Hi Luke, thanks for a great weekend. I'm piping up as a dancer
who had hoped that you would call a grand square in a contra
formation after the discussion here. Tonight I find myself in an
analytical frame of mind, thinking about where we stumbled, in the
hope that you (and others) will keep calling this dance and have
great success with it.
I'm from Illinois, but a regular at the two Wisconsin weekends
(IndepenDance and Squirrel Moon). The programs tend to be
dominated by contras, but with enough squares so most dancers are
familiar with the basic concepts. I haven't been keeping count,
but it feels as though most weekends include one dance with a
grand square, and I felt that there were sufficient dancers on
Sunday who knew the grand square figure that we should have been
fine.
Personally, I struggled to remember which direction to start as
we flip-flopped from side to side. I think a lot of us were
disoriented that way. Even in a square dance with rotating
partners, one role usually stays home and can anchor the
orientation.
Part of my problem was not (yet) having internalized my identity
as part of a right or left couple in a four-facing-four. I don't
need to think any more when I'm addressed as a gent (or lady), as
a middle or inside or outside. I know when I'm a head or a side.
I know where to find my corner wherever I am at the moment. But I
don't recall dancing a four-facing-four where the right couples
did something different from the left couples.
My two cents in the interest of continuous improvement.
-Dave Harding
Thanks John, that does seem like a fun bit to incorporate.
I ran the Fox Hollow Foibles dance with the Grand Square happening on the diagonal at IndepenDance in Wisconsin. Folks seemed to have fun with it, but it was certainly challenging (my sense is that community doesn't do many squares; Grand or otherwise).
On Fri, Jul 1, 2016 at 5:20 PM, John Sweeney via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Of course contra dancers like swinging, so you could try incorporating this version into a contra dance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfqC8uVfCUo
In “Cowboy Dances” (1939) there was also a version with half a two-hand turn (but they called it a swing!) every time you met someone.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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