[Callers] Dancing in the Heat

Esteemed colleagues, 2 weeks ago I called my first "period' event, a Civil War Ball for teens & their parents, most new to dancing, nearly all dressed in amazing costumes. It was a good night, with about 50 dancers attending. The highlight of the evening came during the last called dance, The Spanish Waltz. It was a mystical experience, one of those rare moments when everyone in the room becomes one with the music, and the choreography is just mesmerizing to watch. Admittedly, it is not a contra, but I see no reason to let that stop anyone from calling this truly gorgeous dance. It works w/ a 32 measure waltz in Sicilian Circle formation, and quite simply starts w/ partner's inside hands joined, in waltz time: (1-16) w/ P F & B, then inside hand (same hand) to N for CA twirl (4 m.) w/ N F & B, " inside hand to P for CA twirl (4 m.) w/ P F & B " " " to N for CA twirl (4 m.) w/ N F & B " " " to P for CA twirl (4 m.) (17-20) Hands Across R H Star (21-24) L H Star (25-32) w/ P Waltz on to next set of Ns Version I have calls for waltzing ccw around other cpl 1 1/2 times to progress I sent them cw and said it was ok to only waltz 1/2 way around other cpl, seeing it was hot and they were so finely dressed (petticoats, long hoop gowns, etc.). I can see the logic of traveling ccw around other cpl, but in spite of that, it was one of the more magical dance moments I've witnessed. Enjoy. Paul PS While I'm on the topic, here is a short list of other dances that might work well in warm weather: Flirtation Reel (Tony Parkes) first 2 dances have down the hall & Jeff's Gypsy (my own) 1s & N Swing (not 2s) Broken Sixpence (Don Armstrong) down the hall & just 1s swing Mad Scatter (Rick Mohr) mixer E. Litchfield Volunteers (Jim Gregory) nice & easy Lady Walpole's Reel (Trad.)* Coconut Custard Pie (Lynn Ackerson) mescolanza (hi energy feel to it) * Rumor has it Lady Walpole wanted a dance where P (read husband) interaction was kept to a bare minimum.