Hello all,

For more than a year, I've been kicking around compositions for 6 facing 6 contra dances (you can see my backlog at http://www.madrobincallers.org/2014/02/26/6-facing-6-contra-dances/). This past weekend, dancers at an afternoon challenging contra session successfully danced and enjoyed one of my compositions. This is not something for every crowd, but it worked and I thought I'd share it around; along with some of my thoughts about getting it to work.

If other folks know of 6x6 contras that are already in circulation, I'd like to hear about them.

In my opinion, a 6x6 should be worth the hassle of setting up and going through additional teaching; it should offer something you don't normally get in a contra. Many four facing four contras give you a partner and a corner swing, which ends up being your trail buddy half the time. I wanted a 6x6 that gave you neighbor swings so that you'd get to dance with more people in the hall. (I'm not saying every dance needs a neighbor swing; but it's a way to get an interaction outside of your partner pair). The composition below lets you swing 2 of your 3 neighbors (and not your trail buddies); so there can be lots of interactions in the community.

6x6 contras should (again, in my opinion) permute the couples as they progress. For my own compositions, this has inevitably lead to meanwhile figures, requiring some folks to do something others don't. I've tried to minimize that as much as possible, but haven't succeeded in eliminating it.

The dance is presented as succinct moves, and then restated with the dancers and their positions marked after each move. My own experience getting it to actually work on the floor is at the bottom.

Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad
six facing six contra (3 joined improper sets)
by Luke Donforth

A1
In groups of four (ptr and cpl opposite), balance ring; gents take opposite home and swing
A2
Lines of 6 go forward; on way back, middle gent roll neighbor (he swang) away with half sashay
8 counts of hey, starting by passing one you swung by Right shoulder
B1
New Neighbor gypsy and swing
B2
Give and ladies take partner to progressed position; swing.
End facing line of direction in permuted position

Diagrammed/Pegged

Initial condition (men Capitals and Arabic, women lower case and roman):
a A b B c C
1 i 2 ii 3 iii

In groups of four (ptr and cpl opposite), balance ring; gents take opposite home and swing

i A ii B iii C
1 a 2 b 3 c

Lines of 6 go forward; on way back, middle gent roll neighbor (he swang) away with half sashay

i A B ii iii C
1 a b 2 3 c

8 counts of hey, pass one you swung by Right shoulder

ii C A iii i B

2 c a 3 1 b

B1
New Neighbor gypsy and swing

ii C iii A i B

2 c 3 a 1 b

B2
Give and ladies take partner to progressed position; swing.

End facing line of direction in permuted position

2 ii 3 iii 1 i
—————

c C a A b B

My experience for teaching it (based on one crash-and-burn, and one success):

I had the dancers get into their line of six, and introduce themselves to their trail buddy couples and note their line of direction. Then, I showed the permutation of their progression. I had each couple slide a couple-position to the left in their line of six; and if they got popped out run over to the right hand side of the line. They stay in their line of six, not sliding around the big oval. Then I did that again, driving home that's how they'll permute as they progress. Then I started the actual dance walk through.

In A1, reiterating that the swing ends in the gents line helped. You should be looking at your partner in the other line of six in A2.

In A2 for the hey, you stay in your line of 6, you don't loop around into the other line at the ends. You nominally pass 4 people, but if you reach the end of your line of six, looping around and coming back in counts as one of your passes. The heying starts with the person you swung (which was hardest for the folks in the middle, as their momentum from the roll away often sent them away from the neighbor they swung).

B2, find your partner and swing. End in your line of 6 facing your line of direction. This is the recovery point, and even experienced dancers occasionally needed it to regroup.

As a final reiteration, this is not a dance for most crowds. But the crowd that successfully danced it enjoyed it.

(For those of you thinking "6x6, okay, what about more couples?" You could use this same basic structure for an 8x8 or more, with every other couple doing the roll-away. The permutations get less straightforward, and multiples of three like a 12 face 12 phase-lock and you don't see every position; but it would technically work.)

I did, and want to again thank Maivish for providing excellent music to keep the dancers moving, Nils Fredland for letting me take a slot at his advanced dance (you can ask him how it felt as a dancer), and the Burlington/Montpelier area dancers for being a wonderfully supportive community that lets me play.

Hope to see you on a dance floor soon.

Luke Donforth