Our callers gatherings are an opportunity for callers and people interested in calling to get together and “workshop” dances in a friendly and supportive environment. We choose a topic to focus on for the day and work with each other to learn from specific dances and from the collective experiences brought to the gathering by the participants.
While many callers’ workshops use a teacher/student or mentor model, where a particularly skilled caller is brought in to teach and share experiences with the group, we have taken a different approach. The CNY Callers Gathering brings callers of all levels of experience together so that we can learn from the material we’re studying and from each other in a more egalitarian way. The focus is on the topic and dances that relate to it. We always learn much through the topic, and also enjoy connecting with other callers from all over New York State and beyond to “talk shop” to our hearts’ content.
Here are details about the upcoming Callers Gathering:
2024 CNY CALLERS GATHERING March 16, 2024 This Year’s Theme: Dance Cross-Fertilization
What do we mean by “Dance Cross-Pollination”? This theme provides an opportunity for callers of contra dance, English country dance, or square dance to explore dances from a particular tradition that dancers who mostly appreciate other sorts of dancing might wholeheartedly enjoy. Which dances work well across such boundaries? What are some dances from each tradition that borrow significantly from another? Hooray for synergy!
After the full day of exploring this topic through dance and discussion, the assembled callers will take turns leading dances at our usual Saturday evening dance 7-10 pm. Come one, come all!
Music both during the workshop and the evening dance will be provided by the incomparable Sister Haggis:
SISTER HAGGIS: Jane Knoeck and Eileen Nicholson
All are welcome at the evening dance, but space is limited for the daytime workshop. If you are interested in participating in the workshop either as a caller or a non-calling dance participant, please contact Bob Nicholson at bobnicholson4748@gmail.com.
Topics from Past Gatherings
The first annual CNY Callers Gathering in 2002 was one of three such gatherings nationwide where a group of callers attempted to dance all 41 of Ted Sannella’s triplets.
2002- Ted’s Triplet Marathon (the button read: “I was there”)
2003- Favorite Dances Exchange (modeled on a Christmas cookie exchange)
* 2004- “Cracking Chestnuts” (classic American contra dances)
2005- “Beyond Hands Four” (dances in unusual formations)
2006- ONS Dances (one night stands: family dances, parties, etc.)
2007- Dances of Gene Hubert (honoring his contributions)
2008- English Country Dancing (for many of us, an ESL workshop)
2009- “Living Room Dances” (dances for small numbers of dancers)
2010- “Zesty Contras” (exploring Larry Jennings’ game-changing book from 1983)
2011- “Square ’em Up!” (contra callers taking the plunge into calling squares)
2012- “Back of the Box” dances (the dances we keep looking at and are unwilling to discard, but somehow don’t get put into the programs we plan)
* 2013- “Cracking Chestnuts Revisited” (during which we videotaped several lesser known classic dances, and grew inordinately fond of the hands-free and proper right and left through)
2014- “Exploring the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend Syllabi” (diving into over a quarter century’s worth of the syllabi that document a dance event that bridges old and new)
2015- “100 Years of CDSS” (part of the year-long celebration of the Country Dance and Song Society’s centennial)
2016- Twenty-first Century Dances
(2017)- No Callers Gathering this year
2018- “First of Its Kind” (the first dance where a particular figure or sequence appeared)
(2019)- No Callers Gathering this year (Hands Four Dancers of Ithaca sponsored a callers workshop with Kathy Anderson with a focus on calling squares)
(2020-2022)- No Callers Gatherings due to COVID-19 Pandemic
