Re: [Callers] Sung contras

OK, let's see if I can recontruct this from a long ago hot and steamy night. VERY rowdy teen dance up at the Farm&Wilderness camps, big open outdoor pavilion, about 120 people, made up collaboratively on the spot because it was a tune the camper-led band could play. You have to imagine everyone doing this at a slow, bluesy saunter, with lots of hip action, hand claps on the ends of the phrases (..5,6,7,Clap!). Everyone in the hall already knew the basic community longways and entry-level contras (Virginia Reel, Galopede, Haste to T.W) The Hey Jude Longways (make sure your email display window is open wide enough so that the words line up right) 8 couple sets, divided into hands-four subgroups, long lines forward... (hey Jude) long lines back... (don't make it bad) right elbow around your partner (take a sad song and make it better) left elbow around your partner (remember to let her into your heart) dosido partner (then you can start to make it better) circle left in your foursome (hey Jude, don't be a fraid) circle right (you were made to go out and get her) star right (the minute you let her under your skin [clap!]) star left (then you begin to make it better) top foursome down the center, (and any time you fell the pain etc) with great display, any way they choose, all swing after they've passed, all move up on that little instrumental break repeat 3x on the final interminable Na--- Na-- Na-- NaNaNaNa-------'s, all the sets got themselves lined up with each other into big longways sets, and the top foursome went to the VERY bottom, next foursome right on their heels, endless cascade style -- we let that run a little and then started sending them out the bottom of the set and out the door. I seem to remember the na-na-naaas being belted out long after the band stopped playing, down the hill and back to the bunks, echoing up through the trees. Nobody was singing the same verses at any given time so I suppose it wasn't a truely succesful "singing " dance, and it wasn't a contra, and it sure wouldn't fly at Greenfield or Glen Echo -- but it worked for us at the time. :) a good memory. Cheers, Amy