In a similar vein, here are three of mine:
Gene’s Genius (1989)
A.1 N B&S
A.2 M AL 1.5, P swing
B.2 RLT, Circle L 3/4, pass thru
B.1 w/new Ns, RH star x1
B.2 w/orig Ns, LH star x1
Heritage Reel (1988)
A.1 N B&S
A.2 LLF&B, M AL 1.5
B.1 P B&S
B.2 Half prom across, W chain
Solstice Special (1991)
A.1 N dosido & swing
A.2 LLF&B, M AL 1.5
B.1 P R shoulder round & swing
B.2 Half prom across, circle L 3/4, pass thru
And for those who were wondering, here’s the original version of Ashokan Hello (1992):
A.1 N RH bal, box gnat, swing
A.2 LLF&B, W AL 1.5
B.1 P RH bal, box gnat, swing
B.2 Circle L 3/4, bal, #2 arch, #1 duck to next
All these are in my book Son of Shadrack, available at hands4.com (Advt.)
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
www.hands4.com
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(available now)
From: Julian Blechner via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2022 11:53 AM
Cc: Shared Weight Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Re: dance name? - Big Easy variation
Not on The Caller's Box, but, I realized this morning:
A1 Reel, by Chris Weiller:
A1: Circle Left 3/4, Balance, Partner Cal Twirl
A2: New Neighbour Balance & Swing
B1: R&L Thru, Ladies RHT 3/2
B2: Partner Balance & Swing
Another similar dance, which I had forgotten I had written and hadn't published a variation Turtle Twirl, which I had written down as a variation on A1 Reel:
A2: Pass Thru Across, N Cali Twirl, Robins Alle R 1.5x
B2: Circle L 3/4, Bal Ring, P Cali Twirl
is the one I originally shared "new"?
Likely, I'll keep the version in my box because it serves a different purpose. I suppose every caller has to make decisions on what's a variation and what's in their box!
... and I was on my old gmail. I'll fix that sometime, promise.
I have a couple of Tony's books, but I just checked, and not the one containing Ashoken Hello. I'd be curious the choreo for that.
I've heard a few callers call The Big Easy, and most recently it was Liz Nelson, locally, early in an evening with a gaggle of new dancers, and she prompted it with the allemande Right.
The one on The Caller's Box has it as a Left.
I guess the other issue, which, now that I'm thinking about L vs R in details, is that from Robins role, an alle R puts it at 38-40 beats of clockwise rotation, which 26-28 beats is consecutively.
Changing the alle to a DoSiDo solves that, keeps the timing and keeps it as glossary moves, and flows well from a promade.(alts: pass thru across + twirl, or R+L Thru)
A2: N Prom, Robins DSD 1.5x
B2: Circle L 3/4, Bal, Cali Twirl
This dance searched brings up Yoyo Zhou's "Larks in the Afternoon"
A2: Larks Alle L 1.5x, Robins DSD 1x
And also is similar to Linda Leslie's Berlin Contra:
B2: Bal Ring, 2s Arch, 1s Dive
(Essentially, the Big Easy but Robins DSD. Now I'm curious which dance came first?)
And of course, Diane Silver's Easy Peasy:
A2: LLFB, Larks Alle L 1.5
Adding in a chain and/or a star and dropping the promenade and I have at least a dozen other dances in my box. (Appetizer, Push the Button, Too Hot To Trot, Simplicity Swing, Spend Some Time Together, Harmony Supper Line, Dick & Mary's
Departure, Baby Rose, et al)
... but this niche of "simple dance with a courtesy turn, one role doesn't stay mostly in one spot, no star, no chain" is something I know I've looked for programming gigs and left wanting.
I'll leave this thread going as more callers see it and have dances to think of. I may temprarily dub the DSD version "The Big Hello".
When I wrote Ashokan Hello, I realized that the left-hand turn was counterintuitive after a neighbor swing. But I needed it to be left because the next moves are a right-hand balance
and box the gnat. I decided that the forward and back (between the swing and the turn) canceled the handedness. Obviously if it leads into a two-hand balance (the norm these days), the turn can be with either hand.
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
www.hands4.com
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(available now)
Per my card on The Big Easy, it’s an allemande left after the long lines and before the partner swing. But I’m away from my books for a while and can’t go back to the source. I
bet I got it from The Rosen Hill Collection.
Her note on the dance says ‘This is a very easy version of “Ashokan Hello” by Tony Parkes, for use as a first contra dance of the evening where newcomers are plentiful.‘
I wonder if Julian's notation assumes Robins right allemande unless otherwise specified. I'm only guessing. Julian?
The only change I’d suggest is Robins Allem R since that is the free hand after a swing.
Lisa
Sent from my iPhone
> On Oct 21, 2022, at 11:47 AM, Julian Blechner via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> I have a question about a variation on Becky Hill's Big Easy, which I see as:
> Big Easy Becky Hill
>
> A1: Bal Ring, Neighbor Swing (often changed to N B+S)
> A2: LLFB, Robins Alle 1.5
> B1: P B+S
> B2: Circle L 3/4, Bal ring, pass thru
>
> An easy variation I like, say, to introduce the courtesy turn early in the evening and to have the Larks not have to be relegated to keeping basically in one spot for 7/8ths of the dance, has:
> A2. N Prom, robins alle 1.5
> B2. Circle L 3/4, bal, cali twirl
>
> It's enough of a change - especially for one of these easy glossary dances - that I figure someone may have claimed it as a new dance, and was looking for author and title. I didn't see this variation listed in The Caller's Box website.
>
> Thanks,
> Julian Blechner
> he/him
>
> p.s. Folks may know me as "Ron". I've been using a new first name. Pronouns are the same. I'm slowly trying to change my online presence, get a new website, etc.
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list --
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
> To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list --
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list --
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list --
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list --
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net