[Callers] Re: Favorite One Night Stand Dances

Some good ideas in this thread I like the drawbridge. I use Galopde as a first dance and ask for well phrased music (with a 2bar,2bar,4bar feel to the A e.g. Winster Gallop) to get people dancing to the music. Though other dances particularly those with a Dip and Dive or Strip the Willow I’ll ask for a tune that can go out of time with the dance (some of the Irish tunes don’t seem to have a definite A or B, wouldn’t want a song tune). Differing energy levels and balance can be a problem. It certainly was for my u3a group, us 80 yr olds do try to keep up with the fit 60s From: Rich Sbardella via Contra Callers Thanks Erik, I offer a lead down the center in lieu of a sashay, and I ask the people at the end to accommodate those of us who are slow. In Rural Felicity I teach: in the A1, if you don’t make it down to the bottom, just merge into the line to do the A2 F&B, since you then gig to sashay back to the top.   Cheers, ~Erik   From: Rich Sbardella via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> One of my favorites does have arches but I let the dancers know the arches can be drawbridges to accommodate different heights.   Rural Felicity B2 Top pair goes through the tunnel and remains at bottom.  Others move up.   When I call this at a wedding, I rename it to "The Tunnel of Love", and I ask the Bride and Groom to be the first top pair.     On Wed, Oct 11, 2023 at 7:50 AM Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: To add a bit more interest to these simple repetitive ONS dances, I do a Gallopede very similar to Mo's, but with a mixer element. When it's time for the sashaying/galloping down the middle, I say "make way for the top Reindeer and the bottom Beluga!" The top reindeer walks, skips, or does a silly dance down to the bottom of *their* line, while the bottom beluga comes up from the bottom of their line doing the same - sometimes they high five when they pass in the middle. Once they reach the ends (of their own respective lines - no switching lines!), everyone adjusts the line till everyone is facing a new partner. If you have a long line you can send the two tops and bottoms (walking in single file) together. This is not to say I think arching dances are bad/shouldn't be used - but I am always trying in my ONS dances to produce the same joyous, amusement-ride feel of a true contra dance, so I personally like to favour figures that keep people flowing always.  My personal preference :) KK