Contra Callers

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34 participants
4385 discussions

by K Panton via Callers

I'm calling Rang Tang Contra tonight. As it stands, the gents alone cross the set in the rang Tang. In the same way as Alternating Corners, has anyone ever called this dance alternating between gents and ladies crossing in the rang Tang? I figure it could be done easily enough by having 2ladies alle L to start. The timing would be slightly different than starting with a N alle R but as the timing seems imprecise in this move anyhow...... Anyone?

9 years, 1 month

Dolphin Heys in contra dances

by Edmund Croft via Callers

Luke Donforth wrote: > I didn't know it came via Scottish, but that makes sense. It's called tandem or alternating tandem reels there? > It's not clear to me how it ended up being called a dolphin hey instead of a falcon hey; but I'm not going to try to change that vernacular. You've got several possible concepts here (where, how much, with or without change of lead); 'dolphin reel' and 'falcon reel' in SCD are just shorthand terms for a couple of them: [Non-alternating] tandem full reel[=hey] across: Scott Meikle http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/10920/, Cranberry Tart http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/9157/ Alternating tandem full reel across: Raven's Dance http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/10773/ (though I haven't heard this called a Raven Reel!) Alternating tandem full reels on the diagonal [falcon reels]: Flight of the Falcon http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/2222/ Alternating tandem half reels on the diagonal [dolphin reels]: Pelorus Jack [a dolphin] http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/5209/ Alternating tandem (for two pairs!) full reel on the centre line: Eileen Watt's Reel http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/12793/ > When I ran it for contras, I had a demo on the floor (jumping down myself to do it, or working with a couple I had taught ahead of time). If I keep it rotation, I'll see if I can develop the language to teach it completely verbally; but for now I'll rely on a demo. I'd also be curious how other folks teach it; and I'll query some instructors of Scottish and/or English. I have called Scottish, English and some contra in Cambridge. We're in the unusual position that our contra dancers pretty much all also dance ECD or SCD or both. So they're already familiar with heys for three (and at least for SCD we plan the programme for the first term to build up the figures gradually, as we have new students joining each year, and we won't introduce dolphin reels until we've taught the basic figure). So alternating tandem reels are relatively straightforward to teach. I begin by getting people to walk the reel with the dancing couple stuck together probably in promenade hold, then get them to walk it again but stop when the dancing couple have got out to the corner of the set. Then I get them to turn round and notice that the back person is now in the lead. I may warn people that a dance features a pantomime dolphin, which is much more interesting than a pantomime horse / cow, in that the people get to swap between the head and tail ends : p. Edmund Croft, Cambridge & Worcestershire, UK

9 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Dolphin Heys in contra dances

by John Sweeney via Callers

When I teach a Dolphin hey with lots of people who don't know the concept I get the active couple to link together (leader lets hands trail behind back, trailer hooks on) and dance a hey for three without the active couple trading places (this is also known as a Shetland Reel). Once they understand the basic track I explain about the active couple trading places. One of the keys to success it to persuade the leader to go wide at the end of the line, in order to give the trailer plenty of room to take the lead. Just Skylarking by Rhodri Davies is a contra dance with a Dolphin Reel. Since it is visible at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iKdR6B7hnw I assume he won't mind if I post it here. Just Skylarking (by Rhodri Davies) Contra; Improper A1: (Balance the Circle; Petronella Turn) x 2 A2: Neighbour Balance & Swing - end facing down B1: Lines of Four Down The Hall (4); Dixie Twirl Lines of Four Up the Hall - finish facing #2 Lady B2: Dolphin Hey - finish with #1s looking down the hall for a new couple, #2s looking up the hall Dixie Twirl: #1s (in middle) Arch, #2 Lady leads the line through the arch while #2 Man leads to the other end - no letting go Dolphin Hey: #1 couple (in the middle) act as a single unit, but switch leader at each end of the Hey Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

9 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Dolphin Heys in contra dances

by John Sweeney via Callers

When teaching a Dolphin Hey to people who are not familiar with the concept I get the leading person to put their hands behind them and the trailing person to hold those hands, then I get them to dance the hey for three without the active couple trading places with each other. Once they understand the main track that they have to follow then I explain the trading of places at each end of the hey. One of the keys to success with that is to persuade the leading person to go wide at the end of the line, so that the trailer can turn in front of them. Just Skylarking by Rhodri Davies has a Dolphin Hey Since you can see the dance in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iKdR6B7hnw I assume he won't mind me posting it here: First Couples Improper A1: (Balance the Circle; Petronella Turn) x 2 A2: Neighbour Balance & Swing - end facing down B1: Lines of Four Down The Hall (4); Dixie Twirl Lines of Four Up the Hall - finish facing #2 Lady B2: Dolphin Hey - finish with #1s looking down the hall for a new couple, #2s looking up the hall Dixie Twirl: #1s (in middle) Arch, #2 Lady leads the line through the arch while #2 Man leads to the other end - no letting go Dolphin Hey: #1 couple (in the middle) act as a single unit, but switch leader at each end of the Hey Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

9 years, 1 month

Dolphin Heys

by Andrea Nettleton via Callers

Hi all, I'm still recovering from the red eye I took back from my most recent PNW trip. Below find my first crack at a Dolphin Hey contra, referred to by Lindsey, written about 6 months ago. Porpoiseful Play Imp A1 LL F&B [In the original, which is a tad more challenging, this is a Mad Robin CW around New N's.] **** 1's gypsy 1+ until M1 can face M2, with W2 falling in right behind. A2 Dolphin Hey for three across, 1's acting as a unit. M1 passes M2 Rsh to begin. At the end of the hey, the ones keep curving over the M2's original place, passing M2 again as M 2 heads across the set to his P. B1 P Gypsy and Sw B2 M Alle L 1 1/2 N Sw ****I called an even smoother version in Portland, with a leave 'em then love 'em Mad Robin, in which the ones go in and to the R while the 2's go out and to the L to begin. This is still a CW MR, but you gaze at your partner on the long diagonal as you separate, then return. The crowd contained more ECD dancers than the usual contra crowd, but everyone seemed to get it equally well, and enjoyed the whole confection. Andrea Sent from my external brain > On Jun 13, 2016, at 1:04 PM, Lindsey Dono <lynzimd(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > Luke, > > Andrea Nettleton (cc'ed here) also has a dance with a dolphin hey! > > Lindsey > >

9 years, 1 month

Musical advice

by Kalia Kliban via Callers

Hi all I just got home late last night from the event (the Greenwood Fest), and can now report back. I hugely appreciate all the tune suggestions. They were really helpful for both me and the band. I sent them a list of tune names, along with video links, and they settled on Turkey in the Straw and St. Anne's Reel, which worked just fine for Margate Hoy and Le Brandy, respectively. The 3rd dance was a big wind-up/spiral dance, to the Crawdad Song. Traditional dance accompaniment is definitely not what this band usually does but they dove into it with great energy and attitude and we had a good time together. The one thing that I didn't anticipate, though if I had given it some thought I should have, is that this crowd was about 90% male. There were just a few who were willing to partner with other men, and I chose dances where partner interaction could be no more intimate than an elbow swing. The folks who joined in had a good time and were asking for more (maybe we can do more at the next event). The bulk of the crowd only joined in for the windup. All in all, it went about as I'd expected for the dance part of it, and better than I feared for the musical part. Thanks, all of you, for your help! Kalia

9 years, 1 month

New (?) dance, B1 balance, B2 balance and partner swing

by Luke Donforth via Callers

Hello all, I was trying to write a nice end-of-evening dance that had a balance at the top of B1, and ended with a partner swing (that wasn't Old Time Elixir #2 or Tica Tica timing...) and came up with this. I think it's new, and it worked well in Montreal recently; but I'd like to know if it already existed: Becket A1 Circle left 3/4 Neighbor swing A2 Gents start hey for 4 by left B1 Right to neighbor (women back to back in middle), balance and box gnat Pull by right, women allemande left 1 1/2 B2 Partner balance and swing Slide left Happy dancing -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

9 years, 1 month

Reverse R/L thru?

by Maia McCormick via Callers

Have you all encountered or written dances for a "reverse R/L through"? To my mind, this move might be any of the following: a. cross the set with the lady on the left and gent on the right, lady courtesy turns gent (with the traditional CCW courtesy turn b. cross the set with the lady on the right and gent on the left (as usual), lady courtesy turns gent (with a REVERSE courtesy turn, ie CW, as would happen on a gent's chain) c. ??!?!? Cheers, Maia

9 years, 1 month

Dolphin Heys in contra dances

by Luke Donforth via Callers

Hello all, I'm sharing a link to a pod of dances I recently wrote: http://www.madrobincallers.org/2016/06/13/dolphinheys/ rather than putting all 5 and the descriptions up here. I'll put one at the bottom. I was at the English Country Dance in Brattleboro before the Dawn Dance, and Nikki Herbst called a dance with a dolphin hey; and it was such fun I decided to write contra dances with it. For those of you (like recently me) not familiar with a dolphin hey, it's 4 people doing a hey for 3; with the 1s acting as a unit and trading leads (like a school of fish) when the reach either end and loop back in. For instance, at 1:32 in this lovely video of Sapphire Sea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-8LyExynvA I don't have video of the contra dances (although I have called a couple of them at contras and they've worked). Also, if you just search Dolphin Hey on google, you find: Which, given how much time I've spent navel gazing about the move, I admit to thinking is hilarious. My favorite (so far) of the 5 I've written is below. I'm curious if anyone else has already ported this move from ECD into contra. Enjoy: Kinematic Dolphin Vorticity Luke Donforth Type: Contra Formation: Duple-Improper A1 ----------- (8) Long lines, forward and back (8) 2s hand cast the 1s down through the middle to a line of 4 1s turn to face lady 2 A2 ----------- (16) Dolphin hey for 3, 1s (gent starting in lead) pass lady 2 by left 7 changes, until at gents home side with partner second time B1 ----------- (16) Partner gypsy and swing B2 ----------- (6) Circle Left 3/4 (10) Swing neighbor Notes: The dancers will probably get to the partner gypsy a little early. They can get a little more gypsy, or swoop wideley on the hey. Other Notes: The title comes from Carol Ormand’s Kinematic Vorticity, which has the same A1 and B2. -- Luke Donforth calling.luke(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

9 years, 1 month

Does This Dance Exist Already?

by Jerome Grisanti via Callers

In 2015 I wrote (and called) a dance that may already exist; if it's unique I'm sure it's only slightly so. Wondering if anyone knows of this sequence (or very similar one) under a different title. Thanks! Jerome Grisanti Another Equal Turn By Jerome Grisanti (?) Improper Contra June 2015 A1 (New) Ladies Allemande Left 1X Neighbor Swing. A2 Long Lines, Men allemande Left 1 1/2 B1 Partner Balance & Swing B2 Pass the Ocean, Balance the wave, Women allemande Left halfway, Balance the wave, walk forward to next neighbor Jerome Grisanti 660-528-0858 http://www.jeromegrisanti.com "Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

9 years, 2 months

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