<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">I use Traffic Jam as a warm-up dance at most all-ages dances I call now, including the one I run, and it works great, especially to get people on the floor while the band is soundchecking or something. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">When you say "lots of young kids," you didn't mention how young, which makes a difference. If they're mostly preschool-aged or younger, they may not be able to make a circle or follow a direction like "stand across from your partner." If it's a mixed age group with some older kids you have some more things that will work well. The non-participating adults is a separate issue we could talk about also, but with the situation you described, here are some things I might try.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">Get them into groups of four or five or six or whatever and do some square dance figures - circle left, circle right, make a star, make a star with your other hand in, grab your partner's hand and make a circle with some other people. I don't obsess too much over left or right hand star if kids don't actually *know* their lefts from their rights (anyone younger than kindergarten/ first grade, imo). Only adults get bent out of shape when someone is walking backwards in a star. :)</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">Make a big line and be a snake. Do that ball of yarn thing. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">Maybe do the heel and toe polka, but don't put the progression in at the end; just keep your partner. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">If the band is willing to play along, you can do something fun to "Down By The Station." - Have folks make "trains" of four or five people. They can put their hands on the waists of the person in front of them, or just hold hands. Sing the song, "Down By the Station." In lines, facing the front of the hall, walk forward four steps to the song (step, step, step, stop) and then backwards (step, step, step, stop.) At the end of the song, have the band play a short tune - two As, or an A and B, and the trains can drive anywhere they want in the room - they just have to be back to the station by the end of the tune to start the song again. Tell the first person (the engine) to go to the back and be the caboose so everyone has a turn to drive their train. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">Throw a couple silly songs in if everyone is getting tired. You can do Looby Loo pretty easily. Don't call it a "break." Keep everyone on the floor, or else they think it's a good time to stop dancing. If you have a band, have everyone sit down and listen to the band play a tune or two. Ask the musicians to take turns playing their instruments so the kids can hear each one. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">Good luck!</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">Meg</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Sep 5, 2019 at 10:42 PM Jerome Grisanti via Callers <<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">One of the selling points of Sasha (besides the fact that it's REALLY fun) is this:<div><br></div><div>In Russian, Sasha can be either a boy's name or a girl's name, so it doesn't matter who you face or who you are. (Some kids of a certain age are reluctant to interact with all their classmates, but I find this gives them permission).</div><div><br></div><div>--Jerome</div><div><br></div><div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail-m_6484281402409003179gmail-m_8532521272202761453gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr">Jerome Grisanti<br>660-528-0858<br><a href="http://www.jeromegrisanti.com" target="_blank">http://www.jeromegrisanti.com</a><br><br><div><span style="color:rgb(20,24,35);font-size:14px;line-height:19.32px"><font face="georgia, serif">"Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe</font></span><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Sep 5, 2019 at 4:12 PM Erik Hoffman via Callers <<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black">Sasha, Skip to my Lou, Silly Threesome, anything in the New England Dancing Masters books:<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black"><a href="https://dancingmasters.com/" target="_blank">https://dancingmasters.com/</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black">Video of The Silly Threesome:<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black"><a href="https://squaredancehistory.net/items/show/730" target="_blank">https://squaredancehistory.net/items/show/730</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black">or Marion Rose’s books:<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black"><a href="https://www.marianrose.com/store/" target="_blank">https://www.marianrose.com/store/</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black">~Erik Hoffman<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Callers <<a href="mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank">callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>T Claw via Callers<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, September 5, 2019 12:27 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Callers] Family Dances<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Does anyone have any recommendations, for silly fun called/led dances/figures/games for a family dance that has lots of young kids and perhaps not enough adults joining in the mix?<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks, <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">T-Claw<u></u><u></u></p>
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