Many callers forget that Petronella is spin-then-balance, and most modern
"Petronella dances" are balance-then-spin".
So saying, "as in Petronella, balance and spin/move one place to the right"
is not accurate either.
More accurate: "Balance the ring, and as in Petronella, spin/move one place
to
Any suggestions for your favorite easy or intermediate Petronella spin
dance with no chain, no allemandes?
Thanks,
Ron Blechner
Sorry, I meant Rich.
On Dec 10, 2015 3:54 PM, "Ron Blechner" wrote:
> Whoa. Weird story, Mac. Baffled
> On Dec 10, 2015 3:30 PM, "Mac Mckeever via Callers" <
> callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> The only thing I can imagine is that many Becket dances leave the minor
>> set - making them
Whoa. Weird story, Mac. Baffled
On Dec 10, 2015 3:30 PM, "Mac Mckeever via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> The only thing I can imagine is that many Becket dances leave the minor
> set - making them slightly more complex. Perhaps they had some bad
> experiences with a couple d
Give the Scout a Hand, Bob Isaacs
I'll second:
Butter
Carousel
Hey the the Barn
Roll in the Hey
On Dec 8, 2015 2:10 PM, "David A Kaynor via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> A longtime lurker leaps in:
>
> Below: Two fairly easy Becket formation dances which prese
Kind of missing the connection.
On Nov 26, 2015 4:02 PM, "jean francis via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> absolutely excellent article; thanks Michael. I was, in a past life, a
> "Woodrow Wilson fellow" at Princeton and never knew this but I surely agree
> with the articles co
Donald,
I am reading your comments as an attempt solely at shutting up other
people. Is this your intent? It also comes off pretty passive aggressive.
That is *not* appreciated and *not* helpful.
Disagree all you like, but if you don't want to participate in a
discussion, please don't interfere w
Tom,
I find it humorous that we both had the same thought experiment. I read
"honky" as less offensive than "redneck", but that may be subjective and/or
semantic.
To be very plain:
The image we conjure up of a "gypsy" is a stereotype. "Gypsy" for many
invokes images of coin hip scarves and veils
"who on this list believe that contra dancers have a negative view of the
Romani people because of the word gypsy?"
Over the last few days, as this conversation has spilled out onto a few
forms of social media, I have now heard specific stories about people who
are Roma and/or have Roma heritage w
"Controversial" is different from "political".
We can discuss controversial topics without bringing up political
affiliations.
Please stop.
On Oct 29, 2015 11:00 AM, "Aahz Maruch via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 29, 2015, Ron Blechner wrote:
> >
> > Can we plea
Erik, thanks for assembling that list.
What we also need a list of is that of all of the categories to determine
which terms are better than others. For example, I can start us off:
- term should not sound too much like an existing contra dance term
- clear and easy to say and hear on the mic/mon
Can we please not discuss politics on this list?
Seriously.
On Oct 29, 2015 9:51 AM, "Aahz Maruch via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 28, 2015, Michael Fuerst via Callers wrote:
> >
> > I have been contra dancing for 30 years or so and this is the first
> > time I'
not politically correct, and take
>> offense. We haven't heard of a case of Romani people taking offense,
>> presumably because we haven't had any attend a contra? That doesn't make
>> using the term ok, it just means we have no usable specific data. Sargon&#x
ur vocabulary? What level of provable offense constitutes
> reason for removal? Even if the answer is none, it's worth asking
> ourselves.
> Andrea
>
> Sent from my iOnlypretendtomultitask
>
> On Oct 27, 2015, at 11:41 AM, Ron Blechner via Callers <
> callers@lists.sha
Since "gypsy" as a contra/ECD term almost certainly refers to Romani, it
differs from say, geological terms or whatnot. The swastika is a sad thing,
because the Nazis basically ruined it, even though they use a reverse
direction version.
That said, I'm not endorsing or not endorsing the change to
ee of call/cue homonyms, sounds short and distinct
> and the other use in contra ("with your partner promenade across and loop
> wide to the left to face a new couple..." is a similar concept. No obvious
> negative meanings in common language (most are positive, e.g.: "
Eddie is also a gender name, thus I would rule that out. Vortex doesn't
exactly come off well on the mic. Swirl sounds way too much like circle
unless you are none ciating very very crisp late, in which case you are
going to get some Pardes sounds hissing on the mic.
Thus, I don't like any of the
A lot of people, including newer dancers or dancers who are just plain shy,
have difficulty with eye contact. I have stopped teaching the Gypsy as
locking eyes with a person, and instead stress looking at the person. In
this way the people who want to look at their eyes will naturally think to
do s
"Spiral".
That said, I've yet to hear a report of a Romani being offended. It's my
understanding that this may be a problem, say, in Europe, where the term
may be used as a slur. But here in America... we have plenty of racial
slurs, and I've yet to hear or hear of gypsy being used in a derogatory
I think maybe if this were my home dance, and I'd discussed it with
organizers beforehand, maybe. There's so many cans of worms that could
spring open, and it's something organizers would be left dealing with.
On Oct 10, 2015 7:31 PM, "James Saxe via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote
For those interested, the closest I've seen it resembles is To Live is To
Dance by Jim Kitch, which is basically:
Ladies Chain
1/2 Hey, loop L to next
Next N B+S
Circle L 3/4, P rollaway
Gents start 1/2 Hey
P gypsy swing
... which is a fun dance, as well.
The dance I listed is similar with 2 heys
need to make it feel like a
> pass through so their body flow can take them into a R gypsy. It might be
> worth pointing that out, or teaching them to finish the half hey face N,
> pass through R Sh . Just a thought.
> Andrea
>
> Sent from my iOnlypretendtomultitask
d to make it feel like a
> pass through so their body flow can take them into a R gypsy. It might be
> worth pointing that out, or teaching them to finish the half hey face N,
> pass through R Sh . Just a thought.
> Andrea
>
> Sent from my iOnlypretendtomultitask
>
>
>
Perry replied privately, and I agree with his assessment of the gypsy for
top of the A2 to make a lot of sense:
"I think "loop right" would be better than a "gypsy". People who gypsy
tend to linger when your real goal is to get to the next neighbor and
swing."
On Sep 14, 2015 12:05 PM, "Ron Blech
Hi callers,
I was hoping this dance, or something very similar, might be identified:
Becket
A1: Gents Alle L 1.5 (8)
1/2 Hey (8) (NR, LL, PR, GL)
A2: N Gypsy R 1/2 (2)* (to face next N)
Next N Gypsy + Sw (14)
B1: Mad Robin (8)**
1/2 Hey (8) (GL, PR, LL, NR)
B2: Gents Pass L (
You've never substituted a pass through dosido instead of a dosido pass
through? Or a gypsy/allemande/dosido change if you had too many of one in a
night?
Is it that you think dances written are sacrosanct, or that the shadow
swing is too key to a dance - and is different from more common moves as
Harassment is real. It's widespread, and pretending it isn't hurts people
and keeps people away from our dances.
Things I have personally witnessed, and when subsequently asked the dancer
whether anything was unusual, they confirmed:
One dancer has a habit of grabbing hip *just* at the butt-line.
I've had the experience where my shadow was a creeper. And another time
they were an awful swing. They were both awful experiences.
But Maia asked specifically this thread not be about the merits of shadow
swings or not, but instead about disclaimers.
On Sep 9, 2015 11:54 AM, "Martha Wild via Call
Maybe. Maybe not. My point was that we should be very, very careful about
making a definitive statement about something being "just an accusation",
especially when in your example, there was a second problem - even if it
was a year earlier.
On Sep 9, 2015 10:39 AM, "Lindsay Morris via Callers" <
ca
ple might
> somehow become harmful and we wish to ward off all potential problems, then
> don't call dances with shadow swings, and maybe we ought not to call dances
> with neighbor swings. Then you could never have to swing any person not of
> your choosing.
>
> Perry
>
>
Hi Lindsay,
I realize this is a tricky topic, so apologies in advance if my brevity
comes off as bruskness.
These two suggestions work for Amherst Contra.
As a proxy complaint comes in, a board member would seek out the source.
Anonymous complaints are permitted, and a high level of ensuring tha
Erik,
I'm alarmed at reading your reply in the shadow swing thread.
I have seen, as a dancer, caller, and organizer, at a variety of dances,
far too many incidents of inappropriate behavior. I refuse to simply wash
my hands and say "oh, it's not the caller's place to worry about this." A
caller i
Luke,
The "tripletesque" suggest is a neat one... I had been pondering how a
Shadow Swing dance is similar to many four-face-fours or squares. In those
cases dancers more carefully choose who is in their formation. Your idea to
just have shorter lines that are chosen both gives the dancers the
opp
You could change it to a different shadow move, and the clever dancers will
figure out that they can swing. Or you might casually mention that you can
substitute a swing for the whatever.
Ron Blechner
On Sep 8, 2015 11:06 AM, "Maia McCormick via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
Okay, technically the half sashay is different, but it's almost always
assumed. There are dances where one person stands still while the other
rolls away. In this case, the standing still person isn't half sashaying.
On Aug 22, 2015 12:25 PM, "Ron Blechner" wrote:
> " Roll across/along"
" Roll across/along" is specific, while "roll away with a half
sashay" is vague. They refer to the same basic thing.
It's vague because it doesn't indicate who rolls who. In the context of a
dance, words I use calling it may vary depending on context. When teaching
a rollaway, this is one
Thanks, this will probably go into my box for an easy Hey dance.
On Jul 11, 2015 3:09 PM, "Martha Wild via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Duple Improper version:
> A Piece O' Cake by Carol Kopp
>
>
> On Jul 11, 2015, at 11:55 AM, Ron Blechn
Instead of an odd progression, I'd just start the dance at the A2 and make
it duple improper.
N B+S (4,12)
Hey (GL, PR, LL, NR) (16)
Gents cross L (2)
PS (14)
Circle L 3/4 (8, forgiving)
Bal Ring, Cali Twirl (4,4)
It's a nice simple Hey dance with two swings. Why complicate it with
unnecessary CC
Don,
In my experience with technos, the biggest factors are:
- people can't see as well, and dances are often more crowded, so stuff
with higher collision potential are out. Orbits, pousettes, star promenadrs
... Caution!
- you draw a slightly different demographic, often newer dancers, so the
ov
I didn't read Cary's comments about squares as an "objection", just
that Cary was rebutting the comment by George: "squares are just like
contras, only you have to listen."
On Thu, Jun 25, 2015 at 10:40 PM, Jacob Nancy Bloom via Callers
wrote:
> Cary, some of your objections to squares seem a bit
You don't find "nose-to-nose" makes some uncomfortable?
On Jun 25, 2015 10:48 AM, "Aahz Maruch via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 24, 2015, Rich Sbardella via Callers wrote:
> >
> > My main concern is how to acquire that tension/counterweight in a swing,
> if
> > y
I do 2 hand turn first.
On Jun 24, 2015 4:22 PM, "Rich Sbardella via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> My main concern is how to acquire that tension/counterweight in a swing,
> if you do not lean back.
> Rich
>
> On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 3:33 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers <
> call
This! I explain weight similarly
On Jun 24, 2015 3:34 PM, "Kalia Kliban via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> On 6/24/2015 11:29 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers wrote:
>
>>
>> How do you descibe giving weight, and how do you teach it for circles,
>> allemandes, and, swings?
>> Ric
Okay, so what about my first comment?:
Some people are not physically capable of a buzz step.
It can be too fast for any variety of physical limitations. If it could be
that some dancers simply can't get it easily. (Some dancers never "get" the
buzz step, and that's okay.)
The single most import
Not everyone is physically able to do the buzzstep swing. While I include
the buzz step as part of my beginner lesson, it gets axed if I'm short on
time. Other dancers will teach them that.
What's way more important is teaching giving weight. A good-weight walking
swing is vastly more pleasurable
.
>> Andrea
>>
>> Sent from my iOnlypretendtomultitask
>>
>> On Jun 2, 2015, at 3:07 AM, Winston, Alan P.
>> wrote:
>>
>> I'm not Andrea but as someone who's appreciated the value of global
>> calling since Chris and Brooke proselytized our
uses it even in
>> not gender free English as well as for gender free English I think I can
>> answer.
>>
>> The Heather and Rose style (which they didn't invent but have published
>> the most in) is designed for proper longways. Men's line is left file,
>
The Heather and Rose style (which they didn't invent but have published
>> the most in) is designed for proper longways. Men's line is left file,
>> ladies line is right file. In a square or Becket formation gents place
>> are first diagonals, ladies are second
a square.
>
> However, mainstream English gives us first corners (in a proper set,
> first gent and second lady) and second corners (first lady and second
> gent). If you apply that to a typical improper contra, as Andrea was
> suggesting, the ladies are on the first corners,
While I still see the appeal of corners in principle, this is a ton of
explanation for those of us who already are well versed in dance. For the
objections stated, I don't see using corners is feasible replacement terms.
And I don't see restricting dances to ones not requiring role/position
terms a
I
> struggled with translating a "choose your noun" for ladies or gents because
> that is how I learned and think about the dance roles. The translation
> process adds a layer of complexity for me. I am just offering a different
> approach that works for me.
>
> Than
n Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 9:41 AM, Bob Morgan via Callers
> wrote:
>>
>> With regard to Ron's questions
>>
>> 1. Would be easily covered by 1st or 2nd corners walk forward to a wave
>>
>> 2. Again can be done with reference to corners
>>
>>
The corners option is intriguing, but it's definitely more difficult,
even after dancers adjust.
Some more thoughts:
1. Anything in long lines is tricky, because corners are relative to
the group of 4, not the individual dancer. For example, I don't think
the box circulate solution is easy at all.
Andrea, how would you handle the following:
1. Lines of one role/position to the center to a wavy line, as in Trip to
Lambertville, et all?
2. Indication of who walks forward / backs up in a gypsy star?
3. Indication of who-leads-who, such as in Ramsay Chase, Pedal Pushers,
Jurassic Redheads, et
It's more than just Hampshire.
And again, I'm kind of disappointed that I asked a pretty dang simple
question that only a few of you took to answering directly.
On May 31, 2015 10:34 AM, "Donna Hunt via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> I agree.
> Personally I'd like to see this
" I haven't enjoyed the "gender neutral" dance events"
With utmost respect, then discussing gender neutral terms is probably not
so relevant to your interests.
On May 29, 2015 7:00 PM, "Neal Schlein via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Okay, this is from a square dance/contra c
roup of kids - it was terrible because I
> couldn't remember which was which side - I have to have some frame of
> reference).
>
> I think one of the reasons I have trouble with larks & ravens is because
> of having learned a foreign language that has a gender for nouns, an
igger burden on the caller.
>
> On May 29, 2015, at 11:43 AM, Ron Blechner via Callers wrote:
>
> Erik, neat cheat.
>
> For reference, my own thoughts on the terms, and a general FAQ about
> gender free terms:
>
> http://contradances.tumblr.com/post/113203981035/gen
little cheat-sheets
> 4) covered the words "gents" and "ladies" with the post-it cheats
> 5) move cheats to next card as needed
>
> Thereby changing their cards to the current words on the fly. I was
> impressed.
>
> ~erik hoffman
> oakland, ca
>
>
from “ruby” so they are not easily confused in a noisy room.
>> -Eric
>>
>> On May 28, 2015, at 1:48 PM, Ron Blechner via Callers
>> wrote:
>>
>> I have had to explain that "a jet is a gem, not the airplane or a West
>> Side Story gang" to a t
u, May 28, 2015, Alan Winston via Callers wrote:
> > On 5/28/15 12:30 PM, Ron Blechner via Callers wrote:
> >>
> >>For those interested in gender free contra dance terms:
> >>
> >>1. Do you like or dislike jets / rubies ?
> >
> > Like. (I'm re
For those interested in gender free contra dance terms:
1. Do you like or dislike jets / rubies ?
2. How would gems / rubies compare?
In dance,
Ron Blechner
> From: Dugan Murphy via Callers
>> > To: callers@lists.sharedweight.net
>> > Sent: Monday, April 6, 2015 3:22 PM
>> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Rory slides and Box circulates
>> >
>> > Hi Ron,
>> >
>> > I don't know of any dances
> >
> > Hi Ron,
> >
> > I don't know of any dances with a Rory O'More figure and a box circulate
> in
> > the same dance, but if you're looking for a Petronella figure and a Rory
> > O'More figure in the same dance, check "Wave-Particle Duality
circulate in
> the same dance, but if you're looking for a Petronella figure and a Rory
> O'More figure in the same dance, check "Wave-Particle Duality" by Ryan
> Smith: http://www.twirlyshirts.com/dances/by-ryan/wave-particle-duality/.
>
> Dugan Murphy
> du...@d
As a dancer, I have found a lot of callers aim for 4 per hour, and this
feels way too long for several reasons:
- Especially in warm weather, dancers get tired
- Musicians get tired, too.
- People involuntarily sitting out have to suffer through a longer out time.
With dances more like the 8-9 minu
This topic has been on my mind in recent months. It's been very helpful for
organizers to communicate the local culture for callers doing a gig for the
first time, for the reason Martha noted.
"We're chatty, but the dancers pay attention. Don't take it as rude." was
recent advice, as an example.
I
Indeed.
My original reply was merely speaking about relative difficulty of dances.
All of the subsequent posts have made good related points.
On Apr 20, 2015 6:13 PM, "Dugan Murphy via Callers" <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hi Maia,
>
> I used to organize my dance cards by difficulty
Heh.
Does this still count as a no-circle Becket if it's a single-file
march /promenade in a circle? ;)
On Mon, Apr 20, 2015 at 10:39 PM, Laur via Callers
wrote:
> yes, thanks!
>
> ~
> When I dance, I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from
> life. I can only be joyful and who
Yes!
So last night at Amherst I tried a new dance, 2 Rorys, 1 circulate and a
circulate where the gents, instead of crossing, allemande 1x and go back to
their partners to gypsy+swing. It got good feedback.
Going to play with things a bit more before publishing, but the
Rory-to-Circ seems to work well,
It's important that dances trying different terms compare notes. It's not a
bad idea to try different terms on different nights, too.
We can afford to be picky, but I feel that some consensus should be
reached. Consensus will:
- make it easier for traveling dancers and callers
- give more weight b
One reply so far:
"Groovemonger's Contra" by Don Flaherty
2 Rorys, 1 circulate, hey and ladies alle. Not in that order. Lines have
gents facing in. Looks like a nice dance, too, from the video.
Ron
On Mar 30, 2015 1:44 PM, "Ron Blechner" wrote:
> Long wave Rory O'Moore balance and slides/spins
Long wave Rory O'Moore balance and slides/spins and box circulates ... in
the same dance, adjacent to one another?
I've not yet seen or danced any. Anyone have?
I have a few dances; trying one or two this week.
In dance,
Ron Blechner
___
Callers mailin
This question boils down, to me, to the question of "How much different
does a dance need to be to be considered a new dance rather than a
variation of an existing dance?"
I've heard the 25% guideline. (So 8 measures for a 32 measure dance.) But
it's obviously not that simple. If I flip the A and
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