19 Feb
2014
19 Feb
'14
6:48 p.m.
I'm planning to call the circle mixer Disturbed By Insects on Friday
(in part in honor of the 31st annual Insect Fear Film Festival being
held this weekend here in Champaign-Urbana) and I've got a question
about one of the instructions. The instructions I have are
Disturbed by Insects
Inga Morton
mixer
Formation: circle of couples, all facing counterclockwise
A1 Promenade (with inside hands joined)
California twirl
Promenade back
California twirl (then join both hands)
A2 Ladies, push your partner to the center
Gents, push your partner back
Ladies, push your partner to the center
Ladies, go back
B1 With your partner box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
With your opposite to the right box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
B2 With your opposite to the right balance and swing
This all makes sense except at the end of A2. If the ladies go
back, and the gents stay put, then they will be separated by a gap and
won't be able to reach their partner for the "box the gnat" at the
beginning of B2. So it seems to me that it should say either "Ladies,
go back and the gents follow" or "Gents, push your partner back again"
or something similar.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks.
Jonathan
-----
Jonathan Sivier
Caller of Contra, English and Early American Dances
jsivier AT illinois DOT edu
Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html
-----
Q: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
A: It depends on what dance you call!
19 Feb
19 Feb
7:24 p.m.
If I were dancing it, during the last pushes I would switch to crossed hands, then as the
ladies finally go back alone, slide out keeping the right hand. I might have to tread in
place for a beat or two, but better that than gap and have to struggle to find a hand.
You could simply alter the dance to include that:
...Ladies push your partner to the center then take R hands and ladies slide back.
B1 P BTG etc.
Andrea
Sent from my iOnlypretendtomultitask
On Feb 19, 2014, at 1:48 PM, Jonathan Sivier
<jsivier(a)illinois.edu> wrote:
I'm planning to call the circle mixer Disturbed By Insects on Friday (in part in
honor of the 31st annual Insect Fear Film Festival being held this weekend here in
Champaign-Urbana) and I've got a question about one of the instructions. The
instructions I have are
Disturbed by Insects
Inga Morton
mixer
Formation: circle of couples, all facing counterclockwise
A1 Promenade (with inside hands joined)
California twirl
Promenade back
California twirl (then join both hands)
A2 Ladies, push your partner to the center
Gents, push your partner back
Ladies, push your partner to the center
Ladies, go back
B1 With your partner box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
With your opposite to the right box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
B2 With your opposite to the right balance and swing
This all makes sense except at the end of A2. If the ladies go back, and the gents
stay put, then they will be separated by a gap and won't be able to reach their
partner for the "box the gnat" at the beginning of B2. So it seems to me that
it should say either "Ladies, go back and the gents follow" or "Gents, push
your partner back again" or something similar.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks.
Jonathan
-----
Jonathan Sivier
Caller of Contra, English and Early American Dances
jsivier AT illinois DOT edu
Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html
-----
Q: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
A: It depends on what dance you call!
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8:17 p.m.
Maybe I'm more disturbed that there's enough material for 31 annual
film festivals on the topic.
On Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 1:48 PM, Jonathan Sivier <jsivier(a)illinois.edu> wrote:
I'm planning to call the circle mixer Disturbed
By Insects on Friday (in
part in honor of the 31st annual Insect Fear Film Festival being held this
weekend here in Champaign-Urbana) and I've got a question about one of the
instructions. The instructions I have are
11:04 p.m.
On 2/19/2014 2:17 PM, Donald Perley wrote:
Maybe I'm more disturbed that there's enough
material for 31 annual
film festivals on the topic.
It's run by the U of I Entomology department. Always a good time.
http://www.life.illinois.edu/entomology/egsa/ifff.html
Jonathan
8:47 p.m.
"Disturbed by Insects" is published in Inga Morton's book "Square
Dance
Century", where it's accompanied by this note:
After each of the movements in B1, move
a little away from the other person.
This suggests to me that there's supposed to be a bit of a gap between the
inner and outer circles after each movement in B1. So each 4 count phrase
in B1 is supposed to be enough time to close the gap, do the box/swat, and
reopen the gap. From that point of view, it makes sense that B1 would
*start* with a bit of a gap too.
(Mind you, my guess is that, in practice, (at least in North America)
dancers wouldn't leave much of an inter-circle gap after each movement in
B1, so having a gap at the start of B1 is harder to justify on symmetry
grounds.)
In any event, I think the intended gap at the start of B1 is smaller that
you're imagining. I.e., A2's second push back isn't very far. Maybe you
could add texture by saying that A2's first push-back + return should be
big steps, and then the second should be small steps.
-Michael
On 14-02-19 10:48 AM, Jonathan Sivier wrote:
I'm planning to call the circle mixer
Disturbed By Insects on Friday
(in part in honor of the 31st annual Insect Fear Film Festival being held
this weekend here in Champaign-Urbana) and I've got a question about one of
the instructions. The instructions I have are
Disturbed by Insects
Inga Morton
mixer
Formation: circle of couples, all facing counterclockwise
A1 Promenade (with inside hands joined)
California twirl
Promenade back
California twirl (then join both hands)
A2 Ladies, push your partner to the center
Gents, push your partner back
Ladies, push your partner to the center
Ladies, go back
B1 With your partner box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
With your opposite to the right box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
B2 With your opposite to the right balance and swing
This all makes sense except at the end of A2. If the ladies go back,
and the gents stay put, then they will be separated by a gap and won't be
able to reach their partner for the "box the gnat" at the beginning of B2.
So it seems to me that it should say either "Ladies, go back and the gents
follow" or "Gents, push your partner back again" or something similar.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks.
20 Feb
20 Feb
2:15 a.m.
I love this dance and have called it with delightful success for a mostly experienced
group of contra dancers. It's a tricky to teach because of switches in orientation and
new neighbors, and can be tricky to dance if come of the dancers become disoriented by
those quick changes.
That little bit of distance at the end of A2/beginning of B1might best be described as
'arms length for both you and your partner' because you want to be able to
generate some 'weight' or 'springiness' to begin pulling together for the
first box the gnat, then successfully complete the next three moves in B1 in a timely way.
[Think of the old Jitterbug dancing.]
Karin Neils
On Feb 19, 2014, at 3:47 PM, Michael Dyck wrote:
"Disturbed by Insects" is published in Inga
Morton's book "Square Dance
Century", where it's accompanied by this note:
After each of the movements in B1, move
a little away from the other person.
This suggests to me that there's supposed to be a bit of a gap between the
inner and outer circles after each movement in B1. So each 4 count phrase
in B1 is supposed to be enough time to close the gap, do the box/swat, and
reopen the gap. From that point of view, it makes sense that B1 would
*start* with a bit of a gap too.
(Mind you, my guess is that, in practice, (at least in North America)
dancers wouldn't leave much of an inter-circle gap after each movement in
B1, so having a gap at the start of B1 is harder to justify on symmetry
grounds.)
In any event, I think the intended gap at the start of B1 is smaller that
you're imagining. I.e., A2's second push back isn't very far. Maybe you
could add texture by saying that A2's first push-back + return should be
big steps, and then the second should be small steps.
-Michael
On 14-02-19 10:48 AM, Jonathan Sivier wrote:
I'm planning to call the circle mixer
Disturbed By Insects on Friday
(in part in honor of the 31st annual Insect Fear Film Festival being held
this weekend here in Champaign-Urbana) and I've got a question about one of
the instructions. The instructions I have are
Disturbed by Insects
Inga Morton
mixer
Formation: circle of couples, all facing counterclockwise
A1 Promenade (with inside hands joined)
California twirl
Promenade back
California twirl (then join both hands)
A2 Ladies, push your partner to the center
Gents, push your partner back
Ladies, push your partner to the center
Ladies, go back
B1 With your partner box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
With your opposite to the right box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
B2 With your opposite to the right balance and swing
This all makes sense except at the end of A2. If the ladies go back,
and the gents stay put, then they will be separated by a gap and won't be
able to reach their partner for the "box the gnat" at the beginning of B2.
So it seems to me that it should say either "Ladies, go back and the gents
follow" or "Gents, push your partner back again" or something similar.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks.
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Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers 
2:24 a.m.
I would add to this that you might want to not even use the word
"promenade" for the two measures of promenade followed by California twirl.
Get them facing the right direction, have then take inside hands, and
walk four steps. I've called it several times (once as a deliberate
plan before calling "Joyride" so that people would have an idea about
connection and pushing in pousssettes) and I've found that if you say
"promenade" experienced dancers will automatically go into various
both-hands-held positions and/or start twirling, and then be surprised
that they've only got four steps instead of the more common eight.
Spare yourself the hassle. "Take inside hands and walk four steps."
-- Alan
On 2/19/2014 6:15 PM, Karin N wrote:
I love this dance and have called it with delightful
success for a mostly experienced group of contra dancers. It's a tricky to teach
because of switches in orientation and new neighbors, and can be tricky to dance if come
of the dancers become disoriented by those quick changes.
That little bit of distance at the end of A2/beginning of B1might best be described as
'arms length for both you and your partner' because you want to be able to
generate some 'weight' or 'springiness' to begin pulling together for the
first box the gnat, then successfully complete the next three moves in B1 in a timely way.
[Think of the old Jitterbug dancing.]
Karin Neils
On Feb 19, 2014, at 3:47 PM, Michael Dyck wrote:
"Disturbed by Insects" is published in
Inga Morton's book "Square Dance
Century", where it's accompanied by this note:
After each of the movements in B1, move
a little away from the other person.
This suggests to me that there's supposed to be a bit of a gap between the
inner and outer circles after each movement in B1. So each 4 count phrase
in B1 is supposed to be enough time to close the gap, do the box/swat, and
reopen the gap. From that point of view, it makes sense that B1 would
*start* with a bit of a gap too.
(Mind you, my guess is that, in practice, (at least in North America)
dancers wouldn't leave much of an inter-circle gap after each movement in
B1, so having a gap at the start of B1 is harder to justify on symmetry
grounds.)
In any event, I think the intended gap at the start of B1 is smaller that
you're imagining. I.e., A2's second push back isn't very far. Maybe you
could add texture by saying that A2's first push-back + return should be
big steps, and then the second should be small steps.
-Michael
On 14-02-19 10:48 AM, Jonathan Sivier wrote:
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers I'm planning to call the circle mixer
Disturbed By Insects on Friday
(in part in honor of the 31st annual Insect Fear Film Festival being held
this weekend here in Champaign-Urbana) and I've got a question about one of
the instructions. The instructions I have are
Disturbed by Insects
Inga Morton
mixer
Formation: circle of couples, all facing counterclockwise
A1 Promenade (with inside hands joined)
California twirl
Promenade back
California twirl (then join both hands)
A2 Ladies, push your partner to the center
Gents, push your partner back
Ladies, push your partner to the center
Ladies, go back
B1 With your partner box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
With your opposite to the right box the gnat
With your opposite to the left swat the flea
B2 With your opposite to the right balance and swing
This all makes sense except at the end of A2. If the ladies go back,
and the gents stay put, then they will be separated by a gap and won't be
able to reach their partner for the "box the gnat" at the beginning of B2.
So it seems to me that it should say either "Ladies, go back and the gents
follow" or "Gents, push your partner back again" or something similar.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks.
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Callers(a)sharedweight.net
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6 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
-
Alan Winston -
Andrea Nettleton -
Donald Perley -
Jonathan Sivier -
Karin N -
Michael Dyck