Re: [Callers] Contra / MWSD parallels?

Greg, I think you misunderstood the tone and some of the substance of what Don Coffey-- not Coffee-- said. I also think you made some erroneous assumptions about where he's coming from. He is not an ardent modern western square dancer, first of all. Yes, he's danced MWSD but left after a

Re: [Callers] Contra/MWSD parallels?

It strikes me that another way to describe what we are talking about is "openness to new experiences." I see that as the dimension that affects whether people shout down squares at a contra dance versus enjoying trying something new. That openness affects both cross-genre dance (do I do swing,

Re: [Callers] Contra / MWSD parallels?

As Program Chair and Board Member of NEFFA for the last 12 years, I can attest to the fact that during this time, the NEFFA Board never intentionally planned the Festival to conflict with NESRDC. NEFFA has been held in April for decades, and our major reason for choosing the weekend which

Re: [Callers] Contra / MWSD parallels?

I mostly like to sit these kind of conversations out but, not for the first time, I am provoked. First let me say that I have been dancing contras and mostly traditional New England squares since the 1970s. Secondly I devote a great deal of time to either dancing or calling or preparing to call.

Re: [Callers] Contra / MWSD parallels?

Charles wrote: > Greg, could we please cut the name-calling on “both sides”? Thanks. > "Name-calling?" Can you be specific? I am genuinely not sure what you are referring to. (Answer me off-line if you prefer.) - Greg

Re: [Callers] Contra / MWSD parallels?

Greg, could we please cut the name-calling on “both sides”? Thanks. I do both contra and MWSD (as well as several other similar forms). I'll state bluntly that MWSD is highly inaccessible to most social dancers. This is a lost cause, and MWSD will never recover from it. The forms, while

Re: [Callers] Contra / MWSD parallels?

David Millstone quoted Don Coffee as writing: Modern contra dancing has become a mass "movement" with the energy of a > greight train, but most of the young people who so love contras?and contras > only-- have no idea it is but one component of a larger, very wonderful, > tradition. This

Re: [Callers] teaching a balance

Ahem. I believe Jeff was making a joke, and I also don't think that the extra 10% in "110% correct" is quite warranted. After all, a balance is done with your whole self, the balance of your body, the set of your arms, the attention of your brain, and yes, the spring in your step. What Richard

Re: [Callers] teaching a balance

Hearing your feet has nothing to do with the correctness of the balance and   sometimes indicates a lack of connection with or attention paid to the person or persons with whom one is balancing.Greg's remark was 110%  correct.  --- On Mon, 3/19/12, Jeff Kaufman wrote:

Re: [Callers] teaching a balance

Greg McKenzie wrote: > > A balance is done with the hands, and the eyes. No one will ever be > looking at your feet while you balance. > If you're doing it right they'll hear your feet, though. Jeff

Re: [Callers] teaching a balance

A balance is done with the hands, and the eyes. No one will ever be looking at your feet while you balance. - Greg McKenzie

Re: [Callers] Contra / MWSD parallels?

On Mar 19, 2012, at 10:22 AM, David Millstone wrote: > * And then there are the two whole separate worlds of "international" folk > dancing and "AngloAmerican" folk dancing ... and why don't their two large > populations even know each other? It's as if they were on different planets. I'm

[Callers] Contra / MWSD parallels?

Don Coffey is a Kentucky musician and dance caller who started dancing some 40 years ago. He recently published in The American Dance Circle, the quarterly magazine of the Lloyd Shaw Foundation, an article and a chart that attempts to organize and show the relationships between different

Re: [Callers] teaching a balance

I'd like to add one additional thought to all the helpful posts on balances. Especially for neighbor balances that preceed a swing, a balance is a chance to offer a friendly greeting to, get acquainted with, and "size up" somebody new. Though it only lasts about two seconds, a balance gives

Re: [Callers] teaching a balance

Folsk have been weighing in on how to teach a balance. Let's keep in mind that there are plenty of ways to balance. Perhaps the most thorough study of this topic appeared in Ralph Page's "Northern Junket," Volume 5, #1, March 1955. Dr. Ralph A. Piper contributed an article, "50 Variations of

Re: [Callers] teaching a balance

I approach the balance a little differently.  At the beginners' workshop I walk them through a simple 4 step foot work (step forward - step back).  then I tell them to forget it because the really important part happens in the arms.  If you get that down - footwork will follow and it doesn't

Re: [Callers] St. Paddy Day theme dances

Hi, Sorry. I got careless and replied to the entire list. The email was only intended for Jane Ewing. Rickey Holt -Original Message- From: callers-boun...@sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-boun...@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Rickey Holt Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 7:53 AM To:

Re: [Callers] St. Paddy Day theme dances

Hi, I believe that we met in Brasstown at the Dare to Be Square Weekend and you offered to send me your impressions of the Huntsville dance as I will be calling it on April 21. What has attendance been like recently? Roughly, what percent are beginners; what percent experienced dancers? Are

Re: [Callers] teaching a balance

I would never want to talk about a balance as a lurch, because it is one of my favourite moves in contra dancing. It is one of the only steps which cannot be done as a walk. I always demonstrate it in a variety of styles, from one very close to the floor to one with much higher steps and kicks,