Callers Resources

dancers

Local Callers

Judy Bass
Deborah Hyland
Mac McKeever
Eric Schreiber
Ted Steele
 

Calling Parties
Calling Parties take place on first, third and fifth Wednesdays at Martha's house. The Calling Parties, which started in June of 2007, are basically an incubator for newbie callers (called "Hatchlings"), though experienced callers who want to try out new dances or unusual moves are especially welcome. The gatherings encourage good calling, good dancing, good music, traditions, evolution of traditions, and fun.

You do not have to be a caller to come, just willing to dance and cheer. Childgrove callers, bless their hearts, enthusiastically support the efforts of the Hatchlings, inviting them to call a dance or two at almost every dance. The first all-Hatchling dance took place on April 6, 2008. Read their blog at http://dancecaller.blogspot.com. Contact Martha at meedwards@westendweb.com for more information.

Regional Callers

Jill Allen

Lawrence, KS  

Dot Kent

IL

Kat DiFoxfire

Columbia, MO  

Paula McFarling

Columbia, MO

Debi Harp

Springfield, MO  

Heidi Stallman

Columbia, MO

Lisa Harris

Lawrence, KS  

Joe Surdyk

Carbondale, IL

Jim Hawkins

Springfield, MO  

Jim Thaxter

Columbia, MO

Gail Hinze

IL   Martha Tyner IL

The Beneficial Tradition Library

The following books were donated by an anonymous patron for use by the St. Louis dance community. Anyone interested in borrowing one of these books should contact Deborah Hyland.

Web Links

A Contra Dance Designer - http://www.seattledance.org/contra/design/

Notes on calling contra dances (Cary Ravitz) - http://ravitz.us/dance/call.php

Notes on choreography on contra dances (Cary Ravitz) - http://ravitz.us/dance/chor.php

How to learn to call - http://www.heinerfischle.de/contra/learn.htm

Resources for contra dance callers - http://www.quiteapair.us/calling/

Essays about contra dance - nearly 300 of them! http://www.contradancelinks.com/essays.html
Some of the categories: calling, organizing dances, composing dances, callers' workshops, and humor

So, Why Are They Called Chestnuts? You may have heard that contra dances have changed a bit in the last twenty years. What were they before? Here's an interesting piece of contra history.

Thoughts about calling dances (Seth Tepfer) - http://www.dancerhapsody.com/Calling/Handouts.html

How to Program an Evening - Part 1 (Seth Tepfer) - http://www.dancerhapsody.com/handouts/ProgrammingAnEvening.pdf

How to Program an Evening - Part 2 (Seth Tepfer) - http://www.dancerhapsody.com/handouts/ProgrammingAnEveningPart2.pdf

What Style of caller are you? - http://www.dancerhapsody.com/handouts/WhatKindOfCallerAreYou.pdf

How to compose a dance  - http://ravitz.us/dance/chor.php#c

Dance Books available locally (compiled in 1998) - http://www.folkfire.org/books1.html

Lists of Dances

Fun Contras for a Mixed Crowd - http://www.dancerhapsody.com/handouts/DancesMixedCrowds.pdf

Great Dances for Novice Callers - http://www.dancerhapsody.com/handouts/DancesEasyCall.pdf

Groovin' dances to end an evening - http://www.dancerhapsody.com/handouts/DanceEndEvening3.pdf

American Country Dances Online - http://arcserve.astro.washington.edu/dances/

A compilation of dances - http://www.cambridgefolk.org.uk/contra/dances/ 

Rich Goss's Callers' Cards - http://www.richgoss.com/dancecards.doc

Michael Dyck's Contradance Index - http://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/index/

Rick Mohr's dances - http://rickmohr.net/

Carol Ormand's dances - http://www.geocities.com/carolormand/dances.html

Joseph Pimentel's dances - http://jp.thedance.net/Contras/ContrasDancesFrame.htm

Barb Kirchner's dances -   http://www.geocities.com/barbkirchner2003

David Kirchner's dances - http://www.hamline.edu/~dkirchner01/personal/compositions/

Charlie Seelig's list of Dance Resources - http://www.contradancelinks.com/resources.html

Books for callers - http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/1752/contra_books.html

See the Ralph Page Legacy Weekend syllabus collection at the New Hampshire Library of Music & Dance - http://www.izaak.unh.edu/nhltmd/ - many good dances here, with commentaries.

Happy Dancing!