Hi Don,

              I find that the key word is the one that Maia used: “Slide”.

              I teach it as slide in front/behind, step forwards/backwards, slide back to where you started.

              And, very important, I call it as “Slide (to the side)” for the first few times through the dance.

              Calling “Mad Robin” means that they have to process the words before they can do the move.  Call “Slide” and they slide.

              I find that using a Ladies’ Chain into an anti-clockwise Mad Robin is one of the easiest combinations since the dancers finish the Ladies’ Chain with man behind and the lady in front ready for the slide.

              Telling the dancers that it is called a Mad Robin is useful as it may help them next time they meet the move, but it is not a useful term per se as it has no intrinsic meaning.

              I don’t usually bother with the Dosido method; it causes more confusion that it is worth.

            Happy dancing,                         

                   John                                  

John Sweeney, Dancer, England   john@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574                         

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