Let's celebrate April with several hints and techniques for better calling.
Memory Calling
Has this ever happened to you? You're calling a song. Things start out great. But near the end of the song, you forget the words. This common problem has a simple solution. When learning a new song, play the music backward. That way, you can practice the end of the song first, and it will remain fresher in your mind.
Showmanship
Would you like to express more emotion and feeling in your singing calls? You probably already use facial expressions such as smiling. But do you move your eyebrows enough? Eyebrow movements transmit tremendous meaning. Raise both eyebrows, or just one, and the message speaks louder than words. Practice your eyebrow movements often.
Recruiting
Have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam where everyone slowly creeps along? And when you eventually get to the front of the blockage, you discover that the huge line was caused by one stalled car on the roadside? Clearly, people consider the sight of a stalled car irresistibly appealing. They'll wait in line for HOURS just to catch a glimpse. This basic human urge can help you recruit new dancers. At your next open house, park a stalled car inside the dance hall. People will line up for miles just to see it.
Teaching
Do you teach by definition? Consider the plus call "anything and Roll". The definition requires you to turn an additional one-quarter (90 degrees) in the direction you were already going. Consider, from Ocean Waves, "All 8 Circulate ... and Roll". The original outfacers walk a curved path, so they "roll" by facing right or left. But what about the original infacers who walked straight ahead? They are required to rotate one-quarter more ... but HOW? There's only ONE answer: they must fall to the ground, flat on their face.
Styling
Consider the call "Right and Left Grand, Every Other Girl with Every Other Hand". Your dancers probably do an ordinary Right and Left Grand. But that's so wrong. Here's the correct way: do a RIGHT Pull-by with your partner. IGNORE THE VERY NEXT PERSON (thus satisfying the "Every Other Girl" directive). Now give a LEFT (thus satisfying "Every Other Hand") Pull-By to the next person (i.e. your original opposite). Ignore the next, give a RIGHT to the next, etc. It takes TWO trips around the square (four pull-bys and four "ignores") to properly dance "Every Other Girl with Every Other Hand".
Choreography
Be very careful with Mini-Waves. Let's review. An Ocean Wave is "a formation of THREE or more dancers". And a mini-wave is "an Ocean Wave consisting of TWO dancers". Combine the two equations: a mini-wave is a formation of THREE or more dancers, consisting of TWO dancers. Huh?? Three dancers suddenly become two dancers?? That's a huge problem! A mini-wave makes dancers disappear! Experts have long puzzled over the continued decline in dancer population. Now we know why. Mini-waves make dancers disappear. Stop using mini-waves.
Speaker Placement
Race car drivers already know this trick. It's called "slip-streaming". Whenever you use two speakers, place one speaker directly in front of the other. Sound from the first speaker clears a path so that sound from the second speaker can follow along smoothly in the wake. Make sure to alternate your speakers, i.e. the front speaker this time becomes the back speaker next time, so that your speakers will wear evenly.
Go Green
Save energy. Set your amplifier to the lowest possible volume. Of course you'll need to yell into the microphone, but that's a small price to pay for being eco-friendly.
Dancers Moving to Higher Levels
We bemoan the fact that dancers want to move up to higher levels, yet callers are to blame. How often do callers tell dancers to "move up"? We tell them to Square UP, Circle UP four, dance UP to the middle and back, Spin the Top and the Boys Move UP, etc. Callers constantly tell dancers to move UP, and then we're mystified when they actually do move UP. To nullify the "move up" effect, simply call "Chain DOWN the line" more often.
Voice Effectiveness
It's important to grab people's attention so they will listen carefully. Fact: the sound of a crying baby is impossible to ignore. So ... when you call intricate choreography, and you want dancers to pay close attention, punctuate each command by screaming like a baby who needs a diaper change. Your dancers will listen better and thus they will dance better.
Music
Chinook Records, headquartered in Washington state, partnered with another state resident: ultra-billionaire Bill Gates. He agreed to give One Million Dollars (if you're Bill Gates, that's merely pocket change) to one lucky Chinook Records customer. To earn your chance at a cool million, visit Chinook Records website ( www.chinookrecords.com ) and buy music. The more you buy, the bigger your chance to win. You saw this announcement on the internet, therefore you know it's true. Forward this to all your friends.
April Fools
Happy April Fools Day from Chinook Records!
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