22 Feb
2012
22 Feb
'12
6:48 p.m.
I wrote, regarding the sequence
...
A2. Women chain [to partner]
1/2 hey (W start by R shoulder)
B1. Partners balance and swing
...
The "1/2 hey" in A2 is really only a 3/8 hey
(WR, NL, PR). ...
On Feb 21, 2012, at 1:05 PM, Bill Baritompa wrote:
Hi Jim,
I assume you mean 3/8 hey (WR, NL, Men R).
Correct. Thanks for catching that.
This opens up the question of timing, as this hey
should still take
8 beats
to start the balance in B1 on the phrase.
A gypsy and swing for B1 would be more flexible (but maybe more dizzy
for some).
Yes, the 3/8 hey could be danced in fewer than 8 beats,
and a ladies chain across can also be danced in fewer than
8 beats, so it is indeed possible for dancer to arrive
early for the B2, and they sometimes do. (I think, btw,
that the most common cause is women turning around sharply
instead of using four beats for a looping U-turn after
passing their neighbors). But if you look at the video
I cited
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFEBaPqBXZM
you can see that the dancers have no difficulty using
up the alloted time.
As for changing B1 to a gypsy and swing, note that doing
that would make men flow from a right-shoulder pass in
the middle to a right-shoulder gypsy with partner. While
this transition can be danced smoothly if the dancers
anticipate it,* it's not the flow pattern I'd most want
to use in a dance chosen to introduce heys.
[*As an example of similar flow, Tanya Rotenberg has said
that she prefers dancers to go directly from the hey in
the A2 of "Delphiniums & Daisies" to the swing in B1, with
no balance.]
--Jim