• Home
  • Blog
  • Forum
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Resources
  • Workshops
  • Street Team
  • Code of Ethics
  • Friday Flourishes
  • Contact
  Contra Syncretist
Connect with Contra Syncretist!

Organizing and Calling Club Contras: Brian Hamshar

5/23/2011

 
Picture
“One of the reasons I decided to get into dance calling, aside from my love of contra and related dance forms, was so that I could make a positive contribution to the advancement and evolution of the community, the ‘folk process,’” says Brian Hamshar. He is the resident caller and organizer of Club Contras, a monthly crossover contra series at Greenwood Community Center in Greenwood, VA (near Charlottesville).

So what gave him the idea to start the series, originally?

“My brother Clayton [a.k.a. DJ Solar Sound] and I had attended a techno contra ‘feature’ at the Whipperstompers dance weekend a couple of years ago. We thought it was a cool idea and imagined that having full-night dances with DJ music someday might be a fun addition to the mix of options already available. Better yet, perhaps this could even attract new dancers who had not yet acquired a love of the folk or string-band music that is currently standard at most contra dances. About a year ago I started hearing about full-night techno contra dances in places like Asheville, NC that appeared to be successful. I started to think that we could bring that fun to Virginia. I felt that I could help bring what then seemed like a fringe activity into the mainstream, by both improving upon the format which was still in its infancy and bringing the fun to new audiences.” Last November I heard about the new Contra Sonic project in the Washington DC area, which was to be monthly, and approached Clayton with ‘Why not us? Why not now?’ He agreed. We worked on details over the Christmas break and had our premiere Club Contra on January 30. The fact that there was a DJ readily available and enthusiastic at that time,
who was an experienced contra dancer and knew about the basic requirements
of music form, was a crucial kickstart that allowed Club Contras to get off the
ground in very little time.”

Brian continues, “I was acutely aware from my first exposure to techno contra that there are some unique challenges involved in selecting club music that is not only intensely fun to listen and move to but also highly ‘danceable.’ Most club music is not particularly ‘phrased’ and not set at an ideal tempo for folk dancing, and we had observed how this fact sometimes resulted in chaos on the dance floor. We made it one of our missions to optimize the mating of dances and carefully chosen musical selections, and we know that there would be some trial and error involved. I decided at the outset to make our new series about once a month, which seemed about the right interval for reviewing the results and developing strategies to make the next one better while not losing too much momentum. Club Contras was initially a family project with house DJ Solar Sound and myself calling, was also a dollars and cents decision. After all, we could (and did) decide that we were willing to not pay ourselves initially if necessary in order  to keep the series alive long enough to see it mature. And we did make great strides in four months. I think that early learning curve was hastened because of the continuity of the two-brother team. At the same time, having something be essentially the same over and over is not a good way to grow the movement, and I recognized that downside very quickly in terms of attendance being less than hoped. I'm looking forward to having a variety of callers and musicians next fall -- I like to dance techno too!”

Another challenge has been learning how best to pace the evening. “We started out programming a number of single dances followed by several medleys, each with four to six dances and music running continuously for up to 45 minutes.  We've learned, however, that optimal dancer energy is achieved when the medleys are shorter and fewer but the downtime between dances is briefly and ideally features some music to maintain the mood while people run for their water bottles. My method has been to program the single dances first (when most of the teaching occurs) and ask Clayton to assemble music for each with a certain tempo/style (e.g. first two dance moderate tempo with strong phrasing, third dance slower to accommodate heys, next one can be faster). For the medleys I leave it to the DJ's discretion but specify some general parameters. For example, I ask that each dance within the medley be about 5-7 minutes, that there be some noticeable style change and tempo change to accompany each choreography change, and that the music just after a transition be very rhythmic and have no vocals. With luck I receive mp3s of the songs to be used several days before the dance -- just the songs, not premixed, as the actual mixing is done live and can be tweaked in real time in response to actual dance floor conditions. I listen to the medleys and plan out some possible dances for each segment, sometimes setting down the entire program in advance depending on how much time I have. This process naturally will be a bit different for other DJs, and my guest callers will probably have their own style. There are even some talented people who do it all -- call dances to music mixes they have prepared or obtained in advance.”

"Brian also learned from Contra Sonic in Washington, DC: “A lot of learning has occurred within both groups, both separately and through sharing of knowledge. The remaining challenges include resisting any tendency to play music too fast too much of the time, which causes dancers to fall behind and makes the dancing sloppy and unsatisfying. Whenever the time comes that I book a different caller (or DJ), I will likely insist that they collaborate on music in advance just as we do, simply because this music genre is trickier than folk or rock music, providing unique challenges and opportunities both. I think there's general agreement on that; to my knowledge all Contra Sonic callers have done so, including Nils Fredland and Will Mentor, who are renowned callers at the top of their game.”

There have been other challenges as well to organizing Club Contras:

“Well, first of all, club style music calls for a different personality in the dance hall. We use colored lights at a reduced level plus special lighting effects such as moving LED displays and, most noticeably, black lights. Likewise, we try to keep the music playing longer to better approximate a club atmosphere as opposed to, say, a folk or bluegrass concert - thus use of some dance medleys, which is a value decision we made that is regularly revisited/adjusted. Also, I needed to acquire an ASCAP/BMI license to utilize copyrighted recordings at our dances. These are actually organizer issues; I include them because I personally fill that role as well as currently calling the dances.”

Meanwhile, “The caller has to program the evening's dances more conservatively than for a regular contra. Dances that are part of a medley later in the evening must be simpler so that they can be accomplished successfully without walk-through. This is especially true because we do not limit our series to advanced dancers, and we do in fact have some beginners each and every time. But for the most part, all of the dances have to be fairly simple and forgiving because a lot of the music we use has vague phrasing and overall faster tempo than we typically expect from a dance band. All of this means greater potential for things to go awry on the dance floor. The caller has to take responsibility to count through the music whenever there is any doubt about phrasing so the dancers don't have to, and must be prepared to supply certain calls, abbreviated, throughout the dance if the music is tricky and timing is crucial for dancer success. If a few dancers do manage to get out of timing, the ‘trouble spot’ can spread really quickly, and the caller must be vigilant to catch them early. And yes, all this has most definitely sharpened my skills and given me more confidence when calling traditional dances.”

Brian also mentioned that calling for Club Contras has affected his calling for traditional contras in that he didn’t expect to pay as much attention to tempo as he now does.

“Also, I've been amazed by how much joy and energy I see on the dance floor at our techno contra even if the crowd is pretty small (as few as 30), certainly better than the average traditional contra with a similar number of dancers. I believe the continuous medleys are partly responsible for that. The medley is a great tool for a small crowd that gives the caller an alternative to the usual choice between shortening dances (which interrupts the energy) or having the dancers do the same things with all the same neighbors several times (which will start to seem boring to many dancers). On the other hand, we've found that the ideal length for these dance medleys is not very much longer than the customary dance length, maybe 15-20 minutes tops, because the dancers do need to hydrate and rest a bit after all the exertion. We don't want the hardcore dancers to have to consider leaving the set (and miss out on dancing) to drink water, or worse yet, be tempted not to hydrate!”

So how has the response been so far?

“My initial announcement of this project in January was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Sure, a few people were not in favor of the concept and choose not to participate at all, and I respect that. By and large, the individuals who help run the dances in this area have been supportive in the sense that they would like to see this series succeed and help the overall contra community here to remain vibrant. Paul Rosen made a revision to [the Central Virginia Contra Dancers’] website to accommodate Club Contras. Will Martin and Jim Creegan have eagerly made themselves available for sound support. My colleagues on the boards of our Friday and Sunday dances (ACCDSS and Contra Corners, respectively) have been cooperative with the logistics of securing additional access to the dance venues, and of course have helped to publicize our events. All of the actual planning for Club Contras has been mine. At the present time, I personally handle the building rental agreements for all of the area contra dances, so that has been pretty straightforward.”

As for the dancers, “The response has been enthusiastic. The actual attendance has varied. My current theory about that is, in the Charlottesville region, a majority of dancers are accustomed to looking forward to a high quality dance on a Sunday at the Greenwood Community Center, as opposed to a Friday or Saturday or at our downtown dance venue (Municipal Arts Center). We have experimented with various permutations of day of week and location. The premiere Club Contra (Sunday, January 30 at Greenwood) was the best attended so far, about 80. The others ranged from maybe 30 to 50.”

“A couple of months ago I decided that we could use a bigger event to act as a fundraiser to help sustain the series (which receives no financial backing from any organization...just me) and hopefully expose more dancers to a positive, fun experience with techno contra. Thus Contra-phoria was born. The first of a hopefully recurring series of day-long dance parties will be held on Memorial Day featuring Perpetual e-Motion with a two hour techno contra in the middle (right after dinner). Plans are already being sketched out for the next full day event in a few months.”

Before press time, DJ Solar Sound left the Club Contras project. However, Brian says the series is still alive and well and will continue on:

“My intention from the beginning was for Club Contras to evolve into a real dance series, with a variety of music and callers, not just be a recurring dance with me calling and DJ Solar Sound every time. I did program the initial half season that way (January-May) mainly to test the waters and keep my financial exposure down since both of us were okay with being paid little to nothing. For the full 2011-12 season I always intended to invite others to call and several DJs in rotation.”

Brian is still debating whether to hold Club Contras over the summer, or just start up again in the fall given that “it's not typical in central Virginia, which could be either good or bad,” given that it’s not on anyone's mind out of habit, but then again there might be “higher than usual enthusiasm from people needing a dancing fix."

Brian adds, "For the 2011-2012 season, First Sundays at Greenwood will be the home of Club Contras. After Memorial Day we will take a breather for part of the summer but will resume sometime between August and October, There will be several different regional callers and DJs presenting a variety of music ranging from techno to 'electro-pop', 'electro-trad' and even disco for your dancing pleasure. Check out our website or Facebook page for updates."

In the meantime, though, there is Contra-phoria on May 30 with Perpetual e-Motion and Washington, DC’s dJ improper, which will be a great kickoff to summer for the Mid-Atlantic region!

Brian Hamshar, in addition to calling for Contra-phoria on Memorial Day (May 30), will be calling for a techno contra in Asheville, NC on June 4 with DJ Sheldon Lieberman, and will be producing a techno contra after-party at FootFall dance weekend in September. Brian is also booked to call Contra Sonic on May 24 (yes, tomorrow!) and on July 21. He has been booked to call traditional dances all over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina and is available for future bookings. He is also an experienced saxophonist and appears regularly in several central Virginia-based symphonic and jazz/swing bands. Special thanks to him for letting me pick his brain about the Club Contras series.


Comments are closed.
    This project has concluded as of mid-2013 (with an epilogue posted mid-2016) but we hope to see you soon on a contra dance floor! Meanwhile, head over to our Facebook page for upcoming techno contra events and other items of interest.

    The 100+ Friday Flourish videos can still be found on YouTube.

    Author

    I dance with abandon. I play with glowsticks. I look for music that is conducive to one or both. I play behind cameras.  I write about all of the above. I'm based in Glen Echo's contra dance community outside of Washington, D.C., but I'm happy to go dance afield when I can. Lather, rinse, repeat. Always repeat.

    Archives

    June 2016
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011

    Categories

    All
    Aaron Marcus
    Advanced Dances
    Alan Foss
    Album Review
    Alex Krogh-Grabbe
    Allemande
    Allemande Swing
    Alternative Music Party
    Alternative Twirl Out From Promenade
    Andrew Marcus
    Andrew Vannorstrand
    Andrew Van Norstrand
    Andy Reiner
    Anna Kendrick
    Anna Rain
    Anne Midgette
    Ann Fallon
    Arlington Va
    Ascap. Bmi
    Asheville Nc
    Atlanta Ga
    Back Lead
    Backward Swing
    Backward Swing With Lasso
    Balance And Play
    Balance-&-swing Transition
    Balance Switch
    Bates College
    Beatles Contra
    Behind-the-Back Swing Variant
    Bennett Schatz
    Bev Bernbaum
    Binary Blackout
    Blaise Thompson
    Blogger
    Blogger's Soapbox
    Blogger's Soapbox
    Blogger’s Soapbox
    Blues
    Brendan Carey Block
    Brendan Taaffe
    Brian Hamshar
    Burning Man
    Cake
    California Twirl
    Caller
    Call For Submissions
    Cha-cha Slide
    Chaos Lines
    Chattaboogie
    Chelsea Co
    Choreography
    Chrissy Fowler
    Christopher Jacoby
    Christylez Bacon
    Claps
    Clark Baker
    Club Contras
    Community
    Connie's Whirl
    Consent
    Content
    Contra Evolution
    Contra Evolution.
    Contra Evolution. Greenfield Ma
    Contraforce
    Contra-phoria
    Contra Shenanigans
    Contrashock
    Contra Sonic
    Contrastock
    Cool Hip Dancer
    Copyright
    Costuming
    Courtesy Twirl
    Cover Bands
    Crabs
    Crowding
    Cuddle Swing
    Cuddle Swing Switch
    Cuddle-up California Twirl
    Culture Clash
    Cups
    Dana Parkinson
    Dance Experiment
    Dancers
    Dance Weekends
    Dancing In Small Spaces
    Dancing Switch
    Dan Kappus
    Dave Colestock
    Dave Eisenstadter
    Dead Cat Bounce
    Decadance
    Deca-dance
    Deca-dance Event
    Demon Barber Roadshow
    Diane Silver
    Dj
    Dj Fml
    Dj Gaga
    Dj Improper
    Dj Nu B
    Dj Shel D
    Dj Solar Sound
    Donna Hunt
    Do Si Do
    Double Allemande Swing
    Double Apex
    Double Twirl Under
    Doug Plummer
    Ecd
    Ed Howe
    Editorial
    Eileen Thorsos
    Elbow Swing
    Electric Camel Contra
    Electric Slide
    Electrotrad
    Elyse Marder
    Eric Harris
    Eric Johnson
    Fads
    Fiddlefoxx
    Firecloud
    Flash Mob
    Flourishes
    Flurry Festival
    Flying Swing Switch
    Follow
    Footfall
    Footworks
    Fox News
    Fremont Abbey
    Friday Flourish
    Gangnam Style
    Gate
    Gaye Fifer
    Gender Balance
    Gender Free Contra
    Gender-free Contra
    Gender Roles
    Gents Chain
    Gents Swing
    George Marshall
    Gerry Diver
    Giant Robot Dance
    Giant Swallow Motion
    Glen Loper
    Glossary
    Greenfield Ma
    Greenwood Va
    Gypsy Meltdown Twirl
    Hank Morris
    Hay For Four
    High Ceilidh Swing
    High Ceilidh Wing
    High Contrast
    Hip-hop
    Hiphop Contra33bdaf614f
    History
    Housekeeping
    Infographic
    Intergenerationality
    Jack Mitchell
    Jamie Oshima
    Jayjfresh02b2d7b2bf
    Jeff Kaufman
    Jesse Edgerton
    John Cote
    John Pranio
    Jordy Williams
    Julie Vallimont
    Ladies
    Ladies Chain
    Ladies Chained9d7891b2
    Lead
    Lewiston Me
    Licensing
    Lighting
    Lights
    Links
    Lisa Greenleaf
    Live At The Butterball
    London Bridge Hay
    Long Lines
    Louis Dow
    Low Ceilidh Swing
    Macarena
    Madonna
    Marketing
    Marlin Prowell
    Martin Hayes
    Martyn Bennett
    Medley
    Melissa Taggart
    Mel Novner
    Mens Chain
    Miami Fl
    Michael Ferguson
    Midswingc4f63a1de0
    Midswing Spinoutb14a07051c
    Midtwirl Reverse8b8dd124c4
    Mike Wilson-jones
    Miriam Baker
    Misdivine
    Money Musk
    Moral Issue
    Morris
    Mosh Pit
    Music
    New Dancers
    News Coverage
    New York Ny
    Nils Fredland
    Noah Van Norstrand
    North Carolina
    North Whitefield Me
    Organizer
    Other Syncretists
    Outreach
    Over The Head Slide
    Parallel Variant On Crabs
    Pattycake
    Paul Dalessio5fc83e8cd1
    Pawbat Twirl3677eefc75
    Penelope Weinberger
    Perpetual E Motion
    Perpetual Emotionab4aa3ee79
    Perry Shafran
    Petronella
    Phase X
    Portland
    Portland Or
    Pretzel Swing
    Principle
    Promenade
    Ray Polhemus
    Redux
    Resolutions
    Reverse Cape Position
    Reverse Courtesy Turn
    Reverse Ripcord Twirl Variant
    Rick Mohr
    Ripcord Twirl
    Road Stories
    Roanoke Wv
    Roll Away
    Rollover
    Ross Harriss
    Rss Feed
    Safety
    Sarah Dicegoldberg38fd311c67
    Scout House
    Sean Oshima
    Seattle Wa
    Sesac
    Seth Tepfer
    Seventeen
    Shiny Objects
    Simple Twirl Switch
    Singing Squares
    Skaters
    Sonny Newman
    Soulja Boy
    Sound Mixing
    Spark In The Dark
    Spider Vetter
    Spinout
    Spokane Wa
    Stanford Ca
    St Petersburg Fld35dde8e84
    Street Team
    Stretches
    Survey
    Swallowtail
    Swing
    Switch
    Technoberfest
    Techno Contra
    Technophoria
    Ted Hodapp
    Terpsichore
    Terra Price
    The Henry Road Bandits
    The Matt Blackfield Project
    The Speech Project
    The System
    The Turtle Duhks
    Things To Think About
    Tobacco Road
    Toki Oshima
    Tradeoff Twirl
    Transsiberian Orchestra6b3cf55bca
    Traveling Swing
    Tricky Swing
    Turn Under
    Twirl
    Twirl In Switch
    Twisted Swing
    Twisty Chain
    Twitter
    Two Handed Ladies Chain
    Ufo
    Uk
    Variety
    Vernals4785e4f52b
    Vicki Herndon
    Videos
    Vince Budnick
    Waltz Variant On Crab Swing
    Washington Dc
    Wendy Graham
    Whipperstomper Balance
    Whipperstompers
    Whitefield Me
    Will Mentor
    Willow Grove Pa
    World
    Xecd
    Youth Dance Weekend
    Yuja Wang

    Comments are welcome; spam-bots and disrespectful behaviors are not. Please do (nicely) point out errors if they are found.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from edwin.bautista, Cupcake KITSCHen, Ivy Dawned, Martin Pettitt, quinn.anya, LimeTech, avlxyz, Sarah and Jason, Bill Ward's Brickpile