Here is a duple improper by Ted Crane of Ithica NY
No swing!
White Towed Cat
A1 Corner Bal
Corner DSD 1.5
A2 Circle Left
Rt hand across Star
B1 Ladies chain over and back
B2 Long Lines F&B
Partners DSD
On to the next
Its fun to watch the dancers try to through a swing in esp at the end of
B2
As a reward on the final time through I instruct them to swing to end
Hope this is what your looking for!
Gale
It might be fun to have one of you walk through a dance, then the other one start calling a totally different dance, completely ignoring the dance that was walked through. The first one could be a dance with no swings or something, to get them grumbling.
Rich
Hi All,
Jeff Spero and I are calling the Brentwood (LA) dance together: I happen to be in LA this weekend for another calling gig; he wants to play a prank on his home dance community, so many months ago, we decided to share the evening... It's been fun to have someone to bounce ideas off of and create this together.....
I've never called an April Fool's dance, and I'm glad to be part of creating one. And, I've never danced somewhere on April Fool's day when the caller or band did anything unusual or tricky.... I did see some comments last year around this time on trad-dance-callers. I started setting dances aside a few months ago and making notes....
Most of what I've thought about doing are things that are a bit unusual, that have some twist on what we're "used to" doing... Some ideas, not in any particular order:
1. "The Tease" by Tom Hinds, already mentioned
2. "B&B" by Robert Cromartie. When cpl waits out at the bottom or top of the set, wait out "the wrong way": w/ lady on the LEFT.
3. "Open Doors" by David Kaynor. ... it's got some unusual order of figures together: A2: Down 4, return, then B1: Long Lines ( ! ), rather the typical "circle left.." B2: LL F&B, then circle RIGHT ( ! ) , turn alone, face new N's .... You got to think a bit during this one, which I kind of like....
4. A medley (ok, this I got from Robert Cromartie).... dance 1: no P swg, dance 2: no P swg; finally dance 3: includes P Swg! Something like that.... you could even do 3 with no P Swg, then P Swg....
--> I haven't picked out the dances for this yet..... Can anyone suggest simple no P swg dances that would do well in a medley?
5. Triple progression is a bit unusual: "Eleanor's Reel" by Bill Olson is a good one. Likewise, Bill Olson's "Scrod Pudding's Trip to the Mall" has a two-handed box the gnat rather than one-handed, again, just a different twist on common moves. "Weeks on the Road" by Bill Olson.... it's a backwards becket (which Gene Hubert pointed out to him...), to start, get in improper formation, women trade places. On side w P, but Gent is on the Rt..... (OK, so I just spent two wknds w/ Bill Olson and Ti'Acadie in California, can you tell??!!).
6. Similarly.... calling an "indecent" dance, where the two's cross over, instead of the one's crossing..... Jim Kitch's "Dancing the Winter Away", Joseph Pimentel's "Oh Geez!"
7. The "clap trap" type of dances where there is a figure after the Petronella-turn-to-the-right, making it (nearly) impossible to clap twice after the spin: "Princeton Petronellas" and "Cure for the Clap" (this one, don't say the name of the dance before calling it; say it afterwards; otherwise, they'll try to clap!) both by Bob Isaacs. "ContraQuad Reel" by Seth Tepfer.
8. "Bases Loaded" by Jim Saxe, Tom Thoreau and Lydee Schudder, offers an unusual pattern (a "diamond" type interaction in the A1, A2)
9. A friend mentioned: call a dance so that it doesn't progress! Actually, I did this once, by mistake! so I have one, should I decide to do this! ("Pigtown Petronella" by Cary Ravitz... yes, I got a dble progression dance to not progress at all! I can tell you how, for those that want to know!). The dancers were laughing and smiling, and I went up to a minor set and said "what's up"? A dancer answered "we really like our neighbors, and we're having a good time, but we haven't progressed!"... they were laughing hysterically....
10. Jeff Spero had the idea that since we both have wireless mike's we could do some sort of "ventriloquist" thing..... one person could be up on stage "calling" (moving your lips), and the other calling it from the back of the room, or somewhere not visible to the dancers.... obviously, a male voice coming from a female caller (or vise verse) would be a bit unusual....
11. I also suggested to Jeff that he could dress as me and I as him.... gee, didn't hear back on that one! I think he'd look great in one of my North Carolina "Nancy" dresses!
12. Any suggestions from musicians? on tricks the band could play? (NOT ON THE CALLER!!!! but working TOGETHER on a prank for the dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)..... ; ^ ) (no crooked tune surprises! .... ) Now, Bill Olson this past weekend in California called a dance to a 48 bar tune.... it worked well and the dancers seemed to like the different feel to it....
I do like the "hokey pokey" idea, having the band play that....
More ideas?
Karen Fontana
Northern California
PS: .05 cents royalties for any ideas used..... just kidding!!
ErikThor(a)aol.com wrote:
Barb K writes:
i was thinking about calling a medley of mecket dances - alternating ones
that progress CW with ones that progress CCW...
I write:
This sounds like a challenge. Love to hear how it works out.
Also, on a walk-through of a dance that ends with "circle left 3/4, pass
thru," after having the dancers circle, but not pass thru, George Marshall has
been heard to say something like:
"If this were April 1, I'd leave you right there, but since it's not..."
erik hoffman
510-444-4397
erik(a)erikhoffman.com
-- erik, with a 'k'
\\\\\///////\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\/////\\\
There is no way to peace; Peace is the way.
~ A. J. Muste
/////\\\\\\///////\\\\\\\///////////\\\\\\//\\\\\\/////\\///////
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
The J. Appleseed Society
E-Mail Discussion Lists to nurture the growth of participatory art and cultural activities.
The Traditional Dance Callers List: For participatory dance callers, teachers, leaders and interested friends. Subscribe by sending a blank e-mail message (no subject, no message) to: trad-dance-callers-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com
SPONSORED LINKS
Russian folk dance Traditional Dance Folk
---------------------------------
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
Visit your group "trad-dance-callers" on the web.
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
trad-dance-callers-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
---------------------------------
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
Karen Fontana
www.karenscontracorner.com
karen_fontana(a)yahoo.com
(H) 650-691-9663
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
With apologies to Rick and an invitation for him to set me straight, the buzz step lesson goes something like this:
Take your partner and form one big circle around the hall. Hold hands and everyone face the center.
Take your right foot and CROSS (big voice) in front. (Stay on that foot-exaggerated motion, until everyone has successfully crossed their right foot in front.)
Take a small STEP to the left.
CROSS in front (wait for everyone to catch up)
STEP (little voice)
CROSS (wait for the slow ones)
STEP
CROSS (keep an eye on the ones having trouble, speed up as their comfort increases.)
STEP
CROSS
STEP
CROSS
STEP
and on and on until everyone is doing the step at a reasonable speed.
Camilla Streeter
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Mail
Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.
>
> --- Seth Tepfer <labst(a)emory.edu> wrote:
>
> > What called waltz dances do people know? That is -
> > called dances in waltz
> > time, either in circle, sicilian circle, or other
> > formation. I only know
> > two, and I'd love to collect some more.
> >
> >
Seth,
Mike Richardson has written several contras for two-part slip jigs, which I find are most easily danced with a waltz step. These dances CANNOT be done with regular reels or jigs. My favorite of these is Another Jig Will Do, there is also Peacock Follows the Hen and at least one other. My favorite tune for this is Snowy Path. I have also used The Butterfly, adding a C part consisting of Star Left and Star Right, or a Star Left, Circle Left, or some other position-neutral sequence.
Another Jig Will Do
By Mike Richardson
Level med (assigned by the editor)
Type Contra
Formation Becket
A1 (6) Long lines go forward and back, moving left one place (the progression)
(6) With the new circle left 3/4
A2 (9) Neighbors dosido
(3) Neighbors allemande right 1/2, until gents face in
B1 (12) 5 changes of a hey, gents pass left shoulders to start; end with gents passing left shoulders to face partner, all on original side
B2 (12) Partners swing
Editor's Notes:
Tune: any 2-part (16-bar) slip jig, such as "The Peacock Follows the Hen", "Another Jig Will Do" or "A Fig for a Kiss".
Jerome Grisanti
> I call it [Chorus Jig] as standard at my dances (even if the band does not
know the tune!)
Gale's comment points to a problem that's developing. As fewer callers use the
old dances, many of which have a tune associated with them, fewer musicians
coming into the tradition are learning those particular tunes. That in turn
makes it harder to call the older dances so callers might shy away from that
material. I suppose you _could_ dance Money Musk to a generic tune played AAB,
but it surely wouldn't be the same and I don't think I'd want to try it. And the
balances for Hull's Victory just fit that tune perfectly.
So, callers, I'd encourage everyone to get those chestnuts into your repertoire
and to let bands know in advance that you'd like to be able to call Rory O'More,
for example, and if the musicians
don't already know the tune, perhaps they'll learn it.
And yes, there are lots and lots of old dances and tunes, but a list of ones
that I'd love to see in every New England dance musician's repertoire might
include:
Chorus Jig
Devil's Dream
Green Mountain Petronella
Hull's Victory
Lady of the Lake
Lady Walpole's Reel
Lamplighter's Hornpipe
Money Musk
O'Donal Abhu (for British Sorrow)
Opera Reel
Petronella
Portland Fancy
Rory O'More
Steamboat/Washington Quickstep
Vinton's Hornpipe
and tunes for a couple of the older couple dances, such as the Gie Gordon's and
Road to the Isles.
Heck, just get a copy of the New England Chestnuts albums (now out in a double
CD from Great Meadow Music) and hand that to the band and say, "Here! Please
learn these!" And if they want dots to read, direct them to the New England
Fiddler's Repertoire tunebook.
And, of course, tunes for some of the traditional singing squares such as
Redwing, Crooked Stovepipe...
Well, you get the idea...
David Millstone
Greetings,
On the subject of Chorus Jig,
I believe that it was John Macintyre who called Chorus Jig at Down East.
I happened to be dancing with a talented and experienced dancer form
Maine. She had never danced CJ or done the Contra Corner figure.
Her eyes lit up once she had got the sequence down. She asked why this
dance
Is not called more often.... I explained that it is rare at a dance in
NH when
CJ is not called. I call it as standard at my dances (even if the band
does not know the tune!)
Jeffrey Petrovitch wrote:
>
> Also in the dance Money Musk there is a "lines of three forward and
> back" and it really is not a "forward and back"; it is a "balance in and
> balance out", which is danced differently. What does this have to do
> with discussion of less used figures; I think it is important to know
> dance moves like contra corners, balance in and balance out and once
> again the "little things" that have brought contra dancing to where it
> is today. It is the history!!!
>
In a similar vein, I recently learned from Peter Rogers that in the English figure called "forward a double and back," the double refers not to doing the move as a pair, but rather taking two measures of music to move forward and two to move back back. Forward a single and back would be equivalent (in timing) to a contra balance, forward a double and back would be equivalent in timing (if not shape) to long lines forward and back.
Also, I have intuited that in the move "roll away with a half sashay," the half sashay refers to the non-rolling individual stepping sideways into the original place of the rolling individual. Can anyone confirm this?
Jerome Grisanti
> What called waltz dances do people know?
These are the three I use most frequently:
Spanish Waltz, an oldie
Waterfall Waltz, by Pat Shaw
The Wood Duck, by Fried Herman
(both of these are from English country dancing, as is Margaret's Waltz, Duke of
Kent's Waltz, and many, many more, but these two are the ones I seem to have
settled on)
There's also Roses in Bloom, a square set in waltz time, written by Rich Jackson
and published in the CDSS News #106. But given the difficulty of getting some
contra dancers to dance squares at all, and adding in the challenge of asking
people to dance in waltz time, you can imagine that this doesn't get used much
in contra circles!
Also from the ECD world, another square in waltz time is Pat Shaw's
Heidenroslein.
David Millstone
