[Callers] Folk Festival - Easy Contra dances to teach Beginners

[Kalia Kliban]

On 7/24/2018 7:48 AM, Lorraine Sutton via Callers wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> I am calling a 2 hour Intro to Contra dance ....at an Ontario Canada
> Festival. ( more a music focus than a dance focus, at this festival)
>
> I would appreciate hearing from you as to contra dances ( lws proper
> & Improper) that you have found successful with very novice dancers
> and why you think those dances work for beginners.(I love Larry Jennings
> definition of easy vs complicated )
>
> I do plan on doing some non progressive lws as well as a both a circle
> and a Sicilian  circle in the program mix , to get the concept of
> progression.

Lots of really good advice in the replies here.

One contra that has worked well for me with very beginning dancers is 
this version of the Washington Quickstep.  The big bonus in this one is 
that the progression doesn't depend on the propriety of the 1s, so even 
if a couple gets confused about which side they should be on, the dance 
still works.  It does use a R&L through, which can be a challenging move 
for the very new.

Washington Quickstep	
duple improper (or proper, depending on how you've taught the R&L through)
Star R/L
1s down/back/cast off
R&L thru over/bk
LLFB, 1s sw

Jefferson and Liberty, in its infinite variations, is another good 
starter contra.  Here's the version I tend to use:
Jefferson and Liberty	
duple improper or proper
Star R/L
Circ L/R
Lines of 4 (1s ctr) dn, 1s arch 2s thru, 2s up, 1s follow
1s swing

This one does rely on the dancers being able to remember which role 
they're dancing, but it's nice and basic.
Unruly Reunion (Robert Cromartie)
duple improper
Lines of 4 (1s in middle) dn, turn alone, bk, bend
circle L/R
N dos/sw
LLFB, 1s sw

My new favorite mixer, which I learned here on Shared Weight, is The 
Wheel by Gene Hubert.  Needs a big crowd and a roomy dance space, but 
it's loads of fun.
A1 Promenade (CCW)(16), and at the end of A1 gents move the ladies to 
the middle, so ladies are facing out and gents facing in (note: this is 
a variation from someone here, was it Mac?  Somebody on this list.  But 
it's a really good change).
A2  Join 2 hands with partner and walk 8 steps IN (ladies backing up), 
then 8 slightly smaller steps out (gents backing up), and join hands in 
2 concentric circles.  (Here's where that modification makes the dance 
work better.  Since men tend to have the longer arms, they're now in the 
larger, outer circle.)
B1 All circle LEFT (opposite directions obviously)
B2 *SWING* (nearest person)
There are ALWAYS people who don't find a partner at the start of B2, and 
part of the fun is to then dive into the "odd-sock pile" in the center 
to find a partner, and rejoin the ring either in the swing or the next 
promenade.  This dance can relieve a lot of the tension about "doing it 
right," since it's a big silly scramble.  Also good swing practice.

Kalia in Sebastopol