The Louisville Callers Collective, at our meet-up this past Sunday 3/1,
collaboratively wrote our first dance! I searched for homologous
choreography in ContraDB and The Callers Box, and to a reasonable extent
via Google, and couldn't find any extant dances. Anybody know of something
I missed?
[name pending]
hook: stompy A, circle > progress > circle B
by: *Louisville Callers Collective
<https://contradb.com/choreographers/330>*
formation: improper
A1 8
balance & petronella
8
balance & petronella
A2 8
balance & petronella
8
Partners swing
B1 8
Robins chain
8
circle right 4 places
B2 2
turn alone to face Next Neighbors ⁋
4
circle left 2 places
10
Neighbors swing
2020-03-01 Louisville Callers Collective meeting collaboration.
Co-coreographers: Bob Crawford, Callie Allison, Chet Gray, Elisabeth
Monica, John Murner, Nedra McNeil, Susan Pope.
We began with a blank whiteboard, and brainstormed some of our favorite
elements of dances, among them: circle > progress > circle, group balances,
good flow, swings with partner and neighbor. We then divided the whiteboard
into space for A1 A2 B1 B2, put a partner balance & swing in the B2, and
began expanding from there, diagramming where each dancer was after each
figure. Alright, what can go into a circle right? A right hand chain. Let's
put it after the partner swing. That trades the Robins' places, so circle
once around will put couples ready to progress to new neighbors. Circle
left from there. Now, where can we put a neighbor swing? Well, unless we
want to end it mid-phrase, either after the circle left or before the
partner balance and swing. We need to get partners to the same side for
that, so that might be awkward. Circle left into swing, then. Is this the
hand that flows into the swing? It is! How far, then? Oh, only circle
halfway. Not the usual, might need to emphasize that calling. Okay, now to
get the Larks across for the partner swing, and we have 16 counts to do it.
Hmm. Hey? Allemande? Petronellas move people around. Maybe with a give and
take? Petronella into a swing? Let's try it. Ah-ha!
We tested it out, with music, beginning in three different places: the
circle left, the chain, and the Petronellas. Each had some things we like
and disliked about the flow (and we named each rotated variation in
succession), but we thought that beginning with the Petronellas was the
most generally successful version.
Anyway, maybe it's been written before, maybe not. We're really proud of
our group (and, I think, rightfully so), which includes some brand new
rising callers. I look forward to seeing where we all go from here.
— Chet Gray
dance caller
Louisville, KY
<chetgray+calling(a)gmail.com>
(502) 419-7008 <+1-502-419-7008>
Show replies by date