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.)

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@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

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