Information for Bands and Callers
Cub Callers
Callers Evaluation and Promotion Process (pdf)Visiting Bands and Callers
Booking a Gig
Please email scheduling@contradance.org or call Kimbi Hagen at 404-310-0929.Unless you play/call regularly at CCD, please include names and contact information for three schedulers from recent dances for which you have played/called. Bands should also include, if available, a link to an MP3 file or YouTube video of their music. If you are booked to play for one of our dances, this file will be linked to your name on our web schedule.
Standard Caller Contract
Dear [Insert name of Caller]
DATE & LOCATION:
You are scheduled to Call on [date] at Clarkston Community Center, 3701 College Ave, Clarkston, GA 30021. See the "Directions" page at http://www.contradance.org/html/directions.php for information on getting to the Hall.BAND:
The Band the evening you will be Calling is [name]. If you want to contact them ahead of time to talk about programming issues*, the band contact ([insert name]) may be reached at [email].- *NOTE:
- Bands tell me that they love it when Callers provide them with an advance description of the type of dances they intend to call
because it gives them a chance to think through their play list before the Big Night.
They also have a tendency to write me later with lauditory praise for any Caller who made a habit of telling them before a particular dance began if this is one in which they expect to drop out early (what the Band hears: "Play a tune you really want to showcase since it won't be competing with my voice") or late / not at all (what the Band hears: "Play a tune with a particularly pronounced beat because this dance will be sufficiently tricky that the dancers may need extra help staying on phrase").
PAYMENT:
CCD pays out of town callers $70 for stage time plus $50 towards travel expenses. This does not include what we will pay the band or sound crew; that will be handled separately. We will pay you in cash and you will need to sign that you received it.
NOTE: Even though we have never had to cancel a dance before there is always a first time so please be aware that if our dance the night you are Calling is cancelled for circumstances beyond CCD's control* before you have left for Atlanta, this contract is considered to be null and void. If we have to cancel a dance for reasons beyond CCD's control* after you have left for Atlanta, we will pay your travel allowance in full, even if we are able to reach you with news of the cancellation before you arrive at the Hall.
*'Circumstances beyond CCD's control' include, but may not be limited to, closure of the Hall by our landlords or fire/flood/ice/snow/anything else that makes it unsafe to reach or enter the Hall.
HOUSING:
Please tell me whether or not you and any companion(s) travelling with you will need housing while you are in town and, if so, how many rooms you need and any required configuration (e.g. people traveling together are a couple; not a couple but twin beds in same room are OK; unresolved snoring issues on the part of one or more people require residence in separate rooms, if not separate counties, etc.)We will be happy to put you up with a local dancer so please also let me know if you are allergic to anything (e.g. beagles, banjos) or have philosophic stances (e.g bologna, Big Tobacco) that should be taken into consideration when selecting a host family.
TRANSPORTATION:
How will you be arriving in Atlanta? Please let me know what, if any, help you are going to need in transporting yourself to and from the dance.EQUIPMENT:
What special requirements do you have that I should I pass on to our Sound God? Our standard setup for callers includes a handheld cordless mic, a hot spot monitor, and a stage to stand on so you can more easily see the mule-headed dancers in the overcrowded center line get what they deserve when you call a four-facing-four with grand chain or a four in line down the hall followed by a circle left.ACOUSTICS:
Despite the Sound God's best efforts, people in the back of the hall occassionally have difficulty making out the individual words being said by the caller, particularly if s/he is talking rapidly. This alone can be the cause of catastrophic line breakdown, particularly towards the beginning when the pattern for an unfamiliar dance has not yet had a chance to become imprinted on the dancers' DNA. You definitely do not have to shout into the mic but please speak (relatively) slowly at first and e-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-e.Thanks!
SCHEDULE:
Sound check: 7:00 - 7:30pm.New Dancer orientation: 7:30 - 8:00pm*
Dance Part I: 8:00 - 9:30
Break: 9:30-9:45pm
Dance Part II: 9:45 - 11:00pm (If the energy is really cooking we can go as late as 11:15pm)
*New Dancer orientation takes place in the main hall and we prefer that you lead it. Sound check will be done before the lesson so you won't have to shout over the band and we will have a cordless mic available so you won't have to shout, period. Please tell me in advance if you will be unavailable to lead the beginners' lesson so that I can find a local caller or dancer to do it for you.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
While it is no doubt different at your home hall, many Atlanta contra dancers view the "Announcements" portion of the evening as their cue to do just about ANYTHING except be quiet and pay attention. It is not your job to fix that but you can help by tricking the dancers into facing the front of the hall at the beginning of the last dance before the break. Members of the CCD Steering Committee will take it from there. You have permission to accomplish your task in any legal* way you can think of. (*see comment about the use of Tasers below)Some callers have resorted to bribes -- e.g. promising a dance that involves contra corners or something else delicious after the Announcements are over if everyone stands quietly and pays attention -- and while I am not saying that this has completely replaced the traditional "herding cats" competitive event (Solo class, Swiss national timing standards) to get people gathered for Announcements, it seems to have helped.
PROGRAMMING - REGULAR FRIDAY DANCES:
Although our dance will often have 150 or more dancers, the vast majority of whom know (or think they know) all the moves, you can count on the first half of the dance having a fair percentage of newcomers. Because they are too shy to make eye contact with their partners, and are terminally dizzy after the first hour as a result, most beginners usually go home at the break.Not coincidentally, our hard core dancers have a tendency to show up near the break, when they expect (read: Demand) the duration of walk throughs and Calling to dwindle while the diversity and challenge levels escalate (think: triplets, triple minors, four facing four, contra corners, proper contras, sicilian circles, triple progressions, etc). Please program your arc accordingly.
One of the most frequent questions that I get from visiting callers is: "Do Atlanta dancers like circles and squares?" The answer to that is an absolutely unambiguous: "It depends!" What our Atlanta dancers uniformly love is a heads up more than one dance in advance before a non-contra is called so dancers can plan their partnering (or lack of) accordingly and either thunder enthusiastically onto the floor or flee rapidly in horror from it, as individual tastes decree, without anyone being left in the lurch.
PROGRAMMING - SUNDAY ADVANCED DANCES:
If you are being booked to call for one of our occasional Sunday evening "Advanced Challenge Dances" it means that we are counting on you to pull out all the stops and act as if the dancers are under the hypnotic impression that they are actually in the center line of the Saturday night dance of a top level festival weekend (only cheaper and with less crowding).There will be no beginner's workshop and programming for these dances should include, as Atlanta Caller Seth Tepfer puts it: "Black Belt contras, no walk thru contras, strange and illicit dance formations rarely allowed to see the light of dance and all manner of things that will tease and tantalize their baser dance natures." So feel free to explode out of the starting block with new things, push the envelope, and take creative risks -- if you teach it, they'll try it. We've been doing these Advanced Challenge dances for awhile now and no one has yet complained that the dances were too hard -- but boy howdee do I ever hear about it later if they think the dance was "just another Friday night."
PROGRAMMING - THE WEEKLY 'SAFETY MOMENT':
In Atlanta we typically have two types of dancers who are known to exhibit poor dance mechanics -- new dancers and experiened dancers. Even though the new dancers learn not to jerk people around (literally) in the orientation lesson they frequently have as much as they can handle just keeping it between the lines so can forget.MERCHANDISE:
Feel free to use the edge of the stage to sell CDs, Chihuahuas or any Contra band, non-contraband items you want before/after the dance and during the break. If sales are still brisk when the break is due to be over we can assign someone to take over sales for you so that business (yours) and pleasure (ours) can co-exist to our mutual satisfaction and without undue delay of either.CLOTHING:
Think "layers." We don't heat the Hall during the winter months. Which means that in cold weather the caller and dancers eventually occupy parallel but non-contiguous states -- specifically the states of Wisconsin and South Florida. If you are calling under these conditions you may want to bring a jacket, gloves and hat, unless you like to jog in place while calling. You'll probably be fine if you jog. On the other hand, during the warm months it can get to be a sauna in the Hall, even with the AC on full tilt. Calling in a bathing suit is not illegal in the state of Georgia but since we dance next door to a Baptist Church it should probably be a modest one.BEHAVIOR:
As the Caller we have booked for the evening, you are representing CCD. Our dance community includes an extremely diverse cross-section of ages as well as ethnic, religious, political, sexual, and cultural backgrounds. We work hard to make our dance inviting to as wide a population as possible. As part of that we ask that the caller refrain from jokes or statements that poke fun of any broad category of people, except Callers. Callers are open season. (Yes, I know this should all go without saying but this paragraph got added after we had to censure a caller one election season a few years back after s/he apparently forgot that Republicans like to contra dance too).Although it may be different in other dance communities, Atlanta contra dancers just never seem to see that whole "Hands Four" request coming. Takes 'em by surprise every time. And while we understand that this can be a source of severe frustration to Callers please recognize that the use of Tasers is restricted to law enforcement officers in Georgia and that, bizarrely, Georgia legal code does not include "Contra Dance Callers" on the list of people authorized to serve in that capacity.
GREAT CALLING:
You are being booked because your references or previous experience at our dance have shown you to be a Great Caller. Just in case you are wondering what the means exactly, some years ago I conducted an unscientific, statistically meaningless straw poll (read: I grilled dancers — er ... "engaged them in spirited discourse" — during Break) to identify what factors make someone a "Great" caller. What I came up with is:- Their demeanor (Great Callers have an infectious enthusiasm for the dance, are able to inject humor when needed, and are able to laugh at themselves when things go wrong)
- Their teaching (Great Callers have mastered the magic of rapidly and efficiently teaching a three dimensional skill through the use of words — not an easy task!!)
- Their willingness to work with the band on matching dances and tunes (Great Callers do not jar the dancers by Calling a sultry dance to a bouncy tune)
- Their ability to stop talking (Great Callers are willing to let the dancers be alone with the music sooner rather than later. Furthermore, Great Callers avoid dances that are so overly complex the dancers' lack of experience [beginning of evening] or available brain cells [end of evening] make it impossible to completely drop out without risking catastrophic line break down)
- Their voice (Great Callers have a “radio” voice — i.e. one that projects well and is easy on the ear)
- The dances they call. (Everyone agreed that this is last on the list of what makes someone a "Great Caller" because if #1-5 are done right even a “simple” or “familiar” dance is magical).
FOOD:
Will you be coming into town early enough to eat dinner before the dance? If so, and you are planning to eat out, I'd love to join you unless you are planning to speak exclusively in Esperanto or have a need for some personal time.A great nearby place to eat is the DeKalb Farmer's Market. You’ll have to go through a cafeteria line to get your food but the yumminess, selection, and price (particularly if you choose “light” food since you pay by weight) can’t be beat anywhere else in the entire city of Atlanta. Bring a sweater or a coat, it is cold inside the Farmer’s Market year ‘round. To get there follow directions to the Hall but turn RIGHT onto E. Ponce de Leon from I-285, instead of Left, and go 2 miles. “Your DeKalb Farmers Market” (3000 E. Ponce de Leon Ave) is on the Right at the corner of E. Ponce and Laredo. The cafeteria is in the front left corner of the (massively huge) building.
After the dance is over you are welcome to adjourn straight to your host's house or join our dancers for late nite relaxing, food and conversation at the Corner Pub, in the Avondale neighborhood of Atlanta.
PRE-DANCE CHECK-IN CALL:
If you think that you might be late for any reason, please give me a call so that I can activate the Emergency Back Up Standby Caller Plan. And if I haven't already run into you by then, please call me the moment you arrive at the Hall. Humoring me on this will help me breathe a little easier knowing the dance can actually happen now that we have a Caller in the house. Believe me, there would be a riot you'd hear about on CNN if we had to rely only on my calling abilities for a whole evening; I only know how to call one dance (Broken Sixpence) and I think people would get pretty tired of it after the first couple of hours. My cell phone number is below.EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS:
Kimbi Hagen (cell: 404.310.0929)CCD President, Tim Timmer (cell: 678.777.3637)
Call me if there is an emergency. Call both of us if there is a last minute emergency (i.e., one hour or less before show time).
YOUR CELL PHONE:
Do you or anyone travelling with you have a cell phone number I might have? I won't share it but would be happy to know I can reach you en route, if needed.SPECIAL REQUESTS:
What additional information or requests do you have that, if fill-able and filled, would make your visit with us as enjoyable as possible?We look forward to doing your (dance) bidding on [date].
=Kimbi Hagen=
Mic Magician talent wrangler
Standard Band Contract
Dear [Insert name of band contact]
DATE & LOCATION:
[Band name] with [line up] are scheduled to play on [date] at Clarkston Community Center, 3701 College Ave, Clarkston, GA 30021. Driving directions to the dance are on our website at http://www.contradance.org/html/directions.php.CALLER:
The Caller the evening you will be playing is [name]. If you want to contact him/her ahead of time to talk about programming issues, s/he may be reached at [email].PAYMENT:
We pay $360 for stage time plus a graduated amount towards travel expenses (see below). This does not include what we will pay the Caller or sound crew; that will be handled separately. We will pay you in cash and you will need to sign that you received it.Payment towards travel expenses depends on how far a band has driven to reach our dance from their starting point on the day of the dance (i.e. From home or their last gig). Travel payment is per group, not per car.
Zone A (50-150 miles) = $80
Includes driving from Athens, Brasstown, Birmingham
Zone B (151-250 miles) = $150
Includes driving from Asheville, Charlotte, Nashville, Knoxville, Greenville, Savannah, Huntsville
Zone C (251-400 miles) = $200
Includes driving from Raleigh, Greensboro, Memphis, Charleston, Tallahassee, Gainesville
Zone D (>400 miles) = $150
Assumes that bands coming more than 400 miles to reach Atlanta are setting up to tour in the area
NOTE: Even though we have never had to cancel a dance before there is always a first time so please be aware that if our dance the night you are playing is cancelled for circumstances beyond CCD's control* before you have left for Atlanta, this contract is considered to be null and void. If we have to cancel a dance for reasons beyond CCD's control* after you have left for Atlanta, we will pay your travel allowance in full, even if we are able to reach you with news of the cancellation before you arrive at the Hall.
*'Circumstances beyond CCD's control' include, but may not be limited to, closure of the Hall by our landlords or fire/flood/ice/snow/anything else that makes it unsafe to reach or enter the Hall.
HOUSING:
Please tell me whether or not you and any companion(s) travelling with the band will need housing while you are in town and, if so, how many rooms you need and their required configuration (e.g. two members of the band are a couple; no members of the band are a couple but twin beds in same room are OK; unresolved snoring issues require residence in separate rooms, if not separate counties, etc.) We will be happy to put you up with a local dancer so please let me know if you are allergic to anything (e.g. beagles, banjos) or have philosophic stances (e.g bologna, Big Tobacco) that should be taken into consideration when selecting a host family.TRANSPORTATION:
How will you be arriving in Atlanta? Have you made plans for getting yourself and your stuff around while here? Please let me know what help, if any, you are going to need.EQUIPMENT:
Our Sound God would like to see a copy of your stage plot. Please send it to me so that I may pass it on. We have a fairly complete mix of stage equipment on hand but will need a heads up in advance for any special requests.
Note to piano players... We have a Yahmaha P90 electric keyboard with dedicated stage amp on hand. Yes, I've heard that most Yamaha pianos have a repuation for being shite but the P90 is apparently an exception. Among its other nice qualities, this model has some sort of setting that allows you to change the weight of the keys so that musicians who prefer to gently caress the keys and musicians who prefer to channel their inner Jerry Lee Lewis and pound feverishly away at them can be equally happy (or, if you are accustomed to playing nothing but Steinway concert grands, equally unhappy). According to musicians who have used it the keyboard action is as realistic as it comes and that it has "an excellent velocity curve" -- whatever that means* -- that makes for very realistic piano expressiveness. *A search of the internet tells me that that means it has a "graded hammer action with lower notes heavier toward the bottom, just like a real piano." I'm not a piano player but that sounds like a GOOD thing.
SCHEDULE:
Please be on site with all your stuff plugged in by 7:00pm.Sound check, Part I: 7:00 - 7:15pm.
Beginners' lesson: 7:15 - 7:45pm
Sound check, Part II: 7:45 - 8:00pm (mics and monitors are live)
Dance: 8:00 - 11:00pm. If the energy is really cooking we can go as late as 11:15pm
Break: 9:30-9:45pm
PROGRAMMING
It is traditional for the Band to play the first waltz during the break. It isn't required but, if you want, you may also play a couples dance of your style choice at the end of the break, to help signal that the break is almost over. Arrange that with the Caller so that you are all on the same page re: timing of the end of break. Between times we will play a pre-recorded mix of songs or, on some weeks, will have an acoustic waltz set played in the middle of the hall by local musicians. Feel free to use that time to stretch your legs and fingers, do a quick turn about the dance floor, engage in contra commerce, etc.MERCHANDISE:
You may use the edge of the stage to sell CDs, Chihuahuas or any Contra band, non-contraband items you want before/after the dance and during the break. If CD sales are still brisk when the break is due to be over we can assign someone to take over the sales for you so that business (yours) and pleasure (ours) can co-exist to our mutual satisfaction and without undue delay of either.CLOTHING:
Think "layers." We don't heat the Hall during the winter months. Which means that in cold weather the band and dancers eventually occupy parallel but non-contiguous states -- specifically the states of Wisconsin and South Florida. If you are playing under these conditions you may want to bring a jacket, gloves and hat, unless you like to jog in place while playing. You'll probably be fine if you jog. On the other hand, during the warm months it can get to be a sauna in the Hall, even with the AC on full tilt. Playing music in a bathing suit is not illegal in the state of Georgia but, because we dance next door to a Baptist Church, it should probably be a modest one.BEHAVIOR:
As the Band for the evening, you are representing CCD. Our dance community includes an extremely diverse cross-section of ages as well as ethnic, religious, political, sexual, and cultural backgrounds. We work hard to make our dance inviting to as wide a population as possible. As part of that we ask that the band refrain from jokes or statements that poke fun of any broad category of people, except Musicians. Musicians are open season. (Yes, I know this should all go without saying but this paragraph got added after we had to censure a caller one election season a few years back after s/he apparently forgot that Republicans like to contra dance too).FOOD:
Will you be coming into town early enough to eat dinner before the dance? If so, and you are planning to eat out, I'd love to join you unless you are planning to speak exclusively in Esperanto or have a need for some personal "band" time.A great nearby place to eat is the DeKalb Farmer's Market. You’ll have to go through a cafeteria line to get your food but the yumminess, selection, and price (particularly if you choose “light” food since you pay by weight) can’t be beat anywhere else in the entire city of Atlanta. Bring a sweater or a coat, it is cold inside the Farmer’s Market year ‘round. To get there follow directions to the Hall but turn RIGHT onto E. Ponce de Leon from I-285, instead of Left, and go 2 miles. “Your DeKalb Farmers Market” (3000 E. Ponce de Leon Ave) is on the Right at the corner of E. Ponce and Laredo. The cafeteria is in the front left corner of the (massively huge) building.
After the dance is over you are welcome to join our dancers for late nite relaxing, food and conversation at the Corner Pub, in the Avondale neighborhood of Atlanta.
PRE-DANCE CHECK-IN CALL:
Extensive, case-control research on the subject has revealed that it is easier to hold a Contra dance with a band than without one so if I haven't already run into you by then, please call me the moment you arrive. I will breathe easier knowing the Show Will Go On if you do. My cell phone number is below.EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS:
Kimbi Hagen (cell: 404.310.0929)CCD President, Tim Timmer (cell: 678.777.3637)
Call me if there is an emergency. Call both of us if there is a last minute emergency (i.e., one hour or less before show time).
YOUR CELL PHONE:
Do you or anyone travelling with you have a cell phone number I might have? I won't share it but would be happy to know I can reach you en route, if needed.SPECIAL REQUESTS:
What additional information or requests do you have that, if fill-able and filled, would make your visit with us as enjoyable as possible?We look forward to dancing to your tune on [date].
=Kimbi Hagen=
Music Magician talent wrangler