30 Jun
2025
30 Jun
'25
5:45 a.m.
Watching dancers play around at a recent dance, I had the following idea for a “choose
your own adventure” variation.
The idea is that you do a full hey, but any or all crossings can be replaced by ricochets,
with no pattern or requirements (other than that both people have to agree on the choice
made at each stage.) They can then straighten things out by circling left until every
body is on the side where they belong.
For example, here is the modification of Gene Hubert’s Butter along these lines
Becket
A1 Progress left to the next couple, circle left 3/4,
Neighbor swing
A2 Long lines
Robins chain
B1 Robins start a full hey by the right, with ricochets permitted, but not required at
each of the 4 crossings
B2 Circle left until everyone is on their original side with their partner
Partner swing
I don’t know whether the variable circle length and resulting shorter or longer swing will
be a source of fun or an annoyance, but it looks worth trying.
I think if everyone ends up where they started at the end of the hey, they probably should
do a long swing, rather than requiring a circle left all the way, but that’s a detail.
At this point, I am calling dances only occasionally, so I won’t be trying it out any time
soon.
Please let me know what you think, and how it goes if you try it out.
Thanks,
Russell Frank
Monterey, CA
17 Jul
17 Jul
5:01 a.m.
Rick, that's a good bunch of dances. I also prefer the beckets, as
"Circle left until partners are
on original side" is easier to understand.
These dances all have the transition of swing to hey, which is not my
favourite transition. Although
it is a bit tricky to avoid, as, for a becket, there would need to be a
progression and swing in A1. This
can be easily achieved with a circle left, but I would prefer to avoid
repeating the circle.
I have come up with an alternative.
What the Hey? (Becket)
A1: Couples lead to the right (see note), swing new neighbour
A2: Right and left, mad robin
B1: Hey with improvised ricochets
B2: Circle left (until partners are on original side), partner swing
Note: "Lead to the Right" is normally used in squares, where the heads
(say) move
diagonally to their right to finish in front of the side couple. For a
contra, look at
the couple on the right diagonal. You will finish facing this couple, up
and down the set.
In a contra is is more like a gate, as the women hardly move at all. It
could be described
as "men cross by the left shoulder to a new neighbour", but doing it as
a lead to the right
has 2 advantages: it makes it a move that includes you and your partner,
and it also turns
the women toward their new neighbour.
Incidentally, note the mad robin leading into the hey. The mad robin is
a similar movement
to a ricochet, to the point where some dancers were even doing a bonus
ricochet in
the mad robin.
Oh, and I am happy with the name of the dance. It is a name that has
already been
used several times, but I think it is most appropriate here.
Peter
On 10/07/2025 1:18 pm, Rick Mohr wrote:
I like it! Here are some straightforward options with
just one circle:
#1 - Common progression (improper)
A1: Neighbor balance and swing
A2: Hey with improvised ricochets
B1: Circle left (until partners are on lark's original side),
partner swing
B2: Robins chain, star left
#2 - Similar but more spacious (Becket)
A1: Lines forward & back, robins chain
A2: Star left, swing new neighbor
B1: Hey with improvised ricochets
B2: Circle left (until partners are on original side), partner swing
#3 - Another one (improper)
A1: Neighbor balance and swing
A2: Hey with improvised ricochets
B1: Circle left (until partners are on lark's original side),
partner swing
B2: Robins allemande right 1&1/2, balance short wave, allemande
left neighbor 3/4
#4 - Similar but more spacious (Becket)
A1: Lines forward & back, robins allemande right 1&1/2
A2: Balance short wave, allemande left neighbor 3/4, swing new
neighbor
B1: Hey with improvised ricochets
B2: Circle left (until partners are on original side), partner swing
#5 - Shift to star (Becket)
A1: Shift left, star right 3/4, dosido neighbor
A2: Neighbor balance and swing
B1: Hey with improvised ricochets
B2: Circle left (until partners are on original side), partner swing
I like the Beckets (#2, #4, #5). If the dancers can handle ricochets
they won't be disoriented by progressing in the middle of the dance.
Rick
10 Jul
10 Jul
3:18 a.m.
I like it! Here are some straightforward options with just one circle:
#1 - Common progression (improper)
A1: Neighbor balance and swing
A2: Hey with improvised ricochets
B1: Circle left (until partners are on lark's original side), partner swing
B2: Robins chain, star left
#2 - Similar but more spacious (Becket)
A1: Lines forward & back, robins chain
A2: Star left, swing new neighbor
B1: Hey with improvised ricochets
B2: Circle left (until partners are on original side), partner swing
#3 - Another one (improper)
A1: Neighbor balance and swing
A2: Hey with improvised ricochets
B1: Circle left (until partners are on lark's original side), partner swing
B2: Robins allemande right 1&1/2, balance short wave, allemande left
neighbor 3/4
#4 - Similar but more spacious (Becket)
A1: Lines forward & back, robins allemande right 1&1/2
A2: Balance short wave, allemande left neighbor 3/4, swing new neighbor
B1: Hey with improvised ricochets
B2: Circle left (until partners are on original side), partner swing
#5 - Shift to star (Becket)
A1: Shift left, star right 3/4, dosido neighbor
A2: Neighbor balance and swing
B1: Hey with improvised ricochets
B2: Circle left (until partners are on original side), partner swing
I like the Beckets (#2, #4, #5). If the dancers can handle ricochets they
won't be disoriented by progressing in the middle of the dance.
Rick
1 Jul
1 Jul
10:41 p.m.
Thanks for the report. It sounds like it went pretty well, and could be a fun trick. The
Butter choreography was just an example, so there doesn’t always have to be two circles in
a row (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It could be used in place of a full
hey and swing in just about any dance (improper or Becket). It could be substituted in
Delphiniums and Daisies for example, although that’s maybe not a good idea, since it would
destroy the simple and flowing feel of that dance.
Russell
On Jul 1, 2025, at 5:39 AM, Peter Foster via Contra
Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I tried this tonight, and it went well, with the dancers really enjoying themselves.
Lots of fun variations in the hey, not all of which were intended, but the final circle
sorted people out nicely.
Te only negative is from an aesthetic point of view: it has 2 circle lefts, and it
is not generally desireable to repeat a figure. Although in this case it is all right,
as the 2 circles are very distinctive, and you will not be confused as to where
in the dance you are.
As for a name, the original dance was named Butter. With all the mixing
up in the hey, perhaps name the dance Churning Butter.
Anyway, a definite thumbs up from the dancers.
Peter Foster
Canberra, Australia
On 30/06/2025 3:45 pm, Russell Frank via Contra Callers wrote:
Watching dancers play around at a recent dance, I
had the following idea for a “choose your own adventure” variation.
The idea is that you do a full hey, but any or all crossings can be replaced by
ricochets, with no pattern or requirements (other than that both people have to agree on
the choice made at each stage.) They can then straighten things out by circling left
until every body is on the side where they belong.
For example, here is the modification of Gene Hubert’s Butter along these lines
Becket
A1 Progress left to the next couple, circle left 3/4,
Neighbor swing
A2 Long lines
Robins chain
B1 Robins start a full hey by the right, with ricochets permitted, but not required at
each of the 4 crossings
B2 Circle left until everyone is on their original side with their partner
Partner swing
I don’t know whether the variable circle length and resulting shorter or longer swing
will be a source of fun or an annoyance, but it looks worth trying.
I think if everyone ends up where they started at the end of the hey, they probably
should do a long swing, rather than requiring a circle left all the way, but that’s a
detail.
At this point, I am calling dances only occasionally, so I won’t be trying it out any
time soon.
Please let me know what you think, and how it goes if you try it out.
Thanks,
Russell Frank
Monterey, CA
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9:02 p.m.
As to two left circles in a dance, Roger Diggle’s Roll in the Hey has, at times, been
called a modern Chestnut.
A1 Circle Left x 1; Neighbor Swing
A2 Circle Left x ¾; Partner Swing
B1 Long Linges go Forward & Back; Robins Chain
B2 Hey for Four, ending Progressing to the Next
Cheers,
Erik Hoffman
~Oakland, California, USA
From: Peter Foster via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Sent: Tuesday, July 1, 2025 5:40 AM
To: contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Subject: [Callers] Re: New (to me) choreography idea
I tried this tonight, and it went well, with the dancers really enjoying themselves. Lots
of fun variations in the hey, not all of which were intended, but the final circle sorted
people out nicely. T
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I tried this tonight, and it went well, with the dancers really enjoying
themselves.
Lots of fun variations in the hey, not all of which were intended, but
the final circle
sorted people out nicely.
Te only negative is from an aesthetic point of view: it has 2 circle
lefts, and it
is not generally desireable to repeat a figure. Although in this case it
is all right,
as the 2 circles are very distinctive, and you will not be confused as
to where
in the dance you are.
As for a name, the original dance was named Butter. With all the mixing
up in the hey, perhaps name the dance Churning Butter.
Anyway, a definite thumbs up from the dancers.
Peter Foster
Canberra, Australia
On 30/06/2025 3:45 pm, Russell Frank via Contra Callers wrote:
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Watching dancers play around at a recent dance, I had
the following idea for a “choose your own adventure” variation.
The idea is that you do a full hey, but any or all
crossings can be replaced by ricochets, with no pattern or requirements (other than that
both people have to agree on the choice made at each stage.) They can then straighten
things out by circling left until every body is on the side where they belong.
For example, here is the modification of Gene Hubert’s
Butter along these lines
Becket
A1 Progress left to the next couple, circle left
3/4,
Neighbor swing
A2 Long lines
Robins chain
B1 Robins start a full hey by the right, with
ricochets permitted, but not required at each of the 4 crossings
B2 Circle left until everyone is on their original
side with their partner
Partner swing
I don’t know whether the variable circle length and
resulting shorter or longer swing will be a source of fun or an annoyance, but it looks
worth trying.
I think if everyone ends up where they started at the
end of the hey, they probably should do a long swing, rather than requiring a circle left
all the way, but that’s a detail.
At this point, I am calling dances only occasionally,
so I won’t be trying it out any time soon.
Please let me know what you think, and how it goes if
you try it out.
Thanks,
Russell Frank
Monterey, CA
_______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list --
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
12:39 p.m.
I tried this tonight, and it went well, with the dancers really enjoying
themselves.
Lots of fun variations in the hey, not all of which were intended, but
the final circle
sorted people out nicely.
Te only negative is from an aesthetic point of view: it has 2 circle
lefts, and it
is not generally desireable to repeat a figure. Although in this case it
is all right,
as the 2 circles are very distinctive, and you will not be confused as
to where
in the dance you are.
As for a name, the original dance was named Butter. With all the mixing
up in the hey, perhaps name the dance Churning Butter.
Anyway, a definite thumbs up from the dancers.
Peter Foster
Canberra, Australia
On 30/06/2025 3:45 pm, Russell Frank via Contra Callers wrote:
Watching dancers play around at a recent dance, I had
the following idea for a “choose your own adventure” variation.
The idea is that you do a full hey, but any or all crossings can be replaced by
ricochets, with no pattern or requirements (other than that both people have to agree on
the choice made at each stage.) They can then straighten things out by circling left
until every body is on the side where they belong.
For example, here is the modification of Gene Hubert’s Butter along these lines
Becket
A1 Progress left to the next couple, circle left 3/4,
Neighbor swing
A2 Long lines
Robins chain
B1 Robins start a full hey by the right, with ricochets permitted, but not required at
each of the 4 crossings
B2 Circle left until everyone is on their original side with their partner
Partner swing
I don’t know whether the variable circle length and resulting shorter or longer swing
will be a source of fun or an annoyance, but it looks worth trying.
I think if everyone ends up where they started at the end of the hey, they probably
should do a long swing, rather than requiring a circle left all the way, but that’s a
detail.
At this point, I am calling dances only occasionally, so I won’t be trying it out any
time soon.
Please let me know what you think, and how it goes if you try it out.
Thanks,
Russell Frank
Monterey, CA
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5 comments
4 participants
participants (4)
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Erik Hoffman -
Peter Foster -
Rick Mohr -
Russell Frank