Are you looking for a simple way to make your calling easier for dancers to understand (and thus they'll dance better and have more fun)?
As callers, our job is to say the names of calls. We do a good job when we say each call name correctly.
How can we know the correct name for each call? Simple! Look at the Callerlab Mainstream (or Plus or Advanced) list, where you'll find one (and only one) name for each call.
Abbreviated vs. Complete
Dancers must hear a call, recognize it, then do it. If we abbreviate, we add an extra undesirable step: dancers must now translate "what they heard" into "what was meant".
Examples:
Abbreviated: Circ
Full: Couples Circulate
Incomplete: Pass the O
Complete: Pass the Ocean
Unfinished: Reverse Flutter
Finished: Reverse Flutterwheel
Part of a call: Weave
A full call: Weave The Ring
Made-Up vs. Real
When we use synonyms, dancers need extra time and effort to translate, with increased risk of misunderstanding.
Examples:
Almost Real: Bend Your Line, Bend My Line, Bend That Line, Bend it
Real Call: Bend the Line
Fake Call: Hairy-Legged Ones, Trade
Real Call: Boys Trade
Ersatz: Flutter Flutter Peanut Butter
Bona-Fide: Flutterwheel
Made-up: Chain The Girls Across
Real: Four Ladies Chain
Not real: Well Now The Girls Go In While The Gents Sashay
Real: Ladies In Men Sashay
Mispronounced: Re-sickle like an old dill pickle
Accurate: Recycle
Requires Translation: Spin Your Top, Spin That Old Top
Ready To Use: Spin the Top
Dancers learn real call names during lessons. It's only fair to use those same real call names after lessons.
Benefits of using real call names instead of made-up names:
1. Better timing (because dancers no longer need to translate).
2. Better dancing / fewer breakdowns (because calls are easier to decipher).
3. More fun (because of the above two reasons).
4. The caller gains a reputation for being knowledgeable and precise.
Cluttered vs. Clean
"Please hide the calls in a stream of babble, to make hearing and interpreting the calls far more tedious" ... said No Dancer Ever. For smooth dancing, dancers need a clear call name, without audio clutter.
Examples:
Jumbled: Well Now You Circle Up Four, Burst Right Out To a Line Of Four
Clean: Circle to a Line
Imposter: Double Plow Right On Thru
Genuine: Double Pass Thru
Gobbledy-gook: Well Now That First And Third, You'll Bounce Right On Up To The Middle of the Ring, Then Bounce Right Back
Clean: Heads Forward and Back
Cluttered: Rollaway With a Half Sashay
Clean: Rollaway
Error-prone: Let's Square Thru
Clean: Square Thru
("Let's" is easily misunderstood as "Left".)
Cluttered: Do a Swing On Thru, Get Me Two By Two
Clean: Swing Thru
(The cluttered version forces dancers to listen intensely to ten words and pick out two vital words. The clean version contains only the vital words and is therefore five times easier than the cluttered version.)
Cluttered: Well Now You'll Walk All Around The Little Left Hand Lady
Clean: Walk Around The Corner
When we say actual calls (instead of audio clutter), dancers gain because they can hear and enjoy more of the music.
Speaking of Music
Now that your calling is newly improved and your dancers are having more fun, surely it's time to celebrate with some great new music from Chinook Records.
Examples of how to get Chinook music:
Abbreviated: Surf It
Complete: visit the website www.ChinookRecords.com
Made-Up: Hit The Cat
Real: Browse the Chinook Music Catalog
Cluttered: (this entire article), LOL
Clean: Give your dancers a special treat of high-quality new music from Chinook
Reasons why www.ChinookRecords.com is your best place to get music:
1. Browse hundreds of instrumental and vocal tracks for free
2. Enjoy safe secure checkout with instant download of MP3s
3. Get the cheapest price in the universe.
Hurry, before we change our mind and raise the price two dollars to match everyone else. :)
Back to our Calling Tip:
Now vs. Later
When dancers receive a call late, the undesirable "stop-and-go" dancing can develop. For better calling and smooth dancing, give the next call efficiently.
Examples:
Delayed Delivery: There's your Corner, Look 'em in the Eye, Get Around That Corner, with a Little Dosado
Quick Delivery: Dosado
(Quick is better because dancers get the call sooner)
Flow-Stopper: Let's Have All Those Boys Do A Run
Flow Enabler: Boys Run
Delayed: Centers make an Arch, are you ready? Outsides Dive In.
On Time: Dive Thru
But I'm Not THAT Bad!
You're probably thinking, "My calling is much better than these examples". You're right! The examples show extreme cases. It's pointless to measure ourselves against bad examples. The real question should be, "Can my delivery be improved?". Even if your answer is "My Delivery Is Always Perfect and Cannot Be Improved", it's still a great idea to keep practicing so that your delivery remains clear, concise and accurate.
Name That Call
Question: you're the caller, and it's the moment you've been waiting for. It's time to say the name of a call. Which exact words do you say?
Why not say the real name of the call?
When we use real call names, we improve our timing, increase accuracy, enhance our professional reputation and bring greater dancer enjoyment.
As callers, our job is to say the names of calls. We do a good job when we say each call name correctly.
How can we know the correct name for each call? Simple! Look at the Callerlab Mainstream (or Plus or Advanced) list, where you'll find one (and only one) name for each call.
Abbreviated vs. Complete
Dancers must hear a call, recognize it, then do it. If we abbreviate, we add an extra undesirable step: dancers must now translate "what they heard" into "what was meant".
Examples:
Abbreviated: Circ
Full: Couples Circulate
Incomplete: Pass the O
Complete: Pass the Ocean
Unfinished: Reverse Flutter
Finished: Reverse Flutterwheel
Part of a call: Weave
A full call: Weave The Ring
Made-Up vs. Real
When we use synonyms, dancers need extra time and effort to translate, with increased risk of misunderstanding.
Examples:
Almost Real: Bend Your Line, Bend My Line, Bend That Line, Bend it
Real Call: Bend the Line
Fake Call: Hairy-Legged Ones, Trade
Real Call: Boys Trade
Ersatz: Flutter Flutter Peanut Butter
Bona-Fide: Flutterwheel
Made-up: Chain The Girls Across
Real: Four Ladies Chain
Not real: Well Now The Girls Go In While The Gents Sashay
Real: Ladies In Men Sashay
Mispronounced: Re-sickle like an old dill pickle
Accurate: Recycle
Requires Translation: Spin Your Top, Spin That Old Top
Ready To Use: Spin the Top
Dancers learn real call names during lessons. It's only fair to use those same real call names after lessons.
Benefits of using real call names instead of made-up names:
1. Better timing (because dancers no longer need to translate).
2. Better dancing / fewer breakdowns (because calls are easier to decipher).
3. More fun (because of the above two reasons).
4. The caller gains a reputation for being knowledgeable and precise.
Cluttered vs. Clean
"Please hide the calls in a stream of babble, to make hearing and interpreting the calls far more tedious" ... said No Dancer Ever. For smooth dancing, dancers need a clear call name, without audio clutter.
Examples:
Jumbled: Well Now You Circle Up Four, Burst Right Out To a Line Of Four
Clean: Circle to a Line
Imposter: Double Plow Right On Thru
Genuine: Double Pass Thru
Gobbledy-gook: Well Now That First And Third, You'll Bounce Right On Up To The Middle of the Ring, Then Bounce Right Back
Clean: Heads Forward and Back
Cluttered: Rollaway With a Half Sashay
Clean: Rollaway
Error-prone: Let's Square Thru
Clean: Square Thru
("Let's" is easily misunderstood as "Left".)
Cluttered: Do a Swing On Thru, Get Me Two By Two
Clean: Swing Thru
(The cluttered version forces dancers to listen intensely to ten words and pick out two vital words. The clean version contains only the vital words and is therefore five times easier than the cluttered version.)
Cluttered: Well Now You'll Walk All Around The Little Left Hand Lady
Clean: Walk Around The Corner
When we say actual calls (instead of audio clutter), dancers gain because they can hear and enjoy more of the music.
Speaking of Music
Now that your calling is newly improved and your dancers are having more fun, surely it's time to celebrate with some great new music from Chinook Records.
Examples of how to get Chinook music:
Abbreviated: Surf It
Complete: visit the website www.ChinookRecords.com
Made-Up: Hit The Cat
Real: Browse the Chinook Music Catalog
Cluttered: (this entire article), LOL
Clean: Give your dancers a special treat of high-quality new music from Chinook
Reasons why www.ChinookRecords.com is your best place to get music:
1. Browse hundreds of instrumental and vocal tracks for free
2. Enjoy safe secure checkout with instant download of MP3s
3. Get the cheapest price in the universe.
Hurry, before we change our mind and raise the price two dollars to match everyone else. :)
Back to our Calling Tip:
Now vs. Later
When dancers receive a call late, the undesirable "stop-and-go" dancing can develop. For better calling and smooth dancing, give the next call efficiently.
Examples:
Delayed Delivery: There's your Corner, Look 'em in the Eye, Get Around That Corner, with a Little Dosado
Quick Delivery: Dosado
(Quick is better because dancers get the call sooner)
Flow-Stopper: Let's Have All Those Boys Do A Run
Flow Enabler: Boys Run
Delayed: Centers make an Arch, are you ready? Outsides Dive In.
On Time: Dive Thru
But I'm Not THAT Bad!
You're probably thinking, "My calling is much better than these examples". You're right! The examples show extreme cases. It's pointless to measure ourselves against bad examples. The real question should be, "Can my delivery be improved?". Even if your answer is "My Delivery Is Always Perfect and Cannot Be Improved", it's still a great idea to keep practicing so that your delivery remains clear, concise and accurate.
Name That Call
Question: you're the caller, and it's the moment you've been waiting for. It's time to say the name of a call. Which exact words do you say?
Why not say the real name of the call?
When we use real call names, we improve our timing, increase accuracy, enhance our professional reputation and bring greater dancer enjoyment.
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