Computer Coaching

Over the years, I have written many articles for magazines, newsletters, callers’ school handouts, and seminar handouts. Some have on going value and I am posting them for anyone interested in reading them. Here is an index with a brief description of each one, and a link to the full article.
Computer Numbers, A History
This article is a history of number systems used for mixing dancers in squares to insure that people don’t dance with the same people each tip. I oridinally wrote it in 2001 for the Call Sheet.

Computer Numbers, What Are They and Why
In 1978, I wrote an article in Shop Talk, my monthly column in the New England Caller magazine, that told dancers about “computer numbers.” Here is a slightly condensed version of the article.

Non-Destructive Testing
When a caller sizes up a floor of dancers to see what kind of material he can call, he should not do so in a manner that makes the dancers fail. Here are some thoughts on how to do that that I originally wrote in 1999 for the Call Sheet.

What Makes Choreography Difficult (and Why Should We Care)
Much has been done to try to identify what makes some choreographic sequences more difficult than others and to try to teach callers how to control the difficulty of the choreography they deliver. In the 1980s, I took a slightly different approach to try to help callers get a handle on this problem. I hope you find this handout I wrote in 1990 interesting.

Motherhood and Apple Pie
(Is It Our Image? Can Non-Dancers Relate to Us?)
In 1984, I wrote an article in Shop Talk, my monthly column in the New England Caller magazine, called “Motherhood and Apple Pie,” that questioned whether we are using the right terms when we present ourselves to non-dancers. Now, 23 years later, things are slowly starting to change in some areas, but old ways die slowly. Read the article and see what you think.

The Calling Computer (A Bit of History)
The January 1991 issue of American SquareDance Magazine had an article I wrote for their On Line column. It told of a group of dancers who danced to the calling of a computer. Yes, the computer made up the choreography and “called” it to the dancers as it went along. At the time, I thought it was the first time that this had been done, and I haven’t heard of it being repeated since. If you are interested in this piece of history, check it out.
Last updated on 18 September 2007