Expectations in Square Dancing?

What do you think is expected from you as the square dance caller at a dance? Probably a lot more than you had initially realized. What do you expect of yourself as a caller, too? Expectations in square dancing completely set the bar for everything a square dance caller needs to stay focused on. So ponder upon some of the following ideas:

The Dancer’s Viewpoint

Reflecting upon a dancer’s perspective, expectations of you, as a caller, is someone who is perceived as knowing how to entertain with personality, showmanship, calling skills, and even humor. These also are some of the main ingredients to making a dance memorable. I like to think of myself as a successful entertainer with tons of hours of entertaining under his belt. I also have learned a lot about being a showman and how to respect my audience – in delivering interesting choreography, making engaging moments with the dancers, and always staying focused on delivering a professional performance. These are all virtues that every caller should strive for and every dancer expects these kinds of qualities at every dance they attend.

Being Organized and Focused

Based on the dancer’s needs, expectations and circumstances they will give you recommendations to other clubs. If you are dealing with an organizer of a special event, the same goes for that contact and the possibility of a referral. Remember that you, as an entertainer, handle all the preparations regarding negotiations, contracts and all other details with the club or event planner for the square dance event. In order for the total overall successful accomplishment of the event from start to finish you will have to be fully prepared. Spend time on your program, choreography, polishing up your performances and repertoire of songs.

Setting a Starting Point

Meeting expectations involves two things – motivation and choice – if you expect something that you want to happen, then you will choose the particular goals and activities to best achieve what you want as a successful outcome. This is so true of anyone who is a student caller looking for sources of motivation and choosing what to do (or not do) in their pursuit of advancing their square dance calling proficiency, and eventually, mastery and success in reaching their intended result. Set goals and focus on exceeding them. Like making your weak choreographic ideas stronger and your overall program better and more engaging.

Square Dance Caller Coach

The square dance coach’s overall role is to promote the growth and development of the beginning student caller and to improve learning and advancement of calling abilities and proficiency. When a new coach is hired, they will give a full study program and will be expected to impact learning in an extreme and effective manner at the very start, thereby initiating a period of apprenticeship for the new square dance caller student to benefit from. A really great coach will not only be knowledgeable, they will understand the expectations of the student within that new caller’s perspective.

Expect Some Self Reflection…

So set aside the program and the choreography for a minute and spend a little time thinking about the dancer’s expectations. Your expectations. If you are learning to call, what your square dance caller coach’s expectations are of you. Focus on your role and meet those expectations by being prepared to EXCEED all of those expectations.

Then you will develop stronger relations with everyone you deal with in the square dance realm, everyday!

Your end goal as a square dance caller is to always exceed dancer’s expectations, deliver a memorable and entertaining dance and make the persons who hired you look like a bunch of winners.

Best Regards,

Shaun Werkele

303-250-4735

 

 

Mission Statement: The purpose of this post is to create a greater visibility of the square dance activity for future dance population growth on a national and local level. The coaching information provided here serves as a source for square dance calling education training and perspectives on dance. Future articles will be developed to improve the programs of square dancing and how those learning to square dance call can help contribute to the preservation of both modern western square dancing and traditional square dancing and to aid in the growth of the square dance activity.