[Callers] As in Petronella

Colin Hume via Callers callers at lists.sharedweight.net
Tue Dec 15 23:56:17 PST 2015


On Wed, 16 Dec 2015 06:20:58 +0000 (UTC), Michael Fuerst via Callers 
wrote:
> "Mad Robin" became part of contra in the last ten years or so.  
> Unless someone comes up with more succinct and descriptive words,
> we are probably stuck with "Mad Robin"

I use the word "shuttle" (though in the walkthrough I say that some 
people call it "Mad Robin" or "Sliding Doors").  Three reasons:

Shuttle is very descriptive whereas Mad Robin is just jargon.

Very few dancers in England have danced the Playford dance "Mad Robin" 
(whereas "English" dancers in the States dance it regularly).

It's nothing like the original move in "Mad Robin".  There it is done 
by one couple only, and there's none of this "locking eyes" stuff that 
many Americans love.  Cecil Sharp's description (starting with the 
ones below the twos and both couples proper) is:

"First man moves up the middle and casts down to the same place; while 
his partner casts up and moves down the middle to her place."

"Cast" starts with turning away from your partner, not doing a crab 
movement.

Colin Hume

Email colin at colinhume.com      Web site http://colinhume.com




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