Re: [Callers] How to Call a Petronella Turn?

When teaching a Petronella I often talk about "look right, spin right, move right" and use some or all of the words the first time through the calling, especially with beginners. Emphasising the "look right and follow your head" can help a lot as it is then even harder to turn the wrong way. For experienced dancers I just call "Petronella (Turn)". I agree that "twirl" can be confusing as the term is usually associated with a swap with the hands connected over the head of one person. If I go into a room full of experienced contra dancers and use the term "Balance the Ring and Petronella Turn" then they will all just do it. Why then would I want to use other words? Yes, the meaning has changed from the original move in the dance Petronella. But lots of other words have had their meaning changed over the years. "billion" used to mean a thousand million; but now (mainly due to American influence!) it means a million million. "Acronym" used to mean abbreviations that you could pronounce as a word, eg. radar, laser, UNICEF; but now people just use it when they mean abbreviation. Swing used to mean two-hand turn. Does that mean we shouldn't use it to mean a close-hold buzz-step? Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk <http://www.contrafusion.co.uk/> for Dancing in Kent