Re: [Callers] Singing Calls

On Sat, 7/6/13, Allison Aldrich <animaterra321(a)gmail.com> wrote: Rich Sbardella then asked and on Jul 6, 2013, at 11:31 AM, Jack Mitchell wrote: The version of "Oh, Johnny" in Ralph Sweet's and Nils Fredland's book _On the Beat with Ralph Sweet_, with the grand square in the chorus, is a fine dance, and the recording of it on Ralph's album _Shindig in the Barn_ is worth listening too. However, I wouldn't classify it as appropriate for "community, school and camp 'barn dances'". I believe Allison was referring to a simpler routine to the same tune, seen, for example, in this video of a dance in Wentworth, NH, with Lester Bradley calling: http://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/776 ( also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWRGauYCPwY ) In the video, the dance is done as a circle mixer. Here are Lester Bradley's calls for the first round in the video: All join hands and you circle the ring. STOP where you are; give your honey a swing. And now you swing that gal behind you. ["that gal behind you" = corner --js] And leave her alone, go back and swing your own. And now you allemande left with that corner girl. You do-si-do your own. Now you all promenade with that sweet corner maid, Singin' "Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny! Oh!" And now you all join hands ... This circle mixer version, btw, is also found--with the same figures and only slight differences in call wording--in Ralph Sweet's older book _Let's Create "Old Tyme" Square Dancing_ (1966). It's also in this 1949 callers' course syllabus by Ed Gilmore: http://www.dosado.com/articles/gilmore.htm (Gilmore specifies the initial circle as being to the right, but otherwise the figures are the same.) The circle mixer routine clearly would also work in a 4-couple square. If anyone knows of an intro, break, or ending commonly associated with this routine when set in a square, I'd like to know bout it. --Jim