Dear Erik,

That's interesting -- something I used a while ago, but I didn't give it a name other than "hey to an allemande."

It really is a nice bit. You see your partner in passing, and then, all of a sudden, you are together again.

This was my use of it.  Following the figures, you can see the dance. And it is one of those dances that I really like that goes well with off-tempo music -- say 105 bpm.  The dance is titled after the name of the first tune in the set.

Long Hot Shower                                                                          

Contra, Becket, Clockwise, Ridge Kennedy

A-1  Circle left with current neighbors 1X                                                                               (8)
Forward on left diagonal, fall back                                                                                   (8)

A-2  Pass thru to Allemande (ladies allemande left to come back)                                   ((8)
Neighbor Swing                                                                                                                  (8)

B-1  Hey to an Allemande                                                                                                 (18-20)
Ladies start passing Right
(LR/PL/GR/NL/LR/PL/  Gents Allemande Right

jB-2  Long Swing                                                                                                                 (14-12)

 Here's what it looks like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQj8loThTag

Anon.


R

Ridge Kennedy [Exit 145]

Hey -- I wrote a book! Murder & Miss Austen's Ball. 
It's a novel with musical accompaniment. Now that's different. 



On Tue, Dec 27, 2022 at 12:31 PM Erik Hoffman via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Hi All,

 

A few years ago I was playing with what I called a “Slingshot Hey.” The effect is almost the same as Ricochet Hey in that it reverses the direction of a pair of dancers, but with an allemande instead of a push off. When the Ricochet Hey gained popularity, I tabled it until a couple days ago.

 

We choreographers have recognized if you want a Ricochet segue into a swing the hey better be passing left in the middle and passing right at the edges. Passing left at the edges the ricochet when meeting in the middle leading to a swing just doesn’t flow.

 

In the dance I came up with having a half hey with a “reversal” to a swing and demanding the ladies/robins start the hey passing right shoulders a Ricochet Hey goes:

ladies/robins pass right

partners pass left

gents/larks ricochet into a partner swing

—An Ugly Flow, Forget About It!…

But having the gents/larks “slingshot”—allemande left—back the their partner to swing worked fine.

Now we choreographers can create dances using the “Slingshot” version when a hey needs to start with dancers passing right in the center.

 

 

December 24

Erik Hoffman

Becket but Robin on Left, Lark on Right

 

A1    with Neighbor’s Right Hand: Balance, Box the Gnat

        Right & Left Thru  (A1 is All Across, then Back)

 

A2    Half “Slingshot” Hey

(Robins pass Right, Partners pass Left, Lark Allemande Right once to:

        Neighbor Swing

 

B1    Give & Take—Larks bring Partner to Lark’s side

        Partner Swing

 

B2    Facing across: Petronella Balance and Spin with an Over Spin to

        Face Next Neighbors Up and Down (Progression) to:

        Petronella Balance & Spin, end facing across

 

First danced on Christmas Night and the annual Christmas Night Dance in Santa Barbara, 2022

 

Note: the Balance, Box Gnat, Right & Left Thru is borrowed from Square Dancing.

 

Erik Hoffman

Oakland, CA

 

 

 

 

 

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