Hi All,
A few years ago I was playing with what I called a "Slingshot Hey." The effect
is almost the same as Ricochet Hey in that it reverses the direction of a pair of dancers,
but with an allemande instead of a push off. When the Ricochet Hey gained popularity, I
tabled it until a couple days ago.
We choreographers have recognized if you want a Ricochet segue into a swing the hey better
be passing left in the middle and passing right at the edges. Passing left at the edges
the ricochet when meeting in the middle leading to a swing just doesn't flow.
In the dance I came up with having a half hey with a "reversal" to a swing and
demanding the ladies/robins start the hey passing right shoulders a Ricochet Hey goes:
ladies/robins pass right
partners pass left
gents/larks ricochet into a partner swing
-An Ugly Flow, Forget About It!...
But having the gents/larks "slingshot"-allemande left-back the their partner to
swing worked fine.
Now we choreographers can create dances using the "Slingshot" version when a hey
needs to start with dancers passing right in the center.
December 24
Erik Hoffman
Becket but Robin on Left, Lark on Right
A1 with Neighbor's Right Hand: Balance, Box the Gnat
Right & Left Thru (A1 is All Across, then Back)
A2 Half "Slingshot" Hey
(Robins pass Right, Partners pass Left, Lark Allemande Right once to:
Neighbor Swing
B1 Give & Take-Larks bring Partner to Lark's side
Partner Swing
B2 Facing across: Petronella Balance and Spin with an Over Spin to
Face Next Neighbors Up and Down (Progression) to:
Petronella Balance & Spin, end facing across
First danced on Christmas Night and the annual Christmas Night Dance in Santa Barbara,
2022
Note: the Balance, Box Gnat, Right & Left Thru is borrowed from Square Dancing.
Erik Hoffman
Oakland, CA