A view on "up and down" ladies chains from the UK side of the pond:
Whilst they are rare in the US, in the UK we quite often do Sicilian
Circles. Almost any contra can be danced as a Sicilian, and it's
interesting to compare how dances feel when the formation is changed. In a
Sicilian, the "orientation" in which you perceive the minor set shifts by
90 degrees from contra, with the result that chains up and down the set
feel like chains across (and vice versa). It occurs to me that there may
be "poor" contra dances that work well as Sicilians, and vice versa.
Jeremy
On 11 April 2017 at 15:47, Ric Goldman - Letsdance via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Martha,
Interesting idea about transitions and poise points. I’m working on a
dance with transitions I *think* are interesting, but worry they could be
too jarring (have not tried it on human salt shakers yet). Here’s the
first part:
Start: improper
A1 1-4 Ladies chain up and down set to neighbor,
courtesy turn (at end releasing right hand, hold on to the left, facing
each other across the set)
5-8 Swat the flea
A2 1-8 (turn up/down the set to) Balance and swing
partner
One possible way to “smooth” the transition from the courtesy turn might
be to release the right hand early and use left hands to turn the lady
under (clockwise, lady turn right) before going into the balance for the
swat, but I resist having it be a forced twirl. Perhaps folks would
“discover” that on their own.
What other transistions or poise points do folks find interesting?
Thanx, Ric Goldman
letsdance(a)rgoldman.org
*From:* Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] *On
Behalf Of *Martha Wild via Callers
*Sent:* Monday, April 10, 2017 11:39 PM
*To:* Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
*Subject:* Re: [Callers] Does this dance already exist?
Hi, all. Actually, I think the transition from the petronella to the
ladies chain is a good one. There are certain moves in dancing, that I’ve
heard called “poise points,” where one purposefully switches direction, and
it can be very satisfying. For me, the spin to the right feels like the
winding up of a spring that you then unleash in the other direction. Some
dances that look as if they have good flow end up having so much clockwise
spin that it tires people.
On Apr 10, 2017, at 5:48 PM, Andrea Nettleton via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Esther,
If anyone has not mentioned it, I feel there is a kink in the flow
trying to go from a petronella to a chain. As you spin R, it is the left
hand which feels available as you face the set because your body has been
rotating clockwise, even as it move CCW around the minor set. So there will
be this washing machine action to get into the chain. You might be
counting on the claps to arrest that movement, but I still feel it's not an
especially satisfying entry into the chain. A gents chain, otoh, would be
peachy.
What, to you, is the hook in this dance? What were you going for?
Best,
Andrea
Sent from my external brain
On Apr 10, 2017, at 5:24 PM, Esther Fraser via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hey folks,
Has anyone seen this dance already?
A1: Balance the ring & petronella
Ladies Chain
A2: Full Hey, Ladies pass R (16)
B1: Ladies Chain
P Allemande L
B2: Balance the ring & Petronella
Balance the ring & California twirl
Also interested in other dances that have a Ladies' Chain to into
Allemande Left (with the one you chain to) combo. I think I might have seen
it somewhere, but I can't remember where.
Thanks,
Esther Fraser
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