I have called Starring Loretta as well as many ECD with half stars and concur that it is a harder move for dancers than one would expect. This may be a muscle memory issue. It feels more like a four hand pull by than a star because there's no sense of rotation. The move is more linear than circular. 

-------- Original message --------
From: Bob Green via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Date: 4/22/18 11:12 AM (GMT-05:00)
To: Chris Page <chriscpage@gmail.com>
Cc: "Callers@Lists.Sharedweight.net" <callers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Star 1/2 -> Star 1/2?

I have an English dance that has a similar sequence, with one half star, then a full star with new neighbors and another full star back with original neighbors. As Chris suggests, I find that part a bit trickier to teach than I expected. The difficulty is in the orientation (particularly on the ends), not the timing. I set the dance to a half-length version of Larry Unger's Two Rivers which is in waltz time, so the timing could be different in contra. I think the hands-across style star used in most English dances facilitates that kind of transition. I think it creates the nice flow pattern you envision, looking forward to trying it. Nice idea, Luke!

Here is the similar sequence in waltz time: http://dancevideos.childgrove.org/ecd/ecd-modern/308-starring-loretta

Bob Green
St. Louis