11 Oct
2010
11 Oct
'10
4:53 p.m.
Hi all,
A poll: What's your favorite waltz mixer, and why?
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME
12 Oct
12 Oct
2:41 a.m.
Chrissy wrote:
A poll: What's your favorite waltz mixer, and
why?
For experienced English dancers:
"The Wood Duck", because of the trance-inducing match of tune and dance,
elegant flow, partner and neighbor interaction.
For everybody else:
"Circle Waltz" (Big circle, balance and roll-away 4x, with this one balance
in and out, roll in, repeat going out, chassee in, chassee out, waltz around)
or some variation, because it's so accessible, connects the whole room
repeatedly, lets you see most of the opposite-sex people in the room if only
for a fleeting moment, and works with many flavors of waltz.)
-- Alan
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025
===============================================================================
3:40 a.m.
I agree with Alan's choices, and will just add that Circle Waltz (or Family Waltz)
works very nicely to the tune Tombigbee Waltz, especially at the chassee steps.
Richard
On Oct 11, 2010, at 10:41 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing wrote:
Chrissy wrote:
A poll: What's your favorite waltz mixer,
and why?
For experienced English dancers:
"The Wood Duck", because of the trance-inducing match of tune and dance,
elegant flow, partner and neighbor interaction.
For everybody else:
"Circle Waltz" (Big circle, balance and roll-away 4x, with this one balance
in and out, roll in, repeat going out, chassee in, chassee out, waltz around)
or some variation, because it's so accessible, connects the whole room
repeatedly, lets you see most of the opposite-sex people in the room if only
for a fleeting moment, and works with many flavors of waltz.)
-- Alan
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025
===============================================================================
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers 
1:37 p.m.
It's interesting to see the votes for The Wood Duck, which has always
been a favorite of mine, too.
About 15 years ago I was asked to call a series of dance parties for
a church social group, one a month for 3 months. One night I thought
I'd try a waltz mixer. Knew The Wood Duck would be too much of a
challenge, so I worked up the following substitute figures for the
same tune (Bare Necessities recording):
Formation: Circle of couples with partners facing, gents with backs
to center, ladies facing the center.
Music: 32 bar waltz tune
A1 Right hand balance together and apart, box the gnat to trade
places. Joining left hands as well, do a cross-hand two-hand turn
once around. Now gents are facing the center.
A2 That again. Now everyone is back in the starting place.
B1 With partner, dos-a-dos. On left diagonal, dos-a-dos neighbor
(=next partner).
B2 With neighbor (new partner) waltz promenade (those who can and
wish to may do a turning waltz), end facing this partner and give
right hands to start next round of dance.
Didn't give it a title at the time but came to think of it as The
Wood Phoenix, which incorporates the church name as well as the dance
and tune that were its inspiration. I probably used the recording of
The Wood Duck the first time I called it but have used other tunes,
recorded and live, as well.
The two-hand turns in A1 and A2 could go just half-way, or even once
and a half around, as long as everyone is back in the starting
position at the end of A2.
Mike
At 11:40 PM 10/11/2010, you wrote:
I agree with Alan's choices, and will just add that
Circle Waltz (or
Family Waltz) works very nicely to the tune Tombigbee Waltz,
especially at the chassee steps.
Richard
On Oct 11, 2010, at 10:41 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing wrote:
===============================================================================
>
Chrissy wrote:
waltz around)
A poll: What's your favorite waltz mixer,
and why?
For experienced English dancers:
"The Wood Duck", because of the trance-inducing match of tune and dance,
elegant flow, partner and neighbor interaction.
For everybody else:
"Circle Waltz" (Big circle, balance and roll-away 4x, with this one balance
in and out, roll in, repeat going out, chassee in, chassee out, or some variation, because it's so
accessible, connects the whole room
repeatedly, lets you see most of the opposite-sex people in the
room if only
for a fleeting moment, and works with many
flavors of waltz.)
-- Alan
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or
SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand
Hill Rd, Menlo Park
CA 94025
8:13 p.m.
I'm surprised not to see The Spanish Waltz on this list, as I love to dance
it. Is it not English enough, or is there some authenticity problem with it?
M
E
On Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 8:37 AM, Michael Clark <michael.clark(a)wmich.edu>wrote;wrote:
It's interesting to see the votes for The Wood
Duck, which has always been
a favorite of mine, too.
About 15 years ago I was asked to call a series of dance parties for a
church social group, one a month for 3 months. One night I thought I'd try a
waltz mixer. Knew The Wood Duck would be too much of a challenge, so I
worked up the following substitute figures for the same tune (Bare
Necessities recording):
Formation: Circle of couples with partners facing, gents with backs to
center, ladies facing the center.
Music: 32 bar waltz tune
A1 Right hand balance together and apart, box the gnat to trade places.
Joining left hands as well, do a cross-hand two-hand turn once around. Now
gents are facing the center.
A2 That again. Now everyone is back in the starting place.
B1 With partner, dos-a-dos. On left diagonal, dos-a-dos neighbor (=next
partner).
B2 With neighbor (new partner) waltz promenade (those who can and wish to
may do a turning waltz), end facing this partner and give right hands to
start next round of dance.
Didn't give it a title at the time but came to think of it as The Wood
Phoenix, which incorporates the church name as well as the dance and tune
that were its inspiration. I probably used the recording of The Wood Duck
the first time I called it but have used other tunes, recorded and live, as
well.
The two-hand turns in A1 and A2 could go just half-way, or even once and a
half around, as long as everyone is back in the starting position at the end
of A2.
Mike
At 11:40 PM 10/11/2010, you wrote:
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
I agree with Alan's choices, and will just
add that Circle Waltz (or
Family Waltz) works very nicely to the tune Tombigbee Waltz, especially at
the chassee steps.
Richard
On Oct 11, 2010, at 10:41 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing wrote:
===============================================================================
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
Chrissy wrote:
balance
A poll: What's your favorite waltz mixer,
and why?
For experienced English dancers:
"The Wood Duck", because of the trance-inducing match of tune and dance,
elegant flow, partner and neighbor interaction.
For everybody else:
"Circle Waltz" (Big circle, balance and roll-away 4x, with this one in and out, roll in, repeat going out, chassee
in, chassee out, waltz
around)
or some variation, because it's so
accessible, connects the whole room
repeatedly, lets you see most of the opposite-sex people in the room if
only
for a fleeting moment, and works with many
flavors of waltz.)
-- Alan
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone:
650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand
Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA
94025
8:37 p.m.
Martha wrote:
I'm surprised not to see The Spanish Waltz on this
list, as I love to dance
it. Is it not English enough, or is there some authenticity problem with it?
Which flavor Spanish Waltz? The one I'm generally used to is a duple minor or
Sicilian Circle; a keeper, not a mixer.
-- Alan
On Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 8:37 AM, Michael Clark
<michael.clark(a)wmich.edu>wrote;wrote:
> It's interesting to see the votes for The
Wood Duck, which has always been
> a favorite of mine, too.
>
> About 15 years ago I was asked to call a series of dance parties for a
> church social group, one a month for 3 months. One night I thought I'd try a
> waltz mixer. Knew The Wood Duck would be too much of a challenge, so I
> worked up the following substitute figures for the same tune (Bare
> Necessities recording):
>
> Formation: Circle of couples with partners facing, gents with backs to
> center, ladies facing the center.
> Music: 32 bar waltz tune
> A1 Right hand balance together and apart, box the gnat to trade places.
> Joining left hands as well, do a cross-hand two-hand turn once around. Now
> gents are facing the center.
> A2 That again. Now everyone is back in the starting place.
> B1 With partner, dos-a-dos. On left diagonal, dos-a-dos neighbor (=next
> partner).
> B2 With neighbor (new partner) waltz promenade (those who can and wish to
> may do a turning waltz), end facing this partner and give right hands to
> start next round of dance.
>
> Didn't give it a title at the time but came to think of it as The Wood
> Phoenix, which incorporates the church name as well as the dance and tune
> that were its inspiration. I probably used the recording of The Wood Duck
> the first time I called it but have used other tunes, recorded and live, as
> well.
>
> The two-hand turns in A1 and A2 could go just half-way, or even once and a
> half around, as long as everyone is back in the starting position at the end
> of A2.
>
> Mike
>
>
>
> At 11:40 PM 10/11/2010, you wrote:
>
>> I agree with Alan's choices, and will just add that Circle Waltz (or
>> Family Waltz) works very nicely to the tune Tombigbee Waltz, especially at
>> the chassee steps.
>>
>> Richard
>>
>> On Oct 11, 2010, at 10:41 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing wrote:
>>
>> > Chrissy wrote:
>> >
>> >> A poll: What's your favorite waltz mixer, and why?
>> >
>> > For experienced English dancers:
>> > "The Wood Duck", because of the trance-inducing match of tune and
dance,
>> > elegant flow, partner and neighbor interaction.
>> >
>> > For everybody else:
>> > "Circle Waltz" (Big circle, balance and roll-away 4x, with this
one
>> balance
>> > in and out, roll in, repeat going out, chassee in, chassee out, waltz
>> around)
>> > or some variation, because it's so accessible, connects the whole
room
>> > repeatedly, lets you see most of the opposite-sex people in the room if
>> only
>> > for a fleeting moment, and works with many flavors of waltz.)
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > -- Alan
>> >
>> > --
>> >
>> ===============================================================================
>> > Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
>> > Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone:
>> 650/926-3056
>> > Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA
>> 94025
>> >
>> ===============================================================================
>> >
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025
===============================================================================
3:10 a.m.
Chrissy,
What a sweet question. Thanks.
My favorite? The Wood Duck by Fried de Metz Herman. Even the
contracentrics may cave into this ECD.
Done w/ proper spacing, it is a thing of total beauty, to watch and to
dance. It's easy to remember from a caller's view. It has a quality of
very powerful unity w/in the group. I love these dances. They have a great
inclusive feel.
Anyone have other dances that do this for them?
Would love to hear.
Paul
The Wood Duck (Words & Music by Fried de Metz Herman)
Large Circle, Men step into center 2 steps and stand facing directly in
front of partner:
A-1 P R Shd. Gypsy (all 1X)
L Diag Corner, L Hand Turn (English hold) 8b.
A-2 P L Shd. Gypsy
R Diag C, R Hand Turn 8b.
B-1 Ps Join 2 hands (starting places)
Slide 2 steps CCW (gent's L, Lady's R) 2b.
Lady Under Gents Raised L Hand 2b.
All Hands Joined (Cirlce) backs to Ctr
All Balance Out & Back 2b.
Gent (ly) pull RH Lady into a waltz position 2b.
B-2 All Waltz w/ New P, 8b.
(trying to keep circle to get back into A-1 gracefully, YIKES!
Suggest waltzing a little out towards the walls, then back in)
4945
days inactive
4946
days old
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
6 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
-
Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing -
Chrissy Fowler -
Martha Edwards -
Michael Clark -
Paul Wilde -
Richard Fischer