[Squaredancing] Tom Fromm

[Loren Castro]

Thanks, Jim, for the added information about Tom and for the links to 
your site.  I had hoped to find some comments about styling (I'll 
continue to look), but for now, I'm happy to have found the following 
excerpts:
*******************
Tom Fromm writes:
58. CENTERS IN: Starting formation -whenever there is a couple with 
their backs to the center of the set facing or standing behind another 
couple (e.g. eight chain thru, completed double pass thru). The outside 
dancers step apart as the centers step forward and between them to form 
a line.

STYLING: The active couple should use couple handhold and, if stepping 
in between couples facing the same direction, join hands in a line of 
four. If the active couple steps in between a couple facing in the 
opposite direction, use hands-up position with the end dancers. TIMING: 
2 steps.

Horst, Bill wrote:
I first teach them centers in without the all-too-standard follow up 
call of cast off 3/4. Instead I use "centers partner trade and then the 
ends run." (Normal lines) How would "Centers In, Wheel and Deal" work? 
Say, "Centers In, see your lines?, Wheel & Deal" -- could the dancers 
dance it? If you wanted to do Centers In, Partner Trade with those doing 
the Partner Trade being BOTH the RESULTING couples after the Centers 
In,(instead of just the two center people also doing the Partner Trade) 
what helper words could you use to make it happen? ...yeh, let's do 
SOMETHING other than Centers In, Cast Off 3/4.
*******************
I'm not a caller, but I've formed some strong opinions about (among 
other things) styling in square dancing during the last 20 years.  Here 
are three of them:

Opinion 1.  I'm delighted to see that at least one caller (Fromm) is 
teaching Centers In with "The active couple should use couple handhold 
and, if stepping in between couples facing the same direction, join 
hands in a line of four" instead of the execrable "hook elbows with the 
outside couple."  Our weak club now has a relatively inexperienced 
caller who tried to teach handholds after Centers In.  The class 
chairman jumped all over him and bullied him into teaching "hooked 
elbows."  I hope no caller ever teaches "hooked elbows" again.

Opinion 2:  I'm also delighted to see that at least one caller (Holst) 
is teaching ". . .  Centers In without the all-too-standard follow-up 
call of Cast Off 3/4."  Some years ago, a part-time dancer and full-time 
bozo nearly yanked off my left arm after Centers In followed by several 
seconds of silence.

Opinion 3:  Typically, the call Centers In ends up with same sex couples 
in the line of four, which at Mainstream and Plus usually means the 
awkward and distracting flip-flopping of inside hands.  CallerLab 
could--and should--provide a great service to dancers by teaching "left 
palm down, right palm up" for all dancers in all positions at all levels 
from the beginning.  It works really well at Advanced.  (I have no idea 
what the Challenge dancers do.)

Loren
-----
Jim wrote:

> At 07:40 PM 3/25/2005, you wrote:
>
>> Hello Loren and others!
>>    Thanks for pointing out, that I didn't mention where we call home. 
>> We live in Columbia City, IN. We're located in the north eastern part 
>> of the state, about 20 miles west of Fort Wayne.
>>    Kathy doesn't get on the computer very much, so you won't hear 
>> from her much. I'll "lurk" for a while, to see where the threads are 
>> heading, before I respond much. I enjoy talking about square dance 
>> when I have free time.
>>  
>> Take Care!
>>         Tom Fromm
>>
>>     -
>>
>
> Tom has been a great contributer in the past to the callers forum. He 
> has made many contributions to the ways of doing calls that can be 
> found at http://penrod-sq-dancing.com/program.html and
> http://penrod-sq-dancing.com/pluslist.html . Just click on the 
> particular call, then check for his comments.
>
> Jim Penrod
> _________________________________________
> If it's square dancing: http://penrod-sq-dancing.com 
> <http://penrod-sq-dancing.com/>
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