One of my favorite caller (and dancer!) resources these days is a website called Taminations. It is a site run by the Tam Twirlers Square Dance Club in San Rafael, California. Located at http://www.tamtwirlers.org/index.html, it is directory of square dance calls from Basic through C3. In addition to the definition, each of the calls are animated. You can press play and have the call danced through in its entirety or you can use the slide bar to move the "dancers" through the call bit by bit. I love it.
For dancers, it is a great way to get a bird's eye view of how the call actually works. A dancer can see the definition and watch as the call plays out. Also, they can pick and track a particular dancer to learn each of the various positions.I think it is a great learning tool for dancers to learn the definitions and get a feel for how all the calls work. I recommend it to all the new dancers who want a more thorough understanding of the calls.
For callers, it is a great way to learn the flow of each of the calls. Watching each of the dancers move is a quick way to determine potential issues with calls delivered both before and after the call. It is also a wonderful way to explore the multiple applications of each call. Taminations has animated each call from various formations- both standard and DBD. These animated formations allow callers to explore options that they may not have previously considered.
I have learned a lot from this site. In the past, I was told that you should be able to dance a level higher than what you call. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to take Challenge classes so the Taminations site has given me an opportunity to explore and play around with some of the C1-C3 calls that I would not otherwise have.
Through the generosity of Tam Twirlers, this entire resources is also available for download so that you can use it offline. Just follow the instructions for downloading and then you can view it through your browser even when you are not connected to the internet. Originally, the package did not work well with Internet Explorer, but it worked perfectly with Firefox (a free downloadable browser). I am not sure if that has been remedied, but it is well worth the trouble to install Firefox if necessary (now I use Firefox almost exclusively!)
If you have not had the pleasure of visiting this site, take the time now to do so. You might learn something new too!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Line Drill
So, I'm sitting here, stymied, not because I have nothing to say, but simply because I don't know where to start! There are many relevant topics- digital music, choreography, promotion, etc.- however, is it of any interest to anyone but myself?? lol Well, if not, it will still be a great way for me to keep track of some of my own materials.
I love teaching people to dance. It is truly a blessing. I love watching people develop a new skill and the new friendships that typically become lifelong.
Although each group is a unique blend of personalities and experience, there are some things remain constant over the years. New dancers will confuse Relay the Deucey and Spin Chain the Gears. They will struggle with the center part of Load the Boat. And I know that they will panic and lose their cool when their square breaks down.
As a caller, I just did not understand why squares would break down and then just stand there in a muddled mess. Why wouldn't they make a line? Such a simple thing to do, I thought. They had been told in class how to do so when they broke down. Why couldn't they do it? Then, one day, it hit me like a ton of bricks- they were simply too panicked to make a line. A deer-in-the-headlight kind of reaction, in an emergency, people tend to freeze and become unable to think rationally. And a square breaking down, in a dancer's eyes, is an emergency.
To make sure that people can think clearly and act rationally in the face of an emergency, they need to practice. That's the idea behind fire drills. If people practice what to do and where go in an emergency, then they won't panic. Instead, they will act rationally and come through the emergency safely. The same is true in square dancing. Breaking down is an "emergency" and so square dancers need to practice how to come through it safely.
In class every year, I do what I call "line drills". I teach everyone how to make a line, which I assume (I hope correctly assume!!) everyone does. But after telling and showing them how to make a line, we then PRACTICE. I make a game out of it and we try to see how fast the squares can recover... after I deliberately break them down. Initially, everyone is uptight and nervous. I warn them that they WILL break down. But after the first few times of scrambling around and grabbing anything within reach (hahahaha!) , the dancers settle down. The panic goes away and they start to laugh and then an amazing thing happens. They begin working together as a team and they recover their square. They make lines so quickly that I then have to call harder and harder to get them to break down. The teamwork and the camaraderie that results is a beautiful thing.
There are a lot of wonderful by-products from this exercise. The dancers find out that breaking down is not the end of the world. They stop worrying about breaking down (because they know they can recover!) and they start concentrating on doing the calls. They develop confidence in their ability and they learn how to truly work together as a team. Then begin to smile at each other and they don't eye someone suspiciously if they think the other person might now be able to keep up. Confidence, knowledge, friendship, teamwork.... not too bad for a small drill.
I love teaching people to dance. It is truly a blessing. I love watching people develop a new skill and the new friendships that typically become lifelong.
Although each group is a unique blend of personalities and experience, there are some things remain constant over the years. New dancers will confuse Relay the Deucey and Spin Chain the Gears. They will struggle with the center part of Load the Boat. And I know that they will panic and lose their cool when their square breaks down.
As a caller, I just did not understand why squares would break down and then just stand there in a muddled mess. Why wouldn't they make a line? Such a simple thing to do, I thought. They had been told in class how to do so when they broke down. Why couldn't they do it? Then, one day, it hit me like a ton of bricks- they were simply too panicked to make a line. A deer-in-the-headlight kind of reaction, in an emergency, people tend to freeze and become unable to think rationally. And a square breaking down, in a dancer's eyes, is an emergency.
To make sure that people can think clearly and act rationally in the face of an emergency, they need to practice. That's the idea behind fire drills. If people practice what to do and where go in an emergency, then they won't panic. Instead, they will act rationally and come through the emergency safely. The same is true in square dancing. Breaking down is an "emergency" and so square dancers need to practice how to come through it safely.
In class every year, I do what I call "line drills". I teach everyone how to make a line, which I assume (I hope correctly assume!!) everyone does. But after telling and showing them how to make a line, we then PRACTICE. I make a game out of it and we try to see how fast the squares can recover... after I deliberately break them down. Initially, everyone is uptight and nervous. I warn them that they WILL break down. But after the first few times of scrambling around and grabbing anything within reach (hahahaha!) , the dancers settle down. The panic goes away and they start to laugh and then an amazing thing happens. They begin working together as a team and they recover their square. They make lines so quickly that I then have to call harder and harder to get them to break down. The teamwork and the camaraderie that results is a beautiful thing.
There are a lot of wonderful by-products from this exercise. The dancers find out that breaking down is not the end of the world. They stop worrying about breaking down (because they know they can recover!) and they start concentrating on doing the calls. They develop confidence in their ability and they learn how to truly work together as a team. Then begin to smile at each other and they don't eye someone suspiciously if they think the other person might now be able to keep up. Confidence, knowledge, friendship, teamwork.... not too bad for a small drill.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Introducing My Square Dance Callers Blog
For many years, I have been wanting to put together a square dance callers blog. Why it took so long, well, I can only guess. Finding the time. Not knowing where to start. Or maybe, to be honest, procrastination. (Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow?!?! Lol) Maybe I just wanted to wait until I reached a major landmark.
I have been blessed to be a part of this activity for nearly 22 years; I became involved in calling while I was still in beginner class. This year marks my 20th anniversary as a caller. It has been an amazing journey, although of course, there were a few potholes. I am sad to say that some of the callers and dancers who helped me in the beginning are now gone but the activity regenerates and continues with new enthusiasts every year. Happily, square dancing is thriving and calling continues to evolve and become more refined (although maybe a bit more complicated).
As with every activity, there is a natural ebb and tide for callers and all the related equipment and resources. Many ideas are embraced with enthusiasm for awhile and then discarded as the novelty fades. Over time, those discarded items are simply forgotten. One of my mentors told me years ago that he thought that he had forgotten way more choreography than he remembered. I have come to understand that sentiment all too well. I have now reached the age and stage in my calling where I can appreciate the “remember when?” game. More times than I want to admit, I have found myself reminiscing about the gimmicks and music that we used years ago.
I would love to have this blog as a forum to share all those wonderful experiences and resources (as well as current ones) that have made our activity great. Please feel free to comment as well as share your ideas, thoughts, resources, choreography, links, etc. I would like this venue to be a haven for many voices.
I have been blessed to be a part of this activity for nearly 22 years; I became involved in calling while I was still in beginner class. This year marks my 20th anniversary as a caller. It has been an amazing journey, although of course, there were a few potholes. I am sad to say that some of the callers and dancers who helped me in the beginning are now gone but the activity regenerates and continues with new enthusiasts every year. Happily, square dancing is thriving and calling continues to evolve and become more refined (although maybe a bit more complicated).
As with every activity, there is a natural ebb and tide for callers and all the related equipment and resources. Many ideas are embraced with enthusiasm for awhile and then discarded as the novelty fades. Over time, those discarded items are simply forgotten. One of my mentors told me years ago that he thought that he had forgotten way more choreography than he remembered. I have come to understand that sentiment all too well. I have now reached the age and stage in my calling where I can appreciate the “remember when?” game. More times than I want to admit, I have found myself reminiscing about the gimmicks and music that we used years ago. I would love to have this blog as a forum to share all those wonderful experiences and resources (as well as current ones) that have made our activity great. Please feel free to comment as well as share your ideas, thoughts, resources, choreography, links, etc. I would like this venue to be a haven for many voices.
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