Hi Bill,

              Re difficulties with more than 32 bars: Thomas Wilson 1816:

Wilson says that anything longer that 16 bars of figures "is damned at its announcement" as it "appears now, in fashionable life, a crime to attempt anything that requires a capacity beyond what the more sagacious brutes are endowed with".

              :-)

            Happy dancing,

                   John                      

John Sweeney, Dancer, England   john@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574

http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

From: Bill Olson via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: 31 July 2023 18:23
To: contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net; Graham Knight <playford1651@googlemail.com>
Cc: Joseph Erhard-Hudson <josephatthecoop@gmail.com>
Subject: [Callers] Re: AABBCC contras?

Hi all, I call David Kaynor's Shutesbury Reel pretty often. 

One thing I've noticed about calling a 48 bar dance is the fact that the dancers seem to be "pre-programed' to "go back to the beginning" after 32 bars (or at least programmed not to have to remember any more than the AABB). This makes it hard to let go of calling after a couple times through, even with an experienced group of dancers. Actually the same is true for Cherokee Shuffle which is only 36 bars and I am quite sure for any dance that is not 4 x 8 measures AABB.

I actually think it's good to challenge experienced dancers this way,.. but be prepared!

Bill