I use "Mad Robin" because that's what people use around here, but I 
kinda like "sliding doors" for the figure.
-- Alan
On 12/15/15 10:20 PM, Michael Fuerst via Callers wrote:
  Movements are best described with the minimal
syllables possible with 
 minimal  jargon.
 "Mad Robin" became part of contra in the last ten years or so.   
 Unless someone comes up with more succinct and descriptive words, we 
 are probably stuck with "Mad Robin"
 Actually now that I think about it, one could describe the Mad Robin 
 action as "side gypsy"
 "California twirl"  predates my 1985 introduction to contra.     One 
 could say "twirl to swap," but that is not any more helpful for new 
 dancers.  California twirl is here to stay.
 Concerning "petromella"  when I started contra dancing, callers 
 teaching a dance, would almost always say something like "balance and 
 shift one place and spin if you wish as in Petromella"  and would 
 prompt during the dance with "balance and spin" or "balance and 
 shift."    In the mid '80's we actually danced "Petronella" often
 enough so that most dancers knew from where it came.    Only in the 
 past ten years has some callers started calling the move Petronella.   
   I will always teach and prompt this without reference to 
 "Petronella" and avoid the unnecessary jargon
 There is no compelling reason to stop using gypsy.
 Michael Fuerst      802 N Broadway      Urbana IL 61801      217 239 5844
 Links to photos of many of my drawings and paintings are at 
 
www.ArtComesFuerst.com
 On Tuesday, December 15, 2015 8:54 PM, Aahz Maruch via Callers 
 <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
 On Tue, Dec 15, 2015, Michael Fuerst via Callers wrote:
 
 "Balance and spin" has the same number of syllables as "Petronella"
 and avoids unnecessary jargon 
 Of course, some of us think that unless there's a compelling reason (as
 possibly in the case of "gypsy"), keeping the old terminology is part of
 the charm of folk dancing (in the generic sense, as opposed to IFD).
 Should we also get rid of "California Twirl" and "Mad Robin"?
 -- 
 Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 
http://rule6.info/
                       <*>          <*>     <*>
 Help a hearing-impaired person: 
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