On Thursday, January 30, 2020, 06:12:15 PM CST, Erik Hoffman via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
This dance is also called "The Fan Dance," and I carry fans around. And, not only kids will do it forever, but adults, too.
When we do it we start it out as a waltz, then at some point, switch to a reel/polka.
I've seen it done as a Civil War dance, where one line is women, the other men. Thus, when a man is in the middle two women take the side chairs, and vice-versa when a woman takes the center seat.
I jokingly call it, "The Original Soul Train..."
~Erik Hoffman
Oakland, CA
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2020 1:11 PM
Subject: [Callers] Re: Looking for non-mixer dances for kids (age 4-10)
And don’t forget the “Hat Dance” - which out here I do as the “Gorilla Dance” - it’s amazing how long kids will do this dance! Three chairs, two lines perpendicular to either side of the chairs, top person from each line sits in an outside chair, and one person sits in the middle. The middle person, in the original version, has a hat. But when you are dealing with kids - you have to think “head lice”. So no hats. Instead, I do the dance with a fairly large, cute, cuddly, stuffed animal gorilla. Person in the middle has the gorilla, and when the music starts, gives it to one of the other two chair people, then takes the one without the gorilla and sashay/polkas down between the two lines. Person with gorilla moves to center chair, next two sit down, repeat. Music goes on and on, people who’ve danced to end of line join on the ends for another go. I have seen this go 20 minutes until the musicians revolted, and the kids just shouted “Again, again!”. I’ve done it at dance camps and when we are going to dance the next day they run up and yell “The Gorilla Dance!” So it’s really a hit. You may use whatever large stuffed animal you like - it can be the Elephant Dance, the Unicorn dance, the Doggie dance. But it’s fun.
I guess this is a mixer dance. Oh well - it’s really good.
Martha
>
> On 1/30/2020 10:16 AM, Jonathan Sivier via Contra Callers wrote:
>> While that looks like a fun dance I don't think it is really appropriate for kids ages 4-10.
>> You should check out the books from the New England Dancing Masters. I have Chimes of Dunkirk, Sashay the Donut and Listen to the Mockingbird. These have several good dances for kids.
>> Here are some that I use at an annual dance I call at our local library. The event is called the Fairy Tale Ball and I often feel like I'm standing in a sea of knee-high princesses.
>
> Great image!
>
>> The Blobs
>> Boston Tea Party
>> Chimes of Dunkirk
>> Circassian Circle - no-swing, non-mixer Cumberland Reel Duckpins The
>> Duke of York Galopede Heel and Toe Polka Promenade/Reel - longways,
>> non-mixer Jacob's Potato Margate Hoy Over The Top Sasha Snake Traffic
>> Jam
>
> The dances on this list that I recognize are all great for mixed-age
> groups, including with quite small children who are latched onto a
> parent (though Heel and Toe Polka would be tricky in that situation).
> They're in my steady rotation as well. And the dances I don't
> recognize I'm going to look up right now :>)
>
> Dances I use all the time that I don't see here are Le Brandy, La Bastringue (can be done as a non-mixer), variations on Virginia Reel, a wind-up/spiral dance (no partners), Family Contra (by Sherry Nevins) and Circle Shuffle (which might be by Luke Donforth).
>
> Kalia in Sebastopol
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