contra medley ?'s
Dan Pearl
>1. How long should individual dances in the medley last?
>2. How long should a set of dances put together in a medley
>last? (musicians, what is your opinion?)
>3. How important is it to time the tune changes with the dance
>changes, assuming there are no dances requiring a specific
>tune like Chorus Jig?
>4. Do you have any tips for leading the dances or getting out
>of a jam if things start to break down?
1. It all depends on what you want. I occasionally do three-dance
"mini" medleys that last no longer than a singlle contra. At the
NEFFA Festval, the established medley is 6 dances going through
six (5 for the last one) times each.
2. Unless you want to go for a world's record (with musicians trading in
and out), I'd suggest that 20 minutes should be tops. Why go on when
the dancers are tired?
3. It helps alert the dancers that there is something new (along with the
next caller calling the last round of the previous dance).
If, however, it is too many balls to juggle, then forget it!
4. I lead an hour-long workshop in leadership techniques for medleys.
If you ask me to distill my advice, I'd say:
a) Prepare, Prepare, Prepare - The actual words you will use
(at the actual speed). Rehearse until you know it cold.
b) Choose appropriate material - Movements can be explained in
standard calls, in about two seconds.
c) Choose flowing dances that eases the brainwork
d) Pick distinct dances. Movements or multiple sequences that
repeat can get dancers onto an incorrect muscle memory track.
e) When calling, give the calls quite a bit earlier than usual:
Usual: ___ ___ ___ ___ FACE the NEXT and LAdies CHAIN
Earlier: END the SWING and FACE the NEXT. CHAIN the LAdies UP and DOWN.
If you flub, or things fall apart, either 1) make up a filler to
get people on track, 2) switch to an emergency back-up easy dance,
or 3) just ask people to get progressed and wait for the next round
of music.
Enjoy!
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Dan Pearl ** Stratus Computer, Inc. ** pe...@spectacle.sw.stratus.com
Bradley R. Sayler
session at our fall dance festival this weekend. I'm
sharing the session with Gaye Fifer. If you've danced
in one of these things or lead one, I'd like to get your
response to the following questions. Please, no commentary
about the value or lack thereof to the dance community.
1. How long should individual dances in the medley last?
2. How long should a set of dances put together in a medley
last? (musicians, what is your opinion?)
3. How important is it to time the tune changes with the dance
changes, assuming there are no dances requiring a specific
tune like Chorus Jig?
4. Do you have any tips for leading the dances or getting out
of a jam if things start to break down?
Thanks for your help.
Brad Sayler These are my questions alone.
University of Virginia
br...@virginia.edu
Charlie Fenton
: I've been asked to do a 1 1/2 hour contra medley
: 1. How long should individual dances in the medley last?
: 2. How long should a set of dances put together in a medley
: last? (musicians, what is your opinion?)
couple there, as well as at many local dances here in the SF Bay area.
1 1/2 hours seems too long, especially if you plan to do a single
medley. The NEFFA medley format is 6 dances, each done 6 times through
except the last one 5 times through. Total: 35 times 32 bars, which is
about 17.5 minutes. The last time through each dance, the next caller
calls the same dance once (the voice change alerts the dancers) and then
calls the new dance 5 times. Since there are no walk-throughs or
teaching, the caller must call all the way through each dance. Needless
to say, clarity and conciseness, coupled with perfectly timed calls, are
essential.
Generally, it is better to do somewhat more straightforward dances than
you would when you have the opportunity to do a walk-through.
Taking care to make sure that the end of one dance melds well into the
start of the next is also important.
A lesson often learned too late: the sound engineer must be really on
his/her toes! Each new caller must be perfectly clear before he/she is
done calling the last 32 bars of the previous dance (about 30 seconds!)
If you have only 2 callers, I recommend having separate mikes for each
caller with the levels set for each voice.
: 3. How important is it to time the tune changes with the dance
: changes, assuming there are no dances requiring a specific
: tune like Chorus Jig?
each dance. I'm not sure it is essential, but it certainly adds to the
excitement and energy level. I have never found any problem getting
musicians to do this. One trick which helps is to have one caller count
the number of times through the dance while the other caller is calling.
The counter can also cue the musicians. The caller change on the last
time for the current dance also is a cue for the musicians (one more time
then change tunes).
: 4. Do you have any tips for leading the dances or getting out
Try the medley out with a smaller group in advance.
Come up with several different wordings for the calls, so you can change
the call if it is not working.
Identify in advance the recovery points (partner swing, forward & back, etc.)
Be very rested when you call the medley. Calling medleys at a festival
is probably the single most intense calling experience I have had. I
have seen a large room full of people turn to instant chaos because of one
or two wrong words spoken by the caller. (Fortunately, I have been lucky so
far and only watched it happen to other callers.) But the knowledge that
it can happen can make you very nervous, so it is important to stay calm.
Nonetheless, with adequate preparation it can also be one of the most
gratifying and fulfilling experiences a caller can have.
I am looking forward to seeing other postings on this topic.
I hope this helps. Now I have a question. Is the Contra Medley fad
nationwide or is it primarily in Boston and San Francisco? Mini-medleys
have become quite common at our local dances here, and the dancers seem
to love them. I know I enjoy dancing them as well as calling. Perhaps
they are the perfect answer for the dancers who hate walk-throughs ;-)
--
_______________________________________________________________________________
Charlie Fenton fen...@netcom.com
PETER B. OLSZOWKA
the dance. In fact, several couples got squeezed out because the progression
failed and had to run to the bottom of the set. The dance was Becket
formation and the progression involved sliding up or down the set and circling
four with the next couple. The caller called only "circle four" and half the
couples on the floor didn't progress while half did. I think it's imperative
to say "on to the next" absolutely every time there is a progression.
--Peter Olszowka
Robert Cromartie
Some comments on the replies to Brad Sayler's request for contra medley advice:
>Charlie Fenton:
> ... Now I have a question. Is the Contra Medley fad
>nationwide or is it primarily in Boston and San Francisco? Mini-medleys
>have become quite common at our local dances here, and the dancers seem
>to love them.
"Mini-medleys" (to adopt Dan's phrase) have been standard fare in these parts
(N.C.) for some time, both at regular dances and at festivals. NEFFA-style
"mega-medleys"(?) have not caught on. Having done a few up North, I find them
entirely too long, and the difficulties of switching callers in mid-stream
(sound problems, calling problems, dances that don't go together, etc.) are
distracting. I can't even imagine dancing for 20 minutes straight at the
energy level of an Asheville contra. The medleys I like have 3 or 4
carefully chosen dances, are tightly matched with the music, and last a
maximum of around 12 minutes.
In the general category of "mini-medleys" one can identify a number of
variations:
1. Announced in advance, no walkthrough. The dancers know it will be
a medley, and the medley begins without any walkthrough. OK for
festivals, but can needlessly scare off newer dancers ("...a medley?
What's that? ... you don't walk it through? Ummmmmm, let's sit this
one out...").
2. Unannounced, with the first dance walked through. This "surprise
medley" is fun and the less confident dancers don't have a chance to
bail out. It also opens up new possibilites. Since the first
dance is walked through, you can do trickier stuff -- the tricky
parts (or things similar) can appear in the subsequent dances.
This is what I do most often at regular dances with a mixed crowd.
3. Unannounced, no walkthrough. Line 'em up and let 'er rip. Fun
for all, but as in (1) you're limited to what you have the guts to
call without a walkthrough.
4. ALL the dances are walked through prior to starting the medley. I've
seen it done, but it's not much fun.
>Roger Hayes:
>- There should be a strong contrast between successive dances; it
> helps keep the dancers from getting lost.
>
>Dan Pearl:
>d) Pick distinct dances. Movements or multiple sequences that
>repeat can get dancers onto an incorrect muscle memory track.
I disagree. One of the nicest aspects of medleys is finding dances with a
storyline. Having a unifying theme that runs through successive dances keeps
things interesting and holds the medley together as a whole. This doesn't
mean the dances should have large parts in common, but a few of the same
(or even better, nearly the same but slightly different) moves in the
different dances can keep the interest level up. It might mean a slightly
increased possibility for confusion, but dancing a series of contras chosen
for their distinctness is to me unsatisfying. In medleys, I don't think muscle
memory plays much part -- the dancers are listening to the caller's every word,
and will do whatever he or she says without hesitation. Of course, a medley's
theme doesn't have to involve only similar moves -- you might pick dances that
all have some shadow interaction, or all have a partner reunion, etc.
Along this line, another thing that's occassionally fun is to "replay" the
dances at the end of the medley. So you might use this pattern:
dance # -> 1 2 3 2 1
--- --- --- --- ---
# of times-> 6 6 5 1 1
If the dances go together well, this increases the cohesiveness of the medley
as a whole. Of course it works best if the band can change the tunes along
with the dances (not always easy!) and obviously the dances must splice
together forwards AND backwards (or you have to adjust the transitions).
>Roger Hayes:
>- On the other hand, it's nice if successive dances start with the
> same move, as it helps tie them together, and is more forgiving at
> the transition.
Once again, I disagree. I find it MORE likely to confuse people if the
new dance starts with the same move. Also, the transition between dances is
a moment of increased energy -- the tune changes, the dance changes, the
dancers scream (well, sometimes). Starting the new dance the same way as
the old robs some of this energy.
>Brad asks:
>3. How important is it to time the tune changes with the dance
>changes, assuming there are no dances requiring a specific
>tune like Chorus Jig?
I think this is very important, but to make it work well, the tunes must
fit the dances. This usually requires a fair amount of advanced planning with
the band. I've found most (but not all) bands willing and able to change tunes
as the dances change. Just make sure the band knows exactly how many dances
there are, or have a signal system that differentiates between "one more of
this tune" and "one more and out." (:-)
Another advantage of medleys is that you can call dances you might not be
willing to call on their own (dances without a partner swing, for example).
In general, I agree that you need to keep it simple, but don't go overboard.
Part of the fun of medleys is successfully negotiating an interesting series
of non-trivial moves. I find most callers UNDERestimate the ability of the
dancers and fail to really challenge them. As you know if you've read this
far, I enjoy both dancing and calling medleys and am thrilled at their rise in
popularity. When done skillfully and in moderation they can add a kick to any
contra dance.
Brad: So, how'd it go at Charlottesville? (Better yet, will some dancer
who was there tell us? (:-).
Roger Hayes
(Hi, Brad!)
Thinking back to medleys that I have enjoyed, and ones that I have
enjoyed less, these points occur to me:
- The joy of a medley depends on the quality of the individual dances.
They should be fairly simple dances, for obvious reasons, but bad
dances make for a bad medley.
- There should be a strong contrast between successive dances; it
helps keep the dancers from getting lost.
- On the other hand, it's nice if successive dances start with the
same move, as it helps tie them together, and is more forgiving at
the transition.
- I think each individual dance should not last so long that dancers
forget it's a medley. While I love getting into a contra after the
caller shuts up, I think medleys are a little more like WSD, more
like a challenge from the caller to the dancers, and that is lost if
I get completely into one dance. Then it becomes disruptive to
switch to a different dance.
Have fun!
Roger Hayes
roger...@sun.com
Kiran Wagle
(Hi Charlie!)
> Perhaps they are the perfect answer
> for the dancers who hate walk-throughs ;-)
After one dance too many at Glen Echo where the self-proclaimed
"experienced" Sunday dancers couldn't even take hands four properly, i
thought about how much fun it would be to program an evening of medleys of
"modern chestnuts" (things like "The Rendezvous," "Reunion," and so forth)
as well as all those chestnuts everyone's supposed to know well enough to
loathe properly.
After all, Sunday nights at Glen Echo are for "experienced" dancers, no?
~ Kiran <gr...@netcom.com>
Nancy Mamlin
Kiran Wagle <gr...@netcom.com> wrote:
>After all, Sunday nights at Glen Echo are for "experienced" dancers, no?
NO!
I repeat: NO!
Please, Kiran, those of us who have been and those who are currently
involved in the Sunday Night Dance in DC have been trying to kill that myth!
Nancy Mamlin
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