Re: [Organizers] Ideas for connecting family dances with contra

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Weighing in from Belfast Flying Shoes 
(www.belfastflyingshoes.org) in Maine.


1. What is the timing of the different parts of the dance(s)
first Fridays
6:30-7:30 Community dance, with open All-Comers Band (For Community Dance only 
it's $2 adults, $1 kids)
7:30-8:00 Social break
8:00-11ish Contra dance ($10 adults, $8 ages 13-20, $5 kids---price for just 
contras is same price as for attending both community dance and contra dance)

2. Is there food/potluck/? involved?
No, except at our annual "birthday" celebration of the series inception.  The 
last few years, our birthday treats have been a potluck cupcake tower and a 
clementine tower.
Early on in the series we had a "tasty treat potluck", with savory or sweet 
finger foods.  This happened between the two dances, as a social break.  We 
eliminated it for a few reasons, including these: very few folks brought things 
to share and the series was subsidizing the food, parents of young children 
told us they didn't love the sweets before bedtime, it made a big mess to clean 
up before the contras.

3. How does the transition happen between family and contra?
It's fast.  (Too fast, one might say.)  Usually it's about 20 minutes by the 
time we introduce the All-Comers Band and do community dance door prize 
drawing.  During the transition, contra performers are sound checking, people 
are milling about.
The All-Comers Band sets up in the "back" of the hall, which happens to be 
nearest the entrance and is opposite the stage where the contra performers set 
up.  This works well for us because the sound provider can set up for contras 
during community dance, contra performers can take their time to set up and 
plug in and tune. Then when the community dance ends, the All-Comers Band can 
similarly take their time cleaning up, so that there's less stress on either 
end.

4. Do younger kids stick around and not dance when contra starts? If so where 
are they and what are they doing?
Yes, sometimes with their families (parents, older siblings).  They sit down 
and watch from the sides.  Occasionally younger kids fall asleep at edges of 
hall.  When there are children who run wild, I appoint myself "chief 
grumpykins" and unequivocally remind them that this is a dance and they can 
dance or they can enjoy watching the dancers.  (Grumpykins comes out during the 
break too.  I have very low tolerance of running around.)

4b.  Do younger kids stick around and dance for contras?
Yes.  A handful of very young kids (under 10), varies from month to month.  A 
strong contingent of under 18 dance at the contras, some of whom come early for 
the community dance, especially when bringing friends who are new dancers.  
Most of the very young kids only stay for 1-2 of the dances in the contra 
portion of the evening.

5. Anyone have a play space for younger kids in the evenings?
Not us.

6. What do you do in terms of callers/bands for the family and contra portions?
Community dance - All-Comers Band, with stipend for band leadership; House 
caller, with stipend for calling.  All-Comers Band is open to all ages, 
instruments, skill levels; typically 25+ musicians each dance.  Last month age 
range was 5 - 75, including more than one parent/child/grandparent combo.  
All-Comers Band musicians get a $2 discount on the contras plus chocolate, but  
otherwise get no remuneration.
Contra dance - Varied bands from Maine and beyond; Varied callers from Maine 
and beyond, with house caller leading about half the contras in a year.  All 
performers paid a per person guarantee, plus potential profit-sharing if there 
is money left after expenses.

7. Other things you feel are important details/considerations?
We roll all the admission money into one pile; admission income from both 
dances supports the entire two-dance event.

A side-effect of our schedule (very little lag time) is this:  when folks who 
aren't part of the community dance start arriving for the contras, the hall is 
already full of people.  It feels like a happening thing from the get-go, even 
if most of those people end up leaving by the time folks are inviting partners 
for the second dance in the contra portion.  This is buoying for all concerned.




___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] what to do about a dancer with dementia

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

I always tell people about my one of my favorite dance partners when I was 23 
and just starting to dive into contra dancing.  He was about 7 decades my 
elder.  Paul Kanaly---one of the sweetest people in the world, a former 
cross-country champion, and a verrry slow moving dancer.  But gosh, what joy to 
dance almost gingerly with him.


I don't really know how we create a culture of inclusiveness at dances (which 
is my professed ideal).  Or in the world, for that matter.  And inclusiveness 
might not be a priority for every dance community.   (Certainly isn't a 
priority the whole world 'round.)


But even if you do want your dance to be inclusive, it's tough to actualize 
those ideals.  It feels easy for me to accommodate a small child who's on cloud 
nine and jumping like a kangaroo.  Likewise, a beaming but 
frail/glacially-mobile elder like Paul Kanaly.  Same with a dear friend who is 
perpetually 2 counts behind the phrase.

I have a harder time with recalcitrant students at a school residency.  
Especially when they wipe their hands on their shirt after touching another 
child.  Or my own child when he's maddeningly ill-mannered.  Or, at a dance, 
someone who seems like they are pushing other people around.  Or perhaps 
treating another dancer as an impediment to their enjoyment of the dancing.  Or 
an apparently capable dancer who seems to be willfully ignoring the caller and 
the music and the other dancers.  Argh!


Yeesh.

I'm enjoying this thought-provoking thread.

Chrissy Fowler




From: Organizers 
 on behalf of 
Heitzso via Organizers 
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 12:42:18 PM
To: organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
Subject: Re: [Organizers] what to do about a dancer with dementia

I remember when, in my late 30s, all of us said we'd dance until we died,
even if it meant dancing in walkers. Of course we didn't have a clue
what that meant.
This was back in the '80s when the Atlanta dance was a fairly focused
age cohort:
vast majority of dancers between 30-45. That age cohort is now in their
60s and 70s.
Many have stopped dancing regularly.

I both appreciate "community" while at the same time acknowledge age issues
which affect dances.

A nearby dance, Sautee, has a twice a month Tuesday evening contra dance
that's
intended as a beginner's dance but, when I've gone, seems more an elder
beginner
(50 and 60 year old beginners) or elder-elder dance.
I believe that is the perfect spin off ...
 a dance that is slower paced and easier to dance (simpler sequences).

I believe this issue (aging in general) is affecting our dances
and will just get more prominent and that a pro-active solution
is best.

Heitzso

> For the last three years, one of our older dancers has been declining with 
> dementia--and her husband, not a good dancer himself, continues to bring her 
> to our dances. Invariably, they create chaos on the dance floor.
>
> Most people on the board of my dance organization feel it's important to 
> continue to include these dancers until such time that the husband decides 
> it's time for them to stop coming. On the other hand, I'm concerned with the 
> effect that they're having on other dancers. I've heard at least one dancer 
> say that she considered not coming to a dance when she saw that this couple 
> was there--and certainly this couple's presence is diminishing the dance 
> experience of many of the dancers who've come to our events for the high 
> level of dancing that we were able to deliver in the past.
>
> Has anyone else wrestled with this sort of problem? If yes, what did you do 
> (or not do) about it?
>
> Thanks,
> Katy Heine
> ___
> Organizers mailing list
> Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net
Organizers Info Page - 
lists.sharedweight.net
lists.sharedweight.net
This mailing list is for organizers of traditional contra and square dances. 
It's a place to discuss any issues and ideas related to organizing and running 
...



___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net
Organizers Info Page - 
lists.sharedweight.net
lists.sharedweight.net
This mailing list is for organizers of traditional contra and square dances. 
It's a place to discuss any issues and ideas related to organizing and running 
...


___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] what to do about a dancer with dementia

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

The notion of hosting a variety of dances to please varied audiences resonates 
here too.  For several years, I've been leading weekly contra sessions (sort of 
like classes, at a local dance studio) and for some of the participants that 
scene is preferable to our monthly contra.  But I'm still struggling with your 
original question. How to handle it when people have different opinions about 
who is welcome and who's not.
Chrissy
___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] Lower attendance this year?

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Hi Mary,

A few thoughts about ways we seek to engage young people in trad participatory 
social dance:
- Belfast Flying Shoes--our local dance organization, and a 501(c)(3) through 
affiliation with CDSS--helps fund contra dance residencies in schools.  In 
recent years, that's really expanded via generous foundation grants.  Since our 
dance series inception (2005), we've been part of residencies in over 20 K-5 or 
K-8 schools, 3-5 Middle or High schools, and a few small K-12 schools.  Most 
residencies are multiple visits, with a culminating school/family dance.  We 
give out passes to our local dance via those residencies.  And lately we've 
also been distributing teaching resources for interested educators who might 
want to continue dancing w the students after the musicians and I are gone.

- We had two teens on our board for 2-3 years (there were pros and cons, but it 
was a good step to take, and overall a big plus.)

- This past fall, by request, we sponsored a weekly 'contra class' for teens.  
Small numbers but high level of engagement.

And we just have a lot of young people at our dances.  Our 12-21yo cohort is 
huge. But that's all word of mouth. Locally there is a sizeable 'alt schooling' 
population (Waldorf, Montessori, homeschool, other) and that may be part of it, 
although there are teens from the local public schools too.

- The last four years, we also have collaborated with a local youth 
organization (non-electronic games, such as role-playing), adding a contra 
dancing component to their role-playing history programs.


But... Who knows why young people attend our dances in such numbers.  Clearly 
they're having fun. Beyond that, hard to tell.


We're building on this though, and have three new outreach programs for 2018, 
all  incorporating young people to some degree. The one I'm most excited about 
is a panel discussion, which we'll record for posterity, of young people in 
their teens and 20s explaining more about why they choose to make contra 
dancing part of their social lives.  I'm super-curious to hear what they have 
to say!


Cheers,
Chrissy


From: Mary Collins <native...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 4:48 PM
To: Chrissy Fowler
Subject: Re: [Organizers] Lower attendance this year?

Chrissy,

How exactly are you reaching those young people?

Mary -Buffalo NY

On Dec 6, 2016 10:47 AM, "Chrissy Fowler via Organizers" 
<organizers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>> 
wrote:
Interesting data so far!  Are there dances out there that have seen an INCREASE 
in average attendance in the last year?

Besides asking for help from the "converted", perhaps we need to increase our 
reach to the non-dancer community to boost the pool of potential attendees for 
a given dance. (Meaning, somehow become more visible to the majority of people 
in our geographic area - the non-dancers - so that we get our message out to 
those non-dancers who would want to come to our dance if they only knew about 
it.)

In Belfast, we've got a major component for outreach to youth (schools, youth 
programming) but we could do more to raise the visibility of both our series 
and our organization.

Any brainstorms for potential efforts to support sustainability?

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME



___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] Taking admission

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Thanks for all input so far. I expect it will help inform our board discussions.
Anyone else?
Cheers,
Chrissy (for Belfast Flying Shoes, in Belfast ME)
___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] Flyers

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Doing our part to stem the tide of paper, we have eliminated our own monthly 
dance's paper flyer. (We stopped making one, although not really to stem paper 
tide... did it purely to save our promo team time, as it seemed like hardly 
anyone was taking the flyers at dances.)
We do have business cards for our dance with email/website contact info on 
back.  Those are regularly taken.

We do still receive flyers from other series and special events.  We display 
them until they've expired.  We also have a bunch of flyers/brochures from 
CDSS, DEFFA (our Maine folk arts org), and other non-dance local community 
orgs.)

Some time ago we traded a flyer table for a hanging display inspired by 
something done at a festival (NEFFA maybe?) where flyers were inserted into 
clear pockets on wall.  Our imperfect system uses a shoe organizer with clear 
pockets.  (Imperfect b/c the pockets are narrow and don't fully display full 
page flyers. Otherwise it's perfect, b/c it takes no table space and very 
little time since most of the flyers just stay in the pockets and it gets 
folded up and put in a cabinet from dance to dance.)

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler

for Belfast Flying Shoes

in Belfast, ME



From: Organizers 
 on behalf of 
B Fabinski via Organizers 
Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2017 11:28:53 AM
To: organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
Subject: [Organizers] Flyers

Hi all,

At the Rochester NY monthly Contra Planning meeting, I took the action item to 
post here the following requests:

1) Please make sure to include the TOWN where your event is happening, 
prominently listed on any flyers
2) Our flyer table is getting very, very busy...can people consider 1/2 page 
flyers?

We purge flyers weekly (I use the scrap, if I can, otherwise recycle it.)
How do others manage the growing tide of paper?


Bob Fabinski
___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] Lower attendance this year?

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Glad Heitzo reintroduced this thread, as I'd dropped the ball on responding to 
Alex.  Responses below.


And about that focus group, it was lovely.  We ended up with fewer respondents 
than we anticipated, but what got shared was quite juicy, and it spawned a 
project to further document our local dance scene.  I haven't had a chance yet 
to write the blog post about it, including posting the video, but will do so 
soon!

www.belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler

Belfast, ME
++

Questions from Alex Deis-Lauby:

Chrissy- can you tell us more about the norms of the Belfast dance?
Yes.

Do the youth dancers dance both roles and with everyone?
Yes both roles, yes with everyone.  But for perhaps obvious reasons, the teens 
do tend to enjoy dancing 'with their friends' and historically that has meant 
that one set tends to have more teens than the others.  We're working on that, 
because we want all of the sets in the hall to be populated by the teens and 
their good cheer/happy energy.

Do the non-youth dancers do so as well?
Some dance both roles, but to a much lesser degree.

Thinking about ages and genders, who asks whom to dance?
Anyone.  Anecdote: I once told a potential new dancer, who was inquiring about 
our series on the phone, "Anyone can dance with anyone, although I've never 
been invited to dance by a teenager."  The next night, a 13 yo girl invited me 
for the first dance.  Hah!

Are there flourishes?
Yes.

Are the young dancers playful in role swapping or in other ways? Is that 
mirrored among the older dancers or vice versa?
I think there's generally a playful attitude at our series, but that's across 
age levels.  If, by 'role swapping', you mean switching roles back and forth 
throughout a given dance sequence, we don't have much if any of that, which I 
think is a good thing.  Our dances always have a high percentage of new and/or 
easily-confused dancers, and I don't think such a practice would be fair to the 
other dancers.  Sets would fall apart, people would be confused.  I think that 
would be an example of skilled dancers indulging their own whims at the expense 
of the rest of the dancers in their set, and as I said earlier, people are 
generally considerate of each other at our dances.

Do the young ppl have ample opportunity to dance with and socialize with their 
peers?
Yes.  Plenty of dancing and plenty of sitting on the sides chatting.

Is there a strong overall culture of consent?
Is the default: “dance with who’s coming at you”?
Yes, to both.  People are nice aka considerate to each other, in general.  Some 
people are insensitive, which makes me crazy as a caller/organizer. (For 
example, some individuals seem to think they are being awesome dancers when 
they twirl themselves and other dancers indiscriminately and relentlessly. Ugh. 
If I were Angela Merkel, you know what my eyes would be doing.)  But that is 
not the norm.

Do people ask what dance role preference their partners have regardless of 
gender presentation?
I don't know.  I know that's what I tell people to do, as a caller ("Invite 
someone to dance, decide who's going to be lady and who's going to be gent, 
form a ___set.")  I also know that's always a conversation whenever I, myself, 
get a partner, whether I'm inviting or accepting an invitation.  But I don't 
honestly know what the norm is across the dance floor at our series, so I can't 
say.

Other notable aspects of your dance community?
I don't know.   Um... we holler a lot?
We do tend to have a lot of families who dance with their kids, parents, 
siblings, cousins, aunts/uncles, grandparents (maybe like Aaron Marcus, who was 
mentioned in another response.)
And just a subtle point, I'd say it's less of a dance community and more of a 
community that goes to dances.  Meaning that dancing is not the only reason 
that these people get together.  They might see the same people at school, 
church, a talk/lecture, restaurant, art opening, concert, movie, rowing, 
volunteering, hiking, sledding, potlucks, etc.  Perhaps a characteristic of 
small town, rural county life?  But our monthly dances do seem to be treasured, 
which we on the board count as a great thing.

___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Taking admission

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

We're curious about how other dance organizers handle the task of sitting at 
the door and taking money.


Who does it?

- organizers?

- volunteers?

- a mix?

- nobody?

- how many people at a time?

How is it done?
- scheduling people to do the task (how?)

- vetting/soliciting the vols (any parameters?)

- how long does each person sit at door on a given dance eve?

- any compensation/barter?


Other relevant info?

Thanks,
Belfast Flying Shoes board of directors
Belfast, ME
___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Belfast Flying Shoes programming - Focus group discussion

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Here's a link to the blog post with the video from our January 31 outreach 
program (film at the Belfast Free Library followed by a focus group discussion 
with local teen dancers.)
http://belfastflyingshoes.org/teens-talk-contra/

We're delighted to share the insights of these five teens; we deeply appreciate 
their contributions, as well as the support of the program's funders, 
co-sponsors, and recorders.

For the Belfast Flying Shoes board of directors,
Chrissy Fowler, secretary

___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Belfast Flying Shoes programming - Focus group discussion

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Here's a link to the blog post with the video from our January 31 outreach 
program (film at the Belfast Free Library followed by a focus group discussion 
with local teen dancers.)

http://belfastflyingshoes.org/teens-talk-contra/

We're delighted to share the insights of these five teens; we deeply appreciate 
their contributions, as well as the support of the program's funders, 
co-sponsors, and recorders.


For the Belfast Flying Shoes board of directors,

Chrissy Fowler, secretary

___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

[Organizers] dance books - a bibliography

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Hi Shared Weight Organizers List.


I'm writing to share a resource that I recently put together - Dancing in 
Literature: A Partial Bibliography.  It's posted on the Belfast Flying Shoes 
blog (http://belfastflyingshoes.org/dancing-books-for-flying-shoes/)

and is meant to be widely disseminated.  As noted on the front page of the pdf, 
this project was supported by a dance education grant from the Maine Arts 
Commission and by Belfast Flying Shoes, with help from many contributors.


The word "partial" is key. This is by no means comprehensive, and I'm making no 
recommendations about the literary value of any of the books.  But it's a 
resource, and I'm happy to imagine it being of use.

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler



** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979

___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] CDSS youth involvement web chat + a promo work party inviting youth???

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

I think a promotion tasks "work party" is a great idea.  Wow. Love it.

Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME



** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979



From: Organizers 
 on behalf of 
Emily Addison via Organizers 
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 8:36 AM
To: organizers shared weight
Subject: [Organizers] CDSS youth involvement web chat + a promo work party 
inviting youth???

Hi all :)

In case you're interested, the CDSS youth involvement web chat from last 
Wednesday is now online here: 
https://www.cdss.org/resources/how-to/organizers-resources#cdss-web-chats

Have any of you held 'work days'???
Lisa and Clara mentioned that youth really like coming together for their 'work 
days' (they have free pizza!) ... ... ... I was thinking this could be fun here 
in Ottawa. However, we don't have a hall or that much equipment to maintain. So 
I was wondering about something like a promo work party?? ???

Have an afternoon and evening before the season starts where a bunch of us get 
together with our computers and prep all sorts of promo stuff (e.g., online 
calendar postings, news articles, etc).

I find that it's hard for only 1-2 of us to do that work by ourselves... ... 
it's just so much.  So having a party and share the workload in a fun way 
sounds great.

Plus with youth 'living the online life', they might really enjoy working on 
the social media stuff etc.

Crazy idea??? ???
___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] News on many new organizer resources coming out from CDSS!

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

What a comprehensive and useful resource, Emily (and CDSS)!

I've already dived into it a bit, and have forwarded to my board-mates.

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler

Belfast, ME


** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979



From: Organizers 
 on behalf of 
Emily Addison via Organizers 
Sent: Friday, September 7, 2018 2:22:37 PM
To: organizers shared weight
Subject: [Organizers] News on many new organizer resources coming out from CDSS!

Hello fellow organizers!

Instead of writing with my usual Ottawa contra dance volunteer hat on, I'm 
wearing my CDSS hat as I wanted to share some really exciting announcements 
that have just come out of CDSS  all of which relate to dance organizing.  
(Note -- the announcements also apply to trad song and music organizers.)

If you are willing, please share this info with local organizers in your 
network who might not be on shared weight.  We'd like to let as many people 
know about these resources as possible and word-of-mouth is so powerful in the 
trad dance, music, and song world.

  *   US organizers survey report out now! CDSS has just released the report 
outlining the results the US organizers survey conducted this past spring.  I'm 
guessing a few of you participated in that survey... here's the link to the 
report: https://www.cdss.org/community/us-organizers-survey

  *   New  e-blast for traditional dance music and song organizers:  The goal 
of this free quarterly e-blast is to support, inspire, and connect organizers.  
Shared weight already does this so well but this is another avenue of support 
if you are interested!
Check out the first Shop Talk e-blast here:  https://conta.cc/2PlKAEr
You can sign up to receive the e-blast at the bottom of the first Shop Talk.

  *   Online Organizer Resources Portal: This is a very exciting initiative 
from CDSS that will hopefully add to the set of tools available to us all!  The 
goal of the Portal is to hold as many of the best resources as can be found 
that will support local traditional dance, music, and song organizers in their 
planning and decision making.  While we do this well within the Shared Weight 
community, the Portal is more of a permanent location where you can go look for 
subject-specific resources see here for the list of topics: 
https://www.cdss.org/resources/how-to/organizers-resources#resources-by-topic
(Shared Weight is listed as an online resources and soon the Portal will have 
permanent links to subject searches from Shared Weight.)
BTW - As one of the individuals working on the Portal, I know that it will only 
be as good as the resources it holds.  AD I laos know that us local 
organizers have so many of the best practices and ideas already figured out.  
So we'll be reaching out from CDSS, asking for organizers to share resources on 
particular subjects over the next number of months.  If you're super excited 
about the initiative and want to start sharing your local resources now, you 
can fill out this easy form:  https://www.cdss.org/share-your-resource

  *   CDSS's next online web chat - "Creating a Thriving Open Band": CDSS held 
it's first web chat back in June which had to be capped because of the high 
number of people wanting to register!  The next web chat is September 20th and 
is focused on Creating a Thriving Open Band.  More information on the workshop 
and the registration form is located in the e-blast:  https://conta.cc/2PlKAEr

Note:  I am sending this from my personal email account as I'm yet not connect 
to shared weight through my CDSS account.  However, if you'd like to discuss 
Shop Talk (the eblast) or the Portal, please email me at 
em...@cdss.org.  If you have specific requests or want 
advice from CDSS, please contact  Linda Henry at 
li...@cdss.org.

With thanks!
Emily
Consultant @ CDSS working on organizer supports

PS - I will also post this on the musician and caller Shared Weight lists as 
well as the ECD list as I'm guessing there will likely be interest there as 
well. Thus, if you're on more than one list, apologies!


___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

[Organizers] outdoor dances in parks?

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Anyone have tips/advice for ways to successfully structure a free (no charge) 
outdoor dance series for the general public in public parks?


  *   Logistics
  *   Sound
  *   Tips for dancing on grass/pavement
  *   Dance repertoire
  *   Promotion, including language to help welcome in non-dancers
  *   Hydration that doesn't involve single-use plastic bottles from aquifer- 
draining profiteers (ooops, crankpot editorializing...)
  *   Add-ons
  *   Other

We're working with our parks & rec director and other local groups to produce a 
series this summer.  Would love any 'hot tips" from the hive.

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast Flying Shoes, Belfast ME

** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979

___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

Re: [Organizers] contra dance gypsy & fuel consumption

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Love this thinking!

Here's my story:  With our local dance 3.2 miles from my house, I seldom travel 
very far to dance.  However, I do log a lot of miles traveling throughout Maine 
for family visits and for various sorts of calling jobs (dance leadership work 
is my primary income).

I drive a 2014 Corolla, which can display a bar graph of the trip's mpg (in 
five minute increments).  One thing I've recently noticed, related to the 75 
mph speed limit in parts of Maine, is that when I amp up the speed, my fuel 
efficiency drops precipitously.  If I drive 55-65 mph, I can get over 40 mpg.  
Over 75 mph, and it's more like 25-30mpg.  (!!)  Given this data, I've taken to 
purposely driving slower, choosing elevated MPG (and safety!) over reducing my 
drive time for a few minutes overall.

And I've also taken to sharing this story with others.  In my narrative, I 
always mention the fact that there used to be political will for lower speed 
limits, and a massive public campaign to support it.  "55 saves lives (and 
gas)" was the mantra in the late 70s and 80s here in Maine.  Not so, now.  
Makes me wonder whose idea these high speed limits are, and why they got 
approved.  It's less safe, less fuel efficient...  There have always been 
people who will exceed the speed limit, but I suspect a higher percentage of 
"Speed Racers" are going above 80 mph these days. These days, that's seldom me.

And yes, the binding-together, or community-building, and the inclusiveness 
that seem to be ideals aka unspoken tenets of traditional participatory social 
dance are such a plus -- not just in the microcosm of our own individual hearts 
and minds, but in the larger scheme of things.  The more the better!

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast ME

___
Organizers mailing list
Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net

[Organizers] sorry I forgot to delete history!

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Will try to remember next time I post
-Chrissy F

___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Special Dance Caller Criteria

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Glad that the Shared Weight Organizers list is active again!

We produce a monthly contra dance series, whose callers are booked according to 
the collective priorities of our entire board.  Those priorities may seem 
arbitrary or inconsistent, but we don't worry about that.

We also produce a monthly community dance series, whose callers are always the 
same. (Since inception that's been me, and in recent years another caller 
usually joins me - we plan and call the community dance together.)

When our group produces special dances, we have no standard criteria for who 
gets invited to call.  We take into account the type of event (community vs. 
contra/ecd/square/other), and match the skills needed to the callers we might 
want to invite from the board's priority list.  Sometimes we have a caller lead 
a special dance who has already done one of our monthly contras, including on 
the same weekend (making it a two gig trip for them if they're from away.)

And all of this applies to how we hire musicians as well. Board prioritizes the 
musicians who are invited to play the contras, community dance always has an 
open All Comers Band led by one person, special dances could feature open bands 
or other bands, and attention is given to the same things (type of dance, 
skills needed, etc) plus sometimes we arrange two gigs or more in a given 
'tour' for folks from away.

I'm not sure what you mean by "dance community norms", but maybe I addressed it 
inadvertently.

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast Flying Shoes
Belfast, ME



** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979



From: Liz Burkhart via Organizers 
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2020 10:39 PM
To: organizers@lists.sharedweight.net 
Subject: [Organizers] Special Dance Caller Criteria

Howdy, I got an email from the creators/maintainers of this list which said in 
various places it was the musicians list, organizers list, and upon second 
reading, also contra callers list! Wow! I'm going by the actual name, which is 
organizers. So organizers:


If your group has a special, regularly occurring dance (for example a monthly 
dance on a weekend when most of your dances are weekly on a weekday), do you 
have specific criteria for which of your regular callers is eligible for 
calling a special night? If so, what is that criteria? If you reply, it would 
help if you also tell me which dance community norms you speak of. Our 
community (Cincinnati Contra Dance) is looking into this question.

Thank you!

Liz Burkhart
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Organizers Roundtable in Kansas

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Hi Margretta,
I don't have any suggestions re: a particular facilitator, but you might get 
good ideas and inspiration from the CDSS Portal.
Here's a link to organizer 
resources
 for in-person gatherings.
On that page is a link to a comprehensive guide to facilitating 
discussions
 among organizers.  Many thought-provoking topics, including field-tested 
activities and resources.
You may decide that you don't need an expert to come in from outside your 
group, but that 1-2 people among those of you planning to attend can facilitate 
something quite juicy on your own.
Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast ME

** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979

___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Searching the Organizers List

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

You shouldn't have to search month-by-month to find a topic. One can search the 
archives. (click archives in drop down menu - link below - and then use the 
search function.)
https://lists.sharedweight.net/hyperkitty/list/organizers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Chrissy Fowler
Belfast ME

PS I searched on various terms (photo, release, permission, photograph) and 
came up with nothing, so perhaps we haven't delved into this on the Shared 
Weight list.

I have nothing more to contribute for Margaret, beyond the fact that I like the 
text in the example.  Thanks for bringing this up!




** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979

___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Cancellation list AND a way to donate

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

I'm glad we are sharing information about how we are taking steps to avoid 
being part of the problem, in terms of being a disease vector.

Our group got this from the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), which I 
have found very useful.  There are links to New England CDC/DHHS sites, and a 
bunch of other important data. Check it out.
https://www.nefa.org/covid-19

Our traditional participatory dance culture has such potential to spread joy, 
in part because of close proximity and a whole lot of touching hands.  We build 
community through connecting -- metaphysically and literally -- with everyone 
in the room.  This is definitely the dark side of all that beautiful touching 
and connection.

Let's keep taking care of each other and our communities!

Chrissy Fowler
Belfast ME


** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979



From: Greenleaf via Organizers 
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 9:37 AM
To: organizers shared weight 
Subject: [Organizers] Cancellation list AND a way to donate

CDSS has set up a national cancellations page, and what is useful is that each 
event can add a donate button to support performers and venues. This button 
directs you to a page that the individual group has set up (ie CDSS doesn’t set 
this up for you).

https://www.cdss.org/covid19#cancellations

I encourage you to set up a donations page, let your community know about it, 
and then get it added to the CDSS page.

BTW, the above CDSS link also has good info about what organizers need to 
consider when cancelling events.

Lisa Greenleaf
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Noodle dance

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

PS My noodle dance concept is 100% in jest!  It's so ridiculous to even imagine 
it, plus it would be resource-intensive (the world does not need more foam 
swimming noodles, in my opinion), plus, as someone pointed out, it wouldn't at 
all solve the problem of transmission via airborne droplets unless everyone 
wore masks.  It does give some really fun mental images (color coordinated 
masks and noodles?) But just wanted to make that clear!  We will NOT be doing 
noodle dances in Belfast anytime soon!

Mostly I am just diverting my over-busy mind from fretting about terrible 
things I can't control. (For example, I just learned moments ago that the 
several of the residents and staff at a local Assisted Living Center and 
Nursing Home, where I've led music and dance sessions, have been diagnosed with 
Covid-19, which is truly terrible news.)

With loving thoughts to all,
Chrissy Fowler

And I, personally, am refining a concept suggested by one of those same 
neighbors, of dancing with foam swimming noodles as arm-extenders (glue a glove 
onto the end of each noodle).  That way everyone can "connect" with the noodles 
instead of hands, maintaining a greater-than-six-feet distance from one's 
fellow dancers.  Can't you picture the stars and circles and allemandes?  I 
admit, it needs work.  But it gives me pleasure to imagine it.


** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979

___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: It might be a long time until we dance again

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Here are some thoughts from Belfast ME re: Lisa's questions:

Organizers, what are your plans for restarting your dances?
At our most recent (online) board meeting, we agreed that we have no firm plan, 
beyond waiting until it seems safe to dance and continuing to reevaluate as 
time passes. So much depends on the ever-evolving situation.  Whenever we do 
feel able restart our monthly dances and our outreach programs in the 
community, we're going to be really really happy.

...What should our organizations be doing [until they start up again]?
We are sending occasional updates to our email list, including a series of blog 
posts called Rays of Sunshine, trying to highlight some bright spots out there, 
either related to dance/music or our local community or both.   
rays-of-sunshine-march-24/
  and 
rays-of-sunshine-april-3/
 are examples. This blog series is therapeutic for us, as a board, and we've 
gotten positive feedback.
We're also sharing online offerings of music/dance on our FB page, just to help 
spread the word.
facebook.com/Belfast-Flying-Shoes-Dance-Series-35211723615/
And we're doing some groundwork for our organization, which has a varied 
palette of programs beyond our monthly programs.  
belfastflyingshoes.org/outreach/
And finally, we're continuing the fundraising effort 
 that we leapt into on 
February 29, albeit with tempered expectations, given the current societal and 
financial upheaval.

I encourage everyone to consider reaching out to your constituents for 
financial support -- too many of our organizations run on a razor thin margin, 
and there are definitely people out there who would be happy to keep an 
organization from folding. CDSS hosted a web chat about fundraising - here is 
the webchat page - and I 
recently read about a local movement by folks of modest needs who plan to 
donate their federal relief checks to worthwhile causes.  Worth keeping in mind.

What conversations are you having within your organizations?
We are re-evaluating on a regular basis, monitoring our local situation and 
recommendations from our governor, state CDC, and national CDC.
We are also discussing options for holding events that aren't quite as high 
touch as our dances - for example, outdoor concerts, online concerts, jam 
sessions, etc.
We're also clear that we are very lucky to have such a strong local culture of 
trad music and dance.  And that we in most parts of Maine are doubly lucky, 
given the low population density and preponderance of natural beauty.  Hearing 
my neighbors play tunes on banjo and fiddle or sing with tight harmonies, while 
I weed my flower beds, is a balm for the soul.
And I, personally, am refining a concept suggested by one of those same 
neighbors, of dancing with foam swimming noodles as arm-extenders (glue a glove 
onto the end of each noodle).  That way everyone can "connect" with the noodles 
instead of hands, maintaining a greater-than-six-feet distance from one's 
fellow dancers.  Can't you picture the stars and circles and allemandes?  I 
admit, it needs work.  But it gives me pleasure to imagine it.

Chrissy Fowler
Belfast Flying Shoes
Belfast ME

** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979


___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Maintaining contact with our communities

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Thanks Sarah, for this important reminder!  We all need to stick together, and 
remember that there are many many many ways to act positively in this 
unprecedented situation.

Here in Maine, we have all sorts of wackiness going on, including vigilantes 
who are tailing out of state cars for "bringing Covid-19" here, and people who 
are angry at privileged summer residents for coming here earlier than usual, 
from NYC and CT and other high-community-spread places.  And wackiness of 
people like me who are enraged that access to all Maine beaches is banned -- 
since seeing that water and sand and rock is a necessary balm for the soul. 
(Yes, I ignored that edict, but it still troubles me more than I'd have 
imagined.)

And Bread and Roses is the perfect song for today* As the song goes, "Our lives 
shall not be sweated, from birth until life closes.  Hearts starve as well as 
bodies, give us bread but give us roses."  and "Small art and love and beauty 
their trudging spirits knew—
Yes, it is Bread we fight for—but we fight for Roses, too."

Things I'm especially worried about are these:
-small businesses failing because they are not "essential" (including ones that 
are in the "roses" category)
-workers in "essential" businesses being put at risk and paid poorly to boot 
(grocery clerks, Amazon workers, mail delivery folks at US Postal Service, UPS, 
FedEx, etc)
-dance and music and song organizers watching their volunteer organizations 
crumble with crippling financial losses and the stigmatizing of all activities 
that are based in positive human contact
-at risk children living at home in unsafe conditions when they typically would 
have some sort of respite at school
-the politics of oppression marching onward, continuing its dirty work of 
dismantling environmental protections, eroding human rights, codifying the 
control of women's bodies, legislating unequal distribution of wealth.

I could go on and on.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who's working hard, in whatever ways they can, to 
keep a positive attitude and to work for the common good.

With all good wishes,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME

*April 6, 1882 is the birth date of Rose Schneiderman in Sawin, Poland. She was 
a US labor leader who dramatized the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Noted 
for phrase "Bread and Roses" associated with 1912 textile strike of immigrant 
women workers.


** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979



From: Sarah Gowan via Organizers 
Sent: Monday, April 6, 2020 7:25 AM
To: organizers@lists.sharedweight.net 
Subject: [Organizers] Re: Maintaining contact with our communities

Might I suggest that there is no right or wrong way to pandemic - there is
only taking care of ourselves and each other in the best ways we can. The
quarantines are likely to last longer than most of us ever imagined and I
think those of us who have been sidelined from our regular activities will
find the time for both creative and useful crafting. At this moment I¹m
gazing at a mountain of scraps left over from making masks and mentally
arranging the pieces into quilt designs. Oh my, maybe that¹s the project -
Quaranquilts? Quiltantines? Mask-arade?

As the saying goes, "Bread for all, and roses too².

Sarah G.



___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: [External] Your input in the focus for Dance Flurry organizer discussion?

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

An alternative could be sharing what groups are doing now, or have been doing 
during this time, to engage and inspire their dancers/musicians/leaders as well 
as members of your broader community.

I’m on a Maine Arts Commission conference today, for arts orgs of all types, 
and there’s lots about reframing and reinventing.


Also about positively connecting with constituents in a variety of ways, 
including out-of-the-box ones.

Those sorts of topics could be more concrete (and would steer you away from 
what I would see as a potential morass of confusion and contradictions and 
uncertainty, as far as trying to project what might be useful strategies and 
imperatives for reopening... especially when so much is up in the air.)

Cheering you on!
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, Maine

Get Outlook for iOS

From: Tepfer, Seth via Organizers 
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 11:30:10 AM
To: organizers shared weight ; Emily Addison 

Subject: [Organizers] Re: [External] Your input in the focus for Dance Flurry 
organizer discussion?

Would it be helpful to have public health professionals on the zoom who could 
help?
Coming up with metrics to define a safe level to reopen could be a discussion 
point of how.
Of course the discussion of vaccinated or not will be heated. Framing that 
discussion in a way to ensure a positive, constructive one will be critical.



Seth Tepfer
Director of Software Engineering, Oxford College
Schedule an appointment: 
oxford.emory.edu/SethBooking
770-784-8487
seth.tep...@emory.edu

Use AskIT for fastest response: 
Oxford.emory.edu/AskIT



Preferred pronouns: he, him, his



From: Emily Addison via Organizers 
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 11:20 AM
To: organizers shared weight 
Subject: [External] [Organizers] Your input in the focus for Dance Flurry 
organizer discussion?

Hi fellow organizers,

I hope folks are doing fairly well.  These are certainly interesting times.

Given that some of you attend the annual organizer discussion at the Dance 
Flurry, I wanted to check in about the focus of this year's session.

I've drafted a description for the session (see below).   Do you have any 
thoughts?  I feel as though February might be good time to start talking about 
how to restart our dance events, even if we don't know when.  (The vaccine 
rollout is giving me a tentative hopeful feeling that gatherings might start in 
within the next year.)

Any advice/thoughts are welcome including alternative topics. The only topic 
I'm wary of tackling are those that relate to when dances should open as I'm 
not a health expert and we won't be bringing in health experts to be part of 
the discussion.

Thanks,
Emily

Organizers Unite - Talking about the HOW of restarting our events!
Join our annual Flurry organizers discussion for a unique focus this year... 
talking about the HOW of restarting our events.  Share your thoughts and ideas 
about how your community plans to restart dancing, re-engage long standing 
dancers, and attract new participants.
(We won't focus much on the WHEN of reopening as those decisions depend 
highlighly on the pandemic and professional health advice.)



This e-mail message (including any attachments) is for the sole use of
the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged
information. If the reader of this message is not the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution
or copying of this message (including any attachments) is strictly
prohibited.

If you have received this message in error, please contact
the sender by reply e-mail message and destroy all copies of the
original message (including attachments).
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Maintaining respectful and kind tone on the SW organizer list

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Thank you, Emily, for bringing the focus back to the Shared Weight priorities! 
And especially thanks for reminding us of them!

These values and attitudes are what motivated me to be involved in organizing 
participatory music and dance events in the first place. I’m glad they are core 
expectations for this list serv.

Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME

FIRST AND FOREMOST – we are supportive of each other!
As members of Shared Weight, we treat our fellow list members with kindness, 
understanding and support.


Get Outlook for iOS

From: Emily Addison via Organizers 
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2021 7:28 PM
To: organizers shared weight
Subject: [Organizers] Maintaining respectful and kind tone on the SW organizer 
list

Hi All,

I'm not a list moderator for this particular SW list but I am a list moderator 
for two other SW lists.

What I've noticed over the past few days on this list is that some pretty 
divisive and inflammatory language has come up.

Here is text from the Shared Weight website which applies to all SW lists:
FIRST AND FOREMOST – we are supportive of each other!
As members of Shared Weight, we treat our fellow list members with kindness, 
understanding and support.
We enjoy lively debate but prize civility.  Be conscious of the difference 
between facts and opinions.
Language that puts down the ideas of others or that is aggressive will not be 
tolerated. However, it’s also important to remember that most people do have an 
occasional bad day and are capable of change.

I appreciate the conversation about COVID specifically as it relates to 
organizing dances. However, it doesn't seem as though that the broader 
discussion about COVID and vaccines belongs on this particular list.

And I encourage us all to consider looking at our emails through the lens of 
being supportive of each other and treating each other with kindness and 
understanding.

Emily
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Window curtains that might help w/ acoustics

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

I am hoping some of you will have suggestions and recommendations for me. 
(including where else to send this query) Note that I'm also trying to figure 
out how to sign up for the Trad Sound SharedWeight list.

My question:
Where would you buy decent quality fire resistant window curtains to dampen 
sound and improve acoustics?  (What vendors do you recommend?)

Back story:
Our first Friday dance series moved to a new venue when we started up again in 
November 2022.  The hall is visually appealing, with a high ceiling made of 
tin, large windows on three sides of the hall, gorgeous hardwood floor, and 
incredibly welcoming venue owners. But it has VERY "live" acoustics, which are 
really challenging.

The venue owners removed the curtains when they got their windows replaced. For 
several months, they've been looking for fire resistant window curtains for the 
large windows on all sides of the hall. We'd love for those curtains to also be 
really good at dampening sound (thus improving acoustics.)

My internet searches are inconclusive so far. I'd love to have some suggestions 
for reputable sources that will serve our needs, offer a well-made window 
curtain product that's functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Thanks for any suggestions or advice!

Cheers,
Chrissy
Belfast Flying Shoes
Belfast ME


** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979

___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Window curtains that might help w/ acoustics

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Thanks all for the list replies, plus the direct 1:1 messages.

I'll forward some of the more detailed acoustic recommendations to our sound 
providers in case those have helpful info for them.  And we'll keep in mind the 
overall acoustic treatment suggestions (panels, etc) in case we have authority 
to make those changes.

If anyone else has specific suggestions about the permanently-hanging window 
curtains (which is really all we're empowered to help with at the moment), 
please send them on. Sources, fabric recommendations, other considerations, etc.
My question:
Where would you buy decent quality fire resistant window curtains to dampen 
sound and improve acoustics?  (What vendors do you recommend?)

Thanks!!
Chrissy / Belfast Flying Shoes


** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979




My question:
Where would you buy decent quality fire resistant window curtains to dampen 
sound and improve acoustics?  (What vendors do you recommend?)

Back story:
Our first Friday dance series moved to a new venue when we started up again in 
November 2022.  The hall is visually appealing, with a high ceiling made of 
tin, large windows on three sides of the hall, gorgeous hardwood floor, and 
incredibly welcoming venue owners. But it has VERY "live" acoustics, which are 
really challenging.

The venue owners removed the curtains when they got their windows replaced. For 
several months, they've been looking for fire resistant window curtains for the 
large windows on all sides of the hall. We'd love for those curtains to also be 
really good at dampening sound (thus improving acoustics.)

My internet searches are inconclusive so far. I'd love to have some suggestions 
for reputable sources that will serve our needs, offer a well-made window 
curtain product that's functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Thanks for any suggestions or advice!

Cheers,
Chrissy
Belfast Flying Shoes
Belfast ME


** ** **

Dance Calling | Transcription | Belfast Flying Shoes

chrissyfowler.com | 
westbranchwords.com | 
belfastflyingshoes.org/blog


(207) 338-0979


___
Organizers mailing list -- 
organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to 
organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
___
Organizers mailing list -- 
organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to 
organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net



___
Organizers mailing list -- 
organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to 
organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net


___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Request for focused conversation re: dance organizing

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Hello dear dance organizers,

I appreciate and value this list when it is focused on dance organizing topics, 
especially when members speak from their own experience. Occasionally, I enjoy 
posts that meander into related topics, or are an analysis or description of 
others' experiences...but less so. I don't find it at all useful when the 
conversation diverges into social and political commentary, even that 
commentary is well-intentioned.

I didn't notice specific language about this, at least not directly, but here 
are the list guidelines:
https://www.sharedweight.net/about/list-standards/

https://www.sharedweight.net/lists/dance-organizers/

Please, can we keep focused on sharing our own dance organizing experiences in 
order to mutually support each other to succeed in the important and valuable 
work that we all do in our wonderfully varied ways? Thanks, all!

Cheers from Maine,
Chrissy

<><><><><><>
chrissyfowler.com dance leadership
westbranchwords.com academic transcription
belfastflyingshoes.org participatory dance & 
music
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Attracting young dancers

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Thanks Dana, for this reframing of the conversation! Shakes things up a bit in 
my mind. Love it.

In Belfast ME, where our demographics have skewed toward a majority of dancers 
in teens-early 30s, we recruited board members in that age range because they 
already were the majority. (See 
https://www.belfastflyingshoes.org/board-of-directors)

I’m curious what other organizers have experienced when they recruited people 
in teens/20s in order to increase that demographic among their dancers.

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast ME


<><><><><><>
chrissyfowler.com dance leadership
westbranchwords.com academic transcription
belfastflyingshoes.org participatory dance & 
music

From: Dana Dwinell-Yardley via Organizers 
Sent: Monday, November 6, 2023 11:13:16 AM
To: A list for dance organizers 
Subject: [Organizers] Re: Attracting young dancers

And I forgot to note that my dance is Montpelier, VT!

On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 10:56 AM Dana Dwinell-Yardley 
mailto:danad...@gmail.com>> wrote:
I'm coming in late to this discussion with a thought from the Form the Ocean 
dance weekend in 2019. They held a community discussion at that weekend 
structured around the idea of starting at "Point D." As in, with big 
conversations in our communities, we so often churn round and round on points 
A, B, C: "how do we get more diversity?? we're so [white/old/middle class/etc]! 
but we need diversity!"

What if, instead, we started at point D and bypassed those first few questions 
that we always start with?

I would suggest that Point D for this conversation about young dancers might be:
"Our dance *already has* age diversity. How shall we be with the people already 
in the room?"
rather than scrambling to say "we need more young dancers!"

I'm 36, an in-between sort of age in the contra dance world. I started dancing 
19 years ago, when I was 17. I absolutely started dancing because it was a 
place to hang out with my friends. And, I could tell which adults would talk to 
me like I was a fellow dancer, and which ones talked to me like I was a Young 
Person. I still have friendships with the ones who treated me like a person to 
this day.

Get to know your young dancers like you would get to know anyone else you don't 
know yet! Don't be overbearing! Be friendly, ask them to dance, learn about 
their lives, but also leave them alone to do their own thing and hang with 
their friends. Treat them like humans and not A Class of People We Need for 
Diversity. People can tell when they're being tokenized.

(My friend group and I had an experience about 4-5 years ago at our local 
English dance where the dance organizers/regulars practically *pounced* on us 
as we walked in the door and were like "wow! young people! so nice to have 
young people! can we give you a discount? will you come back again? will you 
bring your friends?" and we were like "...um we're just here to English dance?" 
It was very off-putting and made us LESS likely to come back again!)

I also have lots of thoughts about fostering a culture of consent, non-gendered 
role terms, young people on your organizing committee, etc, but I'll save them 
for another day!

Thanks,
Dana


On Sun, Oct 29, 2023 at 10:55 AM Sandy Seiler via Organizers 
mailto:organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>> 
wrote:
Our community, like many others, has fewer young dancers than we would like.  I 
am wondering how different factors influence that and what we can do.

Does the night of the week matter?  We dance on a Saturday night.  Would Friday 
be better?

Does frequency matter?  We dance once a month?

Does location matter?  We have a college (University of Kansas KU)  Would a 
dance location closer to or on campus matter?

Are outreach strategies effective and what has your community found successful?

Thanks,
Sandy Seiler
Lawrence, Kansas
___
Organizers mailing list -- 
organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to 
organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net


--
Dana Dwinell-Yardley
pronouns: she/her/hers
802-505-6639
Montpelier, Vermont


--
Dana Dwinell-Yardley
pronouns: she/her/hers
802-505-6639
Montpelier, Vermont
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Electronic admission payments

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Great topic! I'm putting responses in Jim's email, below.
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast ME
<><><><><><>

belfastflyingshoes.org participatory dance & 
music

From: jim saxe via Organizers 
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2022 10:54 PM
To: organizers@lists.sharedweight.net 
Subject: [Organizers] Electronic admission payments

As local dances begin starting up again in the "post-pandemic"  (?) era--or at 
least in an era when vaccines, tests, and good masks are readily available--a 
topic has come up that had already been mentioned occasionally in the late 
2010s but that my local dance organization (BACDS, but I'm not writing 
officially on their behalf) had not yet addressed, namely people showing up at 
dances and wanting to pay admission electronically.

I'd like to hear about experiences of any other dance organizations that have 
made the transition to accepting electronic admissions payments. For example, 
you might address any of the following topics:

* What forms of payments have you started accepting? (Venmo? PayPal? Apple Pay? 
Google Pay? Square? credit cards? ...)
PEOPLE CAN PAY W CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE, AVAILABLE ON OUR 
WEBSITE OR VIA A QR CODE
ALSO CASH AND CHECK.

* What other forms, if any, have local dancers--or prospective dancers--been 
asking you to accept? Are there specific reasons why you've started accepting 
particular forms but not others?
SOMEONE ASKED ABOUT VENMO. WE ARE NOT GOING THERE AT THIS POINT.

* What general tips can you offer?
BE FLEXIBLE AND NIMBLE... AND WILLING TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED.


* What pitfalls would you warn other organizers to avoid?
I'M NOT SURE HOW WE'LL CHOOSE TO ACCOUNT FOR AMT OF PAYMENT THAT WE ACTUALLY 
"NET" (VERSUS THE AMT OF THE PMT TO PAYPAL) THE FEES ARE SMALL BUT NOT ENTIRELY 
INSIGNIFICANT.
WE HAVE AN OPTION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE FOR PEOPLE TO ADD EXTRA TO COMPENSATE FOR 
THE FEE. THIS SEEMS USEFUL.

* Did the transition to accepting electronic payments cause your organization 
to change anything about your admission price structures, or about the way you 
calculate and deliver performer pay, or about your organization's internal 
bookkeeping practices? (For example, if a dance series goes from getting almost 
all admission payments in cash, with only an occasional check now and then, to 
having a very high percentage of dancers paying electronically, then paying 
performers in cash at the end of the evening may become problematic.)
IT HASNT CHANGED IT YET, BUT IT OCCURS TO ME NOW THAT WE WILL NEED TO KNOW HOW 
MUCH PEOPLE PAY. WE COMPENSATE PERFORMERS WITH A "GUARANTEE OF X, PLUS 
POTENTIAL BONUS IF THERE IS ADMISSION MONEY LEFT AFTER EXPENSES". THEREFORE WE 
NEED TO KNOW THE TOTAL TAKE.

FOR EASE OF BOOKKEEPING FOR OUR NONPROFIT, WE ARE NOW PAYING PERFORMERS VIA 
CHECK (FOR PUBLIC PROGRAMS, AND ALSO FOR OUR OTHER PROGRAMS.)

WE MAY REVERT TO PAYING IN CASH AND GETTING SIGNED RECEIPTS (WHICH WE USED TO 
DO AT DANCES.)

* Do you know of cases where dance organizations did things regarding 
electronic payments that created unpleasant surprises for performers or for 
series programmers or for dance managers or for the treasurer or ...? It is 
apparently starting to be an unpleasant surprise for some prospective dancers 
to show up at a dance and learn that they can't pay with their phone, but it 
would be good if fixing that didn't create unpleasant surprises for anyone else.
WE'VE HAD A COUPLE PEOPLE ASK ABOUT OTHER PAYMENT OPTIONS, BUT I WOULDNT SAY 
IT'S BEEN UNPLEASANT FOR ANYONE...

* What other important question(s) should I be asking that I've neglected?

Note that my inquiry here is about regular dance series, not about special 
events such as dance camps and weekends, where attendees typically preregister 
and pay in advance.

Note also that even without electronic payments different organizations have 
had different ways of doing things. So please consider whether there's anything 
people ought to know about how things work in your village in order to make 
sense of your reply. For example: A dance series might or might not have 
performer pay vary depending on total admission receipts or headcount. 
Performers might be paid in cash or by check, and if paid in cash they may or 
may not be asked to sign or initial a form acknowledging payment. One 
organization might run a single dance series and have a single person (say, the 
treasurer) always present to handle the money. Another might run multiple dance 
series in different cities; any series might have multiple dance managers so 
that no one person has to be manager too often; and there might not usually be 
a person present who has check-writing authority. Dance managers might have 
different degrees of facility with math and/or with technology. And so on.

IN 2022, FOR NEARLY ALL OUR PUBLIC PROGRAMS (1ST FRIDAYS, SCANDI DANCE, 
CONCERT), ONLY 4 PEOPLE (TOTAL) CHOSE TO PAY ADMISSION VIA OUR PAYPAL PAGE 

[Organizers] Re: Some examples of COVID policies

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

This is terrific! Thanks Lisa!

We'll make good use of this data, since the Flying Board will be updating our 
public health policy in a couple of weeks as we prepare to move our first 
Friday dance series indoors for our November dance.

FYI, since it's not clear in the policy (but is elsewhere on our site): The 
policy pertains to outdoor dances, which resumed in July. When we resumed 
programming in February, the policy initially required masks for indoor music 
events; then, starting in May the policy simply encouraged masks for indoor 
music events.

It's worth noting that a group of dancers started an alternative monthly series 
in Belfast, beginning in February, which has had no restrictions.

Onward together!
Chrissy

<><><><><><>
chrissyfowler.com dance leadership
westbranchwords.com academic transcription
belfastflyingshoes.org participatory dance & 
music

From: Lisa Sieverts via Organizers 
Sent: Sunday, October 2, 2022 3:25:11 PM
To: A list for dance organizers 
Subject: [Organizers] Some examples of COVID policies

Hi all,

We at the Monadnock Folklore Society are figuring out our restart and therefore 
also our COVID policies.

As research, I made a Google Doc with a bunch of different policies from 
various groups, that I thought were well-worded at the various different levels 
of restrictions.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vABialmqd_01rS9LU9FIQRbLcf2qitMQ3oH4ojitSA0/edit?usp=sharing

Sharing here in case it helps others.

Once we figure ours out, I’ll add it to the list.

If you think your group has a well-worded COVID policy that provides a 
different nuance from these others, please send me the info and I’ll add it.

Best,
Lisa

Lisa Sieverts
603-762-0235
l...@lisasieverts.com
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Strategic plan?

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Do any of your organizations have a strategic plan? If so, is that plan 
something you'd be willing to share offlist?
Thanks,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast Flying Shoes

<><><><><><>
chrissyfowler.com dance leadership
westbranchwords.com academic transcription
belfastflyingshoes.org participatory dance & 
music
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Need ideas/feedback about how to get new dancers to return

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

“Getting back to the subject of repeat visitors, perhaps the biggest difference 
of all is a caller who brings the fun and the inclusiveness, the type who can 
laugh with you when something goes goofy.  (…  . ) I'm tremendously grateful to 
everyone organizing contra dances, and to all the people trying to make their 
dance a little bit better each week.
Lex Spoon”

Hear, hear!

(And I think it’s also the organizers who can bring that fun and inclusiveness 
and set the tone for embracing the goofiness.) Let’s face it, even though some 
folks forget and take it all a bit too seriously, these dances we love are 
incredibly weird. Beautifully so, but definitely on the silly side of joy.

I’m also grateful for all you folks sharing ideas and experiences openly and 
nonjudgmentally. What a gift!

Chrissy Fowler
Belfast Maine
Where we are digging out from the latest nor’easter (ah the joys of finally 
getting winter weather in March)
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Listserv dynamics

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Dear organizers,

On a slightly different topic, when I read Darlene's post, I nodded my head at 
this:
I seldom chime in on things, though I lurk in the background, due to people 
going on the defense or sometimes attacking. I am only posting so you have some 
information on what we are doing here in our part of the world.

This has been true for me lately. (But Darlene's willingness to share 
emboldened me to share data from our dance series. Thanks Darlene!)

I hope that this list can be a place where divergent experiences are shared, 
and where those varied perspectives are received respectfully, knowing they're 
offered with the intent of helping others in their organizing work.

When I have questions or seek clarification or want to challenge that 
perspective, I know that I can either pursue those conversations off list (1:1 
email, phone call or in person) or I can respond on the list with careful 
kindness and respect, hoping that the other person will respond in kind.

When a listserv devolves into attacking or defensiveness, then the list members 
are effectively silencing people like Darlene. Which is a loss for all of us.

But when many voices are heard, I learn new things, have my assumptions 
challenged, and get nudged into more complex thinking. And I can return to my 
community with fresh ideas.

Which is the point of this listserv :)

Cheers,
Chrissy

<><><><><><>
chrissyfowler.com dance leadership
belfastflyingshoes.org participatory dance & 
music
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: Is it time to change our mask mandates?

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Responding to Lisa’s question for data on other dance organizer experiences 
relative to policies about masks:

See https://www.belfastflyingshoes.org for info on our programs, policies, etc.

Our series resumed dancing outdoors in July-Oct 2022. When our monthly two-part 
public dance series moved indoors in November 2023, the Belfast Flying Shoes 
board of directors unanimously approved a community care policy that was in 
line with our local circumstances. (The BFS board makes decisions by consensus. 
For the BFS Board this means coming to unanimous agreement after robust 
discussion, including respectfully sharing divergent perspectives.)

The board and I (as executive director of the nonprofit) took many things into 
consideration. These included, but weren't limited to: local health metrics, 
the nonprofit's values, feedback from our constituents, our individual values, 
and a variety of underlying philosophical questions (many of which Harris L 
articulated on this list in January. I’ve copied Harris's post below.)  Our 
consensus-based decision-making considered the three aspects that Harris 
suggested: "We need science *and* community input *and* organizer judgment to 
guide decisions."

Among other things, that BFS policy required contact info and encouraged masks, 
which we offer free of charge.  The current policy no longer requires contact 
info, but it’s still optional to get an update if anyone reports experiencing 
illness and we still offer masks.

In Maine, policies differ. And at least one series was started because the 
people who organized it wanted particular policies. I think this speaks to an 
important truth in our current moment -- there's always room for other dances 
that meet certain needs!

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast Flying Shoes (Belfast ME)
<><><><><><>
belfastflyingshoes.org participatory dance & 
music

Harris Lapiroff, from SW Organizers archive, January 2023:
I feel that we need science *and* community input to make good decisions as 
organizers. I don't think either is sufficient alone. Plagiarizing a comment 
from myself in a previous conversation about covid precautions that took place 
on Facebook: I think people who have been following the science and even agree 
on the science might make different decisions about what precautions are 
valuable based on factors that science hasn't yet or may never provide clarity 
on. Some of them are scientific questions and some of them are not. And some of 
them are questions that can *only* be answered by our community! Questions 
like:- What is the exact nature and prevalence of long covid?- How do 
the risks of covid compare to risks we took in a prepandemicworld?- How 
does our community value risk for pleasure?- Will things get less risky in 
the future?- How long is our community willing to wear masks while dancing? 
A year?Two years? Forever?- Does our community care if we exclude 
people who can't or won't getvaccinated?- Etc. I think people can agree 
on the (mostly) settled science—how covid is transmitted, how well masks and 
vaccines work, what the possible outcomes of a covid infection are, who is most 
at risk—and still have very different answers to these questions, many of which 
are pretty reasonable. We need science *and* community input *and* organizer 
judgment to guide decisions. Harris




___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Re: New College Contra / 1st time with 50+ dancers!

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

Congrats Rob and co-organizers!
Your optimism and positive outlook come through clearly. A cheerful post to 
read on a grey morning in Maine.
:)
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast ME


From: Robert Matson via Organizers 
Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 12:40 AM
To: organizers shared weight ; Caller's 
discussion list 
Subject: [Organizers] New College Contra / 1st time with 50+ dancers!

Hi All,

Please join us in celebrating a significant milestone for our college dance: 
more than 50 dancers this past Friday!  Last school year we averaged around 
20/dance.  Last year's core dancers were seniors.  This school year we have 
been averaging around 10/dance, but our core dancers are mostly freshman.  
(Yay!)

Video clip from the dance:
Dance: 'The Flircle."  Ellen Hostetter calling.  Band: Bobby Fjsh and the Magic 
River
https://youtu.be/TGWzuIk2LTE
(For videos, we've promised to obscure dancers' features in order to maintain 
privacy.)

As some of you know, who have met us on-line or in-person, we started our dance 
from scratch, with all first-time dancers and a novice caller who hadn't done 
much contra.  (That said, our novice caller is a professional educator and 
researcher whose formative art was ballet and tap).  At last Friday's dance, 
about 80% were first-timers.  The other 20% were beginner-level.

To share, with the hope that some of you can benefit, we've identified several 
possible explanations for the high turnout.  The primary new effort was that we 
hosted a pop-up art exhibit in the space, lasting for the 120-minutes for which 
we had the studio.  Long story short, pursuant to our floating the idea in our 
regular announcement and inviting artists to pin-up, one of our core dancers 
volunteered to curate a show and spoke with her art professor who, in turn, 
liked the idea and gave the students credit if they participated.  From that, a 
good 25-30 student artists came with work to pin-up -- or put down -- we had 
one sculpture -- who had never heard of contra, who may have never put a foot 
down on a beat, and had no intent of dancing.  With encouragement, all but one 
(due to health issues) joined in for the whole dance.

The student who curated has offered to continue creating exhibits and we plan 
to do this every time.  (We dance 2x/month.)

We think it was a rogue wave of sorts.  Another student, it so happened, on the 
same eve, got a group of his friends to come, and several students from the 
outdoors club showed up.  And then several of our usual dancers, who we hadn't 
seen for a while, showed up.

And then one of our usual dancers was freaked out by the size of the crowd, she 
told us, and left.  :-)

Luckily, a reporter and photographer from the school newspaper also visited on 
the same eve!

So, a wonderful tsunami of first timers.

We look forward to seeing how many keep returning.

Program:
Circassian Circle
The Flircle
- Intermission, art show, hob-nobbing
- Swing workshop
Lucky 7 Mixer

We did three walkthroughs of each dance and started 10 min. late due to 
distractions caused by hanging the art show.  We dance Larks/Robins.

All best,
Rob
- - - - - - - - - - -

Robert Matson
Cell: (917) 626-2675
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net

[Organizers] Dance history, incl films

[Chrissy Fowler via Organizers]

For those interested in dance documentaries, the full video produced by Great 
Meadow (of which that YouTube is an excerpt) has some interesting perspectives 
and theories.  I saw the "opening" at the Peterborough NH Town Hall, back in 
the day.

David Millstone has made several excellent dance-related videos, especially 
ones about influential leaders (callers, musicians, etc). I highly recommend 
all of them, including the sweet one about his local dance scene in the Upper 
Valley of NH/VT. https://davidmillstonedance.com/video

There's also a lovely video about the Coos Bay Oregon scene, made by Doug 
Plummer, and featuring organizer and leader, Stacy Rose.
https://takehandsfilm.com/

And newly out (and by all accounts excellent) film by Larry Edelman about Jere 
& Greg Canote:  https://thecanotetwins.com/

And of course there's Phil Jamison's excellent book, which offers 
thoroughly-researched historical context.
http://www.philjamison.com/hoedowns-reels-and-frolics/

Cheers,
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast ME



<><><><><><>
chrissyfowler.com dance leadership
westbranchwords.com academic transcription
belfastflyingshoes.org participatory dance & 
music

From: Heitzso via Organizers 
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2023 8:18:25 AM
To: organizers@lists.sharedweight.net 
Subject: [Organizers] Re: Attracting young dancers

That drop in contra dancing after the Civil War is nicely documented in

"A Short History of Contra" on YouTube here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG6vVoiFT9c

If you haven't watched that video I strongly (!!!) recommend watching it.
Yes, contra has survived, but it went through several rough patches.
I had lived on a commune (hippy) and, coming back to Atlanta,
found contra dancing something I could make sense of.
(That sentence will make sense after watching the video.)

:)
Heitzso




> Purely for amusement, I offer this article from 1895 titled "Decline in
> Dancing"
> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40820357/an_1895_analysis_of_the_decline_in
>
> Dave
>
>
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
___
Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net