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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 1/26/2016 7:53 AM, Don Veino via
Callers wrote:<br>
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<div dir="ltr">I've agreed to an extremely last minute "Hoe Down"
gig this Saturday for a local church, where I'm promised 25-75
people of mixed ages. No dance experience at all.<br>
<br>
I've reset their expectation to a family/barn dance - no cowboy
outfits on the performers, no line dances. They asked for some
squares - ok. If the crowd is really that size, I'm all set.
Have the material, live music with a contra and squares, etc.
fiddler & piano player. Good to go.<br>
<br>
My nightmare is there's only 5 people that show, say: a toddler,
a teen, 2 parents and a grandparent. I have a few things I might
do with that small number of inexperienced folks, but not enough
to fill 2 (fun) hours.<br>
<br>
Any ideas on what you'd do/use in that instance? I'm all ears!<br>
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<br>
The toddler is kind of a challenge, since they'll be like half a
dancer and not good at following instructions.<br>
<br>
You can get a good 10 minutes starting up by taking hands in a line
(you at the lead) and wandering around the hall; as the music comes
around, bend the line into a circle, circle left and right, into the
center and back twice, peel off and wander around the hall some
more, etc, never letting go of hands. That kind of group doesn't
know that they need more than that to have fun. Keep your speed
down to what the slowest walker can manage and don't worry about
much phrasing, except form your circles at the top of a phrase.<br>
<br>
<br>
If you have people old enough to follow directions:<br>
<br>
COTTONTAIL RAG (or Hot Tub Rag) by Steve Schnur<br>
Circles of 5 dancers; each circle pick jack/jill to start<br>
<br>
A1. Left-hand star; jack/jill rolls out, walks clockwise around
circle while<br>
others continue single file<br>
A2. Jack chooses anyone, balance and swing<br>
End facing the others who are three in line<br>
B1. Two face three, forward and back<br>
Do si do: the twosome with the center person in the line of
three (who<br>
will become new jack/jill)<br>
B2. New jack faces out of circle with hands crossed, others face in
and all<br>
join hands in a ring. Jack pulls two individuals through an arch
made by his<br>
upper arm to form a basket, and all basket swing to the left.
Finish to form<br>
new l.h. star. <br>
<br>
NOTES.<br>
<br>
<br>
Polka Dots (? author) (4/4 G Green Mountain Petronella - in
several tune<br>
books, and I have music as well)<br>
5 people - a diamond with #1 in middle, #2 with back to the music)<br>
via Mary Devlin<br>
<br>
A1 1 & 2 start hey for 3, R sh (up & down hall)<br>
A2 1 flow into hey for 3 (L sh) across with #3 & #5<br>
<br>
B1 1 & 2 set; R-hand turn 1/2 to change places<br>
2 & 3 set; R-hand turn 1/2 to change places<br>
B2 3 & 4 set; R-hand turn 1/2 to change places<br>
4 & 5 set; R-hand turn 1/2 to change places<br>
(and 5 is now #1)<br>
<br>
DUMMER'S REEL <br>
Collected from Tony Saletan Houston '93? [Not by me]<br>
Circle of 5 people<br>
<br>
A1 Circle Left; Same way single file <br>
A2 Jack (the "it" person) turn back and weave in and out <br>
B1 Jack swing somebody; Swing their opposite <br>
B2 Hey for 3 <br>
A1 Jack swing somebody you haven't swun; Swing their opposite <br>
A2 Hey for 3 <br>
B1 Circle left; Jack raise left hand and pull himself and 1 other<br>
under <br>
B2 Basket swing<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
FIVE-STAR WALTZ<br>
12/3/2004 Alan Winston<br>
five people in pentagon formation<br>
moderate-tempo 32-bar waltz<br>
count off numbers before you start; #1 might be the point toward the
band.<br>
<br>
A1: All set R&L into center, turn single R, circle left.<br>
<br>
A2: All set LEFT and RIGHT, turn single LEFT, circle RIGHT;<br>
#1 exits circle early and finishes next to choice for B1.<br>
<br>
B1: #1 and #1's choice, orbit outside the set, waltzing or
promenading WHILE<br>
the other three right-hand star in the center, left hands back.<br>
[#1 drops his or her choice off at home and cuts back through
the set <br>
to home place.]<br>
<br>
B2: #1 & #5, RH 1/2.<br>
#1 & #4, LH 1/2.<br>
#1 & #3, RH 1/2.<br>
#1 & #2, LH 1/2.<br>
<br>
(Try B2 with "step left and close; pull by right ..." etc if you
prefer.)<br>
<br>
[For ECDers or a less prankish crowd, instead of randomly picking
somebody <br>
out of the set and having to hustle home, have #1 and #5 (who is one
place<br>
CCW from #1) promenade and finish at home, then start the
progression in <br>
B2.]<br>
<br>
THE LESSER WEEVIL<br>
12/2/2004 Alan Winston<br>
5-person-set, line of 2 facing line of 3<br>
5x 32-bar jig, reel (contra sound for either), or waltz (!)<br>
A tip of the hat to Richard Mason's "The Weevil"<br>
<br>
A1: 1-4: Lines balance forward (step close) and back (step close),
cross over.<br>
5-8: The same back to place.<br>
<br>
A2: 1-2: Stepping into "waves" with hands up and joined, balance
forward and<br>
back.<br>
3-4: Allemande right with right-hand neighbor (if any).<br>
5-8: Waves balance f+b, allemande left into line (no hands).<br>
<br>
B1: 1-4: Right-hand neighbors do-si-do back into line<br>
5-8: Four changes of a Right shoulder straight hey for five
(progressive).<br>
<br>
B2: 1: Top person jumps out to THREE side.<br>
2: Next person jumps out to TWO side.<br>
3: Next person jumps out to THREE side.<br>
4: Next 2 people jump out to correct side (having had time to
figure it<br>
out).<br>
5-8: 2s swing each other WHILE 3s basket or circle 3; open in the
same<br>
position you started the swing.<br>
<br>
<br>
PEGGING THE NEEDLE<br>
12/3/2004 Alan Winston<br>
5-person-set, in a line holding hands, facing to right of line.<br>
32-bar jig, reel, polka<br>
<br>
A1: Thread the needle: keeping hold of hands, #1 leads line<br>
through arch made by 4+5. Finish in circle facing in.<br>
<br>
A2: #2-#5 join hands in ring, raise to make four arches;<br>
they sidestep slowly left throughout WHILE<br>
#1, with any stepping and path, goes in and out through the
arches.<br>
<br>
B1&2: (0) #2 and #5 break; #1 takes #2s hand, and the other
arches stay up. <br>
1&2 go under the 2-3 arch;<br>
1&2&3 go under the 3-4 arch;<br>
1&2&3&4 go under the 4-5 arch and draw the line
straight in any<br>
direction.<br>
#1 and #2, holding hands only with each other, raise the
joined hands<br>
as an arch and take it over the heads of 3-5, finish at bottom
and turn<br>
into line, with #1 in fourth place, #2 in fifth place.<br>
<br>
-----<br>
<br>
NOTE: This has the potential to wander all over the floor.<br>
<br>
<br>
If there are five danceable 10-year-old+, you can join them and then
you can do three-couple sets. Plenty of simple-enough triplets, but
here's some one-night-stand stuff I like:<br>
<br>
<br>
JANUARY JIG<br>
(Got it from Jonathan Coxhead - Easy, Ceilidh)<br>
three-couple longways. 1x= 3x32 bar jigs. <br>
("Fair Jenny's Jig" rocks with this dance)<br>
<br>
<br>
A1:1-4: M1 sets to W2, W3, W2, W3<br>
5-8: Those three circle left and right; M1 finishes at home<br>
<br>
A2: -- The same led by W1 with M2 and M3.<br>
<br>
B1: 1-4: 1s gallop down <br>
5-8: 1s gallop back<br>
<br>
B2: 1s cast off to bottom place (skipping?), swing when they get
there<br>
WHILE<br>
2s and 3s right hand star, left hands back, all four drifting up
to<br>
top place.<br>
<br>
FLYING SCOT<br>
longways set 3 or 4 couples. 32-bar jigs or reels * # of couples.<br>
Easy, ceilidh, vigorous.<br>
<br>
A1: Men hold hands and 1st man leads weaving through the women's
line.<br>
(16 steps; with 4 couples, they have to keep moving).<br>
[I think this is weave from top to bottom and into the men's
line]<br>
<br>
A2: Ditto for women, weaving through men's line.<br>
<br>
B1: 1s galop as far as possible down the room (8 steps) then back to<br>
BOTTOM of set.<br>
<br>
B2: Sides take hands and lines sidestep down the room (8 steps) and
back<br>
(8 steps), led by the 1s who are now at the bottom of the set.<br>
<br>
<br>
AROUND ONE<br>
From "The Willow Tree" Easy, ceilidh<br>
3-couple longways, 32-bar New England single reels<br>
(Gives "reel de Ti-Jean" and "Green Mountain Petronella")<br>
<br>
<br>
A1: Lines go forward and back then cross to the other side THUS:<br>
middles turn right hand one and a half WHILE<br>
ends do a half right and left four around them (hence the
title)<br>
<br>
A2: Repeat to place.<br>
<br>
B1: Right hand star for six; left hand star for six.<br>
<br>
B2: 1s down the middle to the bottom while the others move up and
swing.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Hope this helps!<br>
<br>
-- Alan<br>
<br>
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