30 Apr
2008
30 Apr
'08
5:02 p.m.
Gretchen,
I have seen this dance called by Phil Jamison. In a big circle, this dance goes on for a
while, but many people can be dancing at one time. Once the women have danced all the way
around, the women can turn the men and the men can do the visiting. This would indeed be
a long dance, but back in the day, this would have been extremely fun and not at all
boring.
What I enjoy about this dance is the chance to turn smoothly with your partner, and then
turn the next person in the circle with the left, smoothly going around into the allemande
with your partner again. It can be really rhythmic and did I mention smooth? You can get
a nice groove going with it. It would be a fun dance for newer dancers, especially with a
driving old-time band.
It sounds as though you have the entire dance. Once you get the dancers going ("Turn
your partner with a shoofly swing") there is no more calling necessary until you want
to bring that part of the dance to a close and perhaps finish with a big circle or grand
right and left.
Suzanne Girardot
Seattle, WA
-----Original Message-----
From: Gretchen Caldwell
<gretchendance(a)yahoo.com>
Sent: Apr 29, 2008 12:12 PM
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: [Callers] Shoofly Swing
I'm looking for a circle dance called, I believe, "Shoofly Swing". Cubby
Whitehead used to end every evening with it in Bradenton Florida in the late 1980s. It
involves one couple starting with an allemande right, lady then allemandes next gent by
left, then partner by right, next gent by left, and so on. After the allemanding partners
have passed you by, you and your partner join until the whole circle is peeling off in one
amazing mass of allemandes.
Anyone have it?
I've just joined the list, have been calling for two years, and appreciate the support
of the community. I plan to try Microchasmic soon for our weekly Monday night dance,
where the level of dancing is, surprise surprise, improving as we three local callers try
more challenging dances. Not a lot of contracorners going on. This triplet might be just
the thing.
Gretchen Caldwell
Charlotte NC
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