The Louisville Callers Collective, at our meet-up this past Sunday 3/1, collaboratively wrote our first dance! I searched for homologous choreography in ContraDB and The Callers Box, and to a reasonable extent via Google, and couldn't find any extant dances. Anybody know of something I missed?

[name pending]

hook: stompy A, circle > progress > circle B

by: Louisville Callers Collective

formation: improper

A1	8	balance & petronella
	8	balance & petronella
A2	8	balance & petronella
	8	Partners swing
B1	8	Robins chain
	8	circle right 4 places
B2	2	turn alone to face Next Neighbors ⁋
	4	circle left 2 places
	10	Neighbors swing

2020-03-01 Louisville Callers Collective meeting collaboration.

Co-coreographers: Bob Crawford, Callie Allison, Chet Gray, Elisabeth Monica, John Murner, Nedra McNeil, Susan Pope.

We began with a blank whiteboard, and brainstormed some of our favorite elements of dances, among them: circle > progress > circle, group balances, good flow, swings with partner and neighbor. We then divided the whiteboard into space for A1 A2 B1 B2, put a partner balance & swing in the B2, and began expanding from there, diagramming where each dancer was after each figure. Alright, what can go into a circle right? A right hand chain. Let's put it after the partner swing. That trades the Robins' places, so circle once around will put couples ready to progress to new neighbors. Circle left from there. Now, where can we put a neighbor swing? Well, unless we want to end it mid-phrase, either after the circle left or before the partner balance and swing. We need to get partners to the same side for that, so that might be awkward. Circle left into swing, then. Is this the hand that flows into the swing? It is! How far, then? Oh, only circle halfway. Not the usual, might need to emphasize that calling. Okay, now to get the Larks across for the partner swing, and we have 16 counts to do it. Hmm. Hey? Allemande? Petronellas move people around. Maybe with a give and take? Petronella into a swing? Let's try it. Ah-ha!

We tested it out, with music, beginning in three different places: the circle left, the chain, and the Petronellas. Each had some things we like and disliked about the flow (and we named each rotated variation in succession), but we thought that beginning with the Petronellas was the most generally successful version.

Anyway, maybe it's been written before, maybe not. We're really proud of our group (and, I think, rightfully so), which includes some brand new rising callers. I look forward to seeing where we all go from here.

— Chet Gray

  dance caller

  Louisville, KY

  <chetgray+calling@gmail.com>

  (502) 419-7008

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