John Sweeny below hoped we callers would teach more about hand turns and the like.

I’ve been thinking on this for quite a while. Years ago I had a discussion with Brad Foster. We both lamented the loss of the allemande with mildly interlocking thumbs to the modern overprotective thumb against the side of the palm allemande. At that time I think I was still in Santa Barbara, thus it must have been pre 1994. I wrote an article for our dance rag called, “If Allemande Left, Where’d Allemande Go?”

I talked about what I do when someone grips my hand—and I think all of us should remove that word, “grip” from our caller’s vocabulary…

But the most important thing I discussed is:

• Our Wrist is Strongest When It’s Straight
• Our Fingers are Strongest When Curved
• Thus, however one does an allemande, it should be a hook, with curved fingers and a straight wrist.

Lately I’ve seen teachers promote the straight fingers, bent wrist, and flat palm method. The almost always makes one person’s wrist uncomfortable. Not as bad as when someone draws the others hand into that almost-Aikido-put-them-on-the-ground position, but usually quite uncomfortable.

Thus I hope most of us learn the curved fingers, straight wrist, no grip, and, no thumb clamping allemande, ECD hand turn, two hand turn type hand connections.

~Erik Hoffman,

   Oakland, CA

From: Callers <callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net> On Behalf Of John Sweeney via Callers
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2019 2:09 PM
To: 'Caller's discussion list' <callers@sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Name that Dance

Hi Rich,

              I would just call it a “Big Set Mixer”.  It is a slight variation of the one in the Community Dances Manual.  Callers just make up a 32 bar sequence that works for their dancers.

              While it is a good example of all ages having fun together, I really wish callers would teach the dancers just a tiny bit about how to do better hand/arm turns and swings :-)

            Happy dancing,                         

                   John                                  

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

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