Virtual Square Dancing
This week Rob and I had a first go at virtual square dancing via the Zoom meeting app. This one was hosted by Swan Valley Squares in Western Australia. They are running these events on Friday nights at 7:30 pm WA time (GMT +8) but this means the time here is 9:30 pm QLD time (GMT +10)
The 9:30 pm start here is a bit late for some of us Queenslanders but we will be back to try more.
Most of the participants were from WA but there were some joining from the USA and Sweden.
The callers featured Greg Fawell, Bruce Gillett and Jim Buckingham.
For the session on the 15th, we mostly joined just to see how it is done but tried a bit of the dancing. We had the laptop hooked to the TV for easier viewing but this is not necessary.
It is tricky dancing with 6 or 7 phantoms but it gets you moving and makes you think. Nice to know I have not forgotten everything.
With everyone having their camera and mic on you can see and chat with everyone all at the same time. The person currently speaking will have a green line around their image but with everyone speaking it will jump from person to person based on volume.
Initially it seems a bit chaotic with everyone joining the meeting with their mics on. Some are talking to others in the virtual meeting while others are talking to people in their own homes, still figuring out what the are doing.
You have the ability to mute your own mic at anytime. We choose to have our camera and mic off for the whole session.
You don't actually need a camera or mic to join but it does add to the feel of being part of the group.
Once the calling is about to start the host, Greg Fawell, remotely mutes everyone's mics. This stops other people talking over the caller and music, allowing you to hear the call but still see everyone.
Between dances the host would at times turn the mics back on so people could chat again.
On the night, Swan Valley Squares had a few different callers, alternating between Mainstream Square Dances, Round Dancing and some Line Dances. I don't round or line dance so I sat those out.
To see the line dance instructor more clearly, the host put Jan's video feed in a larger view. Individually you can select anyone's video to see them better by clicking on them and selecting 'Pin to screen'. This will not change the way everyone else sees the feed and you can 'Unpin' to return to the normal 'Gallery View'. You can also select a larger window to appear based on who is speaking rather than the green line appearing around them.
The session is recorded live to Facebook so you can watch it there without connecting to the meeting.
If the 9:30 pm start doesn't work for you, you can always watch the recording at a time that suits you better. Follow the link to view Swan Valley Squares Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/456272654473495/
If you want to interact with the group, join by clicking on the meeting link at the time everyone else is scheduled to join in.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/246408126
Meeting ID: 246 408 126
It will prompt you to download and run the free Zoom app. By running the Zoom app you are less likely to experience delays in the sound and video feed.
If you can't download the app or choose not to, you can opt out by selecting 'cancel'. The other method available is to sign in with your web browser.
This will just ask you to type in your name so the other participants can see your name when you join in.
If you find all this a bit daunting or if full mainstream with phantoms is beyond you at this point, you may enjoy another video collection on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/bob.simpson.75054/videos
Bob Simpson, a caller in Canada has recorded sessions in his garage, aimed at dancing with two people in isolation. This would also be easier to follow as a single dancer.
He calls Mainstream but also teaches a couple of simple Plus movements to make his formations flow easier. The advantage is you can start at the first video and watch over and over again to learn the movements. It is just two people dancing without the distraction of watching a bunch of people doing what they can of a normal square dance call.
He now has a very large collection. Scroll down to the bottom of his video page to find the first one to start.
The 9:30 pm start here is a bit late for some of us Queenslanders but we will be back to try more.
Most of the participants were from WA but there were some joining from the USA and Sweden.
The callers featured Greg Fawell, Bruce Gillett and Jim Buckingham.
For the session on the 15th, we mostly joined just to see how it is done but tried a bit of the dancing. We had the laptop hooked to the TV for easier viewing but this is not necessary.
It is tricky dancing with 6 or 7 phantoms but it gets you moving and makes you think. Nice to know I have not forgotten everything.
With everyone having their camera and mic on you can see and chat with everyone all at the same time. The person currently speaking will have a green line around their image but with everyone speaking it will jump from person to person based on volume.
Initially it seems a bit chaotic with everyone joining the meeting with their mics on. Some are talking to others in the virtual meeting while others are talking to people in their own homes, still figuring out what the are doing.
You have the ability to mute your own mic at anytime. We choose to have our camera and mic off for the whole session.
You don't actually need a camera or mic to join but it does add to the feel of being part of the group.
Once the calling is about to start the host, Greg Fawell, remotely mutes everyone's mics. This stops other people talking over the caller and music, allowing you to hear the call but still see everyone.
Between dances the host would at times turn the mics back on so people could chat again.
On the night, Swan Valley Squares had a few different callers, alternating between Mainstream Square Dances, Round Dancing and some Line Dances. I don't round or line dance so I sat those out.
To see the line dance instructor more clearly, the host put Jan's video feed in a larger view. Individually you can select anyone's video to see them better by clicking on them and selecting 'Pin to screen'. This will not change the way everyone else sees the feed and you can 'Unpin' to return to the normal 'Gallery View'. You can also select a larger window to appear based on who is speaking rather than the green line appearing around them.
The session is recorded live to Facebook so you can watch it there without connecting to the meeting.
If the 9:30 pm start doesn't work for you, you can always watch the recording at a time that suits you better. Follow the link to view Swan Valley Squares Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/456272654473495/
If you want to interact with the group, join by clicking on the meeting link at the time everyone else is scheduled to join in.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/246408126
Meeting ID: 246 408 126
It will prompt you to download and run the free Zoom app. By running the Zoom app you are less likely to experience delays in the sound and video feed.
If you can't download the app or choose not to, you can opt out by selecting 'cancel'. The other method available is to sign in with your web browser.
This will just ask you to type in your name so the other participants can see your name when you join in.
If you find all this a bit daunting or if full mainstream with phantoms is beyond you at this point, you may enjoy another video collection on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/bob.simpson.75054/videos
Bob Simpson, a caller in Canada has recorded sessions in his garage, aimed at dancing with two people in isolation. This would also be easier to follow as a single dancer.
He calls Mainstream but also teaches a couple of simple Plus movements to make his formations flow easier. The advantage is you can start at the first video and watch over and over again to learn the movements. It is just two people dancing without the distraction of watching a bunch of people doing what they can of a normal square dance call.
He now has a very large collection. Scroll down to the bottom of his video page to find the first one to start.
