[Callers] Family dances for 3-9 people?

[Alan Winston via Callers]

This has worked for me:

3 or 4 couples longways.  Try to get talls and smalls mixed in each line 
but partners are across from each other.


A1 1-4 Lines go forward and back.
      5-8 Link arms in line and as a unit, pass left shoulder (bottom 
person in one line, top in the other)  and wheel around to face in in 
the other line's place.

A2 repeat to home

B1 Top couple freestyle their way down the middle and back - tell em 
they can dance together any way they want - and peel off to the bottom

B2: Everyone else steps up and swings their partner.

There's enough flex in B2 to make up for any confusion in B1.  I've done 
this for slightly-drunk Civil War reenactors and for 
mostly-11-year-olds.  I designed it for three-face-three but it works 
with four face four.

Feel free to change B1 to two-hand turn and cast off, or lace-the-boot 
to the bottom.

You need to run it at least twice because people want another chance at 
the showoffy part.

I don't have a title for this but I made it up (because I needed 
something right then) at a Firefly-themed birthday party a week after 
being inspired by Susan Michaels's brief family dance seminar at Queer 
Contra weekend, so I could call it "Firefly Jig", "Susan's Reel".  I 
swiped the forward and back and march and wheel from a three-face-three 
Sicilian called "Three Meet" so there might be a name choice there.

This one probably needs 11-year-old or older, and a band that can play 
"Sellenger's Round".
$DISK9:[WINSTON.TEXT.DANCES.APW]SELLENGERS_WHEEL.TXT;2

SELLENGER'S WHEEL
Alan Winston, 11/16/2003
cut-down version of Sellenger's Round for 3-7 people, no partners needed.
Formation: circle of people facing in
Tune in Barnes, 5x.

I:
A:  Slipping circle (*really* slipping)  left and back to the right.

B:  Chorus (same each time).
     Set forward right and left
     fall back straight
     still facing in, set right and left
     turn single
     Repeat

II:

A:  Lead into the center and back
     Repeat

B: As above

III:

A: right hand star (contra style wrist grip keeps you from having a mess)
    left hands back

B: As above


IV:

A: Basket left and _keep going_, not back to the right.

B: As above

(Finish with slipping circle again, but if you're repeating don't do 
slipping
circle twice in a row - it's lame).



Hope this helps!

-- Alan




On 2/18/16 10:52 PM, Claire Takemori via Callers wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
> In preparation for calling my first family dance on March 6, I’d like to find some family-friendly dances that are for very small groups, like 3-9 people.
> Ideally NOT proper triplets, or 3x3s (already have a few of those) and NO gender roles.
>
> I’ve got a good collection of simple dances for 10++ people, circles, lines, etc.
> I’m preparing for a crowd of up to 100 but if it dwindles down to 1-2 families or starts slow, I’d like something for small groups too.
>
> Thanks!
> Claire Takemori
>
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