This is a subject dear to my heart. At least half my gigs lately are one-nighters, and whole-set longways are almost literally my bread and butter. Although squares were my first love and I push constantly for my right to call squares at
contra-series dances, there are plenty of times when squares just don’t make sense: The numbers aren’t right, or folks have had enough trouble with other dances that I don’t want to give them more things to learn. And there are also times when people don’t
look like they want to change partners, or there are a lot of itties dancing, so circle mixers are out. So I’ve had to fall back on a diet of longways more than once.
Here are the whole-set longways that Beth and I use most frequently.
(For these descriptions I’ll call the line on the caller’s right Line 1. Feel free to coin your own role names or use positional terms.)
Galopede (trad. English, modified) Any number of couples; I try for 8 to 10
A.1 Lines forward and back; Line 1 make arches and both lines cross over (Line 2 duck under, passing partner by R shoulder)
A.2 Repeat A.1 with Line 2 arching (so it’s “the line facing the scoreboard [or whatever]” both times)
B.1 All turn partner with right arm; repeat with left arm
B.2 Couple 1 go down center to foot and stop; others move up one place
We make a big deal of how Couple 1 can choose their own way to go down the middle: sashay, arm turn, polka, tango, piggyback, wheelbarrow. I saw a couple do leapfrog the other night.
Kingston Flyer (Noeline O’Connor) Intended for 4 couples, but can be done with more, esp. if phrasing is disregarded
A.1 Line 2 go around Line 1 (apparently the author wanted single file, but can be done with hands joined)
A.2 Line 1 go around Line 2
B.1 Couple 1 lead down center and return
B.2 Couple 1 (only) cast to foot; Couple 1 turn partner with right hand (we learned it as do-si-do)
Beth calls “The line over here go round over there” and vice versa.
Over the Top (Beth Parkes – assembled from trad. moves, but you could say the same about most new dances, e.g. Shadrack’s Delight) About 6 to 10 couples
A.1 Lines forward and back; keep hands joined, ends take partner’s free hand, and all “oval” to the left
A.2 “Oval” to the right; all do-si-do partner
B.1 Couple 1 arch over one line to the foot (about 12 beats); begin to arch over the other line to the head (4)
B.2 Finish the arch to the head (8); Couple 1 sashay to the foot and stop (8)
Obviously, if the phrasing slips, let it.
Wheelbarrow Reel (Don Armstrong) About 6 couples
A.1 Lines forward and back; all turn partner with right hand or arm
A.2 All turn partner with left hand or arm; all turn partner once around with two hands, keeping hands joined at end
B.1 Couple 1 poussette to foot; other couples counter (when #1 zigs, they zag)
B.2 Finish the poussette; all do-si-do partner (if time)
Boston Tea Party (Jean Butler, 1982) A bit more complicated; works best with 5 or 6 couples
A.1 Couple 1 sashay to foot; arch over Line 2 to head
A.2 Couple 1 arch over Line 1 to foot; sashay to head
B.1 Couple 1 face down, others up, #1 dip and dive to foot (#2 make first arch);
other couples cast to foot after #1 has passed them
B.2 Couple 1 make a two-hand arch, others pass it and lead their partners up through
For my first (and usually only) “hands four” dance, I use this:
Sanita Hill Circle (Ed Durlacher, before 1949)
Couple facing couple, either around a big circle (“Sicilian circle formation”) or scattered around the floor
(scattered works well if there are fewer than 5 or 6 two-couple sets)
A.1 Circle left; circle right
A.2 Do-si-do neighbor; do-si-do partner
B.1 Right-hand star; left-hand star
B.2 Forward and back; pass through to next
(If doing the scatter version, change B.2 to “promenade anywhere and look for another couple”)
If the group is receptive to a bit of yakking, I tell them this is a simple form of a contra dance (many New Englanders have heard of contras, even if they’ve never seen or done one). I almost never use straight-line contras at a one-nighter;
the progression, waiting out, and change of roles add up to too much new stuff to learn.
If I need a nearly bombproof contra, I’ll use one of these two. Both are genderless.
Family Contra (Sherry Nevins)
A.1 Balance the ring twice; circle left
A.2 Balance the ring twice; circle right
B.1 Do-si-do neighbor; do-si-do partner
B.2 As couples, do-si-do once and a half to next
Andy White’s (Amy Cann)
A.1 Circle left; as couples, do-si-do neighbor couple
A.2 Do-si-do neighbor; two-hand turn neighbor once
B.1 With neighbor, clap hands together, R, together, L, repeat; repeat all with partner
B.2 Going forward: Couple 2 arch, Couple 1 duck under
Backing up: Couple 1 arch, Couple 2 duck under
Going forward: Couple 2 arch, Couple 1 duck and on to the next
Enjoy!
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(available now)
From: Erik Hoffman via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Monday, October 9, 2023 5:39 PM
To: Shared Weight - Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Favorite One Night Stand Dances
I’d love to collect a few more whole set dances for one night stands.
I have done my version of the Virginia Reel, of course. Some Running Set figures (though not in a big circle, but, “find another couple and circle left), Sasha, the Broom
Dance and/or the Fan Dance, Blobs, and possibly teach Jefferson & Liberty, or a slightly simplified version of Haste to the Wedding and the first “Hands Four” dance. So, I’ve been collecting the Simple Contra Dances, and adding them to my repertoire with thanks
to all sharing them! I am looking for Whole Set Dances.
Here’s one from me:
Building a Tunnel
I put some figures together after looking at dancing in Douglastown, Quebec, that I found from Laura Risk’s wonderful collection of music and notes she coproduced with
Brian Morris, the Douglastown cd (https://www.laurarisk.com/recordings.html). I call this Building a Tunnel. Then I stole part of what I think is The Flying Scottsman (which I learned from the
wonderful Sandy Bradley) or is it Kingston Flyer as Tony Parkes mentioned.
Building a Tunnel
Longways set a Whole Set dance
Not too phrased to the music
In long lines, Head Person of Line One leads their line all the way around Line Two
Then Head of Line Two leads line around Line One
All Partner Do Si Do, Swing (any way: elbow, 2-hand, ballroom)
Top Couple arch over one line to the bottom—Mow The Lawn…
Top Couple arch over the other line back to the top—Cut Their Hair…
Top Couple Sashay to Bottom, Make an Arch
The two lines face down, go down and around the Top (soon to be Bottom) Couple
Through the arch, and, as the line goes under, make an Arch when couples go through the last arch (made by the couple they’ve been following).
In other words, Building a Tunnel.
When teaching the Top Couple to make an arch I teach taking one hand as they face the line. By the second or third time, couple start doing the arch with two hands, thus,
I don’t know why I bother…
Like other dances as the Virginia Reel, sets can easily get out of sync. If they do, I watch and stop calling except to remind un-sync-ed if they forgot something.
So many times when teaching the Virginia Reel, dancers want to do the “build a tunnel” and I (and most likely most of you) have to teach promenading up and not passing
anyone. Now they get to build it!
Thinking of making the first Hands Four dance Easier
For years I’ve called the dance at the Full Belly Farm’s “Hoes Down” where they put their hoes down and dance. I’ve used Jefferson & Liberty, but, in sets on an empty
field where sets can easily get 20-couples long or longer, and not wanting to take even more time bi and trifurcating sets into shorter sets. I think I presented Barbarella earlier, and it got me thinking: would it be easier to teach a phrased progressive
dance in Becket Formation ending by sliding left to a new couple? So, I’m going to try a couple of ideas at my next One Night Stand:
Start getting lines in becket formation. My first thought is to star with Long Lines going forward and back, to reinforce that we are dancing with everyone, but I can
also starting by teaching a slice and then putting that slice as B2.
That said, these just thinking right now:
My First Try:
A1 LLF&B; Neighbor across Do Si Do
A2 Partner Do Si Do, Swing (any way)
B1 Face Down for Line of Four Down the Hall, Turn as a Couple (or, uh, not), Return
B2 Circle Left, Circle Right, Slide Right to next couple to A1 LLF&B
Or
A1 w/ Couple Across: Circle Left, then Right
A2 w/ Neighbor Across: DSD, Two Hand Turn
B1 Back on Own Side: Ptnr DSD, Two Hand Turn (or Swing any kind)
B2 Looking to the Left: Long Lines go Forward to a New Couple, then Straight Back, to A1 with New Nbr
I think these might be easier to explain to complete novices. Any thoughts?
~Erik Hoffman
Oakland, CA