Hello Alison, 

I hope your dance restart goes well!

As for evening starter dances, I end my new dancer orientation teaching progression with a balance ring and pass through to new neighbors a couple of times. When I do that, I make sure my first dance has the same progression, and use some variant of A1: DSD and N Swing, --- B2 Circle, balance and pass through.

So I wouldn't describe these as "memorable" so much as "glossary", but here's 10+ different versions that use that A1 and B2. Some of these are so close that I give them different names just to differentiate them in Callers Companion (the software I use to keep track of my dances).

#1  -------------------------

To Wedding Bliss
by Mark Goodwin
Contra/Improper/Beginner-Easy

A1 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do
(8) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(8) Larks allemande left 1-1/2
(8) partner swing
B1 -----------
(8) Promenade across the Set
(8) Long lines, forward and back
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Pass through

#2  -------------------------

If you can walk, then you can dance
by Luke Donforth
Contra/Improper/Easy

A1 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do
(8) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(8) Promenade across the Set (with neighbor)
(8) Circle Right 3/4
B1 -----------
(16) Partner balance and swing
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Pass through to new neighbors

#3  -------------------------

I like to walk, I love to dance
by Luke Donforth
Contra/Improper/Beginner-Easy

A1 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do
(8) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(8) Promenade across the Set
(8) Long lines, forward and back
B1 -----------
(8) Larks allemande left 1-1/2
(8) partner swing
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Pass through to new neighbors

#4  -------------------------

If you can talk, then you can sing
by Luke Donforth
Contra/Improper

A1 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do
(8) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(6) Circle Left 3/4
(10) Swing partner
B1 -----------
(8) Promenade across the Set
(8) Long lines, forward and back
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Right 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Pass through to new neighbors

#5  -------------------------

The Big Easy
by  unknown
Contra/Improper

A1 -----------
(4) Balance the Ring
(12) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(8) long lines, forward and back
(8) Robins allemande right 1-1/2
B1 -----------
(16) Partner balance and swing
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Pass through

#6  -------------------------

So it Goes
by Luke Donforth
Contra/Improper

A1 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do
(8) Neighbor swing, end facing down
A2 -----------
(8) Down the hall, four in line (turn as couples)
(8) Return and Bend the line
B1 -----------
(8) Robins allemande right 1-1/2
(8) partner swing
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) pass through along the set

#7  -------------------------

So it Went
by Luke Donforth
Contra/Improper

A1 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do
(8) Neighbor swing, end facing down
A2 -----------
(8) Down the hall, four in line (turn alone)
(8) Return and Bend the line
B1 -----------
(8) Robins allemande left 1-1/2
(8) partner swing
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4)  pass through along the set

#8  -------------------------

So it Could Be
by Luke Donforth
Contra/Improper

A1 -----------
(8) neighbor do-si-do
(8) neighbor swing, end facing counter clockwise (Larks inside)
A2 -----------
(8) Promenade the big oval ccw, turn to face in
(8) Take hands in a big oval, oval left
B1 -----------
(8) Robins allemande right 1 1/2
(8) partner swing
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4)  pass through along the set

#9  -------------------------

Boston Harbor
by  unknown
Contra/Improper/Beginner

A1 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do
(8) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(8) promenade ccw around set (Larks inside), turn as couple
(8) promenade back to across from partner
B1 -----------
(8) Robins allemande right 1-1/2
(8) partner swing
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Pass through

#11  -------------------------

A Horrible Heffalump
by Luke Donforth
Contra/Improper/Beginner

A1 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do
(8) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(8) Larks allemande Left 1-1/2
(8) Partner swing
B1 -----------
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Larks trade places
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Robins trade places

B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(4) Balance the Ring
(4) Pass through to new neighbors

On Sat, Feb 26, 2022 at 7:38 PM Alison Murphy Maderas via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Contra dancing rolling out again in Redding, California on March 13th. Collecting easy and intermediate dances for a mostly newbie crowd. Your favorite evening starters and teaching tips appreciated!


_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net


--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth@gmail.com