[Callers] Contra friendly squares

[James Saxe via Callers]

Here's a bit of advice, learned through hard experience.  If
you're learning to call squares to contra dancers--especially
in an area where squares have virtually disappeared from the
repertoire--beware that (un)familiarity can be a *huge* factor
in the effective difficulty of a bit of choreography.  Sometimes
it can seem as if the moment contra dancers get into square
formation, they get shot with an IQ-reducer ray.  But really
it's just a matter of dancers facing unfamiliar material and
being surrounded by other dancers to whom the material is equally
unfamiliar.  I'll give just a few examples involving the dances
Linda recommended.

> Virginia Reel Square
> by Ted Sannella
> Square/Easy
> 
> A1 -----------
> 1st cpl down the center 
> Swing opposite (back up to lines at the heads/sides)


At the end of A1 (with 1st couple leading), head dancers should
be near the #3 couple's place, so that, for example, the order
of dancers in the line of four to the caller's right is

    M2, W2, M3, W1

I once observed head dancers in a square adjacent to mine stepping
apart from the person they swung and attaching to either side of
the nearby side couple, so the order was instead

    M3, M2, W2, W1

(with the symmetric condition on the other side of the set).  The
result was that everything seemed to go well until the time came
for dancers to allemande corners and swing partners at home in
B2, at which point it became clear that people were somehow not
in the right position.  But it wasn't at all clear (to dancers in
that square) what had gone wrong.  As each couple led the figure,
they made the same mistake and experienced the same confusion
when the sequence was supposed to resolve.  [By the way, I think
Ted's timing has the actions Linda notes for B1 extending partway
into B2.]

> Texas Star
> by (Traditional)
> Square/Easy
> ...
> A2 ...
> Pass your P pick up the next Star Promenade

Some dancers may have a strong tendency to let go of the star
when they pick up their new partners.

> B1 -----------
> “Outsides in, and the Insides out”
> Gents back out and the ladies forward around you whirl (cw)
> ladies in the center and star promenade


Even more often, when women form their star, they will let go
of the men (and men will let go of the women), even if the
caller thought (s)he said very clearly that they were to keep
hold.

> Mittens for Three
> by Chris Ricciotti
> Square/Int
> ...
> B1 -----------
> Hey for four (o, r, corner)

I haven't called this dance (or danced it as far as I can
remember), but in a community where dancers have little
experience with squares, I wouldn't be surprised to see some
dancers getting confused about whether the heys go along
the sides or across the heads of the set as heads and sides
take turns leading the figure.


If you don't watch with an eagle eye for such glitches and
address them (or better, learn to prevent them) during the
walk-through, they may never cure themselves during the dance,
thus reinforcing opinions of dancers with negative attitudes
toward squares, leading to squares being called even less often
and becoming even less familiar, and so on in self-reinforcing
negative spiral.

--Jim

> On Oct 14, 2016, at 2:05 PM, Linda Leslie via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> 
> Hi, Ron,
> Here are some favorites of mine. I hope a few might be the type of square you would like. Have fun!
> warmly, Linda
> 
> On Oct 14, 2016, at 11:51 AM, Ron Blechner via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> I'm looking to expand the number of contra-friendly Squares in my box.
>> 
>> 1. Keepers preferred unless it's a really good mixer.
>> 2. Not too gimmicky. 
>> 3. Not really interested currently in Southern style visiting couple squares (heads and sides fine, but not one couple at a time).
>> 
>> (Got Kimmswick Express, First Night Quadrille, a couple others)
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Ron
> 
> Virginia Reel Square
> by Ted Sannella
> Square/Easy
> 
> A1 -----------
> 1st cpl down the center 
> Swing opposite (back up to lines at the heads/sides)
> A2 -----------
> (8) Long lines, forward and back
> Cpl #1 alle R once
> Alle L the first in line
> B1 -----------
> 1st cpl alle Right once and a half
> Next alle Left once
> 1st cpl Right once and a half
> Last alle left once
> B2 -----------
> All P swing
> 
> 
> Texas Star
> by (Traditional)
> Square/Easy
> 
> A1 -----------
> All four lades forward and back
> All four gents right hand star
> A2 -----------
> Let hand star, other way back
> Pass your P pick up the next Star Promenade
> B1 -----------
> “Outsides in, and the Insides out”
> Gents back out and the ladies forward around you whirl (cw)
> ladies in the center and star promenade
> B2 -----------
> Drop that star and swing
> Promenade
> 
> 
> Mittens for Three
> by Chris Ricciotti
> Square/Int
> 
> A1 -----------
> Heads/Sides forward and back
> Same 2 ladies chain
> 
> A2 -----------
> Same four circle left three-quarters, pass through to original corner
> Corner do si do
> B1 -----------
> Hey for four (o, r, corner)
> B2 -----------
> Corner/New Partner Balance and Swing
> C1  -----------
> All star promenade once
> Ladies drop out at new home
> C2 -----------
> Gents continue left hand star once
> Swing this new partner again
> 
> 
> Knaves Quadrille
> by Tony Parkes
> Square/Easy
> 
> A1 -----------
> Head couples forward and back
> Head gent cross and swing that opposite lady
> A2 -----------
> Side couples forward and back
> Side gents cross and swing that opposite lady
> B1 -----------
> All join hands and circle left
> Break that swing with a corner swing
> B2 -----------
> Keep this one and promenade the ring (gent's place)
> 
> 
> Hey on the Square
> by Becky Hill
> Square/Easy-Int
> 
> A1 -----------
> H/S do si do your opposite
> Face the S/H, and circle left once around
> A2 -----------
> Corner do si do once and a quarter to waves (corner Left)
> Balance the wave, slide Right
> 
> B1 -----------
> same corner Allemande Left 1/2
> Ladies start a Hey for 4
> B2 -----------
> Same corner B&S
> C1 -----------
> Lines at the sides/heads Forward and back
> Four gents star left
> C2 -----------
> Same corner Promenade to the gent’s home place
> 
> 
> Dip & Dive
> by Traditional French Canadian
> Square/Easy
> 
> A1 -----------
> Cpl #1 out to the right
> Circle up four half way
> Insides arch, outsides under
> Dip and dive, go like thunder
> A2 -----------
> On to the next and circle half,
> Insides arch, outsides duck AND ON TO THE NEXT
> B1 -----------
> Circle left 1/2
> Insides arch, outsides duck.
> dip and dive until home
> B2 -----------
> Everybody home and swing
> 
> 
> Crooked Stovepipe
> by Traditional French Canadian
> Square/Easy
> 
> A1 -----------
> Head ladies*
> Forward again & swing, six hands around while they swing
> A2 -----------
> Once around till you get back home & everybody swing your own
> B1 -----------
> Alle L  your corner, Alle R your own
> do si do your corner
> B2 -----------
> Do si do your own
> Swing your partners there at home
> 
> 
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