I was curious about the origins of the "Brooms/Fan/Roses/Umbrellas" being used as props, and found this.
Looks like others have wondered about the origins of this silliness - but no mention of rubber chickens!
Ben
https://www.kickery.com/2008/04/three-chairs-a.html#more
Three Chairs: A Genre of Civil War Era Dance Games
* Era: America, 1840s into early 20th century
"My friend Patricia asks in email:
Do you know of any documentation for a dance that is known to many as the "hat", "flower", "broom", "paddle", or "fan" dance? It is described as having two lines of people (usually men in one line and ladies …
… He/she looks back & forth between them, hands the item to one of them and sashays or dances down the between the lines with the other person. Sometimes it's done with three chairs, sometimes with no chairs.
I know several dances with most of those names (all but paddle), none of them what Patricia had in mind. The dance she's describing is a variation on several of the mid-19th century cotillion figures also known as "Germans". These were not cotillions in the 18th-century sense of a chorus/verse-structured dance for couples in a square. Instead they were party games with dancing, some of which were quite silly and seem to us today more like children's games than pastimes for a formal ballroom. By the end of the 19th century, the role of these games had evolved from an amusing way to end a ball into the entire point of the evening, and hostesses vied to run the best "Favor-Germans", with elaborate trinkets as game props and party favors for their guests.
American dancing master Allen Dodworth, writing in 1885, explained the nomenclature of these dance games as follows:
> This dance was introduced in New York about the year 1844. At that time the quadrille was the fashionable dance, but was known as the cotillion. To make a distinction between that and this dance, which was known in Europe by the same name, this was called the "German Cotillion;" gradually the word cotillion was dropped, the dance becoming simply "The German."
>
>
The German connection is not fantasy: the earliest definitive source I have for the this sort of dance game is an 1820 manual published in Berlin and does include a version of what I call the "three chairs" genre of figures as part of a larger list of figures under the heading "Cotillion" or "Codillon".
Given Dodworth's dating of their introduction, these games are appropriate for Americans reenacting the mid-19th century (Civil War era) and later 19th century. While many of the games used in Germans were probably in existence earlier (musical chairs, blind man's buff, etc.), there is no evidence of their incorporation into ballrooms of earlier eras outside of Germany. Their history there, to the best of my knowledge, awaits further research.
The hat - or other object - dance as described above is clearly folk-processed. 19th-century dancers would not have lined up like that for a German; they would have waited patiently in their chairs for the dance leader to direct them a few at a time. Sashaying down the room would not have been used; couples would have taken the opportunity to really waltz or polka. Dance manuals from the 1840s onward often contained lists of cotillion figures, sometimes hundreds of them, often identical from manual to manual. I don't pretend to have done a comprehensive survey, but there are clear roots for the hat dance in at least four different Germans, all of which use three chairs as a setup, as shown at right in an illustration from Coulon. Note that the outer chairs face in the opposite direction from the middle one. This is also specified in some of the descriptions below.
All the dancers would be seated in a large circle. The dance leader, or conductor, selects the figures and directs the dancers, choosing a small group (as few as two, depending on the figure) to start each figure, which is then repeated until everyone in the company has had a chance to participate to the extent practical given size, balance of ladies and gentlemen, etc. Each figure is done to music - polka, waltz, and mazurka were common - and involves actual dancing around the room with whatever dance fits the music...."
Hi Colin,
Oh my goodness! Your website is AMAZING!
Pre-pandemic I called a few squares but since then, I've fallen in love
with calling them. I'm also a sucker for history, and have done a bit of
reading of the Northern Junket. I've dreamed of a website like yours that
would have the squares from NJ together. This is SOOOOOOOO great!
What a wonderful way to bring part of that history forward in an accessible
way. :)
Emily in Ottawa
On Tue, Jul 25, 2023 at 1:00 AM <
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> 1. Squares from Northern Junket (Colin Hume)
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> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Colin Hume <colin(a)colinhume.com>
> To: Contra Callers <contracallers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Cc:
> Bcc:
> Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2023 09:01:04 +0100
> Subject: [Callers] Squares from Northern Junket
> Northern Junket was a magazine which Ralph Page edited from 1949 to 1984.
> I've now finished copying out the Squares he published there, sometimes
> with my own
> comments and suggestions.
>
> I know some of you dance and call Squares as well as Contras.
> If you're interested, please read my page at:
> https://colinhume.com/instnj.htm
> and let me have any corrections and comments either through the list or by
> email.
>
> Colin Hume
>
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Northern Junket was a magazine which Ralph Page edited from 1949 to 1984.
I've now finished copying out the Squares he published there, sometimes with my own
comments and suggestions.
I know some of you dance and call Squares as well as Contras.
If you're interested, please read my page at:
https://colinhume.com/instnj.htm
and let me have any corrections and comments either through the list or by email.
Colin Hume
Hi all,
In the 20th century the English Folk Dance & Song Society published over 200
dances in its English Dance & Song magazine, and its predecessor E.F.D.S.
News. In 2016 Chris Turner very kindly gave me a large collection of the
magazines. Once I realised how many dances there were and that they were
not only of historical interest, but also should be made available so that
they could be danced again, I contacted the EFDSS and got their permission
to publish the dances from the beginning, in 1921, up to 1989. I contacted
as many of the original authors as I could and started work. There were
delays caused by COVID and in getting some of the approvals. With the help
of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library to scan the relevant pages from the
missing issues, I have finally finished the project:
http://contrafusion.co.uk/DancesEDS.html.
There are some great dances, some new and some historical interpretations,
of all genres and styles, both simple and complex, plus some that may never
be danced again, either because of their quality or their obscure
directions. Each dance is presented on its own page, with a scan of the
original article plus an interpretation using modern terminology, and
historical analysis where relevant.
Some of the dances had interesting articles associated with them. These
articles are all indexed at the top of the Web page.
I hope you enjoy some of the dances and articles. Please let me know of any
insights or corrections.
Thanks.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
Hi All,
Years ago I was making up dances with what I was calling a "Sling Shot Hey." Then cam the Ricochet Hey. Many of us have noted that a Ricochet Hey starting with robins or larks passing in the center by the right then ricocheting to swing doesn't work. The Sling Shot Her does:
Coyote Road on Christmas (2022) Becket Erik Hoffman
Start facing across: Robin on Left, Lark on Right
A1 W/ Nbr: Balance, Box Gnat; Right & Left Thru
A2 Half Sling-Shot Hey: Robins pass Right, Nbr, Left
Larks "sling-shot" (allemande Rt) to Neighbor Swing
B1 Give & Take (Larks fetch) Partner Swing
B2 Petronella w/ Overspin to Face New Neighbors
Petronella w/ New Neighbors to A1 Face Across
This dance got certified approval when local dance caller, choreographer, and organizer asked me for the dance told me that it worked fine.
Although I think I might have come up with this idea independently, if my memory serves, it's been discussed earlier on this list and has been explored with other choreographers and might have been given another name.
That said, it is a way to choreograph a "pass right in the middle" hey to a right allemande in the middle to "sling shot" into a swing.
Cheers,
~Erik Hoffman
Hi folks :)
As a dancer, I remember loving the feel of waves lines that balance forward
and back. However, I don't have any dances that specifically call for
that.
Might you have suggestions of dances that specifically call for Bal F&B or
which often get modified for that feel of a balance?
Thank you!
:) Emily in Ottawa
*Mountain Hoot Appalachian Music, Dance, Culture Day at the Folk School*
Olive’s Porch is excited to bring back percussive dance powerhouse *Becky
Hill* to host a day featuring folklorist Gerry Milnes, callers Ellen &
Eugene Ratcliffe, and band Golden Shoals. Mountain Hoot: Appalachian Music,
Dance, & Culture Day will take place at the Open House covered pavilion by
the Folk School Gardens on *August 26, 2023*. Register now for $100 at
olivesporch.org or call 828-837-1885. Spots are limited, and prices
increase on August 1.
Mountain Hoot offers a window into traditional mountain square dance,
stories of mountain songs and the people who sing them, partner and
percussive dance, and more. The daylong workshop series runs in
conjunction with a concert performance, community dance, and old-time jam
throughout the weekend which are open to the public by donation. The events
are open to beginners, budding pickers, and avid dancers alike. Our special
guest dance callers are husband and wife duo *Ellen and Eugene Ratcliffe*
of Highland County Virginia. They are super dynamic and energetic dancers
and callers; you can’t help but bust a move when they’re on the floor.
Hosted by * Becky Hill*, former Olive’s Porch Artist in Residence who spent
four months in the area focusing on her craft while working within and
building community. She’s joined by her longtime mentor, folklorist
musician *Gerry Milnes*. Gerry was the Folk Art Coordinator at the Augusta
Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College for twenty-five years and has
taught at the Center since 1976. He produced 26 albums of Appalachian music
and 16 films about West Virginia traditional life; receiving the WV
Governor’s Arts Award, Vandalia Award, Robert C. Byrd Fiddling Award,
Footbridge Award, and WV Filmmaker of the Year.
All are welcome. We hope to see you there!
Workshop registration and schedule information is found at
bit.ly/mountainhoot <http://www.bit.ly/mountainhoot>
T-Claw Crawford, (he/they)
Music & Dance Events Coordinator
John C. Campbell Folk School
1 Folk School Rd
Brasstown, NC 28902
828-837-2775, ext. 154 <+1-828-837-2775,%20154>
800-FOLK-SCH
folkschool.org <https://www.folkschool.org/>
[image: signature_1112078737]
Hi All,
I've been really enjoying this thread on calling weddings!
I'd say that they are SOOOOO much fun but as a contra dance caller, they
are WAY different than calling to a room full of people who have
specifically come for contra calling. I've actually grown to love ONS (one
night stands) more than contra dances but starting from a contra mindset,
it took a little while to learn.
Here are some random thoughts:
- Agree with Lisa S and others. Weddings are not a good place to
actively recruit contra dancers. That's not why folks are there. If
someone comes up and asks you about the dance, great but I'd hold off
saying anything about other opportunities.
- At my wedding, about 1/3-1/2 of the people there had contra danced
before and yet, I think there was maybe one contra the whole night. If you
want to make the dancing fun and accessible for a room of wedding guests,
it really is a totally different program. The one contra I might call would
be Family Contra and that would be after testing the waters with
Do-Si-Three... which would be after doing some Longways, circles, and
squares.
- I would plan for up to 90min but anticipate doing less. Even with a
keen crowd, after 90min, folks really want to focus on other things at the
wedding. I've often seen it work well to have canned music after the 90min.
- I've heard repeatedly that it's good to do the trad dancing BEFORE the
cake is cut. After the cake is done, guests start dispersing.
- When I call a wedding, I always make sure that the groom and bride are
going to dance and I ask that they let their guests know about the dance
ahead of time and really talk it up. If the groom and bride aren't going
to get in on it, the other guests won't either.
- My very favourite dance for starting a wedding is Moon and Stars...
very similar to La Bastringue. I love it as after the 7-8th time, you can
start changing up Suns and Moons for "whoever is related to the bride ///
everyone else" ... "whoever came from afar /// everyone else"... that kind
of thing.
:) Emily
*Suns* to centre and back
*Moons* to centre and back
OPTIONS: *like X food // wearing colour-sandles // love snow // BDay month
// live in town // Play an instrument // All kids // Play X sport // in Gr
1-2 // likes to hike-sing-read*
Instead of clap, could do Sue's Un-Huh with point!
⃝L
⃝R
All together!
NDSD
P Swing
VAR: P Al R /// N Al L (bit more complicated)
VAR MIXER: N DSD, N Swing (new partner!)
P promenade *2by2 CCW*
Marion: Last 4 beats reform the ⃝
oops meant to send this to all :)
Jul 3, 2023 6:00:06 PM Katherine Kitching <kat(a)outdooractive.ca>:
I agree with Lisa - focus on what will make this event the most enjoyable for the guests and bride and groom.
I've done a number of weddings.
The lesson I keep (re)learning is:
"keep it simple, simpler, simpler" .
Every time I think I've got a great program, and pretty much every time, the guests have struggled with my 3rd or 4th dance as it was too complex. and this is after I keep simplifying things each time :)
If alcohol is involved, you definitely want to make the dances uber simple - and not plan anything that has to fit squarely to the music. Things tend to take twice as long if people have been drinking.
Also I find the bride and groom invariably overestimate how much time their guests will want to spend doing this.
So many times i've been booked for 90-120 minutes, and all those times i've only ended calling for 45-60 minutes and that has been the perfect amount for that crowd.
For most of the guests, they will enjoy it as a novelty, not a full-evening event.
In addition to that, the whole evening of dinner, speeches, etc nearly always runs late, so that can also cut into dancing time.
Here are some programming notes:
I always ask the couple if they would like a "first dance" (especially if there is a live band!) and if they would like it to be "a lively hoe-down tune" or a waltz. they usually like this idea.
I invite everyone to gather in a circle around the bride and groom, and they start dancing while we move to the music in the circle .. after a minute or two, I encourage everyone to start dancing (either waltzing or just jumping around clapping and doing elbow turns if they couple chose the lively hoe-down).
Next dance is the spiral dance. Always a big hit.
I start in a circle, get everyone to listen to the music, clap to the music, we circle left, we circle right, we go in and back a couple times... then I just wind it up and unwind it -with the bride and groom right beside me so they end up in the centre during the wind-up.
Third dance I do this very simple circle mixer:
if drinking is involved, I pre-teach nothing.
If minimal drinking, I pre-teach a right-hand balance and pull-by...
Circle left
Circle right
Into the centre and stomp
Into the centre raise arms and say "hey!"
then they have 32 counts (or more, if drinking!) to wander around, and (if drinking) just nod and say hello to anyone they meet, or if not drinking, to find at least one person to do a right-hand balance and pull-by with, maybe 2 or 3 people if they are quick - then we reform the circle and start again.
I would run this through maybe 6 or 7 times.
After that, I often do a simple line dance-
If not drinking, I make it a mixer - I designate one line as the robins and the other as the larks,
If drinking/really easily confused, they just stick with their same partner the whole time, and I make it shorter.
LLFB
walk forward, pull by your partner by the right hand to switch places, turn to face partner again, double-clap.
LLFB
walk forward and pull your partner by the right hand again so you are back to your original spot (clap clap)
Peel the banana:
(I demo this first with a smaller group in the centre of a teaching circle, so everyone sees how it works)
Top couple peels off down the outside, everyone follows - meet your partner at the bottom, take inside hands, and walk back up to the top
(emphasize that you come back to your exact same position at the end of this figure) -
then once you're back to your spot, do a two-hand turn.
Mixer version- for more competent, focused crowd-
Top Robin dances down the centre, to the bottom of the Robin line (emphasize they stay in their OWN line!!)
while bottom Lark dances up the centre, to the top of the Lark line (you must emphasize they stay in their OWN line!)
everyone re-adjust so they are facing a new partner, nod to the new partner - start the dance again (if multiple lines, get ppl to dance on the spot till all the lines are ready).
Non Mixer version - get the top couple to sashay, or do a free-form silly dance, down to the bottom, everyone else slides up a spot, start the dance again.
I do not even try to stay on a regular pattern with the music, for the above.
----
Then a final dance that can work is a "scatter dance" of a simple contra style....
set people up with a dance partner, and pre-teach any figures in a big teaching circle.
Note I teach them "right hand turn" /"left hand turn" instead of "allemande" cause it's easier to remember...
then get them to form "duples" with another couple for the dance...
Could do something like:
circle left
circle right
star left
star right
left hand turn your partner
right hand turn your neighbour (the person standing closest to you who is not your partner)
balance the ring two times
everyone bow to each other
wave bye bye
skip around the room with your partner, find another duple, restart the dance (I will be off the music at this point, and won't care).
if by chance they wanted a second scatter dance, and they seem to be doing well with learning new figures, you could do something like:
circle left
star left
balance and petro
balance and petro (note in this scatter orientation it doesn't matter where the petro takes you)
do si do your partner
do si do your neighbour
as couples do si do and scatter to find new duples.... (with credit to Sherry Nevin!)
Kat in Halifax
Jul 3, 2023 5:04:59 PM Lisa Sieverts via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>:
> Joe said:
>
>> I welcome any advice! My main goal in taking wedding gigs is recruiting
>> new dancers to our local scene, if that matters.
>
> Joe, that does matter. Remember that a wedding is one of the most important days in the couple’s lives. Your goal as a wedding caller is to make the dancing fun for the couple and their guests. Wedding dances are great when the dance helps the two families and their respective friends to be able to connect and enjoy meeting each other.
>
> I think it would be crass to mention a local dance unless you are asked “where can we do more of this.”
>
> Lisa Sieverts
> 603-762-0235
> lisa(a)lisasieverts.com
>
>
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