Hi, Allison (et. al.)!

Sounds like you're having great success in getting dancing going out there, even if isn't contra yet... Good deal! Congratulations!

Have you considered a Four Facing Four? You have enough people to do it. You'd have to teach a star, if you haven't, and this one progresses with a CA twirl. The star should be hands across. None of that too hard. But not sure how tricky this would be for the current level of your dancers. Here's one of my favorites:

Coconut Cream Pie by Lynn Ackerson

A1  Long lines fwd and back
       Center 4 star right all the way around
A2   Everyone allemande left your partner 1 1/2
        Other center 4 star right all the way around
B1    Find your Partner - Balance and Swing
B2    Circle 8 half-way, Balance the ring
        Ca. turn you partner

note: You stay with your "traveling buddies," but you will change from side to side each time through.

I don't know if this one, with short wavy lines, would seem too hard. Getting them into the first line would probably be the hardest part.

Cheat Lake Twirl by Perry Shafran

A1    Step into short wavy lines (with ladies in the middle by left hands)
         Balance right, left - slide right (to new wave)
         Balance left, right - slide left
A2    Neighbor bal. and swing
B1    Bal. the ring, petronella twirl
        Partner swing
B2    Circle left 3 places, pass thru
        New neighbor do-si-do into a wave

My next 2 easy ones involve a chain, so I won't put them here yet. One is Snowshoe, with 3 times of bal. and circulate. (Not in front of me, not remembering the author. The other is Foxglove by Tom Thoreau (variation by Becky Hill). Let me know if you can find them on Contra DB to look at, or if you'd like me to send them for you to look at.

Have fun and be well!
~Karen

On 1/21/2023 7:17 PM, Allison Jonjak via Contra Callers wrote:
Hopefully a fun question. At the same time as the pandemic, I moved to my rural hometown, and (after some years of hunkering) have gone from 'sometimes' to 'occasionally' to now monthly hosting a barn dance with a great band on a wonderful dance floor here.

I have promised the dancers "as we get practice, and as we build up skills in the community, gradually we can start doing dances with more moves," and some of the regulars asked for a 'practice dance' with a few of these fun ones, so I now get to plan one. But I suddenly realized, I haven't myself danced contra in such a long time that most of the names of the 'old favorites" have abdicated the brainspace they used to hold. 

So, what I'm asking for: 
Remind me the names of simple, fun dances that include some of my favorite figures (roll-away with half sashay, Rory O'Moore, maybe box circulate or butterfly whirl?) I want to give them a taste for "why it's worth it to get more complex" without actually getting TOO complex yet (probably going to avoid becket formation, and I don't think I want to teach heys yet. I haven't taught courtesy turns (chain, R&L through, et al) yet, but I could probably do so either at this practice or a future one. Most of our progression thus far have been "pass through", but if there's a good candidate dance with a non 'pass through' progression, I can modify it a skosh to keep things consistent.

I am attaching the program from our last dance to give you a sense of where we are ( https://contradb.com/programs/278 ). This practice dance is going to have 12 dancers, who have understood progression as we've done it in Do Si Three and in Jefferson's Remorse, and on the dance floor they've been some of the ones helping newcomers understand. 

Thanks in advance for your recommendations! 
Allison 

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