Right before your friendly neighborhood crossover contra blogger left for vacation, she caught up with Ann Fallon, who called the Contra Sonic dance in Arlington, VA on June 22, to talk about what it was like for Ann to call her first techno contra. Unlike some people, Ann had attended a couple of Contra Sonic events before she called, one before and one after the move to Artisphere in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, VA. She had watched a few format changes over the course of the series as well: “The first Contra Sonic I attended had several very long medleys, and I understand that some of the ones after that one had long medleys as well, one being an hour long. The format at DC Contra Sonic has evolved to regular length dances, with the emphasis being on keeping to simpler dances with low piece counts so the dancers can just dance to the music.”
The experience of calling traditional contra and techno contra did not differ as much as she thought it would. “I was concerned about possibly losing my place in the music. I’m not very familiar with the tunes used for crossover contras,” she says. “Although I knew that Jeremiah [Seligman, a.k.a. dJ improper] made the tunes be dance length, 64 beats, etc., and of course I know how to count beats, some of the music I had heard at the dances I attended seemed to have unclear phrasing. I knew there would be an 8 count intro rather than the usual 4 … and I was prepared to count throughout each dance. But it was easier than I thought to keep track of the parts of the dance, and …. and this was awesome … the dancers were so attuned to the music and for the most part were very experienced, they had absolutely no trouble hearing the phrasing and keeping the dance where it belonged. So I began each dance counting rather than ‘feeling’ the phrasing as I would normally do … but I didn’t count for very long … maybe twice through the dance.”
The experience of calling traditional contra and techno contra did not differ as much as she thought it would. “I was concerned about possibly losing my place in the music. I’m not very familiar with the tunes used for crossover contras,” she says. “Although I knew that Jeremiah [Seligman, a.k.a. dJ improper] made the tunes be dance length, 64 beats, etc., and of course I know how to count beats, some of the music I had heard at the dances I attended seemed to have unclear phrasing. I knew there would be an 8 count intro rather than the usual 4 … and I was prepared to count throughout each dance. But it was easier than I thought to keep track of the parts of the dance, and …. and this was awesome … the dancers were so attuned to the music and for the most part were very experienced, they had absolutely no trouble hearing the phrasing and keeping the dance where it belonged. So I began each dance counting rather than ‘feeling’ the phrasing as I would normally do … but I didn’t count for very long … maybe twice through the dance.”
Before the dance, Ann was in touch with the DJ and was very involved in the music prep beforehand. “We emailed each other several times. I had requested a specific mix and he did try to furnish it for me, but it didn’t work out. He was able to tell me that each mix began with the 8 count intro, then once through the tune/dance with no vocals, then the vocals would kick in. Before the gig began we listened to some of the tunes and he pointed out different things about them, showed me how to see how much longer the tune would run, etc. So I was able to look at his board and figure out how close we were to ending. 99% of the mixes ended with the end of the dance … several did not. That felt weird to me, but the dancers didn’t seem to mind. At the gig he asked me to describe the dances and he’d pick the mix.”
With all this in mind, Ann says that were she to do it over, she would “try to work with Jeremiah to end all dances with in the right place, which would mean sometimes ending the tune a little early. I know we could make it happen. And I’d try to make sure there was a no-lyrics mix for calling a square.”
“I was surprised at how much fun it was for me, and that I was able to relax after each dance got going. As mentioned above, I was expecting to have to count and be on the alert all the way through each dance. It was a pleasure to watch the different styles of dancing going on. The ‘swing-dance’ type moves that sometimes seem inappropriate with traditional music were exactly right for alternative music. And the overall sense of timing on the floor was awesome.”
So then, where does she see techno and crossover contras fitting into the evolving contra tradition/community?
“That’s a big question,” she replies. “I know that there’s a feeling that crossover contras will help bring in and keep young dancers in the traditional dance community. I’m all for that. I know my Contra Sonic dance was a small sample, but I think that I recognized 99 percent of the ‘young’ dancers as being regulars at contra dances with traditional music. That’s very reassuring to me. I like the way this question is phrased … ‘fitting into the evolving contra tradition,’ because things are always evolving in some way. Just look back at how contra dancing has evolved since the 1970s. I think it behooves us ‘older’ callers and dancers to make a real effort, however, to help newer dancers appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the dance form as it was in the beginning. I don’t quite see doing Petronella to alternative music …. But there are other ways.”
When asked if she’d like to do it again, Ann was rather enthusiastic: “I’d love to call another one, especially with D.J. Improper. He’s very attentive to what’s going on … I don’t know quite how to describe this, but with some mixes he would actually make hands-on alterations as the dance went on (i.e., making sure a non-square tune stayed square). A few times he used sets that allowed him to dance, but for the most past he was right there reassuring me, helping me know when the dance would end, making comments about the various mixes, etc.”
Ann also mentioned another idea that I found really interesting: “I’m curious as to what it would be like to call a techno dance for all new dancers who haven’t yet developed their sense of timing, phrasing, etc.”
Ann Fallon is a caller based out of Annapolis, MD and is an active member of the Annapolis Traditional Dance Society. On Saturday, July 23, 2011, she will be calling at the annual SummerTunes 2011 Dance in Frederick, MD with the SummerTunes Orchestra. Special thanks to her for being willing to share her experiences calling Contra Sonic!
With all this in mind, Ann says that were she to do it over, she would “try to work with Jeremiah to end all dances with in the right place, which would mean sometimes ending the tune a little early. I know we could make it happen. And I’d try to make sure there was a no-lyrics mix for calling a square.”
“I was surprised at how much fun it was for me, and that I was able to relax after each dance got going. As mentioned above, I was expecting to have to count and be on the alert all the way through each dance. It was a pleasure to watch the different styles of dancing going on. The ‘swing-dance’ type moves that sometimes seem inappropriate with traditional music were exactly right for alternative music. And the overall sense of timing on the floor was awesome.”
So then, where does she see techno and crossover contras fitting into the evolving contra tradition/community?
“That’s a big question,” she replies. “I know that there’s a feeling that crossover contras will help bring in and keep young dancers in the traditional dance community. I’m all for that. I know my Contra Sonic dance was a small sample, but I think that I recognized 99 percent of the ‘young’ dancers as being regulars at contra dances with traditional music. That’s very reassuring to me. I like the way this question is phrased … ‘fitting into the evolving contra tradition,’ because things are always evolving in some way. Just look back at how contra dancing has evolved since the 1970s. I think it behooves us ‘older’ callers and dancers to make a real effort, however, to help newer dancers appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the dance form as it was in the beginning. I don’t quite see doing Petronella to alternative music …. But there are other ways.”
When asked if she’d like to do it again, Ann was rather enthusiastic: “I’d love to call another one, especially with D.J. Improper. He’s very attentive to what’s going on … I don’t know quite how to describe this, but with some mixes he would actually make hands-on alterations as the dance went on (i.e., making sure a non-square tune stayed square). A few times he used sets that allowed him to dance, but for the most past he was right there reassuring me, helping me know when the dance would end, making comments about the various mixes, etc.”
Ann also mentioned another idea that I found really interesting: “I’m curious as to what it would be like to call a techno dance for all new dancers who haven’t yet developed their sense of timing, phrasing, etc.”
Ann Fallon is a caller based out of Annapolis, MD and is an active member of the Annapolis Traditional Dance Society. On Saturday, July 23, 2011, she will be calling at the annual SummerTunes 2011 Dance in Frederick, MD with the SummerTunes Orchestra. Special thanks to her for being willing to share her experiences calling Contra Sonic!
