Thanks all for the great suggestions! Here’s the workshop I’m planning:
(1) Light, (hopefully) humorous, and (just maybe) illuminating intro about
how timing awareness increases dancing fun.
(2) A simple dance with all 8-beat figures:
A1: DD N, N sw
A2: Gents Al L 1½, P sw
B1: F&B, R&L
B2: LC, star L
While dancing we all count out loud and say 2-beat calls together e.g. “1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Ladies Chain”.
(3) Joyride (Erik Weberg) - use our 8-count awareness to take a full 8
counts for the first three figures (gypsy, mad robin, half poussette). OK
to keep counting out loud.
(4) Hull’s Victory - demonstrate how changing your arm length allows a
loose or tight allemande. Walk through both the loose trad way (allemande
neighbor once [8], 1’s allemande ½ [4]) and tight modern way (allemande
neighbor twice [8], 1’s allemande once [4]). In 5-couple sets dance it 5
times loose and 10 times tight.
(5) Princeton Petronellas (Bob Isaacs):
A1: N B&S
A2: Bal O, spin, P allemande L ½, half hey
B1: P B&S
B2: Bal O, spin, N allemande L ½, half hey
Use our 8-count awareness to end the swings in time to be right on the
money for the ring balances. Take 2 beats each for the allemandes and hey
passes for a satisfying B&S.
(6) If there’s time I’d like to add a dance with circle left ¾ [6], pass
through [2], swing new neighbor [8]. In my experience most people dance it
too loosely so you never get an 8-count swing. My favorite dance with that
sequence is Cary Ravitz’s Heart of Glass (where I usually substitute shift
left [2], circle left ¾ [6], swing neighbor) but this session is already
long on heys. Anybody have another good/great dance with that sequence and
no hey?
Rick
On Sun, Feb 4, 2018 at 6:53 PM, Read Weaver via Callers <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> I find pretty much any dance that ends with three changes of rights &
> lefts has people late to the first figure, because they take 8 counts to do
> those three changes (rather than 6 counts to do the three changes, and 2
> counts to move on).
>
> Read Weaver
> Jamaica Plain, MA
> http://lcfd.org
>
> On Feb 1, 2018, at 10:26 AM, Rick Mohr via Callers <
> callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Some dances require skill to make the timing work — like starting a figure
> with dispatch so a later balance will be on time, or doing a figure
> leisurely to avoid being early for the next one. But while many dancers
> have the awareness to make things like that work, many dancers don’t. Since
> there are plenty of fantastic dances without such challenges I tend not to
> call dances which have them.
>
> But I’ve also found that such dances are great when I’m asked to lead a
> workshop helping dancers improve their skills. Longtime dancers aren't
> eager to change their habits, and having something concrete like making a
> balance on time adds motivation, ideally opening a window where learning is
> possible.
>
> Unfortunately though I've discarded or passed on collecting most such
> dances!
>
> Have any suggestions of good/great dances where the timing is tight or
> loose in spots?
>
> One of mine in that category is Crow Flight (http://rickmohr.net/Contra/Da
> nces.asp#CrowFlight). Learning opportunities include gents flowing from
> swing to circle (common with aware dancers but a revelation to some),
> ladies moving efficiently from circle to hey, and doing a hey with two
> steps per pass (possibly realizing the difference between a 3-change and
> 4-change half hey).
>
> Thanks for any ideas!
>
>
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