[Callers] Re: Spilled Milk analysis (was Re: Do you add a 'do anything' move into a contra? OR other playful strategies? :) )

Hi Jim and all, This dance intrigued me and I thought I'd try and use a program I wrote ages ago to analyse it. It proved a bit tricky until I realized that the dance really begins with Shadow Bal and Swing. Starting with P Bal and Swing might be what confuses the dancers. Of course as it is a mixer, Partner and Shadow change each time. This link gives screen shots of the dance which illustrates Jim's points. https://youtu.be/pWC51unqhvs Larks shift clockwise 3 places each time, Robins 1 place. With 6 couples dance repeats after 6 times. Over that cycle swing with everyone at A1, swing with 3 at A2, allemand left with the other 3 at B1, chain with everyone at B2. For an odd number of couples, will meet everyone at A2 and B1. What makes this a mixer is that after the first time A1 New Partner (which is the Shadow) bal and swing. This has the effect of moving the Larks one more place clockwise and the Robins one less place than the progression distance of the dance. (eg 3 and 1 resp for Spilled Milk) Any becket that starts with P bal and swing, can be turned into a mixer by replacing with Shadow bal and swing. (It won't necessarily have the nice flow of Spilled Milk, also if the becket is only single progression, the Robins will stay in the same spot!). Cheers, Bill