Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

Hi Maia, Mostly I agree with Bob. I find that dance length isn't much different in practice. No-walkthroughs should be fine under the same circumstances as regular contras. There are many reasons to choose easier dances for techno contras. The music and lighting tend to push the balance of how

Re: [Callers] Fan Favorite PROPER Contras?

Apart from Indigo Silk, my favorites are Dogleaf Reel by Lisa Greenleaf and Best of Friends by Martha Wild. Yoyo Zhou On Mon, Mar 4, 2019 at 1:51 PM Don Veino via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi, > > I've been assigned the opening slot at this year's 2019 New England Folk

Re: [Callers] Attribution

This looks like a variation (perhaps accidental?) on Dogleaf Reel by Lisa Greenleaf, itself a variation on Dog Branch Reel by Bob Dalsemer. The original Dogleaf Reel starts proper (rather than improper) and B2 has the 1s half figure 8 through the 2s instead of long lines forward and back. This

Re: [Callers] Teaching a Mad Robin

For me, the obvious problem with the do-si-do analogy is that mad robins can go in either direction, and if it's counterclockwise, it's the path of a see-saw instead of a do-si-do (and I don't teach see-saw if I can help it). My experience is that the important parts are: - It's a sideways

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

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 any good glossary/beginner-friendly > dances with a promenade but no chain or RL

Re: [Callers] Star 1/2 -> Star 1/2?

Luke, A couple of concerns about your dance: - Second version: Your dance appears to be reverse progression, if you begin the left hand stars with the neighbor you just swung. It's not entirely clear though (that neighbor isn't numbered). - First version: If instead you force the progression to

Re: [Callers] New (?) 4x4 contra

On Sun, Apr 15, 2018 at 8:43 AM, Read Weaver via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I don’t understand this—since you can’t comfortably give weight in the > mill-grip (and you can in hands-across), why does it get you around faster? > Just because people are more used to it? > In

Re: [Callers] Great dances for learning how to dance with ghosts?

On Fri, Apr 6, 2018 at 2:52 PM, K Panton via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Warning: rabbit hole ahead. > > Colin: I read your text for your workshop. All useful stuff and you do say > more than "treat your partner as a neighbour". > > Re Michael Fuerst's quote, I agree that

Re: [Callers] freedom

On Wed, Mar 28, 2018 at 2:29 PM, Tom Hinds via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Here was my issue, briefly : I was told to use "walk around" when calling > at glen echo. It also happens that I'm a western square caller and have > used "walk around your corner, see saw your

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

It looks like this is the version Rich is referring to: http://www.ceder.net/recorddb/viewsingle.php?RecordId=1891 More background on the English folk song / sea shanty this American folk song is based on: https://mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/billyboy.html In traditional songs things

Re: [Callers] More substitute terms for the g-word

On Tue, Mar 13, 2018 at 1:07 PM, Martha Wild via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I don’t think right shoulder round is going to make the grade. It’s > descriptive, certainly, but it is long and unwieldy and can’t be easily > shortened to anything recognizable as you eliminate

Re: [Callers] Dance logs and record-keeping

On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 5:41 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Dance logs, a cumulative record for a series of which dances have been > called on any given evening, are very common in the English dance community > but vanishingly rare in the contra community.

Re: [Callers] Balancing LEFT in a wave?

For flow, it depends what comes after the balance. If it's followed by an allemande left, you'd be better balancing left. Allemande right: balance right. Walk forward: balance forward and back. Box circulate: right and back. But getting dancers to balance left - except as the second half of a

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

On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 2:58 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm re-vamping my list of simple contra dances for new callers, and am in > search of a very particular sort of becket dance. The list is one of my > hand-outs for callers' classes at

Re: [Callers] Another dance-check zig-zag R dance

Hi Ron, Maybe instead of "good flow" you could think about "dancers love it" and instead of "bad flow" you could think about "dancers hate it". Of course this is a gross false equivalence (dancers love things that aren't flow too), and it ignores that dancers are all different, but it reminds us

Re: [Callers] Difficult dancers - Decision to ask not to return

On Wed, Mar 8, 2017 at 10:26 AM, Mark Hillegonds via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > So...what happens if all of the attempts to shepherd and coach and "angel" > the difficult dancer do not work and their skills and abilities continue to > be a significant negative impact when

[Callers] Do you recognize this dance?

Hi callers, I improvised this dance inspired by James Hutson's Treasure of the Sierra Madre last night, but it seems like it could have been written before. Does anyone have a title and author for it? NB. The B2->A1 transition has slightly awkward hands for the gents, but it seemed to go fine.

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

On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 11:12 AM, Dugan Murphy via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Question two: are there other 3-33-inspired dances out there you know > about? > Tom Hinds has written Four, Forty-Four, Forty-Four (similar to, but not identical to, your name) and Five,

Re: [Callers] What dance is this?

On Thu, Oct 6, 2016 at 11:44 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > While we are at this, here is another untitled dance. I am not sure where > I collected it. > > Can anyone name it? > > a1 N B > a2 LL, Ladies Alle R 1 1/2 > b1 P B > b2 CL 3/4, Veer Left,

Re: [Callers] Fewer than 6 dancers - Ideas?

On Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 12:19 PM, Dale Wilson via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > We have something we call the "calling party progression" because we > sometimes try out new dances with only four people present (or four + a > caller). > > We form one set with "Up" being "North"

Re: [Callers] Yet another "Anyone seen this dance?"

On Sat, Sep 24, 2016 at 4:34 PM, Alan Winston via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > If you call it tonight, I suspect some dancers will have some trouble with > the circle left all the way around the second and subsequent times > through. > > But let us know how it goes! > I

Re: [Callers] Another Existential Inquiry

Swings are fun. I like neighbor swings. So do many dancers. It's more interaction with your neighbors, which is half the fun. If I have two dances that are very similar, but one has a neighbor swing and one doesn't, I would enjoy dancing the one with the neighbor swing more. However, I also don't

Re: [Callers] Is this a new dance?

On Tue, Jul 19, 2016 at 1:54 PM, via Callers wrote: > Not sure if this has already been written, but it fits a particular spot in > an upcoming program: > > A1 LL FB > Circle L 1.25 to face P on side > > A2 DSD P, Swing P > (or Balance and Swing P) > > B1 LL FB >

Re: [Callers] Name that dance

On Thu, Jun 23, 2016 at 2:46 PM, Amy Wimmer via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi All, > I collected a dance from Lisa Greenleaf. Neither she nor the person > from whom she collected it knows the author. I'm hoping you can help > me. Here it is: > > Holiday Daze > Becket > A1

Re: [Callers] Rorys + Grand R+L?

Oh, Hi Turtle! by Emily Rush has some Rory O'More followed by some grand right and left (right, left, allemande right, left): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hmanTMdXRM P.S. it's not obvious that you wanted to also grand right and left the other way back, because e.g. in a square dance you

Re: [Callers] Dolphin Heys in contra dances

On Mon, Jun 13, 2016 at 8:42 AM, Luke Donforth via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Looks like I'm late to the party. Glad to hear other folks are having fun > with it :-) > > I didn't know it came via Scottish, but that makes sense. It's called > tandem or alternating tandem

Re: [Callers] Dolphin Heys in contra dances

Hi Luke, I also love dolphin heys! Earlier this year I made a substitution of a dolphin hey for an ordinary hey for 3 (with the 1s acting as a unit). That appears as a figure in several contra dances (e.g. Kittyhawk Hornpipe by Don Armstrong or Nils's Maggot by Martha Wild, where you end up back

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

I was trying to come up with a dance last night that fit different parameters (full hey, no chain, and more balances), but it ends up fitting Luke's parameters too. I ended up not using this one, but has Bob (or another choreographer) written it already? Becket A1: (slide left to progress,)

Re: [Callers] Role Scramblers dances with balances

On Mon, Apr 4, 2016 at 11:19 PM, Lindsey Dono via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi Callers, > > I'm working on a themed contra workshop called "Role Scramblers," and just > realized that all of the dances I've shortlisted are very smooth. I'm > looking for dances with

Re: [Callers] Becket Formation

On Dec 10, 2015 11:45 AM, "Rich Sbardella via Callers" < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > Folks, > > One visiting couple, who had been waiting eagerly for the last dance , put on their jackets and left disappointed, stating that they do not like Beckets. This is unusual behavior. More

Re: [Callers] Contras with a Hey

Do you like half heys? My suggestions there for nice forgiving dances are Hocus Pocus by Lisa Greenleaf and The Social Butterfly by John Coffman. Star promenade into hey is also great. You might enjoy Heart of Glass by Cary Ravitz. Yoyo Zhou

Re: [Callers] [trad-dance-callers] Dances with R & L Thru

On Nov 24, 2015 5:22 AM, "Rich Sbardella richsbarde...@gmail.com [trad-dance-callers]" wrote: > I am looking for a few good contras with a R & L Thru that do not contain a Ladies chain. Any suggestions? Here are some of my favorites: Sarah's Journey by Gene

Re: [Callers] Gypsy perception

Hi folks. I was so ready to be done with this discussion, but. Regardless of your views on the matter at hand, the goal of this discussion list is to be a place for respectful exchange of ideas. After all, we welcome even the most naive questions from the most novice callers, because we are here

Re: [Callers] Advice about "gypsy"

Since when I'm prompting, I sometimes just say "right shoulder" (or "left shoulder" for a left shoulder gypsy), I'm going to try using that as the name the next time I call. The teaching would look like: "Point your right shoulder at your neighbor and look them in the eyes. Walk around them.

Re: [Callers] Rolling Starts?

Lindsey's response is so good I almost didn't have anything to add. I'll say though that the most important thing is communication. Ideally you'd arrange things beforehand, but I can only speak about the surprise situation, where the band can't put down their instruments, which has happened to me.

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

HI Maia, When doing a ladies chain for the first time, I prefer to call a chain to neighbor, rather than partner, so that new dancers get an opportunity to practice courtesy turns with lots of different people (we've all seen the new couples who can't remember which are the counterclockwise vs.

Re: [Callers] Problem dancers / Crying Wolf

Taking you at face value: if you have a systemic problem, you need a policy. If you have a problem with one person, you need to come to terms with that person. I'm not sure if it's just the board, or if other dancers also have issues with her. But if you seek mediation, take notes on your

Re: [Callers] Irish Contra Dances

On Fri, Apr 3, 2015 at 5:13 AM, Don Heinold via Callers wrote: > Hi SharedWeight callers & friends > > I'm a caller from RI and am fairly new to this site. I have been enjoying > the informational posts on the many different issues that involve present > day and

Re: [Callers] How Would You Teach This Hey?

Don, it sounds like your zig-zag into 5/8 hey is a lot like a dance I wrote last year with Lindsey Dono. In that one, the zag-zig is to the right, then left; similarly, the weaving the line is with your partner with the lady on the left and gent on the right, and gents begin the hey passing left

Re: [Callers] Fwd: Timing on a zig and zag

The timing on zigzags is indeed squishy. That means the choreography can fit it one way or another, but dancers will be prone to get there early or late if it doesn't fit well. Here's something to compare with: allemandes. I think it's well-established that allemande 1+1/2 takes 8 counts. How