<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Yeah, don’t show them the video, I was just using it to show what I meant by “gallop.”<div class="">It’s the method I’ve used in beginners’ sessions for many years. The footwork problem can happen in the big circle, but I’ve never seen it after people are in pairs. (Certainly say something about it not being bouncy.) It makes for a very quick learn, and it ties to something people already know, speeding learning and decreasing anxiety.<br class=""><div class=""><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div class="">
<div class=""><div class="">Read Weaver</div><div class="">Jamaica Plain, MA</div><div class=""><a href="http://lcfd.org" class="">http://lcfd.org</a></div></div>
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<div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Jul 26, 2018, at 5:24 AM, John Sweeney 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="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class="">Hi Read,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""> Sorry, I’m not convinced by the idea of galloping, especially as in the video you cite, where the feet are too far apart, the trailing foot isn’t tucked in and the demonstrator is bouncing up and down. I have seen people who learnt that way develop bad habits in their swing.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""> I much prefer to get them to turn individually on the spot with the left leg tucked in behind and close, and with relaxed knees. I want them to learn what it really feels like and to develop their own sense of balance. This seems to develop a much smoother swing.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""> Lots more details about how I teach a swing at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://contrafusion.co.uk/Contra.html#swinging" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">http://contrafusion.co.uk/Contra.html#swinging</a><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""> Of course if it is a one night stand and I am doing dances where the dancers spring apart at the end into their own line, then I don’t teach a buzz-step at all. I teach: join right forearms, gently hook you left hand just above your partner’s elbow, join left hands (again, a nice hook) underneath, then skip, walk, buzz or anything you like.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""> Happy dancing, <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""> John <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">John Sweeney, Dancer, England <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:john@modernjive.com" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">john@modernjive.com</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://www.modernjive.com/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">http://www.modernjive.com</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for Modern Jive Events & DVDs <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://www.contrafusion.co.uk/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">http://www.contrafusion.co.uk</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for Dancing in Kent</span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div class=""><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-width: 1pt; border-top-color: rgb(225, 225, 225); padding: 3pt 0cm 0cm;" class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><span lang="EN-US" class="">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" class=""><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Callers <<a href="mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net</a>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class="">On Behalf Of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Read Weaver via Callers<br class=""><b class="">Sent:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>25 July 2018 23:47<br class=""><b class="">To:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Caller's discussion list <<a href="mailto:callers@sharedweight.net" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">callers@sharedweight.net</a>><br class=""><b class="">Subject:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Re: [Callers] Folk Festival - Easy Contra dances to teach Beginners<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Or don’t have them do a buzzstep—swings work just fine with a walking step. (If you’ve got moderately experienced folks mixed in, though, you may need to teach the buzzstep, since few moderately experienced dancers will do a walking swing even if asked to.)<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">If you do teach buzzstep, I’ve had the most success teaching it as a gallop <a href="https://youtu.be/5GmQ868ArAw?t=12" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">https://youtu.be/5GmQ868ArAw?t=12</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>; I’ll take a group of 8 or so, holding hands, and have everyone gallop (clockwise, right/inner foot in front), then break it into two circles without stopping, then into pairs; then stop and show ballroom position.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Getting them into ballroom position for the swing and then teaching them to let go of the pointy hands works much better than “gents on the left, ladies on the right” for ending correctly.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p class=""> </o:p></p><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Read Weaver<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Jamaica Plain, MA<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://lcfd.org/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">http://lcfd.org</a><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><br class=""><br class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></div><blockquote style="margin-top: 5pt; margin-bottom: 5pt;" class="" type="cite"><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">On Jul 24, 2018, at 12:00 PM, John Sweeney via Callers <<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div class=""><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Your next big problem is getting them to do a good buzz-step swing and finish with the man on the left, lady on the right. With large numbers of beginners there will some who get in wrong every time and break down the dance. I would practice that in a circle mixer like:<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/TheExchangeSwing.html" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class=""><span style="color: purple;" class="">http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/TheExchangeSwing.html</span></a><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">or<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/VirginiaReelCircleMixer24.html" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class=""><span style="color: purple;" class="">http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/VirginiaReelCircleMixer24.html</span></a><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div></div></div></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div></div></div></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; 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