One neat thing I’ve used Cursor for recently is translating my contra dance programs from photos of my physical cards to the YAML format I use to record them.

#3goodthings @3goodthings
1. First time ever paying US $7 for a really small latte in a cup and saucer at a chi-chi cafe. BUT- good thing is it really makes me super appreciate the family run Mexican cafe in my own little town... awesome Mexican Mocha Large latte for $350! )plus free plain coffee refills)
2. I'm so enjoying observing my way-too-FAT red tabby cat Rufus slowly losing weight on his new diet of three months- he's gone from 18 to 16 lbs. He hates the diet but he's looking and acting so much better! One more lb to go.
3. Met up with a new friend from going to #ContraDance s ... we met for coffee in a town halfway between us. Much blabbing and fun was had for 2 hours, I'm so glad we did this. Makes it more of a 'real life' friendship rather than just seeing each other at dances.

"Falshoods programmers believe about contra dances"

Many contra dance callers use The Caller’s Box, a phenomenal dance choreography database from Chris Page and Michael Dyck. For those of us who primarily call gender free dances, though, using it requires mental translation from gendered role terms to gender neutral ones. I’ve created a browser plugin, Caller’s Box Configurator, to fix this.

#ContraDance #TradFolk #DanceCalling

https://chromamine.com/2025/03/callers-box-configurator/

I recently got hotcues/looping working in my @mixxx plugin for the KeyLab Mk1, so I'm learning how to use them. The DJs I know do blues or Lindy with no live mixing though. There's a DJed contra dance in town, and they'd have to be able to loop until the caller decides the dance is over I assume? Is this something contra DJs actually do, or are DJed dances normally just exact lengths to pre-recorded songs? I've only ever been to live contras before. Do I know anyone who does this?

This is a post looking for that quirky bunch of friends (some on bluesky now) who enjoy #ContraDance #FolkMusic #MyAlaskaWx #FensterFriday #Yukon #IndigenousLanguage @thelmaleuba.bsky.social is one person I hope to reach this way Wider net includes #GregoryGardens #GirlScouts
#MDUSD #OccidentalCollege So if this works right, I write on Mastodon and folks can read on Mastodon AND on BlueSky. (but it might be a magic spell I havenʼt perfected yet)

#introduction post! I'm rootrambler, a #landscape designer, #writer and #maker

I'm interested in the history of collective land use, peasant customs/resistance, farming, hunting and gathering, and foraging. Interested in dye, fiber, and food plants Hoping to use this platform to share what I'm reading/learning!

I also do #hiking #backpacking #contradance and garment #sewing

It occurred to me recently that I don’t think there are any contra dances that feature a set and link figure that's popular in Scottish Country Dance. So I decided to write some!

https://chromamine.com/2024/11/set-and-link-contras/

On my summer tour with Kingfisher the organizers of one dance told me that their group would tolerate Larks/Robins for role terms, but *preferred* Ladies/Gents. After talking it over with some other callers and dancers and weighing the factors (What will feel best for me? What will be best for the dancers? What will be good for contra dance in general?) I opted to call Larks/Robins.

https://chromamine.com/2024/07/calling-a-gendered-series-gender-free/

I just wrapped up a weeklong summer contra dance calling tour with Kingfisher (@jefftk and Cecilia Vacanti). This was my first time on tour!

We played six dances in six days with an extra day for travel at the start and an extra two days at the end, for a total of nine days on the road. We performed at these dances:

https://chromamine.com/2024/07/summer-tour-with-kingfisher-reflections/

Name: Rich
Pronouns: he/him

Dance: Binghamton Morris Men (2002–); American Travelling Morrice (2003–); formerly Bassett Street Hounds, Ribbonsteel Rapper, Thornden Morris, Salt Springs Morris, and Wild Blue Morris (all Syracuse, NY) and Flying Bark Morris (Newport News, VA). Contras and English country dances mainly in Syracuse.

1/3

#introduction #morrisDancing #Binghamton #contraDancing
#morris #contra #morrisDance #contraDance #dance #dancing #folkDance #folkDancing #EnglishCountryDance

In response to my most recent post about calling dances in Nantucket, Maia wrote to me:

> Harris, I have the world's stupidest bone to pick with you. Re the dance cards on your website: I don’t think “Duple Neutral” actually means anything?

Okay, I should explain myself.

#ContraDance #TradFolk #gender

https://chromamine.com/2024/05/how-should-we-notate-role-free-contra-dance-formation/

This week I called the Nantucket's First Community Contra Dance. It was an unusual gig. The organizer is starting a contra dance community from scratch on the island. There were a small handful of experienced dancers she knew, but aside from them, the crowd was entirely new.

#ContraDance #TradFolk #Nantucket #SocialDance

https://chromamine.com/2024/05/calling-the-first-dance-in-a-community/

Today is my very favorite day of the month- when my favorite #knitting group occurs during the afternoon and happens to coincide with my favorite monthly #ContraDance tonight. Sooo much social fun in one day! Definitely counters some other days full of unpleasant tasks.
A day like today feels like fueling up my soul's gas tank.

For the second year in a row @jefftk invited me to call contra dances with his band Kingfisher on his porch for #Somerville Porchfest, for dancers in the street. I wrote a bit last year about some of the interesting challenges in calling at this particular event and they were the same this year.

#ContraDance #TradFolk #music #dance

https://chromamine.com/2024/05/calling-contras-at-porchfest-2024/

Called to a small but devoted crowd in Concord last night and as a rare treat it was spacious enough and with experienced enough dancers for me to call this beautiful dance composition by Erik Hoffman, titled “There is no Way to Peace; Peace is the Way” (after an A.J. Muste quote).

I’m typically not a star promenade and butterfly whirl fan, but for this dance I make an exception.

For years now, one of my pet favorites in contra dancing has been the “wowee,” a figure that involves rolling away with your neighbor across the set and immediately releasing the connection to catch your partner for a swing.

Someone told me the term and figure were both borrowed from Modern Western Square Dancing. But MWSD dancers I came across said, "Nope, that's not a figure."

#Contra #ContraDance #SocialDance

https://chromamine.com/2024/02/origin-of-the-wowee/

About to call a #ContraDance at #Boskone in Boston. If you’re at the con, come out and dance! I’m a friendly instructor and I’ll be teaching a workshop before the dance.

The band, Chimney Swift, is also stellar!

Workshop at 6:30PM, dancing at 7PM.