Re: [Callers] Good dances with challenging timing

Here's a dance that I think rewards good timing: Brimmer and May Reel by Dan Pearl Duple improper contra A1. Balance and swing (new) neighbor A2. Right and left through #1 couple swing B1. Down the hall four in line (4!) #1 couple (in center) California twirl (4) Mirror allemande neighbors with handy hand (M1 and W2 by L, W1 and M2 by R) twice around (8!) B2. Lead up the hall as couples, two's following ones; ones cast down (unassisted, of course) around twos and face up while twos continue up and turn in to face down; circle left (still in original foursomes) half way (to original places); pass through up and down to progress (16) The A parts are given as Dan now prefers them. The original version had more challenging timing A1. Swing (new) neighbor (8) Right and left through (8) A2. #1 couple balance and swing (16) but that can be viewed more as a defect than as a rewarding challenge. I'm more interested in the action in the B parts. * If dancers take six or eight steps down the hall before starting the California twirl, the subsequent actions can become a "rat race." * The key to getting the 2x allemandes done in time is not to take huge steps but to keep your feet close to your neighbor's feet. * If twos don't continue up the hall as ones cast around them, they lengthen the ones' path and may also cause the entire set to drift towards the foot of the hall. * If dancers start the CA twirl on time, and keep the allemandes tight, the action in B2 need not be at all rushed in order to bring them to their new neighbors just in time for the balance. --Jim