Re: [Callers] Does a 1/2 figure 8 and cast off exist in ECD? In Contra?

Luke -- This isn't directly responsive to your actual question, but here's what it reminded me of: In proper duple formation, the place where same-sex neighbors would stand in improper formation is diagonally opposite.  Most longways English dances are proper, so in English for these purposes, English "first corners" = contra "ladies", English second corners = contra gents. In "News From Tripoli", first corners cast up or down the outside (pulling the shoulder back, a real cast)  while their same-side neighbors slide (just move sideways along the line) into the places they've vacated, then do a full figure eight and finish in their neighbors place.  (Now second corner people are standing in first corner places, and they repet the figure doing what the first corner people did; everybody's at home.) In Barbarini's Tambourine (and Sally in Our Alley, which has the same A parts), first corners cast around neighbor on the side, half figure eight, and finish in each other's place.  Second corners cast around (it's their partner, but standing next to them on the side), half figure eight, finish in each other's place. In some 1700s dances as reconstructed, in a duple minor proper formation, 1s half -figure eight to the right (gents down, ladies up) to go through the 2s next to them; those 1s encounter the opposite-role 1 from the next set up (it's not quite a shadow interaction since while you do see the same person for a while, it stops happening when one of you goes out at the end of the set), so it's effectively long diagonals. In a number of dances (Kelsterne Gardens may be the earliest, although some like to do it in Childgrove, which is an earlier dance) there are double figure eights, where one couple is is crossing through the middle while the other couple is going up or down the outside.  In fewer dances, there are double half figure eights; one couple goes through the middle, the other on the outside.  So you don't need the diagonal half-figure to not have to worry about them running into each other. I would add to Michael's mention of Chevrons that a lot of people have trouble waiting one bar to start their part of the figure, and it does raise the difficulty level of the dance. There's an "all cast one place" in "Wa is Me, Wa Mun I Do", which takes two bars of triple time music and a fair amount of room but is very pretty in context.  I think your "gents pull left should back and cast" has some of the logistical problems of an orbit (it's a quarter orbit) as far as using space, with increased chance of collision with gent from other set because of not facing the way you're going for the first half.  Slide across, orbit 1/4 while making a point of interlacing with other gent, or lots of room in the set. -- Alan On 7/10/18 5:18 AM, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote: