reason.  I think it
>> was 4-5 years ago when I switched from M and W to Gents and Ladies.  And
>> it seems to me that almost all the local callers did the same.
>>
>> ( Now I’m calling without reference to gender or role. Louise Siddons
>> booklet “Dance the Whole Dance” from CDSS describes well what many of us
>> are learning to do.)
>>
>> If it matters, my dance community is in a progressive/liberal area, so
>> calling styles here might be different than in other places.
>>
>> Bree Kalb
>> Carrboro, NC
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 8, 2023 at 8:18 PM Jacob or Nancy Bloom via Contra Callers
>>  wrote:
>>>
>>> At the Ralph Page Legacy day last month, Chrissy Fowler did a session in
>>> which she called dances as she called them at different times in her
>>> career.  In it, she talked about how, at one point, she and other female
>>> callers were insisting on the term "women" because they weren't ladies,
>>> and then several years later they were insisting on the term "ladies"
>>> because that was understood to be the name of a role.
>>>
>>> I can't give a year when it happened, but I do believe I remember a time
>>> when at least some callers were making it explicitly clear that the terms
>>> Gents and Ladies referred to roles, and anybody could dance either role.
>>>
>>> Jacob
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Feb 8, 2023, 2:29 PM Tony Parkes via Contra Callers
>>>  wrote:

 I believe it’s in Myrtle Wilhite’s Lullaby of the Swing and other contra
 dances, tunes, waltzes, and essays (Madison, WI, 1993). I can’t lay my
 hand on my copy at the moment, but perhaps someone else has one.



 Tony Parkes

 Billerica, Mass.

 www.hands4.com

 New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century

 (available now)





 From: Mary Collins 
 Sent: Wednesday, February 8, 2023 2:11 PM
 To: Jeff Kaufman 
 Cc: Tony Parkes ; Joe Harrington
 ; contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Re: Gentlespoons/Ladles (from Rompin' Stompin')



 Jeff, me too...if you find it, share please.



 mary

 "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who
 couldn't hear the music." - Nietzsche



 “Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass ... it's about
 learning to dance in the rain!” ~ unknown





 On Wed, Feb 8, 2023 at 9:58 AM Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers
  wrote:
>
> Aside: does anyone have a copy of the "I am not a lady" essay?  I'd be
> interested to read it.
>
>
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 8, 2023 at 9:54 AM Tony Parkes via Contra Callers
>  wrote:
>>
>> Joe Harrington wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> > When I started dancing in the late 1980s… Callers were taking the
>> > revolutionary step of not calling "men" and "women" but rather using
>> > "ladies" and "gents", to signal that switching roles was ok, since
>> > nobody referred to themselves as a "lady" or a "gent" in casual
>> > conversation.
>>
>>
>>
>> Where was this, Joe? And are you talking about contra callers (rather
>> than ECD)? I can only speak about the NYC area in the 1960s and early
>> ’70s, and New England starting in the late ’60s and continuing to the
>> present. In both regions, square/contra callers (contras were a
>> subcategory of square dance until around 1975) universally used
>> “gents/ladies.” (I believe ECD 

[Callers] Re: Sicilian Circle question

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Here's how I learned:

"Everybody promenade the usual way, two-by-two around the room - now
stop where you are."

"Starting from this point right in front of me (gesture to where head
couple of center set usually stands for contras), you're going to
count off in pairs of couples and take hands four in this big ring.

"Half of you can just stay facing the usual promenade direction - you're 1s"

"Half of you will need to turn as a couple and face the 'wrong'
direction - you're 2's".

It links the role of 1s/2s to the familiar line-of-direction we use
for promenading and coupledancing

-- who feels most "normal", and who feels as if they're
accommodating/supporting.



On 2/4/23, Winston, Alan P. via Contra Callers
 wrote:
> To your questions:
>
> 1: Right, the vast majority of Sicilians are completely symmetrical.
>
> 2: Because of this, I don't think there's a default for whether CW or CCW
> are the "1s". You can just pick which one you want.
>
> 3.  Yes, there are non-symmetric Sicilians -= I'm looking at notes for "The
> Molly Andrew", a waltz Sicilian; it has the 1s ("those facing clockwise") do
> the figure through the 2s and then the 2s through the 1., and it's fine so
> long as you get across who goes first.  Way better to indicate  that
> visually rather than just say it.
>
> -- Alan
> 
> From: Charles Abell via Contra Callers
> 
> Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2023 12:06 PM
> To: contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Subject: [Callers] Re: Sicilian Circle question
>
> Hello group, It's been a while since I called a Sicilian Circle, but I may
> soon - two questions:
>
>   1.  Typically, one couple isn't considered the "ones" and the other
> "twos", right?
>   2.  If there are ones and two, which couple would be considered the "ones"
> - CW or CCW?
>   3.  If there are not typically ones and twos, has anyone tried ascribing
> those roles for a Sicilian circle dance. That is, I had an idea for a dance
> that ends with a square dance figure requiring one couple to arch first,
> thus the need for separate numbers.
>
> I did attempt to find an answer online and was not initially successful.
> Thoughts?
>
> Chuck
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[Callers] Re: Sicilian Circle question

[Amy Cann via Contra Callers]

Glad you like it!

For what it's worth, at a ONS I often do a scatter mixer that's
basically half of "Haste to the Wedding" -

Circle L, circle R
Star R star L
everybody bow, promenade and find someone else

for a little, then turn the scatter promenade into the big ring and go
from there.

On 2/4/23, Winston, Alan P.  wrote:
> Any —
>
> That’s great!  I hadn’t encountered that, and I really have to put it in my
> toolbox for ONS - way faster/more fun than getting people who have no idea
> what a Sicilian *is* to pair up and form one.  (The best I had up to this
> point was make a big circle, pick a pair and make them face, and then (in
> Susan Michael’s words), say “Chain Reaction - pair up like this all the way
> around.). So this’ll be good even for symmetric Sicilians.
>
> — Alan
>
> 
> From: Amy Cann 
> Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2023 1:11 PM
> To: Winston, Alan P.
> Cc: contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net; Charles Abell
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Re: Sicilian Circle question
>
> Here's how I learned:
>
> "Everybody promenade the usual way, two-by-two around the room - now
> stop where you are."
>
> "Starting from this point right in front of me (gesture to where head
> couple of center set usually stands for contras), you're going to
> count off in pairs of couples and take hands four in this big ring.
>
> "Half of you can just stay facing the usual promenade direction - you're 1s"
>
> "Half of you will need to turn as a couple and face the 'wrong'
> direction - you're 2's".
>
> It links the role of 1s/2s to the familiar line-of-direction we use
> for promenading and coupledancing
>
> -- who feels most "normal", and who feels as if they're
> accommodating/supporting.
>
>
>
> On 2/4/23, Winston, Alan P. via Contra Callers
>  wrote:
>> To your questions:
>>
>> 1: Right, the vast majority of Sicilians are completely symmetrical.
>>
>> 2: Because of this, I don't think there's a default for whether CW or CCW
>> are the "1s". You can just pick which one you want.
>>
>> 3.  Yes, there are non-symmetric Sicilians -= I'm looking at notes for
>> "The
>> Molly Andrew", a waltz Sicilian; it has the 1s ("those facing clockwise")
>> do
>> the figure through the 2s and then the 2s through the 1., and it's fine so
>> long as you get across who goes first.  Way better to indicate  that
>> visually rather than just say it.
>>
>> -- Alan
>> 
>> From: Charles Abell via Contra Callers
>> 
>> Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2023 12:06 PM
>> To: contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
>> Subject: [Callers] Re: Sicilian Circle question
>>
>> Hello group, It's been a while since I called a Sicilian Circle, but I may
>> soon - two questions:
>>
>>   1.  Typically, one couple isn't considered the "ones" and the other
>> "twos", right?
>>   2.  If there are ones and two, which couple would be considered the
>> "ones"
>> - CW or CCW?
>>   3.  If there are not typically ones and twos, has anyone tried ascribing
>> those roles for a Sicilian circle dance. That is, I had an idea for a
>> dance
>> that ends with a square dance figure requiring one couple to arch first,
>> thus the need for separate numbers.
>>
>> I did attempt to find an answer online and was not initially successful.
>> Thoughts?
>>
>> Chuck
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>
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