[Callers] Holiday contras - BEG/EASY
Frederick Park via Callers
callers at lists.sharedweight.net
Fri Dec 2 21:37:15 PST 2016
Dear Callers interested in this dance, a good choice to use early before the floor is crowded . . . a few simple corrections and a wee bit of history are shared below concerning “Balance The Star”. Regards, Frederick
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BALANCE THE STAR
by Raymond K. McLain of Berea, KY
Music: Beaumont Rag
Sicilian Circle - Originally
Beginner & Intermediate Dance Level (use “hand-shake star throughout” - it’s a Southern mountain tradition)
A1: (make a) Right Hand Star and Balance twice - In and Out (8 counts) <— hence, “Balance” the Star!
Turn the Star once ‘round (8 counts)
A2: make a Left Hand Star and Balance - In and Out (8 counts)
Turn the Star once ‘round (8 counts)
B1: Neighbors Dosido (8 counts)
(Take 2-hand-over-hand hold w/ your Neighbor and . . .) Gents Promenade Her into your Partner’s place (8 counts)
(the Gent acting as a pivot point rather than “courtesy turn”)
B2: Partners Dosido
(Similarly) Gents Promenade Partners into Original place AND continue Promenade on to face a New Couple! (8 counts)
Notes: "Balance The Star" was written by Raymond McLain Sr. for Christmas Country Dance School with Beaumont Rag as THE tune to play.
The dance was written as a Sicilian Circle Dance - c. 1970 or 1971
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zzzz - and on another note, I recently heard The Alman Brothers Band original recording of “Tied To The Whipping Post” and realized it’s a WALTZ!
(A perfect choice for those who are only using recorded music in an all-Republican contra dance - both couples should love it!)
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On Dec 2, 2016, at 7:10 PM, Winston, Alan P. via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Claire --
In my experience, choosing dances because their titles fit a particular theme isn't the best way to make programs.
For Christmas holiday dances I'm used to bands slipping familiar holiday tunes into their regular sets. (Jingle Bells fits in nicely as a bouncy tune. Several carols can be played as waltzes.) You can also playfully alter the names of dances you'd want to call anyway to make them fit the theme.
If you insist on dances with Christmas-relevant names, consider stuff with "Star", "Winter", "Cradle","Peace" in the title.
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BALANCE THE STAR
(Tom Hinds recommend Beaumont Rag)
improper contra
suitable for beginners
A1: make a right hand (handshake) star and balance twice (elbows point down)
Turn that star for 4 counts (halfway)
Let go and turn alone for 4 counts.
A2: make a left hand star and balance twice.
Star left 4 counts and turn alone; finish facing neighbor (orig direction)
B1: Neighbors dosido
end the do si do facing OUT (away from partner)
w/ Neighbor on the side 'courtesy turn' plus a little ...
NOTE: It's not a true courtesy turn. The dancers have to travel a bit more
than in a courtesy turn so that the men end where they started and the women
have traded places.
B2: Partners do si do on the side.
End the do si do facing out (away from neighbor)
Partners 'courtesy turn' (women change back) and neighbors
pass thru left shoulder in order to meet the next couple.
=================================================================
This shouldn't be one of the first three dances, but it's fun:
Rock the Cradle Joe
by Ridge Kennedy
Contra/Improper
Form:IC Figs:ROM,ROM;NB&S;G&T(Gent);CL.75;BTR,PT:
STARTS IN SHORT WAVES, neighbor right hand
A1 (short waves) (8) Balance and slide to the right (as in Rory O'More)
(8) Balance and slide to the left (as in Rory O'More)
A2 (16) Neighbor balance and swing
B1 Give & Take to gent's side & swing
B2 (8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring & pass through
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"There is no way to Peace; Peace is the way"
Becket
Erik Hoffman
Form: BK Figs: WDSD,PS;MAL1.5,NS;LLF&B,WREl1.5;Custom;Bt;
A1 Women Do Si Do; Partner Swing
A2 Men Allemande Left 1-1/2; Neighbor Swing
B1 Long Lines Forward & Back; Women Right Elbow Turn 1-1/2
B2 Women Star Promenade Partner 3/4 until two (new-Next Neighbor) Men meet
Men link Left Elbows (women let go of the right elbow) to Star
Promenade
End on Own Side with a butterfly twirl to face that same Next Neighbor
couple
Erik's Note: the quote is a saying from A. J. Muste, our nations one time "most
famous pacifist." It boggles my mind that, with our corporate media
tied to the military-industrial complex, we could have ever had a famous
pacifist. Then again, we had Martin Luther King, too...
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Winter Storm
becket cw
Linda Leslie
Figs:CL3/4:NDSD1.25:BTW:Walk:NNS:MAL1.5:HH4:PB&S:
A1 circle left 3/4
Dosido N 1 1/4 to short waves
A2 balance the wave walk forward
Swing new N
B1 M allamande L 1 1/2
1/2 Hey passing partner R
B2 Partner Balance and swing
---------------------------------------
Finally, going by names:
(I tried making the circle 3 into basket swings; some people turn out to hate basket swings.)
This is still a relatively old-fashioned dance.
ZESTY CHRISTMAS HORNPIPE
Tony Saletan / Ted Sanella
Duple IMPROPER contra
A1: 1s balance woman 2 and circle 3 to the left TWICE around
A2: 1s balance gent 2 and circle 3 to the left twice,
opening to a line facing down with the woman in the middle;
woman 2 joins the line (now of four).
B1: Down 4-in-line (1s in the center), all turn alone,
return and hand cast off.
B2: Long lines forward and back; 1s swing in the center and end facing the
next woman (originally #4).
Tony's notes:
Mark (and anyone else interested), in the Boston area (where I danced for
several decades before recently moving to the state of Washington), we
begin Vinton's (alias Christmas) Hornpipe pretty much as follows: On the
first four beats all three people involved (woman #1 and the two gents in
the subset) all balance advancing into a hand-holding circle of three. If
the set is compact enough side-to-side, forming of the circle is almost
instantaneous, and dancers can enjoy the connection of "balance the ring"
almost from the very first beat.
Incidentally, when the buzz-step swing started to gain such joyful
popularity that it overshadowed many other figures, Ted Sannella and I
created a revised version, in which the odd-numbered couples start improper,
have a partner swing, and the circles are zesty:
-- Alan
On 12/2/2016 3:19 PM, Claire Takemori via Callers wrote:
> Hi everyone! Wishing you all fabulous holidays. I’m so grateful for this resource.
>
> I’m calling a small contra on 12/20 and would like to have some Beg/Easy modern contras with fun holiday theme titles. There is usually several new dancers and 1/3-1/2 beg to very experienced dancers.
>
> I appreciate any choreography that you can share. I’ve searched all the dances I already have in Caller’s Companion.
>
> Thank you So much!
>
> Claire Takemori (SF Bay Area)
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers at lists.sharedweight.net
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