17 Feb
2024
17 Feb
'24
1:16 a.m.
I've been struggling with the term "partner" in contra mixers. My
experience is that the term leads dancers to expect to stay with that
person.
My current approach is to use the phrases "there are no partners,"
"navigate on your own," and "everyone is a neighbor." For a
particular
example, Contrablend, I found it helpful to name the various neighbors
by the action you take with them, e.g. "rollaway neighbor" "swing
neighbor" and "come-back neighbor" (whom you remember and return to).
A corollary here, if you don't have partners, "Becket" doesn't mean as
much. I say gents/larks progress two places left and ladies/robins
progress one. (Or maybe it's the other way round - one and two places
left.)
Timothy
Knoxville TN
On Thu, 2024-01-25 at 08:31 -0500, Becky Liddle via Contra Callers
wrote:
On Jan 25, 2024, at 12:00 AM, contracallers-
request(a)lists.sharedweight.net wrote:
> > Late in a regular evening dance a caller recently threw in a
> > contra
> with larks and robins progressing in opposite directions or at
> different rates. Although it was announced as a mixer, it was
> sufficiently unexpected that chaos and discomfort ensued. I'd
> have
> been happier with that in a workshop setting. "Dance with who's
> coming at you."
>
> David, I'd love to have this dance for uh, scientific purposes
> and
> certainly not to sow chaos 👀
>
>
> --
> Maia McCormick (she/her)
> 917.279.8194
Here is one: Note: I can’t guarantee I have everything right here. I
think I remember prepping to call it and then chickening out! :-)
ð BECKET MIXER
No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk
by Chris Weiler
Teaching:
Note: warn Robins that they’ll feel stuck at ends when not stuck. If
there’s nobody on your side to dance with, then dance with the person
across from you and face back in LL/RR as usual. Larks triple
progress, but robins progress forward 2 and back one so it can feel
like you’re stuck when you’re not. Don’t fix it or you will get
stuck!
A1 BECKET: on side of set w/partner: Partner balance & swing
A2 (6) Circle left 3 places & pass thru along the set
(8) New neighbor swing
B1 (8) long lines forward and back
(8) third neighbor (beside you along side of set, who you did NOT
just swing) allemande left 1 ½
(there’s an awkward hand-hold switch here: robins, you can make it
smoother if you take the lark’s left hand you’re holding in your
right hand, and put it into your left hand for the allemande left 1
½ )
B2 (8) Robins chain (to current partner— then say goodbye)
(8) Star left (all the way around) to a new partner
Calling Notes:
Note: If you’re out at the ends and there’s nobody on your side to
dance with, then do the move (whether partner or neighbour) with the
person across from you and face back in LL/RR as usual.
warn Robins that they’ll feel stuck at ends when not stuck. Larks
triple progress, but robins progress forward 2 and back one so it can
feel like you’re stuck when you’re not. Don’t try to fix it or
you will get stuck!
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7At3Dhq-G0
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net