Hello all,
Oftentimes at One Night Gigs, I'll do a mix of circle and longways set
dances. With scatter mixers and specialty dances, I can fill an evening.
But sometimes I get a group that "wants contras" or is looking to grow
their familiarity with the dance form.
I think Becket dances without lark/robin distinctions and no neighbor swing
are AN easy option into "hands-four" contras. There are other ways in, but
I'm looking for more Beckets that match that description. For a while I've
had "Pluck It" in my box as a friendly option:
Pluck It
Contra/Becket-CW
A1 -----------
(8) Circle Left
(8) Circle Right
A2 -----------
(8) Left hand Star
(8) Right hand Star
B1 -----------
(8) Partner Do-si-do
(8) Partner swing
B2 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do across set
(8) Long lines, yearn left
This is, in my opinion, pretty close to the traditional mixer Scatter Shot
but done as a keeper in Becket. (It does have a DSD across the set, which
in a recent thread was listed as a no-no for some callers. While I wouldn't
use that move at a dance weekend, for One Night gigs I think it's
accessible and acceptable). You don't have to teach ballroom swing, and if
folks want to elbow swing and swap roles with their partner it doesn't
really impact the dance (this is a small advantage of Becket over improper
for this type of dance; different position on the side is less disorienting
than different side of the set).
What other Becket dances do folks have that don't rely on roles? No larks
allemande or robins chain, etc.
On the drive home from my gig last night I came up with this one (which may
already exist), written for Naomi who organizes the community dance I was
at:
A Pillar of Weathersfield
Contra/Becket-CW
A1 -----------
(8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
(8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
A2 -----------
(16) Partner balance and swing, end facing down the hall
B1 -----------
(8) Down the hall, four in line (turn as couples)
(8) Return and face across
B2 -----------
(8) Long lines, forward and back
(8) Promenade across the Set, turn as a couple and progress
(Go between the ones you danced with, passing by left shoulder, and the new
couple on your right, turn to take hands with new couple)
I'd be curious what else folks have that they use for entry-level contras
when you don't have a critical mass of experience for improper dances with
neighbor swings.
Thanks!
Luke Donforth
Burlington, VT
Thanks very much everyone for all the dance suggestions. I look forward to
trying them out!
And thanks to John Sweeney for suggesting the Forearm Swing
<https://contrafusion.co.uk/SwingWorkshop.html#Linked>, we'll give it a
shot.
Rick
On Thu, Sep 26, 2024 at 9:33 AM Rick Mohr <rickmohr2(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Here in Philly we're restarting our Teen Barn Dance
> <https://teenbarndance.net/>, which had a great four-year run before the
> pandemic. (Here's the story <https://rickmohr.net/Contra/TeenDance/Story/>
> if you're interested.)
>
> I love calling for the teens, and have been surprised to find that the
> best dances for them don't overlap much with either my contra repertoire or
> my barn dance repertoire. I've written up some of our favorite dances
> <https://rickmohr.net/Contra/TeenDance/Dances/>, and I'm looking for
> more! Specifically:
>
> 1) Barn dances that are slightly harder / more interesting than a typical
> barn dance crowd can handle
>
> 2) Contra dances that are partner-role-free, and have no swing or just a
> neighbor swing.
>
> Role-free dances are great because people can line up anywhere, there's
> less anxiety about partnering, and there are no role terms to choose or
> explain. And swings don't seem to have the same draw for teens as they do
> for adult contra dancers -- they're intimate, and awkward to master. This
> time around we're trying cross-hand rather than ballroom swings. These
> goals rule out many contras (no chains for example), but contras have such
> a rich figure palette that I think there's room for plenty of good ones.
>
> Do you know any good dances in those categories? If so I'd love to see
> them, and I hope you like ours.
>
> Rick
>
> PS - I'd also encourage you to consider starting a teen dance! Ours has
> been fantastic fun, and some of the teens from the first time around are
> now pillars of our adult dance community. Happy to talk with anybody who's
> interested.
>
>
Hi all-- Here's the latest update on Bob, dance writer and caller, injured
badly in a car accident a month ago., from his daughter Sarah...
Update on Bob Green. So, today marks 4 weeks from the scary message that my
sister received from Dad's iPhone saying that it had detected a car
accident. While the orthopedic injuries are healing, the damage and then
subsequent complications to his lungs are going to take a very long time
(read months and months) to recover from. Dad was able to be discharged
from the ICU to a long term acute care hospital that specializes in the
specific type of care and rehab that dad needs. While this is a big step
for him, he still has a lot of healing to do. I am grateful for all of the
care he got at Mercy ICU. I am also very blessed to have the ability to use
paid time off to continue to be with him. He is still not ready for in
person visits but he loves when I read messages posted here.
... "here" refers to the Facebook page, St. Louis Contra Dancers, which you
can subscribe to if you'd like to message him... I'll still continue to
post any updates here.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield IL
I’ll second those two.
And add Two Birthdays and an Anniversary by Rhodri Davies.
This is a Becket dance with a swing with your shadow. The end effects can confuse if neutral couples change sides too soon. Stand improper at the top, proper at the bottom, for A1 &2. Change sides after the Shadow swing and join in the second Petronella
I called in Putney, VT this past Saturday, for 25-30 dancers, including
small children and many new dancers. I intentionally programmed the
evening so I never had to teach roles at all. I was pleasantly surprised
at how nice it was to skip a bunch of talking about who is on the Left
and who is on the Right.
I recognize that if those new dancers go to Greenfield MA, they will
have to learn one more thing. But I think they'll be well prepared
because they have already experienced dancing to music, progression, and
having fun with other humans.
Here's my program. Family dance for the first hour, Teens and adults for
the second hour.
1. White Mountain Reel
2. Chimes of Dunkirk
3. Anything Goes
4. Kingston Flyer
5. Beaumont Boom
6. Haste to the Wedding
Break
7. Redwing Square
8. Family Contra
9. Dog Branch Reel
10. On the Ball
11. Star Trek Phraser
Lisa Sieverts
Nelson, NH
