Rickey asked when we schedule mellow dances in an evening. I'll put such a dance
immediately after (or before) a single dance or series of dances that are more
energetic. The more relaxed tempo acts as a breather, to give some dancers
(think of folks who are older, for example) an opportunity to continue dancing
and to catch their breath; such a dance/tune also makes an exciting dance that
follows all the more exciting by contrast. Thus, for example, toward the end of
a first set, I might program something at moderate tempo, then a dance with
higher energy, then something more mellow, and then finish up with another
high-energy (but not too complex) dance.
One such tune that I often request for a particularly elegant dance that I like
to call with experienced dancers is Coleman's March.
We were discussing Erik Weberg's dance Joyride on this list not long ago, and
that's another dance that, in my opinion, works nicely with a slightly slower
tempo. Depending on how quickly dancers move through the hey, it can have a full
16-count swing, and the more relaxed pace allows dancers to enjoy the whole
swing without racing.
Keep in mind that the actual speed of a particular tune, measured in beats per
minute, might be the same as another, but one might have lots of eighth notes or
sixteenth notes, whereas the other could have many whole or half notes. The
second one may strike dancers as more relaxed, in the same way that calls with
fewer words may seem more relaxed than the same dance called with lots of busy
patter.
David Millstone
------
Dead Cat Bounce
by Nathaniel Jack
Formation: duple improper contra
A1 Balance and swing neighbor
A2 Men allemande left halfway,
Partner allemande right 1x
Men start hey for 4
(Men go halfway, but women ricochet back to the side where they start by
meeting in the center and pushing back with both hands.)
B1 Circle left
Partner swing on the side
B2 In long lines, forward and back
Women gypsy once and a half
I'd like to know if anyone knows the name and author of the following dance.
A1 Do si do neighbor
Actives swing.
A2 Actives down the hall and turn alone
Return and cast off with neighbor.
B1 ?
B2 Long lines forward and back
Inactives swing
The inactives make up the B1. During the cast off, the inactives tell the
actives what the move or moves are.
Thank,
Tom
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> Today's Topics:
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> 1. Website searching (Seth Seeger)
> 2. Re: Website searching (troll.wright(a)verizon.net)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:17:03 -0400
> From: Seth Seeger <seth(a)seeger.ws>
> Subject: [Callers] Website searching
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Message-ID: <A50B065D-E30E-470E-ACA0-B1A9C0B0D91B(a)seeger.ws>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'm pleased to say that I've finally gotten around to getting the
> search functionality working again! From the website (http://
> www.sharedweight.net) you can once again search the mailing list
> archives.
>
> -Seth (quiet, but still here!)
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 22:29:25 -0400
> From: "troll.wright(a)verizon.net" <troll.wright(a)verizon.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Website searching
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Message-ID: <380-22007362422925953(a)M2W009.mail2web.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> HI Seth - how timely! Our email is down and we can only send out to those
> who write to us and I need your snail mail address. Thanks! Nell
> Original Message:
> -----------------
> From: Seth Seeger seth(a)seeger.ws
> Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:17:03 -0400
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: [Callers] Website searching
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'm pleased to say that I've finally gotten around to getting the
> search functionality working again! From the website (http://
> www.sharedweight.net) you can once again search the mailing list
> archives.
>
> -Seth (quiet, but still here!)
> _______________________________________________
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> End of Callers Digest, Vol 31, Issue 11
> ***************************************
HI Seth - how timely! Our email is down and we can only send out to those
who write to us and I need your snail mail address. Thanks! Nell
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Seth Seeger seth(a)seeger.ws
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:17:03 -0400
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: [Callers] Website searching
Hello everyone,
I'm pleased to say that I've finally gotten around to getting the
search functionality working again! From the website (http://
www.sharedweight.net) you can once again search the mailing list
archives.
-Seth (quiet, but still here!)
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Hello everyone,
I'm pleased to say that I've finally gotten around to getting the
search functionality working again! From the website (http://
www.sharedweight.net) you can once again search the mailing list
archives.
-Seth (quiet, but still here!)
A printable pdf of the music and instructions to
'Sasha' (referred to below) as well as a free downloadable
mp3 of the music which you can do the dance to, is
available at our New England Dancing Masters website.
Go to: www.dancingmasters.com
and go to 'new dances'.
Best,
Peter
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>Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:06:34 -0400
>From: "Cynthia Phinney" <online(a)starleft.org>
>To: "'Caller's discussion list'" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
>Subject: Re: [Callers] Mother-Son dance
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>
>I've always done Sasha with the counting in Russian (and the tune sounds
>kind of Russian). I don't speak Russian, but when it's been taught (Becky
>Tracy always teaches it at Meadowlark Music Camp for the Tuesday night
>dance) it sounds like "ein!, svy!, try!", with the "r" pronounced more like
>a "d". It's lots of fun.
>-cynthia
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
>[mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Walter Daves
>Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 8:38 PM
>To: Caller's discussion list
>Subject: Re: [Callers] Mother-Son dance
>
>
>*Sasha (Couples anywhere)--done to a specific tune *
>
>*"Sasha!, Sasha!, one!, two! Three!" (finger point on 1,2,3)*
>
>* *
>
>*A: Clap as follows:
> RRR, LLL, B(oth)BB, K(nees)KK (8)
> RRR, LLL, BBB, KKK (8)*
>
>* *
>
>*B: Swing by right elbow (8 steps) , say "Hey!" on 8th step
> Swing by left elbow (8 steps), say "Hey!" on 8th step*
>
>* *
>
>* C: Promenade around (16 steps) and then move by yourself
>to find another partner(16 steps)*
> * Alternate: Swing 16 steps then promenade & find another
>partner. I've done this with adult groups.
>*
>
>*The whole thing, including the music, is in Bob Dalsemer's Folk Dance
>Fun for Schools and Families (John C. Campbell Folk School)
>*
>
>* *You can get the tune at this web site:
>http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/cgi/abc/tunefind
>
>Walter
>
>Rickey wrote:
>> Thanks Walter,
>> Sasha sounds intriguing. How does it go?
>> Rickey Holt
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
>> [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Walter Daves
>> Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 2:22 PM
>> To: Caller's discussion list
>> Subject: [Callers] Mother-Son dance
>>
>> Sasha works very well.
>> Walter Daves
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Traffic Jam
>From David Millstone:
> We usually do it to a tune played AB:
>
> Traffic Jam
> from John Krumm
> no partner needed at start
>
> 1) Elementary Traffic Jam
>
> A part:
> Clap-clap-clap, stamp-stamp-stamp, walk-2-3-4 (whichever way you're
facing)
> Repeat all that
>
> B part
> Sashay sideways 8 steps
> Pick another direction and sashay back
>
> Do that for 5-7 times, then move to
>
> 2) Intermediate Traffic Jam
>
> Turn around and find a buddy standing near you. Do the dance again.
Instead of
> clapping your own hands in A1, you clap both hands with your buddy,
then stand
> side by side facing the same direction, hook elbows and walk for the 4
steps. In
> the B part, you take both hands with your buddy and sashay-- it helps
if you
> both go in the same direction!
>
> Do that for another 5-7 times, then, if the crowd seems ready for it,
do
>
> 3) Advanced Traffic Jam
>
> Same as above, only after the first sashay, callers says "Switch!"
whereupon
> dancers drop hands with current partner, turn around and find someone
new with
> whom to sashay back again.
>
> It's a dance I often use early in the program for family groups. No
partner
> needed at start, so everyone can participate. Then you dance with a
partner, and
> then change partners.
>
> David Millstone
Hi all,
My group and I have been asked to do a "Mother/Son" dance for boys in grades
K-5. The first dance we plan to do is a scatter mixer, and I am considering
telling the mother's of the younger boys not to change partner's during the
dance. I wanted to start with a dance that took as little instruction as
possible, and that allowed those present to "meet" each other during the
dance. Do you have any suggestions? The list of dances we are considering
is: The Exchange (the scatter mixer), Flying Scotsman, Brandy Poussette
(also called Le Brandy), Cat and Mouse, Alabama Gal, and if they seem up for
it Haste to the Wedding as a Sicilian circle. We will have an hour for
dancing, and I am shooting for perhaps five dances. Any suggestions?
Rickey Holt
Hi Ricky, Traffic Jam, is a good one. Expect lots of hooting and hollering!
Gale
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Walter Daves walterdaves(a)alltel.net
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:21:33 -0400
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: [Callers] Mother-Son dance
Sasha works very well.
Walter Daves
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So I'm a newbie on this mailing list -- I think it's great there are so
many good resources on the web for callers, including sharedweight.net. By
way of introduction, I've been calling what might roughly be identified as
New England-style dances, from the late 1980s onward, mostly in the
Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, but occasionally in other parts of the state
or over in New Hampshire. I don't really work with a legitimate band, but
there is a social/music group called the NIPS who sometimes get organized
enough to show up for an actual event, in which case they're technically
the Parsnips.
I get more requests to call than I can usually meet; the rest of my life
only gives me a certain amount of room to indulge this pleasure. But for
the last few years I've been the monthly caller for a small family Dance
in Danville, VT organized by fiddler David Carpenter. The two regular
venues I enjoy most are short series: for four consecutive Sunday nights
in July/August, the Parsnips do a great little community dance at the
Caspian Lake Grange in Greensboro, VT; and every winter we join George
Wilson and David Kaynor for three Wednesday nights when they're doing
workshops with the always-delightful Elderhostel groups at the Craftsbury
(VT) Outdoor Center.
It's been very edifying to browse the archives of sharedweight.net. I
think I've come across more interesting odds and ends about dances in the
few weeks since I joined than I have in the last few years. Thanks to all
the thoughtful contributors and especially to the site's creators!
Chip Hedler
