Hi All,
I wrote this a week ago. It is a fairly simple dance, and checking Caller's
Box and ContraDB did not find it. However, given the simplicity of concept,
I am surprised it has not been previously created. Anyone else know of its
prior existence? Perhaps recut from A2 - A1?
Half Day's Work
Becket, cw/left progression, 1x
A1: Long Lines Forward and Back, Larks Allemande Left 1 1/2;
A2: Neighbors Balance and Swing;
B1: Long Lines Forward and Back, Next Robins (across the set and to left of
partner) Allemande Left 1 1/2 (to partner);
B2: Half Hey (PR, LL, NR, RL), Partners swing.
I called this twice and both times, the dancers automatically realigned for
the progression, which was my largest concern.
If it appeals, enjoy!
Greg
I wrote this up as a blog post <https://chromamine.com/2024/11/set-and-link-contras/>, but I also thought this list would appreciate it and have interesting thoughts to share.
It occurred to me recently that I don’t think there are any contra dances that feature a set and link figure. This is a figure from Scottish Country Dancing which follows this sequence (assuming becket formation for this write up):
1. Couples face the other couple across the set, taking convenient hands with their partner along the side
2. All balance right and left (4 beats)
3. All turn over their right shoulder as they trade places along the side of the set with the robins going through the middle and larks going round the outside (4 beats)
It could be thought of as a petronella twirl for two or, perhaps, as a mad robin halfway with twirling. If none of those descriptions work for you, there’s also a video of the figure in action <https://youtu.be/hI-ebAspZzY?si=gkIDl8WmCzFc5HO4&t=16>. (Note the video is to a leisurely Scottish strathspey, but it can be done to a jig or reel at contra tempo just fine.)
I decided to write a couple:
*Set And Link Contra*
Harris Lapiroff
Becket CCW
A1
Set and link (trading with partner)
Balance the ring
Petronella twirl
A2
Neighbor balance and swing
B1
Set and link (trading with neighbor)
Balance the ring
Petronella twirl
B2
Partner balance and swing
Note A1: Each time through after the first, the set and link should start with a big balance to the right to progress to new neighbors
And a slightly more complex, but still accessible, one:
*Broken Link*
Harris Lapiroff
Duple Improper
A1
Neighbor balance and swing
A2
Set and link (trading with neighbor)
Robins alle L 1½
B1
Partner right shoulder round
Partner swing
B2
Circle left 3
Pass through up and down
Next neighbor DSD
Note: Can also be done in becket by starting with B2, skipping the pass through, and changing to a slide left progression at the end.
I danced these through with a few dancers in a living room and they worked. I was worried the “Set And Link Contra” wasn’t appropriate for any crowd, being too simple and repetitive for an experienced dance but too tricky for beginners. Some of my test dancers agreed, but others thought that it was satisfying enough to dance to work – which I could see maybe working for a late evening brain-off-dance-trance vibe.
A few open questions I have about these dances:
- In “Set And Link Contra,” is the big balance right to progress satisfying or awkward? We didn’t have enough dancers to test the progression. A different option might be to make it Becket CW and slide left, then balance back to the right. (I suspect slide right, balance right would feel too muddy.)
- The balance right and then left sequence isn’t natural to contra dancers. Is there a way to lead into it that makes it more natural? (Notably: a couple of my test dancers had done at least a little Scottish and they both liked it, but one dancer who had only done contra found it awkward.)
- Alternatively is there a different way of doing that balances that would be more at home in a contra? I think balancing together and away wouldn’t give good momentum into turning over the right shoulder, but perhaps balancing in and out in a ring would work?
- In “Broken Link,” I’m still not sure if the set and link into a robins left hand allemande sequence feels good. When I tested it myself it felt flowy in a weaving sort of way, but some of my test dancers reported it was awkward. We didn’t take time to workshop it to see if the flow felt better once the set and link was more familiar.
Hi all-- Here is the lovely remembrance written by Bob's family. Bob
survived a serious car accident in September, but, despite early hopeful
signs, his injuries were too much to conquer. He lived a full and wonderful
life, and the contra and ECD communities will miss him greatly.
Robert D. Green
March 4, 1950 - November 11, 2024
Robert Douglas Green, known as Bob to his friends, was born on March 4th,
1950 in Pasadena, California. Always one to make an entrance, Bob surprised
his parents with his arrival, being much younger than older siblings Don
and Peggy. Bob was known throughout his life for both his exuberant
mischievous energy and his care and compassion for others. Growing up, he
was a Boy Scout who loved to tinker and mend things and who loved to be in
community with other people as much as possible. As a proud Pasadena
native, he liked to brag that he played in the Rose Bowl because his high
school football team used the Rose Bowl as their home stadium.
Bob moved to Missouri in the 1970s to study spiritual practice at the Unity
Village in Kansas City, and would make his life in Missouri from then on.
Bob spent his entire career working in mental health and was a fierce
advocate for those with mental illness, taking his first job at an ad hoc
community drug rescue organization called The Ecstatic Umbrella. From
there, he worked at Western Missouri Mental Health Center (where he met his
first wife), Rockhill Manor Residential Care Facility, and then Scarritt
Place, a care facility for people with mental illness that he owned and
operated. Bob’s career took a brief detour through nursing home
administration while he went back to school to receive his bachelor’s
degree from Park University (from which he graduated cum laude at the
timely age of 59). He finished out his long career working for the State of
Missouri as a mental health case management supervisor.
Bob was especially proud of the three daughters—Sarah, Leah, and Emily—whom
he raised with his first wife, Carol Bahmueller, in Blue Springs, Missouri.
Bob was a proud “Girl Dad” before there was a term for it. He was a regular
fixture at community theater plays, Science Olympiads, softball
tournaments, choir performances, speech tournaments, and gymnastics meets
through the years. He bragged endlessly about the accomplishments of his
three girls to anyone within earshot.
Bob danced through life in every way he could. He first became interested
in dance thanks to his brother Don’s involvement in folk dancing in
California. Once his children were grown, Bob poured every bit of his
exuberant energy into the St. Louis contra dance community, where he was an
enduring presence. He met his beloved wife Martha through contra, and they
spent 30 years as dance partners. Alongside Martha, Bob could be found
nearly seven days a week dancing, calling, choreographing, running sound,
and otherwise devoting himself to the joyous pursuit of all things Contra
(and Morris and English and Waltz…), frequently traveling to dances across
the country. When he wasn't dancing, Bob was an avid cook, the proud author
of the recipe book *COVID Dishes: A Pundemic Cooking Experience* (available
on Amazon). Always an activist, Bob also spent time in his retirement
volunteering for local progressive political campaigns.
Bob was a man who never knew a stranger, who was quick to pun and quick to
laugh (often laughing at his own jokes before he could finish them) and
quick to lend a hand when he saw a need. Over the years he took in many
strays—be they cats, dogs, rabbits, chipmunks, or people needing a place to
shelter for a while—and touched a truly enormous network of lives with his
energy.
Bob’s life was taken from him too early, but he passed peacefully with
Martha and his three daughters at his side, listening to a waltz by
Stringdancer, Martha’s contra band. He was laid to rest in a “Green Burial”
(*ba-dum-tss*) service at the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis,
Missouri. He is survived by his wife, Martha Edwards, his brother, Donald
Green, his three daughters: Sarah Spencer, Leah Baruch, and Emily Green,
and three grandchildren.
He leaves behind a legacy of joy, caring, compassion, humor, and light. He
can be honored with donations to the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS),
the St. Louis Childgrove Country Dancers, or the National Alliance on
Mental Illness (NAMI).
A celebration of Bob's life is being planned in St Louis for early 2025.
I'll post that.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield IL
Hi All,
I wrote this a week ago. It is a fairly simple dance, and checking Caller's
Box and ContraDB did not find it. However, given the simplicity of concept,
I am surprised it has not been previously created. Anyone else know of its
prior existence? Perhaps recut from A2 - A1?
Half Day's Work
Becket, cw/left progression, 1x
A1: Long Lines Forward and Back, Larks Allemande Left 1 1/2;
A2: Neighbors Balance and Swing;
B1: Long Lines Forward and Back, Next Robins (across the set and to left of
partner) Allemande Left 1 1/2 (to partner);
B2: Half Hey (PR, LL, NR, RL), Partners swing.
I called this twice and both times, the dancers automatically realigned for
the progression, which was my largest concern.
If it appeals, enjoy!
Greg
On Monday evening, STL caller/dancer/dance writer Bob Green's daughter
Sarah posted:
It is with a very sad heart that I report that Bob Green has passed on to
his eternal dance. He was surrounded by Martha and his 3 daughters and
listening to a recording by Stringdancer. We know that he was loved by many.
Stringdancer was a band Martha played in for many years... I know there
will be no visitation. But a burial and graveside service will be held
Thursday or Friday at Belle Fontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield IL
Renowned NH caller Mary DesRosiers died on 11/3/2024. There will be an informal gathering in the Nelson NH Monday dance on 11/11. I’ll post again when we hear of an official memorial.
Lisa Sieverts
603-762-0235
lisa(a)lisasieverts.com
Hello all-
St. Louis caller, writer of contra and English Country dances, and
long-time leader and organizer of dances Bob Green was in a bad car
accident in late July. After surgery and a month in an ICU, he has been in
a long-term rehab facility since... Here is the difficult message posted
today by his daughter, Sarah...
Most of you are aware that 2 months ago my Dad (Bob Green) was in a serious
car accident. While we had been hopeful that he would have a meaningful
recovery, it has become clear during the last 2 weeks that the damage was
too great. Dad continues to lose strength and is alert less and less. This
past weekend, his grandchildren were able to see him to say their goodbyes.
I am back in St. Louis and will be with him in his final days. My sisters
arrive this weekend. The medical staff are keeping him comfortable. Please
keep his family in your prayers.
I will let you know of his passing, and anything else I can share at that
time. I can give you his and wife Martha Edwards' mailing address, if you'd
like to contact that way, now or later.
Martha Edwards
433 Marford Dr.
St. Louis MO 63141
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield IL
Hello all,
I recently got to drop in on the Charlotte dance in North Carolina, and had
a chance to chat with Dean Snipes. Dean (and independently, Linda Leslie)
wrote my favorite contra dance, Tika Tika Timing
<https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=11680>.
Judging from the 100 videos of it on Caller's Box, I think I'm not alone in
enjoying this dance.
Dean said he was inspired to write the dance after hearing the hit *Good
Timin'* by Jimmy Jones <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmRG0Y5N8lg>, and
felt the B1 petronella's did a nice job of conveying the rhythm. He also
mentioned that Mr. Jones had another hit "Handy Man
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKpbNvDg6zY>" (later covered and turned
into another more sedate hit by James Taylor).
So with a recent bout of insomnia, instead of re-writing Tika Tika Timing
as I have done numerous times, I put together a new dance. Jimmy Jones
seemed to like twirls, he does several in his live performance of Handy
Man. I hope he'd be amused by this.
Handy Man
Contra/Becket-CCW
A1 -----------
(8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
Turn away and face new neighbors
(8) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(8) Long lines, forward and back
(8) Larks’ Chain across
B1 -----------
(8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
(8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
B2 -----------
(16) Partner balance and swing
Hope you're all doing well and finding fun connections.
Luke
Burlington, VT
It's fun to see the creative ideas for dances with odd numbers.
In my experience, awkwardly small groups often occur at the beginning
or end of a regular evening (or at the mid-afternoon contra session
on a hot summer day).
In such circumstances, it's nice to have material that requires
minimal teaching, and gets people moving to music quickly. Bonus
points if it can accommodate dancers showing up late and adding-in.
Consistently successful for me is Steve Zakon-Anderson's well-known
contra 3-33-33. The opening is a continuous loop that works just fine
with 4 couples [you're never "out" -- just treat partner as next
neighbor and keep rolling-- get a rest in the Bs]. It's also workable
with 3 couples, or 5 (really,any number). In these circumstances, I
replace the final do-si-do with a chain --- a much more reliable transition ...
https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=3259
We discovered the felicity of this dance about 20 years ago -- in a
hot afternoon class at Buffalo Gap. Dancers liked it so much they
requested repeats at subsequent sessions. In the intervening years, I
have turned to it whenever it feels 'right' for a small, but fairly
experienced group. Feedback has been consistently positive.
My hunch is that more than a few familiar contras can be pleasing in
a very short line -- especially when there is lively action outside
the minor set. The advantage of minimal teaching is significant when
people are tired, overheated, or feeling discouraged that there are
not more dancers. A brisk transition to music and movement gets good
endorphins flowing !
As with any suggestions, your mileage may vary. I know some people
who love to collect novelty dances -- and enjoy the
excuse/opportunity to teach unusual figures and formations. That's
not what floats my boat, but our Diversity is a Strength.
Happy Dancing !
Scott
I often get requests for dances in different formations, or when numbers are
low. Here are a couple to look at. Lots more at
https://contrafusion.co.uk/Formations.html
Quintilinear - a popular dance with a Double Dolphin Hey:
https://youtu.be/lDIy_Cyp6aU
Doubled Five - a new dance with a Doubled Up Hey (some pairs with arms
around each other acting as a single person):
https://youtu.be/kXHzjhUvNLI
Full instructions are in the links below the videos.
I hope you enjoy them!
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
