Dear list,

Thanks to everyone who shared dances in response to my query!

As promised, I’ve compiled them into a single list and added directions when they weren’t in the original email.

The workshop that prompted my initial inquiry was on positional calling, and as I compiled the list I had a couple of thoughts about these dances as it relates to gender(-neutrality):

The choreographers in this list are overwhelmingly men; I wonder if this reflects the gender balance of the Shared Weight list membership and I believe it represents the gendered history of contra calling culture, and Anglo-American society generally, in which men statistically speak more often and self-promote more readily than women. This is simply an observation, although I will add to it a request that if anyone knows of fantastic 3-facing-3 or triplet dances by women or non-binary folks, I’d love to know about them. Representation matters!

I suspect that the male dominance on the list is also a reflection of the changing trends in contra dancing: the rise of the “modern urban contra" (all duple minor longways with multiple swings) coincides with the rise in women and non-binary callers, choreographers, and musicians. It is therefore likely an historical fact that most triplets have been written by men — I didn’t put dates next to all of these because I didn’t have them, but many of them are 20th- rather than 21st-century dances. Certainly, the gender balance in my collection of duple-minor dances is far more like that of the population generally than in my collection of triplets.

Because of my interest in choreography that moves beyond binaries, I’ve written some 3-facing-3 dances over the past couple of years, so I’m adding my favorites of those to the bottom of the list; I’ve also added both 3-facing-3 and triplet dances that I have had success with which are not by me!

The only dance I was offered that emphasized gender roles was Jim Hemphill’s; I adapted it to a positional philosophy for the sake of my workshop participants and noted accordingly in the list below.

All typos in any of this are my fault or that of my autocorrect, which always wants to make Lh into Rh; please do make sure the dances work before you call them!

Louise.

From Hugh Rippon's "The Willow Tree"  

Easy, ceilidh

3-couple longways, 32-bar New England single reels

(Gives "reel de Ti-Jean" and "Green Mountain Petronella")

A1: Lines go forward and back then cross to the other side THUS:

     middles turn right hand one and a half WHILE

     ends do a half right and left four around them (hence the title)

A2: Repeat to place.

B1: Right hand star for six; left hand star for six.

B2: 1s down the middle to the bottom while the others move up and swing.

Alan Winston

Triplet; ones and threes improper

A1: Ones and twos, neighbor balance WHILE Threes balance

Ones and twos, neighbor swing WHILE Threes swing

A2: Ones and threes N balance WHILE Twos balance

Ones and threes N swing WHILE Twos swing

B1: Lines of three, forward and back

Hands six, circle left halfway

B2: Lines of three, forward and back

Hands six, circle right halfway

Ted Sannella

Triplet

A1: Top two couples star right; star left

A2: Top couple lead to the bottom, cross trail and come up the outside

B1: Dip and dive all the way down and back

B2: Top couple cast to the bottom and swing (others move up and can swing if they like, although it’s not in the original choreography)

Al Olson

Triplet

A1: Partner pull by R across; left diagonals, pull by L; straight across, pull by R; left diagonal, pull by L

A2: Straight across, pull by R; left diagonal, pull by L [I call this “pull the zipper” — does anybody else?!]

Partner Rh balance and box the gnat

B1: Partner balance and swing

B2: Ones lead up; turn alone and lead down; cast off with the twos (to end in middle place)

Teaching tip: in the right pull-by, hang on, and that will automatically orient you to the left diagonal.

Al Olson

Triplet, ones improper

A1: Ones and twos, circle left; back to the right

A2: Hey for three on the sides: one extra pass puts the ones in the middle and the twos at the top

B1: Ones and threes, neighbor swing

B2: Lines of three, forward and back

Partner swing (at the top, end facing Ns ready to circle)

Al Olson

Triplet, based on ideas from Ted’s Triplet #35

A1: At the top, star right halfway; at the bottom, star left halfway (ones are now at the bottom)

Ones chase counterclockwise (it flows!) back to the top

A2: At the top, star left halfway; at the bottom star right halfway

Ones chase clockwise (it flows!) back to the top

B1: Partner balance and swing (end facing up)

B2: Ones and twos, cast down one place individually (it will feel like 2s are in the lead); lines of 3, forward and back (ending positions 3-1-2)

Original B part:

B1: Hands six, circle left

B2: Ones and twos, cast down one place individually (it will feel like 2s are in the lead); lines of 3, forward and back (ending positions 3-1-2)

Chris Page

Triplet, ones improper

A1: At the top, up and down, right and left through; power turn in the middle (ones face threes)

At the bottom, up and down, right and left through; power turn in the middle

A2: At the top, neighbor balance and swing WHILE ones (at the bottom) balance and swing*

B1: All six, right and left through**; All six, right and left through

B2: Circle left halfway into a partner swing (end 3-1-2; new top couple ends swing facing down while others end facing up)

*End the swing by facing into a circle/triangle for six. Your partner is on one side of you; your current corner is on the other. Your current opposite is straight across from you.

**To do a right and left through for six, pull by your current corner with right hands, and meet your opposite for a courtesy turn. Face back into the circle of six.

David Smukler, 2006

Triplet

A1: Ones cast down the outside and dance up the middle; cast off with the twos

A2: Partner do-si-do once and a quarter, into a wavy line of six (ptr in Rh)

Balance the wave and allemande R halfway into a new wave

B1: Balance, pull by R for half a hey (for six)

B2: When you meet your partner, meltdown swing (ends 3-1-2)

Seth Tepfer, 2019

3 couple set, proper

Tune: The New Bag, 2019

Tune Author: Dave Marcus

A1: Up a double, and fall back; down a double, fall back

A2: Set advancing toward partner, turn single back to place; pattern two hand turn

B1: Top two couples (1s and 2s) Circle left 1x; bottom two couples (2s and 3s) Circle right 1x

B2: Top two couples (1s and 2s) Right hand star 1x; 1s and 2s Starburst* down one place down the set, 3s pause 3 counts then surge to top place

End 3-1-2

Starburst: Top 2 lead out of set the direction they were facing for 4 counts, turn and travel down the set for 1 count, turn and travel back into the set for three. Most time spent leaving set, Not traveling down. Feels like the end part of a dolphin hey

Top 2 couples get out of the way!  Couple 3 must wait 3 beats before moving forward. Move forward quickly at first then slow down. 

David Smukler, 2007

Triplet

A1: Ones chase clockwise ‘round the twos; one (following) cuts through

Ones and twos circle left all the way

A2: Balance the ring and neighbor swing

B1: Ones chase clockwise ‘round the threes; one (following) cuts through

Hands six circle left just halfway

B2: Partner do-si-do and swing (end facing up)

Larry Jennings

Circle of three couples facing in; mixer

A1: Corner allemande left once and a half

With the next, allemande right once and a half (end in a wavy ring)

A2: Balance the wave and allemande left (once around; re-form the wave)

Balance the wave and allemande right (this is your new partner)

B1: Starting here, six changes of rights and lefts

B2: With your (new) partner, balance and swing

Tom Hinds

3-facing-3 

A1: Lines of three, forward and back

All six, circle left

A2: All six, circle right

With your opposite, do-si-do

B1: In lines, do-si-do once and a half

B2: With your partners, basket swing (end facing new neighbors)

Diane Burton

3-facing-3 Sicilian circle

A1: Centers star right with the ends on their left (ask ends to take Rh with their opposite and tell middle dancers to look left and join in)

Left hand star back

A2: Middles, turn contra corners

B1: Middles swing one of their partners (Diane says: Cheat and swing! Ham it up! Doesn’t have to be a person of the opposite sex)

B2: Pass through and honor your new neighbors (balance fwd and back)

Ends do-si-do your new opposite (and catch Rh for the star)

Pat Shaw

52-bar reel: Walpole Cottage © Pat Shaw, 1963

Wardpark © Joan Gilbert, Date unknown

Introduction 1 - 4 Trios forward and back.

Dance the introduction every turn.

A 1 - 16 Middles turn all four contra corners

B 1 - 16 All four ends, star right, then left; long second corners cast into reels of 3 for each trip (passing Rsh with middle partner to start).

C 1 - 16 Lines of three, forward and back; circle six half way to the left; forward and back, make baskets of three and finish facing original direction.

Scottish ceilidh, Round The Room RSCDS Book 3

Three facing three in a Sicilian circle

A1: All circle 6H round and back 

A2: Centre dancer sets and turns 2H person on right, sets and turns 2H person on left (popular variation - turn person on right RH, turn person on left LH) 

B1: All dance heys for 3 with centre dancer passing LSh with person on right (popular variation - RSh to person on right) 

B2: All advance and retire, advance to meet next group of 3 dancers (1 group of 3 passing under arches made by opposite group)

Gary Roodman, 1987

Suggested tune: March of St. Timothy

3-facing-3 longways or Sicilian circle

A1: middles Rh turn with the partner on their right once around and a bit more, into half a hey for four on the second diagonal (middles pass Lsh to start the hey)

A2: middles turn Lh-partner by the left into a diagonal hey halfway (passing Rsh to start the hey)

B1: lines of three, forward and back; circle left halfway

B2: circle right halfway; twirl the line (middles Rh high, Lh low)

John Kinch

3-facing-3 Sicilian circle

A1: All circle left and right

A2: Middles turn R, pass a partner R, hey for 3

B1: Inside dancers (the four people closest to the center), right and left through; outside dancers, right and left through

B2: New lines of three, balance (R and L); two-hand turn opposite halfway

Lines of three, balance again; turn alone to face new neighbors

Alan Winston

3-facing-3 longways

A1: With your opposite, do-si-do; middles pass right to allemande first corner right

A2: Second corner allemande left; middles allemande R once and a half

B1: Middles, swing a partner; swing the other partner

B2: Pass through and basket swing

Jim Hemphill

3 facing 3 Sicilian circle

A1 Middles allemande left 1 1/2

     Pick a neighbor to swing

A2 Two they swung, allemande left 1 1/2

     Scoop partner, star promenade, butterfly whirl

B1 Middles, balance and swing your idle partner (end facing other partner)

B2 Hands 3, circle left

     As a line of 3 (who’s in the middle?) zig left, pass, zag right

* I (Louise) have de-gendered this dance due to the nature of the workshop for which I have collected it. I did not ask Jim’s approval to do so; his original instructions are available in the Shared Weight archive.

Ian Nichols and Julia Dean

Sicilian Circle for Trios

A1: Lines of three go forward & back

Middles go right: right hand star for three

A2: Lines of three go forward & back

Middles go left: left hand star for three

B1: Middles pass right-hand person by right shoulder: hey in own line

B2: All six circle left halfway

Right hand high, left hand low to face new trio

Inge Aakilde

3-facing-3 longways or Sicilian circle

A1: Middles out to the right for a right-hand star

All with your opposite, do-si-do

A2: Middles out to the left for a left-hand star

All with your opposite, see-saw

B1: All allemande left (middles once and a half)

Ends allemande right WHILE middles orbit around one into lines of 3 at the sides (these are your new partners)

B2: Circle six left three quarters around

Pass through to new neighbors

Louise Siddons

3-facing-3 

A1: Middles Rh balance and box the gnat

At each end, left-hand star

A2: Middles Rh balance and box the gnat

Pull by into a basket swing (with those in the Lh star; end with middles in the center of a line of three facing across)

B1: Lines at the sides, go forward and back

With your opposite, do-si-do

B2: Middles, Rh balance and box the gnat

With your partners, left-hand star (to new neighbors; turn the star as far as you like if you want to put a new person in the middle)

Louise Siddons

3-facing-3

A1: On the right diagonal, left-hand chain

Ends, do-si-do your opposite

A2: On the left diagonal, right and left through

Ends, do-si-do your opposite

B1: (Starting with opposite) All Rh balance and pull by two (straight across by the right, then left on the left diagonal if you have one)

(end couples face in; middles stay out of it) Chain by the right

B2: Same two back in: allemande R to a partner (basket) swing (end facing new neighbors)

Louise Siddons

3-facing-3

A1: Lines of three, forward and back

Middles allemande left once and a quarter (into Rh stars at each end)

A2: Starry O’More (a cross between a Rory O’More and a Petronella spin: balance the star in and out, then spin individually one place to the right and take left hands in a star. Balance in and out, and spin to the left to end where you started. No overtaking!)

B1: Middles Lh balance and swat the flea

Partners, circle left into a line at home (in any order)

B2: Hands six, circle left halfway

Partners (basket) swing (end facing new neighbors)