Thanks for sharing your new dance.  I believe it’s always best to have larks, men or first corners gypsy, walk around or allemande by the left.  One reason is that the dancers keep their positioning better especially if there’s a swing.

Of course a large number of dances follow this rule so I also believe that it’s a good idea to do something out of the ordinary once in a while.  So which hand/shoulder you use may also depend on one’s program.

Tom

Hi Everyone,

I'm writing to share a contra dance I've written. We've tried it out twice, once at the Camp Sturtevant weekend and once at our 5th Saturday advanced dance. The interesting part is the progression, from a hey into a circle with new neighbors.

Switching the 2nd half of A1 to Raven instead of Lark also works, it just flips the direction the dance progresses. I ended up choosing Larks because of the Raven alamande at the end.

Any feedback or thoughts are welcome!

Emma Azelborn

Los Angeles

Hey Dreaming

Contra Dance by Emma Azelborn

Beckett, progresses to the left

Works best with ample floor space for the orbit

Teaching notes:

• It helps to identify future neighbors before starting, so dancers know who to be looking for in the progression out of the hey (they're on the left diagonal)

• Ravens turn over their left shoulder to progress & circle instead of looping right at the end of the hey

• Larks keep going the same direction of travel into the orbit

A1	8	Long lines fwd & back
	8	Larks right shoulder round 1½
A2	16	Neighbor balance and swing
B1	8	Larks in for half a left shoulder hey
	8	Circle right 3 places with new neighbors  (this is the progression) Larks assist Ravens to center
B2	8	Ravens alamande right 1½ while Larks orbit halfway counterclockwise
	8	Partner swing

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