[Callers] Re: Favorite One Night Stand Dances

I like this variant of Mo's. I think i've sent this suggestion out to the list in a different context, but I'll repeat it here- To add a bit more interest to these simple repetitive ONS dances, I do a Gallopede very similar to Mo's, but with a mixer element. I designate one line as the Larks and one as the Robins (or one as the Belugas and one as the Reindeer - anything silly and fun, perhaps relevant to the context of the event). I emphasize that if you're an X you must always stay in the X line, and if you're a Y you must always stay in the Y line. Then I demo the progression with a small group to make sure they've got it. When it's time for the sashaying/galloping down the middle, I say "make way for the top Reindeer and the bottom Beluga!" The top reindeer walks, skips, or does a silly dance down to the bottom of *their* line, while the bottom beluga comes up from the bottom of their line doing the same - sometimes they high five when they pass in the middle. Once they reach the ends (of their own respective lines - no switching lines!), everyone adjusts the line till everyone is facing a new partner. If you have a long line you can send the two tops and bottoms (walking in single file) together. this obviously adds a dimension of potential confusion, and some people do forget it's their turn, or try to join the opposite line - but it's a very forgiving dance and we never stay on the music to begin with - I find the mistakes produce tons of laughter and the dancers themselves are always able to sort the confused people out without any intervention from me. I've done this dance at a whole range of weddings and community events with great success. Sometimes i'll also add a "peel the banana" part between the partner interactions and the top-bottom switch - with the top couple splitting at the top, going down the outside, with everyone in their line following single file, and all joining inside hands to come up the middle and exactly back to where they started. I favour this type of thing over arching/ducking figures because it flows nicely for everyone - I find the arching/ducking a) brings ppl quite close - maybe uncomfortably so b) makes arms tired c) can be awkward instead of fun and flowy, trying to squeeze people through d) gets tricky with ppl of varying heights. This is not to say I think arching dances are bad/shouldn't be used - but I am always trying in my ONS dances to produce the same joyous, amusement-ride feel of a true contra dance, so I personally like to favour figures that keep people flowing always.  My personal preference :) KK Oct 11, 2023 5:49:30 AM Mo via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>et>: