Tony recommended Cumberland Square Eight. Yes! Great dance! More details at http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/EFDS3911-CumberlandSquareEight.html
Please note:
In England we dance it at least four times through.
We use a lot of energy!
The first move is called a “Gallop” and we go the full eight gallops (Side, together, side, together, side together…) - if there isn’t enough room we gallop around the corner, then back the same way. The normal hold is a ballroom hold. Don’t change your arm position to come back - just turn your heads.
To teach the basket get the ladies to raise their arms above their heads; the man put their arms around the ladies’ waists; one of the men holds the wrists of the other; the ladies drop their hands onto the NEAREST shoulder. Right foot in the middle and scoot.
I always teach the men to put their arm around their lady’s waist towards the end of the figure so that you have two halves of a basket ready to go.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
Hello All! I wanted to write a dance in celebration of my stepping into the Libra Sun for the 70th time. I wanted it to be very balanced, in Libra fashion.
Anyone seen this dance before? It is not like anything in my data base that has Mad Robin in the A1, but I did not search the other figures.
Thanks for your input!
Jean Gorrindo
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Jean Gibson-Gorrindo <jgorrindo(a)charter.net>
> Subject: "70 Libra Suns" by Jean Gorrindo
> Date: September 24, 2019 at 8:25:56 AM PDT
> To: jean gorrindo <jgorrindo(a)charter.net>
>
> 70 Libra Suns
> by Jean Gorrindo
> Contra/Improper/Easy
>
> A1 -----------
> (8) Mad Robin (Ladies pass in front moving Right
> (8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
> A2 -----------
> (16) Partner balance and swing
> B1 -----------
> (8) 1/2 Hey, Ladies passing right shoulders
> (8) Ladies allemande Right 1-1/2
> B2 -----------
> (16) Neighbor balance and swing
I'm pretty behind publishing a year or so of dances, but wanted to check in
since this one may be done?
I riffed off Nils' Spring Fever, swapping petronellas for the circulate,
then changed the simple B2 to fit the ending in a wave. Test driven Sunday
in Greenfield, MA.
Going Out For Bao
Ron T Blechner
D.I., start in long waves with Larks facing out, Ravens facing in
A1. Bal Wave, Ravens X, Larks Loop R (4,4)
Bal Wave, Larks X, Ravens Loop R (4,4)
A2. N B+S (4,12)
B1. Larks Lead 1/2 Hey, Ravens Ricochet, Partner Swing (16)
B2. Pass Thru Straight Across (4ish) (face P)
P Alle L 1x (6ish)
Larks Pull By R (2ish)
N Alle L 1 + 1/4 (6ish) (RH to New N to form waves)
On 11/23/2019 11:41 AM, Richard Fischer via Contra Callers wrote:
> Linda Leslie wrote Do Si Three. You can find it here:
>
> http://lindalesliecaller.contracorner.com/dances/very-easy-dances.html
>
> Richard Fischer
> Princeton, NJ
Do Si Three is great. I've used it at family dances, so I can vouch for
it being an easy one. If your crowd is up for contra corners (I know,
it's a long shot) then Melanie Avel-Lute's Down By The Riverside is a
good choice. If it doesn't have to be 3 facing 3, but could be trios
all facing the same way like spokes on a wheel, then I highly recommend
Rebecca's Roundabout by John Chapman. Another trios-all-facing-CCW
dance is Silly Threesomes. Here's a video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wL2ucm2Wds
Kalia
For barn dance purposes, I have a variation on one of the "Three Meet"s from the community dances manuals.
A1: threesomes link arms, go forward and back
Threesomes in promenade direction promenade to change places with
the other threesome, facing back the way they came.
A2: Repeat to home.
B1: individually with opposite: do-si-do, two-hand-turn
B2: Version 1:
- Forward and back, forward and pass through, acknowledge new neighbors.
Version 2:
- Circle six halfway, threesomes basket swing, face new neighbors.
For Civil War/Victorian, at least as old as the 1840s:
Rustic Reel (16-bar sequence)
Middles of each line taking two hands with right-diagonal, gallop right and return.
Same with left diagonal. (If everybodys's well coordinated the middles don't miss a step in the gallop.)
Lines of three forward and back, forward and pass through (optionally scrambling to change middle person as you go.)
I love "Walpole Cottage" but it's too much for new dancers, with a super contra corners where the middles turn each other and all four corners, heys for three, etc.)
I don't usually get into heys for three in one-nighters; if I did, 'Dashing White Sergeant' has some merit.
Back before "Larks and Ravens" I had a contra dance evening where there lots of men and they weren't dancing with each other. I came up with a couple of dances for the gender imbalance situation, although my current position is that everybody should just learn to dance both roles.
I have gendered names in the dance notes because that was the point of these two dances:
Women: Go ask two guys to dance" and set them up for three-face-three. I
don't really have three-face-three contras in my repertoire, so I made up a
couple on the spot. I wanted to be sure everybody got to swing, and I was
worried that the guys who wouldn't dance with each other would freak if they
had to swing each other, so each of these includes the women swinging two
people.
First was a variation on "Three Meet" from the community dance manuals.
Threesomes with women in the center
A1: threesomes f&B, threesomes promenade past each other by left shoulder and
face in.
A2: Repeat to home.
B1: Right diagonals (women and right-hand opposite) swing
Left diagonals (women and left-hand opposite) swing
women go home
B2: F&B & pass through .
[With a bright jig, the A is more fun than it looks on paper.]
I had more time to think about the second one, and I came up with something
that I quite like.
If the name "Imbalance & Swing" isn't taken, I think I'd call this sequence
that. Maybe this will prove useful to somebody.
IMBALANCE AND SWING
Alan Winston, 9/27/2008
Jigs or clearly-phrased reels
Threesomes with women in the middle.
A1:Opposites dosido individually (8)
Women pass right (4), right allemande right diagonal (4)
A2: Left diagonal (same line) Left Allemande (8)
Women Allemande Right 1.5 (8)
B1: Swing a partner (8)
Swing the other partner (8)
B2: pass straight through (4) and
threesomes basket swing, open facing new neighbors. (12)
And I gave some thought to something where middles swung right-hand-partner, right-hand-opposite, left-hand-opposite, left-hand-partner, but eventually decided that it would be too fatiguing for the middles. (I like swing-to-swing transitions but maybe doing that all round a rectangle is too much.)
Hope this helps!
-- Alan
________________________________
From: Emily Addison via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2019 11:19 AM
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Really fun 3X3 dances? And easy squares?
Hi fellow callers!
I remember seeing a video a few months back from the Portland Intown contra. The dancers seemed to be having an absolute blast with a 3X3 contra-like dance.
Does anyone have any really fun 3X3 dances?
I'm looking to add variety into the formations I'm calling at an upcoming contra/square/barn dance.
Also --> Any suggestions for super fun but easy to learn square figures?
Thanks!
Emily in Ottawa
Linda Leslie wrote Do Si Three. You can find it here:
http://lindalesliecaller.contracorner.com/dances/very-easy-dances.html
Richard Fischer
Princeton, NJ
> On Nov 23, 2019, at 2:26 PM, Emily Addison via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Hi fellow callers!
>
> I remember seeing a video a few months back from the Portland Intown contra. The dancers seemed to be having an absolute blast with a 3X3 contra-like dance.
>
> Does anyone have any really fun 3X3 dances?
> I'm looking to add variety into the formations I'm calling at an upcoming contra/square/barn dance.
>
> Also --> Any suggestions for super fun but easy to learn square figures?
>
> Thanks!
> Emily in Ottawa
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
On Saturday, November 23, 2019, 01:19:11 PM CST, Emily Addison via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi fellow callers!
I remember seeing a video a few months back from the Portland Intown contra. The dancers seemed to be having an absolute blast with a 3X3 contra-like dance.
Does anyone have any really fun 3X3 dances?I'm looking to add variety into the formations I'm calling at an upcoming contra/square/barn dance.
Also --> Any suggestions for super fun but easy to learn square figures?
Thanks!Emily in Ottawa_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Hi fellow callers!
I remember seeing a video a few months back from the Portland Intown
contra. The dancers seemed to be having an absolute blast with a 3X3
contra-like dance.
Does anyone have any really fun 3X3 dances?
I'm looking to add variety into the formations I'm calling at an upcoming
contra/square/barn dance.
Also --> Any suggestions for super fun but easy to learn square figures?
Thanks!
Emily in Ottawa
Hi all,
I just started working on this page from English Dance & Song:
http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/EFDS8006-NewHampshireContras.html
Thanks to those who pointed out that the location was actually
Francestown.
I found the third one using The Caller's Box - it is
Spaelimenninir Reel #4 by Larry Jennings. (Thanks Chris & Michael!)
The A part of the second one is the same as The Nova Scotian,
but with a completely different B part.
Any further insights much appreciated.
Thanks.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com
<mailto:john@modernjive.com> 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
I don’t immediately recognize those dances, but the location was Francestown, NH. There were very big dances in that town hall for at least a couple decades.
Rich Hart.
Sent from my iPhone
> On Nov 21, 2019, at 7:31 AM, John Sweeney via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>
> Hi all,
> I just started working on this page from English Dance & Song:
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/EFDS8006-NewHampshireContras.html
>
> Can anyone identify these three dances from 1980?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Happy dancing,
> John
>
> John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
> http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
