I wonder if anyone has variations to Bob Isaacs' "Hinge Binge"?

I really like the hinging part of the dance, but ... in lark/gent/lefthand role, I find my right arm is strained from having it up so much.

Here's the original:

Becket

A1: Larks Give and Take, Neighbor Swing

A2: Circle L 3/4, Partner Dosido to short wavy line, P in RH, larks in ctr with LH

B1: Bal Wave, Hinge + Circulate (Partner Alle R 1/4, then box circulate with Robins crossing set to new wave, larks, looping right to face back in and join wave on the same side)

      Bal Wave, Hinge + Advance (N1 Alle R 1/4, then walk forward to new neighbors, make another wave)

B2: Bal Wave, Hinge + Circulate (N2 Alle R 1/4, Robins cross, larks loop right)

      Partner Swing

So the Lark role is holding their arm up and providing weight:

A1: 8 beats for swing

A2: 6 beats during circle, continued from the swing

B1a: 4 beats for the balance, 2-3 beats for the allemande, and you don't really have any time to move your arms down and let them rest before you have to take hands in the next wave

B1b: 4 beats for the balance , another 2-3 beats for the allemande, again, no real time to put your arms down.

B2a: 4 beats for the balance , another 2-3 beats for the allemande, and, again, no real time to put your arms down before the swing.

B2b: 8 beats for swing

So the dance for the larks/gents is an 8 beat break, 14-16 beats of swing -> circle, a 8 beat dosido where the last beat or two to raise your arms for the wave, and then 32 beats continuously keeping  right arms up.

Could give a longer rest in the A:

A1: Robins G+T, NS

A2: Robins Chain, Pass Thru to an Ocean wave w/P in right, robins in ctr.

This keeps the dance nearly intact, a bit harder since Pass-the-Ocean isn't a glossary move, but affords 6-8 more beats of rest. Roles are swapped in the waves, but it doesn't matter since you progress the same and wind up with your partner.

We could lose the neighbor swing in the A1 and make it something like:

A1. LLFB

      Larks Alle L 1.5x

A2. 3/4 Hey (NR, Robins L, PR, Larks L, NR, Robins L)

       Partner Alle R 1/4 to short waves

... which preserves the B1-B2 of Hinge Binge more closely without the role swap.

There's probably a way to move the partner swing to the A1 and remove the neighbor swing.

Anyway. Curious if there's already dances out there.

In dance,

Julian Blechner