Any suggestions on contra corners dances? None have been called at our
local dance for years now, and I want to try and re-introduce the move.
I've been calling for a few years and think it's a good time to try, but I
haven't collected any contra corners dances yet so I'd like to start with
something as straightforward as possible.
Chorus Jig seems like the natural choice, but I noticed that
basically every video I could find of it uses the same tune. How rigid is
this tradition? What if the band doesn't have this in their repertoire?
Will the contra police raid the dance hall if I call this choreography to a
different tune?
Abbie Sorg
Tucson, AZ
Almost every contra corners dance can be made alternating. There’s a good Ted Sanella contra corners triplet which is indeed a good way to introduce it. I also agree that one should teach the corners their role (since they are not moving) as well as the active couple. Also note that chorus jig is inherently gender free.
Bob
An update from Bob's daughter, Friday 9/13, around noon: "One memory that
I have of my father in his younger years is his love of rollercoasters. He
has definitely taken us on one the last 48 hours. The good news is that
everything is stable now. He has been fighting an aggressive case of
pneumonia. They seem to have found an antibiotic that is working for him.
He appears to be more comfortable and will continue to be heavily sedated
for at least another day. Continued well wishes and prayers are
appreciated."
I will probably post future updates separately, as I think they will be
coming less frequently unless something dramatic happens. I'll title them
Bob Green Update, with the date.
Keith
On Thu, Sep 12, 2024 at 12:22 PM Thomas J Senior <thomasjsenior(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> Thanks Keith for the information on Bob. Barbara and I would appreciate
> your passing on our Best wishes to the family.
>
> Tom
>
> On Tue, Sep 10, 2024 at 2:22 PM Keith Tuxhorn via Contra Callers <
> contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi all--
>>
>> Bob Green had an auto accident Friday. He's in the hospital, and has been
>> improving, but it may be a long haul. I am reposting two messages from his
>> daughters. The first is from Saturday...
>> Hello:
>> Some of you may know that my dad (Bob Green) was involved in a serious
>> auto accident on Friday. Because he has so many people who care about him
>> in the contra community, I wanted to summarize what happened and how he's
>> doing so you all can be updated together.
>> He was driving by himself on the highway west of St. Louis when his car
>> went off the road. No other car was involved and we don't know why he went
>> off the road, as it wasn't witnessed.
>> Highway Patrol and paramedics responded relatively quickly (his iPhone
>> called 911 on its own!) and he was transported by LifeFlight to a trauma
>> hospital. He sustained a serious neck injury that required surgery right
>> away, and he also likely has some degree of traumatic brain injury. He
>> broke several ribs and had one collapsed lung, thanks to the seat belt that
>> did an otherwise good job keeping him inside the car.
>> At the moment, he is on a ventilator and is being kept relatively
>> sedated. He has shown signs of positive improvement over the first 24 hours
>> - he is intermittently responsive and able to answer yes/no questions, and
>> he is moving his arms and legs and following basic commands. He has
>> attempted a smile at a few dumb jokes, which is quite encouraging. The
>> neurosurgeon and trauma team were very pleased with his progress. However,
>> his injuries are still very serious and we will be taking it day by day. He
>> will certainly be recovering for quite some time.
>> We are so appreciative of the support from his contra family, which means
>> a lot as he heals and as Martha adjusts to his absence in their usual
>> routine. As there are limited hospital visitors allowed and several of his
>> family are in town to be with him at the hospital, at the moment we would
>> like to ask that no one ask to visit him at the hospital. We would welcome
>> any videos of music, dancing, well-wishing, etc to be sent this way so we
>> can lift his spirits with loving presence.
>> Thank you,
>> Leah Baruch, Sarah Spencer, and Emily Green
>> ("Bob's Daughters")
>>
>> ... And here is an update from Tuesday morning...
>>
>> I wanted to post an update on Dad's ( Robert Green
>> <https://www.facebook.com/groups/1567243646891967/user/1532899718/?__cft__[0…>)
>> condition. He remains stable which is the best we could hope for currently.
>> He is more awake and aware and trying to communicate. He has been listening
>> to a lot of contra music and at times has been coreographing new dances in
>> his head. if someone can dance in an icu bed while recovering from a spinal
>> cord injury, it is my dad.
>>
>> ... His wife, fiddler Martha Edwards, has family and friends taking care
>> of her needs... It's recommended that emails, videos and posts are good
>> ways to send support to Bob, no calls or visits.... Bob has been a
>> positive, creative, joyful presence in the lives of many in this community.
>> Please transmit your support for him in the best way you can. I'll post
>> updates for the next few weeks, if that's okay with the moderators.
>>
>> Keith Tuxhorn
>> Springfield IL
>> _______________________________________________
>> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>> To unsubscribe send an email to
>> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>>
>
>
> --
> Tom Senior
> Dance while you can.
> see my website: http://marblechimes.com/
>
Dear callers,
There isn’t a contra fashion email list, so I’m turning to this one since we all spend a lot of time looking at dancers :)
Some of you may have seen the recent survey about dancing in skirts/skirts for dancing that I helped a dancer friend create/disseminate: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpgbzYSntTZlAgkNvfI8uhISstHGqhPpV… — feel free to fill it out!
As we were writing up an article about the initial results that includes advice on choosing skirts for dancing, aimed broadly to include all dancers, I made the following unsubstantiated claim:
"These results suggest that for contra dancers, the primary benefit of a skirt is the extent to which it extends, amplifies, and enhances the sensation of the dance – particularly twirls and other flourishes. History bears this out: a more universal adoption of flowing and flaring skirts among contra dancers, regardless of gender or prior style preferences, coincided with the explosion of interest in flourishes and improvisational elaboration of the basic dance form among contra dancers at the turn of the 21st century.”
Robert challenged me on the second sentence, asking what evidence I had — and I freely admitted I was extrapolating from my own lived experience, and had no proof that this was broadly true. And before you all jump in, I will acknowledge that the phenomenon of universal skirt-wearing, regardless of gender, also depended quite a lot on the changing cultural discourse around masculinity — especially in socially progressive communities. But I’m still interested in the hypothesis that there’s a choreographic/phenomenological connection.
After all, progressive men have existed in the contra community for a long time and haven’t (if video/photographic evidence is accurate) always worn skirts for dancing — so we want to know, when did skirts become familiar enough on every gender that a (person likely to be interpellated as a) man wearing a skirt was unsurprising?
Thanks for all respectful input,
Louise Siddons
Winchester, UK
Hi all- here in Halifax, to keep things simple for our beginner-full/generally unskilled group, we never dance in Becket formation these days.
But Luke's original post has suddenly got me "seeing the light" about how I could use simple beckets as a way to get beginner people dancing in contra lines without worrying about the complexities of ejection and getting ppl to remember to change places when ejected. (And also avoiding the strange feeling of how the dance symmetry changes when you switch from moving up the hall to down the hall or vice versa).
So I'm going to test it out with my group...
But I realize it's been a while since I danced a Becket and I forget some of the basic mechanics.
I just tried googling but could not easily find the info I was looking for...
so-- apologies for asking such a basic question here-- but I trust it will be an efficient way to find an answer :)
First off just a bit of info on my plan--
, I plan for now to try out only very simple Beckets where everyone comes back to their home place after every figure.
So i'll be explaining the progression as sliding CCW (I'm gonna go with CCW progression only, for now) 2 places, until you are in a new duple.
(we may play on simple variations of this like going forward in lines towards the old couple, and veering backwards towards the new couple as in the first dance Luke presented here).
I understand that if there is an odd number of couples, then every time the dance runs through, a couple will be ejected, either at the top or the bottom.
My question is-- if there is an EVEN number of couples, then are two couples ejected, top and bottom, every second time??
Or, does the progression just involve a big fast turn for the people at the top and bottom of the giant oval, so that they always meet a new couple, every single time?
thanks all for your help :)
Kat k
A Brief Update Tuesday night 9/10... I got to talk to Bob's wife Martha for
a few minutes today... Bob can move all his limbs, but it's unclear right
now how his mobility/movement/ nerve system issues will evolve... He can
talk a little, not much, but he's still on a ventilator, very drowsy-eyed,
and sleeps a lot. He is also very cognizant and responsive of his
surroundings.... Martha said when she comes in and announces herself, Bob
puckers his lips.... For now, it's a waiting game for a couple weeks to see
how Bob develops. He will recover, but what that looks like is unclear.
Keith
On Tue, Sep 10, 2024 at 7:45 PM Diane Silver <dsilver.asheville(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> Keith -- I'm so sad to hear this news, but thank you so much for the
> posts. I appreciate knowing. I haven't seen Bob and Martha in many years,
> but it feels like yesterday. I'll send my support. Thanks for keeping us
> informed. Love to the whole STL community.
>
> Diane Silver
>
> On Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 2:20 PM Keith Tuxhorn via Contra Callers <
> contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi all--
>>
>> Bob Green had an auto accident Friday. He's in the hospital, and has been
>> improving, but it may be a long haul. I am reposting two messages from his
>> daughters. The first is from Saturday...
>> Hello:
>> Some of you may know that my dad (Bob Green) was involved in a serious
>> auto accident on Friday. Because he has so many people who care about him
>> in the contra community, I wanted to summarize what happened and how he's
>> doing so you all can be updated together.
>> He was driving by himself on the highway west of St. Louis when his car
>> went off the road. No other car was involved and we don't know why he went
>> off the road, as it wasn't witnessed.
>> Highway Patrol and paramedics responded relatively quickly (his iPhone
>> called 911 on its own!) and he was transported by LifeFlight to a trauma
>> hospital. He sustained a serious neck injury that required surgery right
>> away, and he also likely has some degree of traumatic brain injury. He
>> broke several ribs and had one collapsed lung, thanks to the seat belt that
>> did an otherwise good job keeping him inside the car.
>> At the moment, he is on a ventilator and is being kept relatively
>> sedated. He has shown signs of positive improvement over the first 24 hours
>> - he is intermittently responsive and able to answer yes/no questions, and
>> he is moving his arms and legs and following basic commands. He has
>> attempted a smile at a few dumb jokes, which is quite encouraging. The
>> neurosurgeon and trauma team were very pleased with his progress. However,
>> his injuries are still very serious and we will be taking it day by day. He
>> will certainly be recovering for quite some time.
>> We are so appreciative of the support from his contra family, which means
>> a lot as he heals and as Martha adjusts to his absence in their usual
>> routine. As there are limited hospital visitors allowed and several of his
>> family are in town to be with him at the hospital, at the moment we would
>> like to ask that no one ask to visit him at the hospital. We would welcome
>> any videos of music, dancing, well-wishing, etc to be sent this way so we
>> can lift his spirits with loving presence.
>> Thank you,
>> Leah Baruch, Sarah Spencer, and Emily Green
>> ("Bob's Daughters")
>>
>> ... And here is an update from Tuesday morning...
>>
>> I wanted to post an update on Dad's ( Robert Green
>> <https://www.facebook.com/groups/1567243646891967/user/1532899718/?__cft__[0…>)
>> condition. He remains stable which is the best we could hope for currently.
>> He is more awake and aware and trying to communicate. He has been listening
>> to a lot of contra music and at times has been coreographing new dances in
>> his head. if someone can dance in an icu bed while recovering from a spinal
>> cord injury, it is my dad.
>>
>> ... His wife, fiddler Martha Edwards, has family and friends taking care
>> of her needs... It's recommended that emails, videos and posts are good
>> ways to send support to Bob, no calls or visits.... Bob has been a
>> positive, creative, joyful presence in the lives of many in this community.
>> Please transmit your support for him in the best way you can. I'll post
>> updates for the next few weeks, if that's okay with the moderators.
>>
>> Keith Tuxhorn
>> Springfield IL
>> _______________________________________________
>> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>> To unsubscribe send an email to
>> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>>
>
Hi all--
Bob Green had an auto accident Friday. He's in the hospital, and has been
improving, but it may be a long haul. I am reposting two messages from his
daughters. The first is from Saturday...
Hello:
Some of you may know that my dad (Bob Green) was involved in a serious auto
accident on Friday. Because he has so many people who care about him in the
contra community, I wanted to summarize what happened and how he's doing so
you all can be updated together.
He was driving by himself on the highway west of St. Louis when his car
went off the road. No other car was involved and we don't know why he went
off the road, as it wasn't witnessed.
Highway Patrol and paramedics responded relatively quickly (his iPhone
called 911 on its own!) and he was transported by LifeFlight to a trauma
hospital. He sustained a serious neck injury that required surgery right
away, and he also likely has some degree of traumatic brain injury. He
broke several ribs and had one collapsed lung, thanks to the seat belt that
did an otherwise good job keeping him inside the car.
At the moment, he is on a ventilator and is being kept relatively sedated.
He has shown signs of positive improvement over the first 24 hours - he is
intermittently responsive and able to answer yes/no questions, and he is
moving his arms and legs and following basic commands. He has attempted a
smile at a few dumb jokes, which is quite encouraging. The neurosurgeon and
trauma team were very pleased with his progress. However, his injuries are
still very serious and we will be taking it day by day. He will certainly
be recovering for quite some time.
We are so appreciative of the support from his contra family, which means a
lot as he heals and as Martha adjusts to his absence in their usual
routine. As there are limited hospital visitors allowed and several of his
family are in town to be with him at the hospital, at the moment we would
like to ask that no one ask to visit him at the hospital. We would welcome
any videos of music, dancing, well-wishing, etc to be sent this way so we
can lift his spirits with loving presence.
Thank you,
Leah Baruch, Sarah Spencer, and Emily Green
("Bob's Daughters")
... And here is an update from Tuesday morning...
I wanted to post an update on Dad's ( Robert Green
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/1567243646891967/user/1532899718/?__cft__[0…>)
condition. He remains stable which is the best we could hope for currently.
He is more awake and aware and trying to communicate. He has been listening
to a lot of contra music and at times has been coreographing new dances in
his head. if someone can dance in an icu bed while recovering from a spinal
cord injury, it is my dad.
... His wife, fiddler Martha Edwards, has family and friends taking care of
her needs... It's recommended that emails, videos and posts are good ways
to send support to Bob, no calls or visits.... Bob has been a positive,
creative, joyful presence in the lives of many in this community. Please
transmit your support for him in the best way you can. I'll post updates
for the next few weeks, if that's okay with the moderators.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield IL
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 Diane! I've got some sicilian circles, which is (in my opinion)
another way into progression contras. I hadn't thought of sicilian beckets
(bent or unbent).
On Sun, Sep 8, 2024 at 6:40 PM Diane Silver <dsilver.asheville(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> In the South, we have the "old time mountain dance", with groups of 4 in a
> circle, 1 cpl facing in and 1 cpl facing out.
> It's a general formula of:
> A1) Cir. L (8), Cir. R (8)
> A2) Do something from a menu of choices with your Ns. The fun is mixing up
> which one of these you call each time through the dance. Options I often
> use are:
> N. DSD (*8), P DSD (8)
> Star R, Star L
> Duck for the oyster, dive for the clam (look it up)
> Basket swing
> B1) "you swing mine and I'll swing yours" (i.e., N. swing (could be B&S,
> since it's 16 counts)),
> B2) swing your own (P swing (or B&S)).
> Both cpls slide left (which is CW for the cpl facing in and CCW for the
> cpl facing out) to new Ns.
>
> This type of circle dance is essentially a Becket dance with the line bent
> into a circle, so you're never out on the end. So I figure you could
> "unbend" the circle into a line and turn the dance above into a Becket
> contra.
>
> - Diane
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Diane Silver
> dsilver.asheville(a)gmail.com
> Asheville, NC
>
> On Sun, Sep 8, 2024 at 12:50 PM Luke Donforth via Contra Callers <
> contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> 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
>> _______________________________________________
>> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>> To unsubscribe send an email to
>> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>>
>
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>
