[Callers] Spring Cleaning

How often do folks on here clean out (or not) their dance collections? I went through mine this evening and found some that I never call and keep meaning to, but it never happens -- even though some I recall really enjoying when I danced them. When and how do you decide to take a dance out of your

Re: [Callers] Saving myself after a crash

Yeah, I agree with everything said here. If you DO decide to go the hash calling route, definitely let the crowd know that you’re doing something different and deviating on purpose: with a “listen up” or something like that. Often the dancers DO sort themselves out, and the dance can just go on.

Re: [Callers] Empowering people to say "Yes" while also empowering them to say "No"

This is a really interesting question! I've also certainly worried about this tension, especially in re: people's right to decline any dance. A friend of mine once described it in a nifty way: "you can always decline a dance" is consent 101. It's the basic lesson, and you really want folks (esp.

Re: [Callers] Riffing on "The Nice Combination"

Ooh, neat stuff! As long as we're messing with classic dances: *I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! *(improper) A1: LLFB new LARKS right-hand chain (to P) A2: full hey (larks by R) B1: P b B2: larks allemande L 1.5 N swing On Sat, Aug 3, 2019 at 9:11 AM Gregory Frock via Callers <

Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

Ah, whoops, wrong link: http://contra.maiamccormick.com/blog/2019/04/07/techno-reflections/ On Sun, Apr 7, 2019 at 12:26 PM Maia McCormick wrote: > (And if anyone wants to refer back to this, it's up on my blog > !) > > On

Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

(And if anyone wants to refer back to this, it's up on my blog !) On Sun, Mar 31, 2019 at 4:27 PM Maia McCormick wrote: > Thanks for the advice, all! While it's fresh in my mind, wanted to report > back and call out a few

[Callers] Another maybe-extant dance

Tossed this together last night to go with one of my techno DJ's tracks, because I wanted petronellas in the B, but NOT Tica Tica Timing/Old Time Elixir. Does this exist? *Hold You In My Arms*, improper A1: (new) larks alle. L 1 1/4 (ish) partner swing A2: long lines forward and back ravens chain

Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

Thanks for the advice, all! While it's fresh in my mind, wanted to report back and call out a few pieces of advice from this thread that were particularly helpful (or that I ignored to my own detriment). Just my observations--hope this is helpful to someone! *1. Demos are indeed hard* I agree

Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

I don't think you would ever play a random non-vetted techno track for contra, though. The DJs who get booked for these events are specifically techno contra DJs. On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 11:59 AM jim saxe via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > On Mar 28, 2019, at 2:39 PM, Bob via

[Callers] Does this exist? (Rory O'Moore > Partner Balance and Swing)

I wanted a closer with a Rory O'Moore and a partner balance and swing. This is what I came up with. Does this (or a variant thereof) already exist? *Wave Goodbye* (becket L) A1: (on the L diagonal) give and take N (to lark's side) N swing A2: ravens chain (to P) ravens alle. R 1 1/2 to short

Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

Ah, more specific questions! - have you found on-the-floor demos doable at techno, or should I not even try? - techno no-walk-through's: do they work? On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 5:13 PM Maia McCormick wrote: > Hey folks, > > I haven't called all that many techno contras, and I'm slated to do so >

[Callers] Calling techno?

Hey folks, I haven't called all that many techno contras, and I'm slated to do so this weekend. Any tips or things to keep in mind about how techno differs from your standard contra evening? (Particularly curious about anything relating to dance choice and dance length.) Cheers, Maia

[Callers] New left-hand chain dance (riffing on Star Trek)

I danced Mike Richardson's Star Trek recently and was super into the "star and single file promenade to the next star" progression (and also the right-shoulder hey straight into a swing niggled me just a bit). So, I

Re: [Callers] New Dance

Neat dance! Would you consider swapping the order of the B2, so it was long lines and then gents chain? Reasons being: - lines, chain is more idiomatic than chain, lines - long lines give dancers a sec to thing before the gents chain - you get lovely momentum from the chain into the circle L Good

[Callers] Name that Dance, part 3312

Trying to track down name + author for two deliiightful dances I had at Dance Flurry, can anyone help? Dance the first, improper: A1: circle L 1x N two-hand turn 1.5 A2: larks alle. L 1.5 half hey (P by R) B1: P balance and swing B2: long lines, lark roll partner away circle R 3/4 Dance the

Re: [Callers] Feeling old and creaky. Recommend some "youth"?

Oh gosh, this is an interesting question because as a young dancer/caller, I suppose I'm sort of like the fish who asks "what's water?" but for what it's worth, a few moves that I can think of as particularly popular with me and my cohort are box circulates, mad robins, and pousettes, as well as a

Re: [Callers] Teaching a Mad Robin

Oh man, I'm excited to hear others' response to this question, because I've also struggled with this. For a while I used "dosido; now walk that same path while looking at your partner" and found it to be... less effective with the beginners than I wanted it to be. Honestly, sometimes I demo it,

[Callers] Interesting dances without role-specific calls?

Hi folks, I’m introducing a dance series to larks/ravens next weekend, and to ease everyone into it (/in case of emergency), I want some dances handy that are non-trivial and interesting (so, not glossary dances, but one an intermediate-to-advanced crowd would enjoy) WITHOUT role-specific

Re: [Callers] dances for Halloween

The ones that come to mind are: - Wizard's Walk - The Zombies of Sugar Hill Happy calling! On Fri, Aug 17, 2018 at 11:12 AM barbara153--- via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi everyone! > > I will be calling a dance on Halloween and would like to know if anyone > can share

Re: [Callers] Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through?

13, 2018 at 1:00 PM Yoyo Zhou wrote: > On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 6:08 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers < > callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >> >> Had a busload of beginners at my dance last night and realized I have a >> hole in my program -- I don't have an

[Callers] Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through?

> > Hi folks, Had a busload of beginners at my dance last night and realized I have a hole in my program -- I don't have any good glossary/beginner-friendly dances with a promenade but no chain or RL through. Any suggestions? > Thanks! Maia > > ___

Re: [Callers] Dance ID and question

Yep, Chart Guthrie! Two that come to mind for me: Princeton Petronellas by Bob Isaacs Square Route by Bob Isaacs & Chris Page On Sat, Jul 28, 2018 at 10:27 AM, Mac Mckeever via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > That looks like 'Will You Marry Me' by Seth Tepfer > > Other ones

Re: [Callers] Circles, Crazy Circles

Re: g -- that's totally fair, and an experience I've had on the floor as well, but oh man when it's done right it's lovely! Maybe worth spending some time teaching the right way to do it from the mic? (This is something I might do myself the next time I call one, come to think of it.) Another

[Callers] Multiple partner swings?

Hey folks, For REASONS, I'm in search of dances with more than one partner swing -- preferably one of which is a balance and swing. Thoughts? Cheers, Maia ___ List Name: Callers mailing list List Address: Callers@lists.sharedweight.net Archives:

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

(Ah, to clarify, by "offered a dance to split them from their partner" I'm talking about the phenomenon that Louise mentioned, where a queer couple (or heck, even same-gender friends!) are offered dances by people to slot them into opposite-gender couples.) On Wed, Mar 28, 2018 at 11:56 AM, Maia

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

While Jeffrey makes a compelling point, I want to chime in with another thought: *that not having these discussions is just as divisive (if not more so) than having them*, just in ways that are harder for some sides of the community to see. While people make (very valid) claims that long

Re: [Callers] Leading, consent in embellishments

Hi Jeanette, Exciting workshop! I'm glad to see this discussed! So if I'm understanding you correctly, you seem to be contrasting the idea of a "leader" with the fact that moves must be "executed with mutual consent", which I find interesting. For me, those ideas are not at all at odds. I see

Re: [Callers] Dance logs and record-keeping

I keep a log for my own records of my programs and observations (about the evening, sequence of dances, my teaching, etc.) -- sure, it helps me not repeat myself when I call two local dances in the same month, but mreh, only other callers or a very small handful of dancers would notice me

[Callers] May the Fourth be with you!

For those of us lucky enough to be calling on May the Fourth (or it’s sister holiday, Revenge of the Fifth): Anyone have some Star Wars-themed dances to recommend? Cheers, Maia ___ List Name: Callers mailing list List Address:

Re: [Callers] Looking for "fun" dances

At the risk of being a wet blanket, I've found Carmen’s Contra (the dance with the hip checks) to be pretty uncomfortable to dance -- that's some pretty close contact mandated by the choreography. If anyone on this list chooses to the call this dance, I'd encourage you to offer an alternative move

Re: [Callers] Looking for suggestions

Two that come to mind: Susie's Send-Off by Scott Higgs || becket L A1: circle L 3⁄4 & pass thru new N swing A2: long lines gents alle. L 11⁄2 → ocean waves (GL/PR) B1: bal. wave, P alle. R 3⁄4 → long waves (ladies face out) bal. wave & circ. (GX/♀loop) B2: bal. wave & circ. (♀X/G loop) P

[Callers] Balancing LEFT in a wave?

Recently called a dance with an allemande R into long waves, balance wave, allemande L. Because of personal preference, I taught the balance as "balance left, then right", but cuz I didn't teach it all that clearly, the dancers defaulted back into balancing right first, and enough tricky stuff was

[Callers] Moving past self-flagellation

So after a gig, I find myself haunted by one or two missteps from an evening — the rolling start that was a little muddy, the thing I didn’t teach clearly enough so the dancers never quite got it — even though the dancers adjusted and all had a good time, and I still had the hall’s trust and

Re: [Callers] New Dance?

Your dance doesn't look familiar to me (for whatever that's worth)--though I agree with Dugan's point that experienced dancers will take fewer that 8 counts to do that pousette and fewer than 8 counts to turn the star 3/4 (probably a lot fewer!), so it will potentially be a very, very long swing.

Re: [Callers] Multiple N swings / does this dance exist?

r auction dance this > summer, this one for Margaret Pigman, Gregg Gorin, and Dan Vilter at Amweek > 2017. > > > Bob > > > -------------- > *From:* Callers <callers-boun...@lists.sharedweight.net> on behalf of > Maia McCormick via Callers <c

[Callers] Multiple N swings / does this dance exist?

Hey folks, Looking for a dance with multiple swings with the same N, and also preferably a P b, for a workshop I'm running on in-dance communication. Anyone have one to recommend? On a similar note, this is the dance I tossed off to fill this need: does it exist? If not, tentatively titling it

Re: [Callers] Pirate Themed Dances!

A Pirate's Life for Me, by Nathaniel Jack (haaa Perry you were too quick on the draw!) Also, cheap trick, but the gimmick of Maggie Jo Saylor's dance is petronella turn and instead of the claps, shouting "yo ho!" -- can be applied to any petronella turn set to a jig. On Sat, Sep 16, 2017 at

[Callers] Does this dance exist?

Dear Weight-Sharers, I came up with dance looking for flirty eye-contact dances, hey-like figures up and down the set, and satisfying promenade -> circle R transitions. Does it exist? (If it's original enough for me to claim as my own... whelp, I don't have a title yet.) ???, improper A1:

Re: [Callers] Looking for a particular sort of becket dance

...Wow, this is embarrassing, I can't find any dances in my deck that fit your criteria! Seems like 90% of my easier becket dances start with circle L 3/4. Well, I hope you find what you're looking for! Cheers, Maia On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 5:58 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers <

Re: [Callers] Full hey spanning two phrases?

usic that has > strong 8 beat phrasing. > > Bob Isaacs "To Turn a Phrase" has the Oval crossing phrases. I have > danced it when it feels good, but also when it did not. I think the music > selection is more critical. > > Rich Sbardella > > On Tue, Mar 28, 2017

[Callers] Full hey spanning two phrases?

Hi folks, I'm running up against a wall in a dance I'm currently writing, and it's making me wonder: what dances, if any, have a full hey that spans two sections* and really WORKS? I feel like in general, if I danced such a dance, I would roll my eyes at the choreographer "breaking the rules",

[Callers] In search of un-premiered contras!

Hi choreographer folks, I'm leading a session at NEFFA called "Cutting-Edge Contras", consisting of un-premiered (or very sparsely called) contras. If anyone has any dances they'd like to throw my way for consideration, please do so! Cheers, Maia

Re: [Callers] Advanced Contras

Gosh, if only I had time and place to call all the whacky advanced dances in my deck! Look forward to seeing what comes up here! Some of my dances that I'll take this opportunity to plug: Happy Jew Queer (double shadow dance, includes a

Re: [Callers] Difficult dancers as a caller

That is a GREAT question. I try not to call to a single dancer--largely b/c often, calls don't even help this sort of dancer all that much. (Sometimes I call to them out of instinct, but I've been trying to check myself there.) I don't reay have a good strategy here except to enlist dance

Re: [Callers] Does this dance exist?

Ah, Don is correct that I'm missing the B2. Full dance is: becket L A1: slice L ladies chain to N A2: ladies chain to P ladies alle. R 1 1/2 B1: N b B2: circle L 3/4 P swing On Mon, Dec 26, 2016 at 1:11 PM, Maia McCormick wrote: > Whipped this one up looking for a

[Callers] Does this dance exist?

Whipped this one up looking for a double-chain dance to get beginners accustomed to the figure*. Has it been written before? (If not, tentatively titling this one "Chain of Fools".) (Uhh, unless there's another dance of that name already... which I can't imagine there isn't... in which case I'll

[Callers] In search of some dances

Hi there hivemind, I'm in search of the following dances and would be grateful to anyone who can help me out: 1) Cupid's Clout (...Cupid's Cloud? Something like that? A lovely flowy dance with pousettes) 2) Square Route (petronella spin --> 3 changes of a square thru) 3) Looking for name and

Re: [Callers] Variations of 3-33 by Steve Zakon-Anderson

Fwiw, if I were to write a variation of 3-33-33 (and wanted to avoid ladies chain/star L), I'd do a figure like in Al Olson's 'Ann Arbor Four': long lines (8), P alle. R 3/4 (4), ladies alle. L 1/2 (4). Agreed that ladies' allemande L out of long lines, while there's no reason it doesn't flow, is

[Callers] Reverse prog/becket R dances?

Anyone have some favorites to share? Especially interested in dances that are simple enough to be part of a medley (they don't need to be dead simple, just not absurdly complex). Cheers, Maia

Re: [Callers] Post election day dances?

Perhaps "Communist Plot" by John Coffman ? Communist Plot by John Coffman approx 10/10 Duple, Improper A1 ½ Hey {men pass left shoulders to start}(8) Neighbor Swing

Re: [Callers] suggestions for dances

Wednesdays at Amherst by Ron Blechner? *Wednesdays at Amherst *Ron T Blechner Duple Imp. A1. Gents RH Chain (8) (to P) Gents Gypsy R 1x (8)* A2. P Gypsy + Swing (16) B1. Circle L ¾ (6) NS (10) B2. Pass Thru

Re: [Callers] Good dances for beginners to safely leave/return to minor set.

Mary Cay's Reel (also by David Kaynor) and Poetry in Motion (Lisa Greenleaf) have expeditions out of your hands-4 to your future neighbor, and Little Green Heron (Joseph Pimentel) to the previous ones. Angel's Flight (Sue Rosen) is a really lovely dance with a jaunt to your future neighbor and

Re: [Callers] What dance is this?

ContraDance.com > www.NufSed.consulting > > >> Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2016 14:08:35 -0400 >> From: Maia McCormick via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> >> To: "callers@lists.sharedweight.net" <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> >> Subject: [Callers] What dance is this? >> Message-ID: >>

[Callers] What dance is this?

Any insights? A1: neighbor B A2: long lines gents alle. L 1 1/2 B1: PB B2: circle L 3/4 Bal. the ring, CA twirl to face new neighbors Cheers, Maia

[Callers] Name that dance/dance that name!

Was going through an old notebook and found the following scribblings. Can anyone help identify them, or put choreography to the name? Many thanks, Maia #1, becket A1: circle L 3/4 and pass through new ladies alle. L 1/2, partner alle. R 3/4 to long wave A2: Rory O'Moore B1: ladies start full

Re: [Callers] Chains: the other side of the coin

Andrea said: > but address gender issues where they originate, in the expectation that men dance left, women right. I agree wholeheartedly that we should be unraveling "the expectation that men dance left, women right"--but many of the callers on this list have been trying to do just this for a

Re: [Callers] Favorite dance to teach a ladies chain?

Real interesting discussion! My two cents on the order of teaching: I've been having good luck lately with teaching in the following order-- 1) promenade the ring 2) turn around to promenade the opposite direction (lady walks forward and gent walks back, i.e. CCW rotation--get everyone used to

Re: [Callers] Box circulate dances

I am in 85% agreement with John! But I like teaching box circ. balances in particular as right+fwd and left+slightly back, so that EVERYONE (those moving right and those moving forward) have momentum to carry them to where they're going next. (I believe I got that one from Lisa Greenleaf...?) On

Re: [Callers] Box circulate dances

My favorites: 1. To my mind, the classic box circulate dance--probably because it was the first one I ever danced! > Chinese New Year by Chris Page || improper (adv'd) > Starts in long waves, gents face out, Ns by R > A1: bal. wave & box circulate (2x) (LX G loop; GX L loop) > A2: bal. wave &

Re: [Callers] tips for teaching dancing the "other" role?

I find that a lot of people who have danced mostly the gent's role, when they start dancing the lady's role, think that when they swing, they're supposed to go backwards or sorta sideways... I mean, hell, a lot of people think that's how a lady swings when they first start dancing that role! But,

Re: [Callers] New (?) dance, B1 balance, B2 balance and partner swing

Called Bob's "Return 2 Sender" this past Thursday at Mt. Airy, PA -- what a good dance!! On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 6:37 PM, Bob Isaacs via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi All: > > As Luke noted, there are two dances with similar names. The first is: > > Return to Sender >

[Callers] Reverse R/L thru?

Have you all encountered or written dances for a "reverse R/L through"? To my mind, this move might be any of the following: a. cross the set with the lady on the left and gent on the right, lady courtesy turns gent (with the traditional CCW courtesy turn b. cross the set with the lady on the

Re: [Callers] Gents doing "ladies" chain

While we're at it, I've got one as well: Too Many Joshes (improper) *Starts with a wavy line of gents in the center* *A1:* gents bal. L then R, allemande L 3/4 neighbor swing *A2:* ladies allemande R 1 1/2 partner swing *B1:* gents

[Callers] Dance ID?

Danced this Mary Cay's Reel look-alike recently--anyone know the title and author? (becket L) A1: circle L 3/4 N swing A2: llf ladies alle R 3/4, next lady alle L 3/4 B1: pass P by R for full hey B2: P B Thanks! Maia

Re: [Callers] caller suggestions for beginner handout

Hi Emily, I recently helped write a set of Contra Etiquette tips for CDNY that might have some useful stuff: http://cdny.org/what-is-contra/contra-etiquette/ A lot of it is geared towards more experienced dancers, but you could pick and choose relevant points (and maybe de-technical-ify the

[Callers] Rates for private events (weddings etc)?

Hey folks, I've just been asked to call a wedding, and I don't have a good idea for what the going rate for these things is. What do you all charge for a wedding (say, 30 mins-an hour of dancing)? (And how might you adjust this rate for NYC?) Thanks, Maia

Re: [Callers] Novelty & Gimmick Contras

Some that I like: Jim's Whim var. by Rich McMath || improper (Smooth and English-y) A1: N gypsy; N swing A2: long lines; LH star 1x (hands across) B1: ladies drop out, gents alle. L to P and swing B2: circle L 3/4; square thru 3 hands* * pull by NR, PL, NR and look for new N on side. (At start of

Re: [Callers] Dances with multiple swings- Trinity?

Some more for your list: Moments of Transition by Chris Page *Two-Way Street* * by Lisa Greenleaf/Bob Isaacs* || becket left *A1:* ladies alle. L 1 1/2; N1 swing, end facing DOWN *A2:* down the hall, outsides (1s) keep

Re: [Callers] Simple Revolving door dances?

Hmm. Alex, correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought that "revolving doors" was the reverse of a half promenade and butterfly whirl...? On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 11:53 AM, Luke Donforth via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I interpreted that as a move that goes from one circle

Re: [Callers] Easy petronella with long lines

This one has a yearn, if that'll do: Power Surge by Beth Brill & Bob Isaacs || becket, CW (easy) A1: yearn L ladies chain A2: bal. the ring and spin to the right (2x) B1: N b B2: gents alle. L 1 ½ P swing On Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 9:53 PM, Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <

Re: [Callers] Contras with a Hey

Oh, also "Hey in the Barn" by Chart Guthrie is lovely and symmetrical and has two half-heys. (Though it DOES have a progression-out-of-a-hey thing that Kalia mentions, which can be tricky for beginners...) On Tue, Dec 8, 2015 at 1:25 PM, Yoyo Zhou wrote: > Do you like half

Re: [Callers] Contras with a Hey

"Centrifugal Hey" by Gene Hubert On Tue, Dec 8, 2015 at 1:08 PM, Bill Olson via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > "Roll in the Hey" by Roger Diggle > > > To: call...@sharedweight.net > > Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2015 10:01:52 -0800 > > Subject: Re: [Callers] Contras with a Hey > > From:

Re: [Callers] Mystery dance from Contracopia

aller.com > Email: dhuntdan...@aol.com > Cell: 215-565-6050 > > > > > -Original Message- > From: Maia McCormick via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > To: callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > Sent: Mon, Dec 7, 2015 9:10 pm > Subject: [

[Callers] Mystery dance from Contracopia

Ron Buchanan this one at Contracopia, and it was a lot of fun! ???, by ??? (becket) A1: pass the ocean and balance partner R 1/2, gents L 1/2, balance A2: neighbor R 3/4, new neighbor swing B1: pass the ocean and balance neighbor R 1/2, gents L 1/2, balance B2: partner swing

Re: [Callers] Dances with R & L Thru

*Easy:* Centrifugal Hey by Gene Hubert A1 Reel by Chris Weiler *Intriguing:* The Joy of Six by Myra Hirshberg (smooth and flowy mad robin dance) Seven Sevens by Jim Kitch (also a smooth and flowy mad robin dance) Bye Bye Baltimore by Bob Dalsemer (R/L through with a roll-away at the end) Hot

[Callers] Does this dance exist? / Beginner dances with chain, without star-L prog

Wanted a beginners' dance with a chain but without a star-L progression. Jotted down this one. I find it quite likely that someone has written it before: [untitled], imp. A1: N b A2: long lines forward & back ladies chain B1: ladies alle. R 1x P swing B2: circle L 3/4 bal. ring and pass through

[Callers] Rollaway sans sashay?

Recently there was some discussion of the difference between a "rollaway with a half-sashay" and a plain ol' rollaway. Jim Saxe presented the dance Roll Away as an example of a contra with a rollaway without a half-sashay. Can anyone else

Re: [Callers] Ferry Boat Contra Ideas

If you can get the band on-board, any number of sea chanteys are contra-tune-able--for instance, Drunken Sailor and South Australia, in addition to the sea songs already in the repertoire like Sailor's Hornpipe (which turns up in the Popeye theme!). Also, He's a Pirate from Pirates of the

[Callers] Do these dances exist?

Dance the First, improper A1: (new) N alle L 1 1/2 ladies alle R 1x A2: N b B1 circle L 3/4 P sw B2: circle L 3/4 N alle R 1 ½ Dance the Second, improper A1: neighbor gypsy half hey, women by L A1: neighbor gypsy neighbor swing B1: circle L 3/4 partner swing B2: R/L through across

Re: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing

Oh, one more thing: my local dance (CDNY) often holds a "swinging workshop" at the break, to teach the finer points of swing, talk about the buzz step explicitly and give pointers, reiterate the important stuff like giving weight, etc. This often works pretty well, and might be a good model: a

Re: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing

Tom, at a guess, Aahz is not talking about NOT spending time on the swing, nor about neglecting to teach dancers how to start/end one--just that the finer points of technique aren't a priority for the beginner's lesson. Of course any teacher worth their salt will teach that a swing always ends

Re: [Callers] Jets / rubies genderfree terms redux: gems?

I would just like to point out to the group that this topic was originally very specific in scope. Ron asked a very specific question, and one of concrete use for those of us who call gender-free, to which several people responded to before the thread devolved into a discussion of whether or not

[Callers] Dance length/dances per evening

Just polling the masses here--how long do you generally run your dances (in times through the dance, time take, couples going up and back, etc.)? How many dances do you generally manage to fit into a 3-hour contra evening? I've heard different wisdom from different folks and am curious to add some

Re: [Callers] When the dancers aren't paying attention

I also think it's worth mentioning that we can model as dancers the behavior we'd like to see as callers. Socializing and catching up with friends is excellent, but when I'm dancing, I make an effort to always quiet down and listen to the caller whenever they start speaking, and perhaps gently

Re: [Callers] Applause or Not...

I often announce the band again, possibly with a "give a big hand to..." On Wed, Apr 22, 2015 at 10:08 PM, Erik Hoffman via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi All, > > There are several places where almost no applause occurs after a dance. In > some communities, when I've been

Re: [Callers] dance request

Hmm, I have it written as "Frannie's Alarm Clock"... Is this the dance you're looking for? *Frannie's Alarm Clock* by Luke Donforth (becket, counterclockwise; mod+) *A1:* gents alle. L 1 1/2; N swing *A2:* long lines, ladies roll next N; ladies chain *B1:* half hey; single file circle R in

[Callers] Difficulty rankings?

As I overhaul my contra deck and realize that my difficulty ranking system is super incoherent, and most of my dance rankings are from way before I had any idea what actually makes a dance easy or hard, I've been thinking of scrapping this difficulty ranking system and just starting over. So I was

[Callers] Mystery dance!

Found an unlined 3x5 card in my deck with this dance written in pencil in mysterious, shaky handwriting. The card has the title Late in the Evening, though I have no idea if that's the actual title. Attributions, anyone? A1: (new) N bal & box the gnat mad robin (gents forward first... gents cross

[Callers] Giant dance database?

Hi all, I'm currently in programming school casting about for programming projects, and I had the idea of a giant searchable contradance database, where you can filter by move combination, etc. My question: is this something people would be interested in having? Or does it run the risk of

[Callers] Yet more unknown dances!

Hi all, Cleaning out my pile of notes on excellent and unknown dances again. If anyone knows names/authors for these, shout it out! Thanks so much! Cheers, Maia - *#1: *?, imp. ("cool shadow dance") A1: new neighbor balance and swing A2: ladies bull by right to allemande partner L