Re: [Callers] Overused figures

Richard wrote: dance leaders limit their use of set and turn single, or up a double and back, to only once or twice an evening. Pickiness: Allemandes qua allemandes aren't a problem; the overuse complaint was about "men allemande left once and a half" (which I suspect is usually followed by "and swing partner on the side"). According to me, figures like star, circle, allemande, swing, long lines, balance, and to a lesser extent hey, promenade, gypsy are just basic vocabulary. Nobody complains about a story that the writer used a, and, of, in, with, or various forms of "to be" too much. They like a plot, some flavor, and some variety - it shouldn't be exactly like all the other stories in the collection. (Not to mention that those basic figures are subject to modification and adjustment; they're the basis for other action. Long lines can get a roll away on the way back; stars can be hands-across and men drop out, or go once around and allemande by the hand in the star, etc, etc, etc.) I also think that what people notice (aside from the music) is large similar sequences (cl 3/4, swing on the side); gypsy meltdowns, undoing Beckets, and, more importantly, transitions. Two dances in a row whch start neighbor balance and swing will seem pretty similar (and if one finishes facing across and the next facing down in line of four, will screw up the kinetic learners so they'll face the wrong way the first few times through the second dance). While the matrix is a great tool for ensuring a variety of figures, I think it's also a good idea to pay special attention to your story lines and transitions and make sure there's a good variety. And there's nothing wrong with a bread-and-butter dance (standard figures, all the action inside the foursome), if it has good flow and a nice story line. There's a lot of variety available even if you stick to just longways contras. This also applies to programming an English evening. I would control the number of "set and turn single in place" dances, because that usually feels like filler to me, but I wouldn't have a problem with multiple things along the line of "corners set forward, turn single back to place, continue that momentum into a two-hand turn" especially if those were dances with tunes in different meters.) -- Alan -- =============================================================================== Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056 Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025 ===============================================================================