Contra Dance information for callers and bands

Our Committee

Members of our contra committee are as follows, along with most frequent task coverage.

The Halls

Talent contacts

The schedule page also contains links for each performer. In most cases, these links take you to entries at Ted Crane's DanceDB. Most such entries contain contact information. Please let me know if you need information that you cannot find.

A typical evening

Attendance

Attendance at the Corvallis dances varies over quite a range. We typically will have at substantially more than 50 dancers for the bulk of the evening. We almost always have two long sets or three substantial sets at the peak of the evening. Our halls all accomodate three sets quite easily. (During our dance weekend, we have even run three four-face-four sets in our usual hall, though we rarely have that many dancers on a typical evening.) Depeding on the weather, talent, and other events in town, attendance will often drop back down to two reasonable sets or one very long set by the end of the evening.

Duration and count of dances

Many of the bands that play for our dances have set of three-tune medleys organized for contras. They will often expect to play the tunes 6, 6, and 5 or 7 times through, for a total duration of about 9 minutes (17 or 19 iterations). This fits well with my personal calling guidline of having dances last about 15 minutes "from applause to applause." Thus, my personal goal is to call about 6 dances in the first "half" of an evening, and perhaps five in the second "half" for a total of 11 dances in the evening. Sometimes an evening goes exceptionally smoothly, and I get 12 or even 13 dances in, and sometimes on an off night I will only get in 10. Note that these observations are not commandments! If you teach exceptionally well, perhaps you can fit in more dances; if you call unequal dances, and wish to let every couple have "enough" times as actives, you may fit in fewer dances.

Please do not allow dances to run too long. The band and caller should work together to ensure that the band gets enough time to do what they wish with their tunes and for the dancers to have satisfying experiences. For single-progression dances, we do not usually progress the top couple all the way down and all the way back up to the top of the set.

Typical moves and dances

Corvallis is lucky to have a fairly solid collection of regular dancers. However, we also have a significant number of newer dancers each evening, perhaps 5 to 20 of 60 to 120 total dancers. Your challenge is to maintain the interest of the more experienced dancers without overly taxing the newer ones.

Some observations:

• We rarely dance "chestnuts". I cannot recall the last one I've danced in Corvallis, and I'm not sure that I've ever called one here. I don't know which of the bands might know the "name tunes" to fit the chestnut dances. I'm told that various visiting callers might call one, but perhaps that happens only twice per year.
• Many callers will include a mixer in the first half of the evening to ensure that newcomers (and the very few center set snobs) can't stick to each other too long. This is neither required, nor the source of too many complaints.
• Few callers at our dances call squares. This means that our dancers typically have little experience dancing squares. If you choose to call one or two (please no more!), please be sure to choose one that you can teach and call efficiently.
• Most of the dances called in a typical evening are equal, symmetrical, "all active" dances. Calling more than two highly unequal dances will likely elicit comments.
• Although "chestnut" dances are rare, "contra corners" is not quite so rare. Dancers attending all of our dances would usually dance contra corners at least three times a year. Thus, the move could succeed, but it might be best reserved for the second half of an evening. Even then, at least one set may have substantial problems.
• Alternating dances (e.g. "Alternating Corners") are unusual, perhaps called only a few times during the course of a year.
• "No walk-through" dances and medleys are also rare, but when done well, quite welcome. Use your judgement, based on the conditions you observe, when deciding if you can make one work.
• "Goofy" or "playful" dances (scatter mixers, or dances with "chase" figures") are unusual. We don't have a completely jaded or cynical crowd, so you could probably call one in an evening without much negative comment, if any.
• "Rory O'More" figures are not uncommon, called several times a year, possibly about every second or third evening.
• "Brain bender" dances are very rare, and probably better suited to dance camps than to our regular dance. If you can teach one clearly, you might try to do so in the second half of an evening.
• English country dancing is not available in Corvallis or Eugene. Although it is available in Portland and McMinnville, very few dancers "cross over" between the forms. You will find few dancers familiar with such moves as "turn single" or "poussette."
• While the "Give and Take" move has made its way to the Pacific northwest, it is rarely called at any of the dances, and is very rare here. Thus, dances that feature this move may not feel well-connected to the dancers, and may not prove popular.
• The "Mad Robin" figure is rarely seen in Corvallis, and will probably need clear teaching, if not a demo.

Contra dance Conventions

• "Wrist grip" / "box" stars
• "Skaters hold" during promenades
• "Right and Left through" begins by taking the right hand of the person opposite and pulling by
• Balances start by stepping on the right foot first, then the left
• Most dancers will try to balance to the right and then left, even when in wavy lines where some might feel that a forward and back balance works better
• "Balance and swing" starts with the dancers joining both hands
• "Two hand turn" often is more of an open swing than a "circle of two".
• Petronellas have "the clap." A majority of dancers will clap after a petronella twirl, and probably believe that the move "always" has had such a clap.
• Few dancers in Corvallis will "take hands four" until prompted, and even then may need reminding.
• We do not suffer excessivly from "center set syndrome", in that most dancers will dance in any set. However, as happens almost everywhere, the more experienced dancers will find partners much more promptly than the newcomers, so the outside sets and the bottom of every set will tend to have less experienced dancers.
• Our dancers will happy form additional sets when instructed, but will do little set management on their own.

Compensation

We guarantee $50 to the caller and for each musician in a band, up to four. The next admission receipts beyond the minimum guarantees go to pay for our fixed hall and sound costs. Beyond that, we divide the take amongst the performers.

We usually divide up the door receipts and pay performers very shortly after the last waltz ends. Sometimes dancers throw a few more dollars into the travel donations basket after this point, so you may receive a few extra dollars before you depart.

One of our local dancers sponsors a $1 discount for dancers who walk or bicycle to the dance. This does not affect performer compensation

We set out a basket for additional donations for talent travel expenses. We split this money amongst the drivers of the performers.

Housing

We will always try to arrange home hospitality for any talent who request it. Unless we hear otherwise, we expect bands and callers from Eugene or Portland (or Corvallis!) to want to head home at the end of the evening, and all others to want a place to stay. Please let us know of any specific needs you may have.

Booking

I try to book the talent four to six months in advance of the dances. We have enough talent in the region that we can fill the schedule for a year without repeats. That said, some factors may get a band or caller booked more or less often. Maybe all of this is obvious, but Just In Case...

• Home location: I feel that we should provide more opportunities for our most local talent than for talent from afar. If we provide your best and closest dance, we may book you more often. If you have dances nearer to your home, we feel that they should provide you most of your opportunities.
• Flexibility: If you can help cover for unexpected crises, we'll consider you more often.
• Talent: If you're good, we want you to perform more often. "Good" can mean that dancers ask us when you'll next perform, irregular locals make a point to attend when you perform, the dancers from further away come down to dance on nights when you perform, or that what you do just strikes the organizer's ears very favorably.
• Friendliness: If you're easy to get along with, for the organizers, dancers, other performers, and the sound guy, we'll be more likely to bring you back sooner.