Sam, cool-looking dance! My main comment -- just from running through the
dance in my head, mind you -- is the importance of giving weight after the
roll-away, as the robins need to change momentum in order to zig left.
Depending on the crowd you're calling to, you can either let an advanced
crowd figure that out or stress this when walking through with a
less-than-advanced crowd.
I'm also wondering about available space for the roll-away across the set.
It's been several years since I actually danced, so maybe this is okay.
Only way to find out is to try it out :-)
Regarding interrupted/balanced square throughs, I learned it as "balance
square through" from Donna Hunt. That said, it's somewhat a moot point as I
never used the term when addressing dancers. I just taught them the move
sequence in the walkthrough, and called the individual moves during the
dance ... and then felt a great sense of relief when the opportunity to
catch my breath finally came around!
Regards,
Mark Widmer
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Sam Winter <samawinter(a)gmail.com>
> To: contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Cc:
> Bcc:
> Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2025 16:15:48 -0700
> Subject: [Callers] Interrupting Cow - ("new" dance )
> Hey all,
>
> Long time lurker, first time poster.
>
> This dance came to me on a hike. It's based on my favorite knock-knock
> joke as a kid and the wonderful dance "Cows are Watching" by Bill Pope and
> Judy Goldsmith.
> Knock-Knock. *Who's there?* Interrupting cow. *Interrupting cow wh-*
> MOOOO!
>
> I haven't tested it and I don't *really *know if it counts as a "new"
> dance, but I think it's funny and wanted to share it with someone who might
> appreciate it!
>
> Cheers,
> Sam
>
> Interrupting Cow by Sam Winter
> Contra / Becket / CCW
> *based on "Cows are Watching" by Bill Pope and Judy Goldsmith*
>
> A1: (8) Interrupted Square Through Two (NR, PL)
> (8) Interrupted Square Through Two (NR, PL)
>
> A2: (4) Neighbor balance across the set
> (12) Larks draw Neighbor across and swing
>
> B1: (4) Balance ring
> (4) With Partner across, Robins roll away, Larks half sashay
> (8) Zig left, zag right to N2
>
> B2: (8) Larks allemande left 1 (and a bit) with new Lark
> (8) Partner swing
>
> Notes: I like the *idea *of starting with the B1 (so the interruption
> happens in the middle), but not sure I really want to complicate things
> with an indecent starting formation.
>
>
Hey all,
Long time lurker, first time poster.
This dance came to me on a hike. It's based on my favorite knock-knock joke
as a kid and the wonderful dance "Cows are Watching" by Bill Pope and Judy
Goldsmith.
Knock-Knock. *Who's there?* Interrupting cow. *Interrupting cow wh-* MOOOO!
I haven't tested it and I don't *really *know if it counts as a "new"
dance, but I think it's funny and wanted to share it with someone who might
appreciate it!
Cheers,
Sam
Interrupting Cow by Sam Winter
Contra / Becket / CCW
*based on "Cows are Watching" by Bill Pope and Judy Goldsmith*
A1: (8) Interrupted Square Through Two (NR, PL)
(8) Interrupted Square Through Two (NR, PL)
A2: (4) Neighbor balance across the set
(12) Larks draw Neighbor across and swing
B1: (4) Balance ring
(4) With Partner across, Robins roll away, Larks half sashay
(8) Zig left, zag right to N2
B2: (8) Larks allemande left 1 (and a bit) with new Lark
(8) Partner swing
Notes: I like the *idea *of starting with the B1 (so the interruption
happens in the middle), but not sure I really want to complicate things
with an indecent starting formation.
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Thank you,
Seth & Chris
Dear Colleagues,
Here's the scenario: You are finishing up a new dancers' lesson, and will
be starting the dance in a few minutes. In walks a significant number (say
6+) of newbies, all friends who want to dance together. Besides the two
most common solutions, lower the difficulty and insist they NOT do the
first couple of dances together, does anyone have an additional
creative/elegant solution, enhancement actions to make the basics more
effective, or important issues for consideration that are commonly missed?
Greg
Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for this conversation! Here's an anonymous poll to fill out:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZ2D-jqR7noL6GSOI6rFx1jx6868FKttd…
There is a separate poll for organizers and musicians. (I thought that the content of the different lists may generate different answers.)
Thank you,
Seth
Hi Folks,
The admins of Shared Weight have some exciting news… Contra Callers (and all the other CDSS Shared Weight email lists) are moving to Groups.io!
Groups.io is a more secure and stable mailing list platform, with less spam and fewer bounces. Also, there will be more useful features like a calendar, photos, files, wiki and more. The move will make much less work for our sysadmins, and will bring much more reliable email delivery.
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There will be another email with lots more details once the move has been completed.
Seth & Chris
Greeting callers!
I'm putting together a program of challenging contras for an upcoming gig.
This is an area where I'm still developing - hooray for new horizons!
Would anyone be willing to share a favorite challenging dance or two from
their repertoire?
Many thanks,
Hannah Chamberlain
Westbrook, ME
Hi folks, I'd love your 2 cents for a "barn dance" I'm leading tonight.
I'll get (just a little) more complex towards the end, but the first 5-6 dances will be very simple and high energy. This will be a mixed group of people (many new to dancing, some may have done contras or related things before), at a large, open, community event (where there may be some drinking, sigh).
My question is: *how many times would you run through each dance?*
I'm thinking 8-10 times, but would love to hear others' instincts.
I've included 3 examples of the dances I'll be calling below.
1. /*Simple circle mixer*/
_A part_
Circle left
Circle right
Balance the big circle x2
Into the centre all say "Hey"
_B part_
All "explode" - break hands and wander around the hall
When you meet someone, take right hands, balance once and pull by them
(Do this at least once, but if you are coordinated you may manage 2-3 different times!)
Reform the circle in no particular order, start again.
2. */Simple line mixer/* - dancers start in long lines facing their (temporary) partner - I will divide the lines into shorter sets based on how many times the dance will run through (TBC!)
(Designate each side of the line with a name e.g. Porpoise line and Ostrich line.
Remind them that they must always come back to their home side and never join the other line)
_A part_
LLFB
With partner left hand allemande
LLFB
With partner right hand allemande
_B part_ (I demo this part with a small group to show people how it goes, prior to the walk through!)
All in the set join hands to make an oval - "oval left"
Oval right
Top Porpoise and bottom Ostrich dance up the middle (i.e. the Porpoise dances down the line, while the Ostrich dances up the line) - Porpoise rejoins their own line at the bottom, Ostrich rejoins their own line at the top.
Lines readjust themselves so that everyone is facing a new partner (I tell everyone to point to their new partner and wave to them, so everyone is clear on who their new partner is- have done this dance many times before and people have no problem figuring it out) - if additional time, clap along to the music.
/*Scatter Dance in "floating *//*duples*//*"*/
Circle left
Bal ring x 2
Circle right
Bal ring x 2
Do si do P
Left allemande neighbour
All bow to each other then skip off with partner to form a new duple
Thank you!
Kat Kitching
Halifax NS
Hi Dorcas,
Relating to your new found enjoyment of maths, you might checkout Chris
Page's wrote article "The twenty-four duple minor formations". This relates to
rotations of a cube. At the BIDA contra dance of May 19, 2013, Linda Leslie
called Simplicity Swing. Here is a video with animations of the cube
superimposed: https://youtu.be/V_9rr49KIdE?si=Zxqyv3KGdPjgAdbd
Links to Chris's article and other maths related items here:
http://danceofmathematics.com
Cheers, Bill
Hello Callers!
I wanted to reach out to let y'all know that I'll be leading a callers'
workshop with the lovely folks at Boston Open Contra next month. The
workshop will be followed by a dance where participants will be invited to
call to warm bodies with live music!
Boston Open Contras is a relatively new group that fosters new callers, new
musicians, and new choreography. They're very committed to inclusivity and
accessibility — admission to this workshop is offered on a sliding scale of
only $15-$40, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
So if you know anyone within driving distance of Cambridge, MA who's been
curious about calling for contra dances, but who'd be best served by a
low-cost, low-pressure learning opportunity, please connect them to this
workshop! The link to register is here.
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZHj6naqDrPYpFW9SfWSP6AIHWgekFNzb…>
Yee haw,
Ang
[my Instagram <www.instagram.com/angdecarlis>]
