Contra Callers

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4406 discussions

by barbara153＠aol.com

Hi everyone! I will be calling a dance on Halloween and would like to know if anyone can share some Halloween themed dances with choreography if possible. I do have : Halloween Twist Chainsaw Thanks and keep on calling... Barbara G

7 years, 2 months

2 new contra dance compositions

by Andy Shore

Both of these have been road tested on tour with Polaris. *Serving REELness* Andy Shore Type: Contra Formation: Duple-Improper Level: Intermediate A1 ----------- (16) Neighbor balance and swing A2 ----------- (8) Revolving Door - Ladies in center by the right but** (8) 1/2 Hey, pass partner by left B1 ----------- (16) Partner balance and swing B2 ----------- (8) Circle Left 3/4 and pass through along the set (8) [Next] Neighbor Do-si-do Notes: **release revolving door a little early so that Gents are in the opposite Lady’s spot & have time to turn toward their right (tight loop) to come in for the left shoulder pass I'd introduce Revolving Doors with a simpler dance that goes into a Swing. E.g., the RD variation of Bronwyn Wood's "The Missing Piece" The world premiere with walk thru & dance was captured on video by Doug Plummer here: https://youtu.be/uAZCZzm1tI8 Not mentioned in that debut was the early release of the Gents from Revolving Door and their tight loop to the right The title comes from the FX TV show "Pose". *Alpha Ursae Minoris* Andy Shore Type: Contra Formation: Becket-CCW [no circle] Level: Advanced (Weekend/Challenging level) * ID shadow beyond partner in becket A1 ----------- (8) Promenade across the Set (J hook to progress) (8) Mad Robin - ladies in front A2 ----------- (8) Neighbor RH Across - Balance & Box the Gnat (don't let go) (8) with N & Shadow, Square Thru 4 (no balances) - make the 4th hand an Allemande Left 1/2 w/ Shadow [to long waves with Gents facing OUT, partner in RH, shadow in LH] B1 ----------- (4,4) Balance the Wave, Box Circulate (8) Neighbor swing B2 ----------- (4,2) [1/4 ricochet hey] Gents go in and push back on diagonal, Ladies Cross passing Left (10) Swing Partner Notes: ** when out with partner, cross over & be ready for Balance & Box the Gnat to be there for Square thru with Shadow & P Take time to ID N & Shadow for square thru = the ONLY 2 people you touch! This is outside your minor set! This is a high piece count dance with little chance for recovery. *Not for the faint of heart! *Probably should introduce figures in other dances first - Mad Robin, Square Thru, ricochet hey, Box Circulate Named after Polaris (the band) who helped me finalize this dance. Alpha Ursae Minoris is another name for Polaris, the pole star. Enjoy! /Andy Shore

7 years, 2 months

Barn Weddings are a thing now

by Luke Donforth

This is tangentially related to calling, but apparently the percentage of weddings hosted in barns has grown from 2% to 15% in the last decade ( https://tinyurl.com/ycbm9god). While the article doesn't specific that called dancing has increased as well, I'd be surprised if it hadn't. A decade ago is about when I started calling. I'd appreciate hearing from folks with longer records how they feel the prevalence of wedding gigs has shifted over time; and how that varies geographically. Although possibly the fluctuations are too large to get a decent signal out of the small sample size. From my own records: 2017: I had 14 One-Night-Stand gigs, and 1 of those was a wedding. 2016: I had 14 family level dances, and 4 of those were weddings. 2015: 10 ONS, 3 weddings. 2014: 14 ONS, 7 weddings 2013: 13 ONS, 2 weddings 2012: 4 ONS, 1 wedding As an aside, I really think the 15% of couples having their wedding party in a barn should be framed as a rebound from a longer historic decline. But if it's getting noticed and push-back from banquet hall trade groups, it may be coming to a close. -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

7 years, 2 months

New 4x4 composition with a tunnel, and related questions

by Luke Donforth

Hello all, I've had an idea for a 4 facing 4 dance rattling around, and it seems unlikely I'll have enough dancers to house-party it anytime soon, so I'd appreciate feedback on an untested dance. 4 facing 4 contra A1 (4) Lines of 4 go forward, take right hand with the one in front of you (4) box the gnat, keep and lift right hand to make a tunnel (4) couple at stage right side of line of couples duck through to far side (4) couple that was at stage left side of line of couples duck through to far side A2 (16) Initial corner balance and swing (end couples, it's the one they tunneled with, middle folks it's their trail buddy) B1 (4) All 8 go into the middle (4) On the way out, gents roll the one they swung with away with a half sashay (8) Gents right hand star ~1x (ladies adjust position as needed, stepping a little to left) B2 (16) Partner balance and swing, end facing new couple Questions for those so inclined: Would you be interested in dancing and/or calling this dance? Why, or why not? The inspiration for the tunnel came from "plow the row", a (to my knowledge) traditional square (at least, it's traditional enough to have lots of variations). Anyone know of a tunnel figure in a 4x4 contra? In the B1, I wrote it as the gents roll the ladies, and the gents star. It could instead be the ladies roll the gents and ladies star. Preferences? There are two places where what would normally be "balance+move" have been replaced with "in to the middle+move"; is the four steps forward before the box the gnat and the roll away going to throw folks? How would you prompt the couples on the end going through the tunnel so that there's only one couple in the tunnel at a time? Or would you prompt it as both going through and let them figure it out inside the tunnel? Thanks for feedback. -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

7 years, 2 months

Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through?

by Maia McCormick

> > Hi folks, Had a busload of beginners at my dance last night and realized I have a hole in my program -- I don't have any good glossary/beginner-friendly dances with a promenade but no chain or RL through. Any suggestions? > Thanks! Maia > >

7 years, 2 months

Fwd: Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through?

by Rich Sbardella

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rich Sbardella <richsbardella(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 11:51 AM Subject: Re: [Callers] Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through? To: Alexandra Deis-Lauby <adeislauby(a)gmail.com> Alex, Old Time Elixir #2 by Linda Leslie and Wrinkled Riccon by Melanie Axel Lute are two great dances. Rich On Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 11:42 AM, Alexandra Deis-Lauby <adeislauby(a)gmail.com > wrote: > I find that there aren’t many dances with a Promenade or RL that are NOT > followed by a circle left. When Dancing promenades to circle lefts, I don’t > like them as an experienced dancer because they don’t feel good and as a > caller I watch new dancers struggle with them because they don’t flow > logically unless the dancers correct for it (which one won’t know how to do > unless they’ve been dancing a very long time and are attuned to momentum.) > Does anyone have dances with promenade or right and left throughs that > flow into the next figure in a logical and satisfying way? > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Aug 13, 2018, at 11:08 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > Hello Maia, > I put one together a couple of years ago. I tried to make the timing as > forgiving as possible, thus the Balance the Ring and Pass Thru, instead of > CL 3/4 & Pass Thru. > > My Corduroy Blazer (D/I) > > A1: N DSD, N Swg > A2: Gents Alle L 1-1/2. P Swg > B1: Prom Across, LL > B2: CL 3/4. Bal Ring, Pass Thru > > Rich Sbardella > > On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 9:08 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> Hi folks, >> >> Had a busload of beginners at my dance last night and realized I have a >> hole in my program -- I don't have any good glossary/beginner-friendly >> dances with a promenade but no chain or RL through. Any suggestions? >> >>> >> Thanks! >> Maia >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> List Name: Callers mailing list >> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/ >> >> > _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/ > >

7 years, 2 months

Re: [Callers] Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through?

by Rich Sbardella

Hello Maia, I put one together a couple of years ago. I tried to make the timing as forgiving as possible, thus the Balance the Ring and Pass Thru, instead of CL 3/4 & Pass Thru. My Corduroy Blazer (D/I) A1: N DSD, N Swg A2: Gents Alle L 1-1/2. P Swg B1: Prom Across, LL B2: CL 3/4. Bal Ring, Pass Thru Rich Sbardella On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 9:08 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi folks, > > Had a busload of beginners at my dance last night and realized I have a > hole in my program -- I don't have any good glossary/beginner-friendly > dances with a promenade but no chain or RL through. Any suggestions? > >> > Thanks! > Maia >> >> > _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/ > >

7 years, 2 months

Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through?

by Allison Jonjak

Running a quick search on ContaDB.com turns up 22 that have a promenade across, with no chain and no R&L through. One that does have a chain, but is still good as a glossary dance (as described in its note) is https://contradb.com/dances/599 Devin Pohly's 'Like I've Known You Forever'. Hope that helps! > > From: Maia McCormick via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Date: Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 8:08 PM > To: Shared Weight Callers' Listserv <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > > > Hi folks, > > Had a busload of beginners at my dance last night and realized I have a > hole in my program -- I don't have any good glossary/beginner-friendly > dances with a promenade but no chain or RL through. Any suggestions? > >> > Thanks! > Maia >> >> _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/ > > > ---------- > From: John Sweeney via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 3:18 AM > To: Shared Weight Callers' Listserv <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > > > Hi Maia, > > Just take any dance with a Right & Left Through and change > it to a Half Promenade. > > > > Happy dancing, > > John > > > > John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 > 940 574 > > http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events > & DVDs > > http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent > > > > > *From:* Callers <callers-bounces(a)lists.sharedweight.net> *On Behalf Of *Maia > McCormick via Callers > *Sent:* 13 August 2018 02:08 > *To:* Shared Weight Callers' Listserv <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > *Subject:* [Callers] Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through? > > > ---------- > From: Colin Hume via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 5:04 AM > To: Shared Weight Callers' Listserv <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > > > On Mon, 13 Aug 2018 09:18:36 +0100, John Sweeney via Callers wrote: > > Just take any dance with a Right & Left Through and change it to a Half > Promenade. > > Brilliant! > > Colin Hume > > ---------- > From: Anne Lutun via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 7:09 AM > To: Maia McCormick <maiamcc(a)gmail.com> > Cc: Shared Weight Callers' Listserv <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > > > Maia, > > Here are two: > > *Solstice Special — *Improper, Tony Parkes > A1. Neighbor do-si-do (8) / Neighbor swing (8) > A2. Long lines forward and back (8) / Gents allemande left 1½ (8) > B1. Partner balance (4), swing (12) > B2. Partner promenade (8) / Circle L ¾, pass through (8) > > *Casbah Queens* — Improper, David McMullen > A1. Neighbor do-si-do (8) / Neighbor swing (8) > A2. Gents allemande left 1½ (8) / Partner allemande right 1½ > B1. Ladies left shoulder walk around (6), Partner swing (10) > B2. Partner promenade (8) / Circle L ¾, pass through (8) > > How did the evening go? Did the experienced dancers help? > > Anne > > > ---------- > From: Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 10:49 AM > To: Rich Sbardella <richsbardella(a)gmail.com> > Cc: Maia McCormick <maiamcc(a)gmail.com>, Shared Weight Callers' Listserv < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > > > I find that there aren’t many dances with a Promenade or RL that are NOT > followed by a circle left. When Dancing promenades to circle lefts, I don’t > like them as an experienced dancer because they don’t feel good and as a > caller I watch new dancers struggle with them because they don’t flow > logically unless the dancers correct for it (which one won’t know how to do > unless they’ve been dancing a very long time and are attuned to momentum.) > Does anyone have dances with promenade or right and left throughs that > flow into the next figure in a logical and satisfying way? > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Aug 13, 2018, at 11:08 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > Hello Maia, > I put one together a couple of years ago. I tried to make the timing as > forgiving as possible, thus the Balance the Ring and Pass Thru, instead of > CL 3/4 & Pass Thru. > > My Corduroy Blazer (D/I) > > A1: N DSD, N Swg > A2: Gents Alle L 1-1/2. P Swg > B1: Prom Across, LL > B2: CL 3/4. Bal Ring, Pass Thru > > Rich Sbardella > > On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 9:08 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> Hi folks, >> >> Had a busload of beginners at my dance last night and realized I have a >> hole in my program -- I don't have any good glossary/beginner-friendly >> dances with a promenade but no chain or RL through. Any suggestions? >> >>> >> Thanks! >> Maia >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> List Name: Callers mailing list >> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/ >> >> > _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/ > > > > ---------- > From: Richard Fischer via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 10:49 AM > To: Alexandra Deis-Lauby <adeislauby(a)gmail.com> > Cc: Maia McCormick <maiamcc(a)gmail.com>, Shared Weight Callers' Listserv < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > > > Here's one of mine: > > Power Promenade Becket Richard Allen Fischer > > A1 "Power Promenade:" Promenade across with your partner and make a big > loop left so you face your next neighbors; ladies chain. > > A2 Petronella x2 > > B1 Balance & Swing your Neighbor > > B2 Give and Take to the Gent's side. > > > Richard Fischer > > Princeton, NJ > > > ---------- > From: Rich Sbardella via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 10:53 AM > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Rich Sbardella <richsbardella(a)gmail.com> > Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 11:51 AM > Subject: Re: [Callers] Glossary dances with promenade, no chain/RL through? > To: Alexandra Deis-Lauby <adeislauby(a)gmail.com> > > > Alex, > Old Time Elixir #2 by Linda Leslie and Wrinkled Riccon by Melanie Axel > Lute are two great dances. > Rich > > > > ---------- > From: Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Date: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 11:24 AM > To: Rich Sbardella <richsbardella(a)gmail.com> > Cc: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > > > Yes! I love the promenade and loop, though I wouldn’t use it early in the > evening with a bus load of beginners unless the experienced folks were > really experienced. > > Sent from my iPhone > > > -- Allison Jonjak, M.S., E.I.T. allisonjonjak(a)gmail.com allisonjonjak.com

7 years, 2 months

Glossary dance

by Tom Hinds

I don’t know if the dance below qualifies as a glossary dance but it’s one is one of my favorites for building confidence when there are loads of newbies. I’ve tried to find out the name but have had no luck. Just teach the Pet twirl well and tie the end of the B2 to the beginning of the A1 during the walk through and it’s very accessible. I would tend to use it more for younger newbies than older ones. A1,A2. Balance, pet. 4X B1 circle left, swing neighbor B2. Forward and back, ones swing. Tom Hinds Sent from my iPad

7 years, 2 months

Author! Author!

by Amy Wimmer

Hey All, Can someone identify this dance I got from someone who got it from someone else, neither of whom knows the name or author of it? A1 Rings of 4 balance, Nbr SW A2 Whole set "oval" L, oval R B1 Gents allemande L 1.5, Ptr SW B2 Cir L 3 places, rings bal. Ptr Cal. twirl (to face new nbrs) Thanks, -Amy

7 years, 3 months

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Contra Callers