<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Dear Callers interested in this dance, a good choice to use early before the floor is crowded . . . a few simple corrections and a wee bit of history are shared below concerning “Balance The Star”. Regards, Frederick</div>------------------------------------------------------<br class="">BALANCE THE STAR<div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>by Raymond K. McLain of Berea, KY<br class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Music: Beaumont Rag<br class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sicilian Circle - Originally<br class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Beginner & Intermediate Dance Level (use “hand-shake star throughout” - it’s a Southern mountain tradition)<br class=""><br class="">A1: (make a) Right Hand Star and Balance twice - In and Out (8 counts) <— hence, “Balance” the Star!<br class=""> Turn the Star once ‘round (8 counts)<br class=""><br class="">A2: make a Left Hand Star and Balance - In and Out (8 counts)<br class=""> Turn the Star once ‘round (8 counts)<br class=""><br class="">B1: Neighbors Dosido (8 counts)<br class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(Take 2-hand-over-hand hold w/ your Neighbor and . . .) Gents Promenade Her into your Partner’s place (8 counts)</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(the Gent acting as a pivot point rather than “courtesy turn”)<div class=""><br class="">B2: Partners Dosido<br class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(Similarly) Gents Promenade Partners into Original place AND continue Promenade on to face a New Couple! (8 counts)</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Notes: "Balance The Star" was written by Raymond McLain Sr. for Christmas Country Dance School with Beaumont Rag as THE tune to play.</div><div class="">The dance was written as a Sicilian Circle Dance - c. 1970 or 1971<br class="">———————————————————————————</div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">zzzz - and on another note, I recently heard The Alman Brothers Band original recording of “Tied To The Whipping Post” and realized it’s a WALTZ!</div><div class="">(A perfect choice for those who are only using recorded music in an all-Republican contra dance - both couples should love it!)</div><div class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div>
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———————————————————————————<br class=""><div><div class="">On Dec 2, 2016, at 7:10 PM, Winston, Alan P. via Callers <<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" class="">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="">Claire --<br class=""><br class="">In my experience, choosing dances because their titles fit a particular theme isn't the best way to make programs.<br class=""><br class="">For Christmas holiday dances I'm used to bands slipping familiar holiday tunes into their regular sets. (Jingle Bells fits in nicely as a bouncy tune. Several carols can be played as waltzes.) You can also playfully alter the names of dances you'd want to call anyway to make them fit the theme.<br class=""><br class="">If you insist on dances with Christmas-relevant names, consider stuff with "Star", "Winter", "Cradle","Peace" in the title.<br class="">------------------------------------------------------<br class="">BALANCE THE STAR<br class="">(Tom Hinds recommend Beaumont Rag)<br class="">improper contra<br class="">suitable for beginners<br class=""><br class="">A1: make a right hand (handshake) star and balance twice (elbows point down)<br class=""> Turn that star for 4 counts (halfway)<br class=""> Let go and turn alone for 4 counts.<br class=""><br class="">A2: make a left hand star and balance twice.<br class=""> Star left 4 counts and turn alone; finish facing neighbor (orig direction)<br class=""><br class="">B1: Neighbors dosido<br class=""> end the do si do facing OUT (away from partner)<br class=""> w/ Neighbor on the side 'courtesy turn' plus a little ...<br class=""><br class="">NOTE: It's not a true courtesy turn. The dancers have to travel a bit more<br class="">than in a courtesy turn so that the men end where they started and the women<br class="">have traded places.<br class=""><br class="">B2: Partners do si do on the side.<br class=""> End the do si do facing out (away from neighbor)<br class=""> Partners 'courtesy turn' (women change back) and neighbors<br class=""> pass thru left shoulder in order to meet the next couple.<br class=""><br class="">=================================================================<br class="">This shouldn't be one of the first three dances, but it's fun:<br class=""><br class="">Rock the Cradle Joe<br class="">by Ridge Kennedy<br class="">Contra/Improper<br class=""><br class=""><br class="">Form:IC Figs:ROM,ROM;NB&S;G&T(Gent);CL.75;BTR,PT:<br class=""><br class="">STARTS IN SHORT WAVES, neighbor right hand<br class=""><br class="">A1 (short waves) (8) Balance and slide to the right (as in Rory O'More)<br class="">(8) Balance and slide to the left (as in Rory O'More)<br class="">A2 (16) Neighbor balance and swing<br class="">B1 Give & Take to gent's side & swing<br class="">B2 (8) Circle Left 3/4<br class="">(4) Balance the Ring & pass through<br class=""><br class="">----------------------------------------------------------------<br class=""><br class=""><br class="">"There is no way to Peace; Peace is the way"<br class="">Becket<br class="">Erik Hoffman<br class=""><br class="">Form: BK Figs: WDSD,PS;MAL1.5,NS;LLF&B,WREl1.5;Custom;Bt;<br class=""><br class="">A1 Women Do Si Do; Partner Swing<br class="">A2 Men Allemande Left 1-1/2; Neighbor Swing<br class="">B1 Long Lines Forward & Back; Women Right Elbow Turn 1-1/2<br class="">B2 Women Star Promenade Partner 3/4 until two (new-Next Neighbor) Men meet<br class=""> Men link Left Elbows (women let go of the right elbow) to Star<br class=""> Promenade<br class=""> End on Own Side with a butterfly twirl to face that same Next Neighbor<br class=""> couple<br class=""><br class="">Erik's Note: the quote is a saying from A. J. Muste, our nations one time "most<br class="">famous pacifist." It boggles my mind that, with our corporate media<br class="">tied to the military-industrial complex, we could have ever had a famous<br class="">pacifist. Then again, we had Martin Luther King, too...<br class="">------------------------------------------------<br class="">Winter Storm<br class="">becket cw<br class="">Linda Leslie<br class=""><br class="">Figs:CL3/4:NDSD1.25:BTW:Walk:NNS:MAL1.5:HH4:PB&S:<br class=""><br class=""><br class="">A1 circle left 3/4<br class=""> Dosido N 1 1/4 to short waves<br class=""><br class="">A2 balance the wave walk forward<br class=""> Swing new N<br class=""><br class="">B1 M allamande L 1 1/2<br class=""> 1/2 Hey passing partner R<br class=""><br class="">B2 Partner Balance and swing<br class=""><br class="">---------------------------------------<br class=""><br class=""><br class="">Finally, going by names:<br class=""><br class="">(I tried making the circle 3 into basket swings; some people turn out to hate basket swings.)<br class="">This is still a relatively old-fashioned dance.<br class=""><br class="">ZESTY CHRISTMAS HORNPIPE<br class="">Tony Saletan / Ted Sanella<br class="">Duple IMPROPER contra<br class=""><br class="">A1: 1s balance woman 2 and circle 3 to the left TWICE around<br class="">A2: 1s balance gent 2 and circle 3 to the left twice,<br class=""> opening to a line facing down with the woman in the middle;<br class=""> woman 2 joins the line (now of four).<br class=""><br class="">B1: Down 4-in-line (1s in the center), all turn alone,<br class=""> return and hand cast off.<br class=""><br class="">B2: Long lines forward and back; 1s swing in the center and end facing the<br class=""> next woman (originally #4).<br class=""><br class="">Tony's notes:<br class=""><br class="">Mark (and anyone else interested), in the Boston area (where I danced for<br class="">several decades before recently moving to the state of Washington), we<br class="">begin Vinton's (alias Christmas) Hornpipe pretty much as follows: On the<br class="">first four beats all three people involved (woman #1 and the two gents in<br class="">the subset) all balance advancing into a hand-holding circle of three. If<br class="">the set is compact enough side-to-side, forming of the circle is almost<br class="">instantaneous, and dancers can enjoy the connection of "balance the ring"<br class="">almost from the very first beat.<br class=""><br class="">Incidentally, when the buzz-step swing started to gain such joyful<br class="">popularity that it overshadowed many other figures, Ted Sannella and I<br class="">created a revised version, in which the odd-numbered couples start improper,<br class="">have a partner swing, and the circles are zesty:<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">-- Alan<br class=""><br class=""><br class="">On 12/2/2016 3:19 PM, Claire Takemori via Callers wrote:<br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class="">Hi everyone! Wishing you all fabulous holidays. I’m so grateful for this resource.<br class=""><br class="">I’m calling a small contra on 12/20 and would like to have some Beg/Easy modern contras with fun holiday theme titles. There is usually several new dancers and 1/3-1/2 beg to very experienced dancers.<br class=""><br class="">I appreciate any choreography that you can share. I’ve searched all the dances I already have in Caller’s Companion.<br class=""><br class="">Thank you So much!<br class=""><br class="">Claire Takemori (SF Bay Area)<br class="">_______________________________________________<br class="">Callers mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:Callers@lists.sharedweight.net" class="">Callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a><br class="">http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net<br class=""></blockquote><br class="">_______________________________________________<br class="">Callers mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:Callers@lists.sharedweight.net" class="">Callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a><br class="">http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net<br class=""></div></div></div><br class=""></body></html>