15 Jul
2015
15 Jul
'15
1 p.m.
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:34:10 -0400, Sister Mary Joseph wrote:
I'm not sure if the dances I do know are even
contras technically.
I am pretty much working with the families who come here to Mass
and am looking to add to the ten or so dances that they already
know. Here are a few of our dances.
-The Virginia Reel
- The Bridge of Athlone
- Heel & Toe Polka
- Oh Suzanna
No, they're not contras; they're English Barn Dance repertoire -
though I'm not saying they're all dances from England; Bridge of
Athlone comes from Ireland and Virginia Reel comes from America though
the original was Sir Roger de Coverley which comes from England.
Every Saturday night hundreds of callers in England will be teaching
these at Barn Dances to people who may never have danced before:
school PTAs, Weddings, Scout or Guide parents, etc.
I recommend http://barndances.org.uk/ where Thomas Green which gives
lots of good advice and instructions for lots of good dances.
To find out what the terms mean, I recommend Hugh Stewart's book
"Elements of English Country Dance" which you can find online at
http://round.soc.srcf.net/dances/elements.htm
Colin Hume
Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://www.colinhume.com