Hmm. Not a fan of this way of calling heys—not really a fan of called heys at
all. There’s too much going on at once: I have to figure out (e.g., with me a
raven) in quick succession: now I’m being a raven, now I’m being a neighbor,
now I’m not a lark so I guess I don’t do anything, now I’m
I’m with you, Martha!
All that “ravens pass left, neighbours pass right” stuff is just noise to me
(and always was, even as a new dancer)—I always wondered who they were talking
to up there—I couldn’t imagine how anyone could process all that information
coming at them like a machine gun!). I
When I first danced, I couldn’t get the hey for weeks and weeks until someone
drew a figure 8 with an extra loop on a blackboard for me. Then it all made
sense.
For that reason, now, I keep a large hand-drawn with dark thick magic marker
figure 8 with extra loop on a piece of stiff light
I wrote more about my experience with dropping out:
https://www.jefftk.com/p/lessons-from-dropping-out
On Tue, Mar 3, 2020 at 9:13 AM Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers <
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> "We do do a lot of talking at our dances, with so many beginners each time
> we
"We do do a lot of talking at our dances, with so many beginners each time
we basically never stop calling (or maybe we let people muddle through
without calls for the very last time through some dances - but I assure
you, many people falter without the instruction!)"
I suspect that the reason
Forwarded Message
Subject:Re: [Callers] Re: actual timing of calls for hey for four
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2020 14:23:10 -0400
From: Katherine Kitching
To: contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
Hi all, wanted to thank everyone for all the super varied/interesting
When dancing, I find the thing most left out that is that callers fail to
explain to the "second" person in that they too are moving...that they
don't until the people in the middle pass. Much like preparing to
receive a chain or right and left through the receiver or courtesy turner
should
Note: as the dance progresses, this much detail stops being needed and I
cut back on the calls, as usual.
On 2/28/2020 2:15 PM, Diane Silver via Contra Callers wrote:
Like Erik, I emphasize the loop-around as a critical part of the
move. Presuming the preceding move is an 8-count move and
Like Erik, I emphasize the loop-around as a critical part of the move.
Presuming the preceding move is an 8-count move and there's no short
4-count move that needs to be called, I use the entire preceding 8 beats
to prompt the start of the hey before it needs to happen. I call the
general
One of the problems with calling heys and this type of timing is the *WHILE*
problem:
While a pair is passing in the middle, someone is looping at the end—a sort
of “ghost” pass. New dancers often abruptly about-face actually cutting off the
path of the next person they’re supposed to pass,
I agree with Bob. After the initial mention of who starts the Hey, the
dancers may find it harder to track both the shoulder they are using and
the role of the person they are passing.
I often will drop roles and say things like, "Right in the Middle; Left on
the End; Right in the Middle; Left on
I'd drop the all the passes and after the initial ravens right, just say
left *beat* right *beat* *left* *beat* right *beat* left *beat* right
*beat* balance and swing
That way you're providing a scaffold without obscuring the underlying music
you're trying to link them to.
Bob
On Fri, Feb 28,
I don't think there's anything special about they hey: always cue things so
that they start on the beat after you finish speaking.
You might find "ravens left" etc works better than "ravens pass left",
being shorter. Otherwise it's hard to get all the words out.
Jeff
On Fri, Feb 28, 2020 at
Clarifying: "as" in this case -- for me -- means "as you look at the
person you're about to cross", not just as the *shoulders* brush.
Still a little ahead, but not the full four beats a lot of moves get.
On 2/28/20, Amy Cann via Contra Callers
wrote:
> I agree with your assessment.
>
>
I agree with your assessment.
Sometimes calling is "prompting" -- saying what needs to happen next,
and saying it early enough to mentally "land" and turn into action.
Sometimes calling is repeating a real-time narration, a rhythmic
script for the dancer to memorize and then internally
Hi Katherine,
I call heys like this (broken down) and found it very successful. Call as
you usually do; just before the action. If you have called the whole
evening before the action, then people will assume the hey is no different
and be late.
Hope this helps, and best of luck!
Greg
On Fri,
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