16 Feb
2012
16 Feb
'12
1:10 p.m.
Martha wrote:
I would only like to add that I wish all of us would
make a bigger deal out
of making a BIG LOOP on the ends. When you think about it, you've got 4
counts to get across the set, and 4 counts to make the loop. That should
give you an idea of the relative size that the loop should be...
It's almost counter-intuitive that to make the hey faster (i.e., easier)
you have to make the turnaround bigger, not smaller!
Actually, it's not "*almost *counter-intuitive." I can understand how
bigger loops will make the hey easier...but I'm mystified as to how larger
loops can make heys faster. In fact, I have considered doing an advanced
workshop where I give tips on how dancers can speed up a hey. Dancers are
frequently late for balances after heys, for example, and I would recommend
that they make sharper turns during the hey--including at the ends--to
tighten up the figure and make it possible to finish it on time.
Again, I would consider this in an advanced dancer workshop. I would never
teach these details in an open, public contra dance. In fact I generally
do not teach figures at such dances.
- Greg