Square Dance Music Quest Continues

[bjarvis]

I subscribe to Hanhurst's square dance music service. Every month, I get a cassette tape of music samples which 60-90 seconds of the instrumental version & another 60-90 seconds of the called version, along with the label ID for ordering. Overall, it's a relatively efficient way to scan through a stack of new releases, listening for music which appeals, especially if you're a newbie like me looking for gems which (a) aren't already beaten to death by other local callers, and (b) have an appealing style (good production, good arrangement, non-sucky/lame lyrics, etc.).

Sean C. of Philadelphia is downsizing his household in preparation for a possible move. When he offered a box of older sampler tapes, I jumped at it. Once I get through the lot, I'll add my own copies --I don't need to listen to them more than once-- and pass them along to anyone else who might be interested, or perhaps hold them in trust as part of a GCA library of materials.

I'm averaging about a tape per day so far, listening in the car during my drive to & from work, as well as to occasional calling gigs in DC and Baltimore. At this pace, I anticipate being finished with the entire lot on or about March 1.

As one can imagine, some of the samples are downright frightful. Still, I've identified three pieces so far which are candidates. If they're still available for sale and my budget allows, I'll check into them again when I'm done with the lot to see if I feel the same way.

Comments

[madknits.livejournal.com]

Do you ever try contra?

How about English Country Dancing?

Coming up for NEFFA this year?

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I didn't find contra all that interesting... it's too repetitive. The last time I went contra dancing, my attention kept drifting away.

Don't know anything at all about english country dancing though.

NEFFA?

I'd get back into appalachian clogging again if I could find a group within a reasonable commute.

[madknits.livejournal.com]

NEFFA is a big dance event in April. Lots of contra dancing, international dancing, some ECD and some square dancing. I'm not sure how to create a link in LJ, but here is the URL: www.neffa.org

I am not a big fan of square dancing, I have to admit. Whenever one is called at our local contra dances, I sit it out. It could be that most contra dancers are lousy at square dancing, that I am lousy at square dancing or whatever, but it isn't my fave. I like the repetition of contra, because what attracts me to it is dancing with the entire room. I get into a groove, and it's pretty magical.

I prefer ECD to contra, because it is so subtle and deep. The better you get at it, the more you realise you have to learn. So you strive to get better at it. And realise that there are more depths to it. I really enjoy ECD.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I know some people who enjoy both square dancing & contra, but I'm definitely in the square dance camp. I've largely given up on line dancing & round dancing for the same reason as contra, although the mixer format is definitely attractive, esp. as an ice breaker.

I'll check into the NEFFA web site later today.

[ebearboston.livejournal.com]

We can't all be Chip Prince!

[bearfuz.livejournal.com]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

I'm a slobbering ECD dancer myself, much prefer it to contra. I also prefer the "classics" to the Freid Herman stuff. But that's just me. And I totally agree about the subltety of it -- that's probably why I love it so.

Brian, think of it as the dancing people did for fun back in the 1600's and then to look good in Jane Austen's world.

I used to go with my morris/sword team to NEFFA. Haven't been in 20 years easy, though :(

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

Mind if I friend you? We seem to have lots in common.

Gods, you might even know my ex. He's a relatively big-name rapper teacher at various camps (but I don't think he ever taught at Pinewoods)

[madknits.livejournal.com]

I love ECD.

What morris/sword team did you dance with?

I dance with the Gay Blades Rapper Sword (www.gayblades.org). This year we won't be at NEFFA because of a conflict (two of our dancers are out of town that weekend).

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

I was in Baltimorris, way back in the early-to-mid '80's. Grew up with all this stuff, though, back in the days when girls didn't get to learn morris. Fought that battle -- won it, too.

These days I'm more likely to attempt a pick-up group for Abbots Bromley Horn Dance than morris, due to ankle/knee/age considerations.

I've heard good things about the quality of dancing that Gay Blades presents.

Allow me to introduce myself. I consider myself to be Brian's sister-in-law. After 22 years, Kent is the closest thing to a brother I have.

[madknits.livejournal.com]

Pleased to "meet" you.

Our side is a mixed side, though we began as an all male side of dancers. I love what our women teammates bring to the side.

Thank you for the kind comments about the Blades.

I've danced Abbots Bromley once. It was a completely magical moment for me, and I really felt a part of a tradition that stretches back a thousand years.

As you may know the Gay Blades do parodies of many dances, and I've tried to get us to do a parody of Abbots Bromley, and have been shouted down every time. I guess while I think nothing is sacred, others disagree. ;-)

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

I'd have to agree that AB is very sacred. If I hadn't grown up with it (in Berea, Ky), I'd have figured it out the first time I worked backstage for a Revels show.

Baltimorris was mixed. I prefer mixed sides for my own dancing, as I feel it challeges me to be more "aggressive" in my style.

I'm already commenting on your journal, so I might as well friend you :) If you friend me, I hope you like other dogs than doxies, and can tolerate pagans :)

[madknits.livejournal.com]

Dogs is dogs. I love 'em. I just have a special place in my heart for daxies. Followed closely by labs, pugs, and most every dog but pitt bulls.

I'll friend you, and thanks for friending me.

Pagans? My dear, I'll have you know that I was a charter member of CUUPS, the Covenant of UU Pagans.

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

CUUPS. very cool :)

How are you about Great Danes?

[madknits.livejournal.com]

I don't know any, personally, but I've always admired them. Very lovely dogs. Once, when Sophie (our first daxie) was a puppy, we were walking in the park and came upon a HUGE Great Dane. Her entire body wasn't as big as his head. He sniffed her gently, she wagged her tail, and then his mom called him over, and off he went. Though I'm not sure I would want to share a bed with a Great Dane. The daxies took up too much room as it was.
;-)

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

Otto is a rescue. We're his third owners, maybe fourth. The people we got him from left him outside 24/7 for six months, and he only got fed and watered (we're in New Mexico) when the trucker husband was home. Otto was emaciated and out of control. But it was either us or the sheriff's gun, so we took him.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

Contra I find fun when I want the aerobic side of the activity and wind in your hair easy dancing. The repetition for me is good, because I can really FEEL that it is a dance.

Clogging I did for about six years, but had to trim my activities, and mindful of the aging process with knees, that's the one that went.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering currently if I could actually handle returning to clogging. It is definitely hard on the knees & feet and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm no longer in my 20s. My days of youthful indestructibility are vanished with most of my hair. :-(

[ebearboston.livejournal.com]

Is Sean C a doctor of linguistics with a partner who is a deaf pastry chef?

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

You left out "hot." :-)

[ebearboston.livejournal.com]

Well, yes. Dennis and Josh are good friends. It seems my planet is not only getting smaller, it's folding in upon itself. When Sean got his PhD I made him a velvet tam.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

You're doing extremely well getting through a tape a day. I had to listen to mine on trips to Santa Fe, or go hide in a back room and listen to them. But of course I was only getting the one a month.

I haven't had a subscription to Hanhurst now for about 8 years, and I only marginally miss it when I hear a good new piece some caller is doing. From time to time, I do go to www.dosado.com and link into Hanhurst and listen to the .mp3s they have available, or just go ahead and order one that a caller has recommended.

But yes, it's the time consideration and the fact that 80% of the VOCAL sides of the records were unlistenable that made me finally give up my annual subscription. Can you imagine dancing night after night to some of those off-key, off-tempo voices? Yikes.

Early on, that was my key source of Mainstream and Plus singing calls. There were some pretty good figures in there. But the pro callers, like on Royal, really only used a couple of figures that were done to death, like Heads promenade 1/2, square thru, swing thru, boys run, ferris wheel, square thru 3, swing and promeande. Over and over and over.

Fast forward helped a lot. :-)

Toward the end of my annual subscriptions, I usually only listened to the instrumental portion and ignored the vocal side altogether, unless it was a song I wasn't familiar with.

Now that Palamino owns Hanhurst (which once upon a time was it's own company before it was bought by Supreme Audio), I wonder if it's just going away period.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

Fast forward helped a lot. :-)

Oh, yeah. Most are benign, some are memorable only for being horrifically.

Getting through a tape per day says a lot about the length of my daily commute (and having a cast iron stomach). I'd cheerfully trade commutes with you.