[Callers] Re: [External] Re: Choreographic No-Nos

I don't have Bob's list handy, but I cribbed heavily from it to make this (much less extensive) list of figures + timings <https://contra.maiamccormick.com/assets/pdfs/esc-choreo-figures.pdf>, in case it's useful to anyone! (This reminds me of some more things I don't like, ha. Circle L and pass through to swing -- IME the swing always gets truncated. Dosido 1.5x and right shoulder round 1.5x don't quiiite fit in 8 counts of music and are often frustrating. And I don't call couples' dosidos anymore, they're a pain to execute correctly unless everyone in the hall is EXTREMELY on top of it.) -- Maia McCormick (she/her) 917.279.8194 On Tue, Aug 6, 2024 at 12:02 AM Joe Harrington < contradancerjoe(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: > Is Bob Isaacs in the house? He has a giant spreadsheet with every > possible move transition and a count of the number of times it occurs in a > set of dances that now numbers in the hundreds or maybe a lot more. It’s > interesting which unlikely combinations do occur and which rarely do. I > hope this someday sees the light of day. > > —jh— > > > On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 11:29 PM Maia McCormick via Contra Callers < > contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: > >> Jeff, impressively bad, well done! >> >> My biggest pet peeve is a RH chain (or promenade, or other move with >> a CCW courtesy turn) into a circle L—though this is a very of-the-moment >> style preference, as I know plenty of the classic dances have this combo. >> (Likewise for dances where just the 1s do a figure while the 2s stand >> around, doubly so if the dance doesn’t alternate active couples.) >> >> Long lines followed by a chain is quite idiomatic—and probably in >> part because of the strength that idiom, a chain (or other courtesy turn >> figure) followed by long lines drives me up a wall. >> >> I don’t love long lines into a circle—I’ll tolerate it if the rest of >> the dance is really exceptional, ehhhh. >> >> -- >> Maia McCormick (she/her) >> 917.279.8194 >> >> >> On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 10:31 PM Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers < >> contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: >> >>> Balance neighbor (4), swing partner (12) >>> >>> Ones dosido below while twos seesaw above (8). >>> >>> Long lines forward (4), swing on the side (8), long lines back (4). >>> >>> Circle left 1x (6) pass through (2) >>> >>> Jeff >>> >>> On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 9:51 PM Tepfer, Seth via Contra Callers < >>> contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> - A right chain INTO a swing >>>> - A swing into a circle right >>>> - Standard right shoulder hey into a swing >>>> >>>> >>>> Plenty other bad flow examples >>>> >>>> >>>> Seth Tepfer, MBA, CSM, PMP (he, him, his) >>>> Senior IT Manager, Emory Primate Center >>>> >>>> <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/fcd3f5d71da848759228584d1a49babd@emory.edu?anonymous&ep=signature> Book >>>> time to meet with me >>>> <https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/SethTepfer@mscloud.emory.net/bookings/> >>>> ------------------------------ >>>> *From:* Jonathan Sivier via Contra Callers < >>>> contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; >>>> *Sent:* Monday, August 5, 2024 9:48 PM >>>> *To:* New Contra Callers List &lt;contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>>> > >>>> *Subject:* [External] [Callers] Re: Choreographic No-Nos >>>> >>>> I don't agree with your list. Yes, swings on the first half of a >>>> phrase are challenging and I might try to avoid them. There are dances >>>> with this that generally work fine, especially if the caller is aware of >>>> the potential issue and teaches and calls accordingly. The do-si-do across >>>> can be a bit awkward in a crowded line, but only if everyone is doing the >>>> do-si-do. If only the 1's or 2's are doing it then there is no problem. >>>> Shadow swings seem to be a personal preference or dislike and not really a >>>> choreographic issue. I actually think that a right chain after a swing can >>>> work very well. If you end the swing with the pointy hands pointing across >>>> then the right hands of the right hand dancers are right there ready to >>>> pull by. I suppose you might say there is a momentum change, but that can >>>> be very welcome in a dance where everything seems to be traveling the same >>>> way. Not every dance has to have continuous motion in the same direction >>>> all the time. I danced a dance with that set of figures just last Friday >>>> and I was thinking to myself how well it seemed to work. >>>> >>>> So I see #1 and #3 as more of a challenge than a problem. #4 is a >>>> personal preference and #2 seems like a perfectly fine transition between >>>> figures. >>>> >>>> Jonathan >>>> >>>> On 8/5/2024 7:37 PM, Michael Fuerst via Contra Callers wrote: >>>> > I am accumulating a list of figures, or figure sequence that >>>> significant dance writers (not necessarily a majority) consider >>>> Choreographic No-Nos >>>> > My list so far: >>>> > 1. do-si-do across >>>> > 2. right chain after a swing >>>> > 3 short swings on an odd phrase >>>> > 4. Shadow swings >>>> > Does anyone have further suggestions? >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>>> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>>> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >> To unsubscribe send an email to >> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >> > _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net