Thanks all for the great suggestions! Here’s the workshop I’m planning:

(1)  Light, (hopefully) humorous, and (just maybe) illuminating intro about how timing awareness increases dancing fun.

(2)  A simple dance with all 8-beat figures:
                A1:  DD N, N sw
                A2:  Gents Al L 1½, P sw
                B1:  F&B, R&L
                B2:  LC, star L
While dancing we all count out loud and say 2-beat calls together e.g. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Ladies Chain”.

(3) Joyride (Erik Weberg) - use our 8-count awareness to take a full 8 counts for the first three figures (gypsy, mad robin, half poussette). OK to keep counting out loud.

(4)  Hull’s Victory - demonstrate how changing your arm length allows a loose or tight allemande. Walk through both the loose trad way (allemande neighbor once [8], 1’s allemande ½ [4]) and tight modern way (allemande neighbor twice [8], 1’s allemande once [4]). In 5-couple sets dance it 5 times loose and 10 times tight.

(5)  Princeton Petronellas (Bob Isaacs):
                A1:  N B&S
                A2:  Bal O, spin, P allemande L ½, half hey 
                B1:  P B&S
                B2:  Bal O, spin, N allemande L ½, half hey 
Use our 8-count awareness to end the swings in time to be right on the money for the ring balances. Take 2 beats each for the allemandes and hey passes for a satisfying B&S.

(6)  If there’s time I’d like to add a dance with circle left ¾ [6], pass through [2], swing new neighbor [8]. In my experience most people dance it too loosely so you never get an 8-count swing. My favorite dance with that sequence is Cary Ravitz’s Heart of Glass (where I usually substitute shift left [2], circle left ¾ [6], swing neighbor) but this session is already long on heys. Anybody have another good/great dance with that sequence and no hey?

Rick

On Sun, Feb 4, 2018 at 6:53 PM, Read Weaver via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I find pretty much any dance that ends with three changes of rights & lefts has people late to the first figure, because they take 8 counts to do those three changes (rather than 6 counts to do the three changes, and 2 counts to move on).

Read Weaver
Jamaica Plain, MA

On Feb 1, 2018, at 10:26 AM, Rick Mohr via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Some dances require skill to make the timing work — like starting a figure with dispatch so a later balance will be on time, or doing a figure leisurely to avoid being early for the next one. But while many dancers have the awareness to make things like that work, many dancers don’t. Since there are plenty of fantastic dances without such challenges I tend not to call dances which have them.

But I’ve also found that such dances are great when I’m asked to lead a workshop helping dancers improve their skills. Longtime dancers aren't eager to change their habits, and having something concrete like making a balance on time adds motivation, ideally opening a window where learning is possible.

Unfortunately though I've discarded or passed on collecting most such dances! 

Have any suggestions of good/great dances where the timing is tight or loose in spots? 

One of mine in that category is Crow Flight (http://rickmohr.net/Contra/Dances.asp#CrowFlight). Learning opportunities include gents flowing from swing to circle (common with aware dancers but a revelation to some), ladies moving efficiently from circle to hey, and doing a hey with two steps per pass (possibly realizing the difference between a 3-change and 4-change half hey).

Thanks for any ideas!

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