I've called "The Magnificent Seven" many times -- at dance camps or advanced dances or workshops. It's a wonderful dance, often the highlight of a session.

But this is a complex dance on many levels. The caller must know it cold and be in front of the music at all times because lots of things are happening quickly on the dance floor -- a very definite "while" choreography (while these folks do this, those folks do that).  Especially since people change positions each time through the dance. Also tempo is very important -- which implies excellent communication between the caller and the band. The dance requires seven times through to complete it. Usually, for fun, I would laughingly ask another person (i.e., a dancer sitting on the sidelines or one of the coordinators) to display a small flipchart with large numbers (1,2,3,...7) to the band -- similar to technique used for the medleys at NEFFA -- so the musicians and the caller always knows where they are. Because most people, including me, cannot count to seven on one hand, at least not accurately.

Woody
--
Woody Lane
Caller, Percussive Dancer
Roseburg, Oregon

On 9/27/2023 10:47 AM, Keith Elmo Eldridge via Contra Callers wrote:
Bob (Michigan) wrote:

I think the most difficult dance I have ever danced is a 7 couple double square with one couple in both.  I unfortunately don’t remember its name.

Sounds like Bob Archer's The Magnificent Seven.

Possibly called by me at Breaking-up Thanksgiving back in 1993!

Cheers
        Elmo
--
--Keith Elmo Eldridge
--Elmo@aphelia.co.uk
--Sheffield, England. 


_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net