31 Jul
2006
31 Jul
'06
12:32 p.m.
Hi Callers,
I am calling a Community/ Family dance in a couple of weeks, I'd
appreciate it if you would share some of your favorite dances
that are appropriate for the occasion. The dance will be attended by
never-evers, families with children and a few old time dancers.
I have on line for the evening: The Virginia Reel, Jefferson and
Liberty, Portland Fancy, Lady of the Lake, La Bastranege(???)
It seems most of the 'easy dances I have been looking at are quite
similar in structure so I am looking for some different dances in the
Contra/ circle/ square traditions.
Thanks in advance
Gale
31 Jul
31 Jul
1 p.m.
Gale:
I would recommend the follow dances... I would call any of these
dances at a family dance.
Galopede
This dance has a signature tune. The signature tune has a C1 part, so
when you dance this dance ask the band to play the signature tune.
This is a great dance for a family dance, and is a good introduction
to the contra set (longways sets).
Haste To The Wedding
This dance has a signature tune. This is a good introduction to to
sicilian circle and teaches the idea of progression in dancing. I
also teach the progession first and have the dance progress a couple
time (in their magic direction) before I will teach the actually
dance.
Broken Sixpense - Don Armstrong
This is just a great easy contra dance and would recommend this one
perhaps a little later, because it has gender rolls (improper
formation).
If you need any of these dance sequences, let me know, I am sure you
can just google anyone of those titles and get the sequence. I would
also recommend "Traffic Jam". I can't remember the dance very well,
only that it is a great dance to start the night off with. A fun
crazy dance, that anyone can do!!! Talk to David Millstone, he is the
one who called the dance when I danced it.
Jeff
1:31 p.m.
Gale wrote:
I am calling a Community/ Family dance in a couple of
weeks, I'd
appreciate it if you would share some of your favorite dances
that are appropriate for the occasion. The dance will be attended by
never-evers, families with children and a few old time dancers.
I have on line for the evening: The Virginia Reel,
Jefferson and
Liberty, Portland Fancy, Lady of the Lake, La Bastranege(???)
Bastringue.
These are delightful community dances for teens and adults, but may fail as
family dances. In those 'families with children', young children may be
unwilling to leave their parents (so you get three-or-four-person 'couples',
and swings, etc, may be difficult), and dances may end up being unphrased.
With progressive dances in general (duple or triple minors, or mixers where you
go on to a new partner) you need to be with the music or things will break
down, so choosing those dances can set the dancers up for a failure.
Of course you never know what you're going to have to deal with until
you're there and the people turn up for it.
It seems most of the 'easy dances I have been
looking at are quite
similar in structure so I am looking for some different dances in the
Contra/ circle/ square traditions.
Watch out! In the interested-in-dancing world, people are looking for variety
and contrast throughout the evening. In the community dance/ONS world, you're
not looking to make every dance a new challenge - each dance needs to be really
accessible. So if it's just like the last dance except you have arches instead
of pass through, that's probably okay.
But to be accessible - not for added variety, because the crowd doesn't really
need added variety - I think you should also be looking for scatter mixers and
whole set dances. You don't have to use 'em if you get a suitable audience for
your duple minors, but if you've got a bunch of kids at your dance, or slightly
toasted adults, you'll want em.
A couple of excellent books:
Marian Rose's "Step Lively" and "Step Lively 2". (I bet
"Step Lively 3" is
great too, but I don't have it and can't vouch for it.) "Blobs", in the
first
book, is a contra formation whole set dance for family groups; it's helpful.
So is Sasha! The other dances are good for this environment as well, and
there's an accompanying CD.
Dudley Laufman's "Sir Roger de Coverly's Whole Set Catalog", although I
think
this is out of print now.
The "Community Dances Manuals" (published by the English Folk Dance & Song
Society but available in the US through the Country Dance & Song Society at
www.cdss.org/sales ) have a ton of easy whole set dances with suggested tunes.
You might be interested in "Cumberland Square 8", "Up the Sides and Down
the
Middle", "Circle Waltz".) You can google around for dance notes on many
of
these things.
A web site with useful dance notation, including most of the ones I call
out for CDM:
http://homepage.ntlword.com/greenery/BarnDances/ToC.html
Check out these dances:
Pat-a-cake Polka (make it an open two hands instead of ballroom position for
the chassays, and the dance works beautifully for 7 and up.)
[Here are differentish square and contra-formation dances, not particularly
suitable for kids-too-small-to-leave-parents, but very accessible to, eg,
10-year-olds.]
Strip the Willow
Leaving for Barbados (needs six-couple sets, but very cool)
OXO Reel
Cumberland Square 8
Hope this helps!
-- 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
===============================================================================
1 Aug
1 Aug
6:51 p.m.
Hi Gale,
Here's a variety of stuff. Good luck.
Rickey
Scatter mixer
'Borrowdale Exchange'
3 couples in a circle. Scatter mixer. Difficulty: 1
. A1: All circle L and R.
. A2: Into the middle and back; do-si-do partner.
. B1: Right-hand star holding hands with person opposite and with
nobody else, then undo the star: the woman whose hand is lowest goes under
(others arch), then the next. Keep hold of the hands.
. B2: Promenade around and make new sets.
The person I got this dance from said its real name was something else, but
he liked calling it Borrowdale Exchange. Seems to be a variant on Kentucky
Reel.
Scatter mixer
The Barn Mixer
By Rick Mohr; August, 1986
Mixer, Scattered 4's
Level: Easy
A1: Circle left (8)
Right hand star (8)
A2: Right and left through (8)
Dosido neighbor (8)
B1: Balance and swing neighbor (16)
(This is your new partner)
B2: Promenade anywhere with new partner (16)
(Find another couple to circle with)
Bill Olson (fine caller from Maine and all-around great guy) points out that
doing a Maine-style right and left through (with hands) in the A2 makes for
a nice transition out of the right hand star. Thanks, Bill!
A bit harder because of the right and left through, but it really doesn't
matter if they get that right
Circle Mixer
January Mixer
by Bob Dalsemer
Formation: circle of couples facing promenade direction
A1: Promenade as couples
A2: Gents continue single file, ladies turn back single file (8) Everybody
turn back (8), pass partner
B1: Allemande left the next (8) allemande right the same (8)
B2: Do-si-do the same (8) swing the same
Composed January 8, 1998 in preparation for a dance with a lot of newcomers.
I needed a sure fire mixer like Atlantic Mixer, but with a more certain
progression to a new partner.
I have used this a lot. The ladies turn back and the all turn backs give
some trouble, but everyone gets it pretty quickly
Set dance
FLYING SCOTSMAN
reel
6-7 couples in a set
A1 Ladies line skips all the way around the men's line
A2 Men do the same (if the ladies are late getting around, the gents
can still start on time, just make a larger loupe to avoid the ladies)
B1 Top couple only sashay down - past the bottom of the set, and back
to the bottom of the set. (there is a new top couple now.)
B2 All sashay down and back
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2 Aug
2 Aug
9:57 p.m.
Gale,
I'll support what others have said. If it's a true family dance,
don't expect to do any contras at all. There are plenty of fun dances
that will make sure that everyone feels successful.
Here are some more:
A LITTLE BRANDY.
Longways set for as many as will. Any 2/4 tune will do.
from Dudley Laufman
FAMILY
1. All swing partners, (2 hand swing, or elbow hook swings).
2. Top cpl sashay down the middle and back while everyone clap
3. Everyone make a bridge, same cpl dance under bridge to bottom and
stay there.
Repeat til all have been top cpl. If very long lines, you might have
two or even three cpls dance down at once.
Trains (from Marian Rose)
longways sets, 6-8 couples
FAMILY
1. All face front, hold inside hands with partner, place outside hand
on shoulder of person in front, forward 4 and back 4
2. forward 4 and back 4
3&4. first set leads around the second train
5&6. second train leads around the first train
7&8. Couples from an arch, top couple through the arch to the bottom
La Bastringue - LKS version
circle of partners, facing center MIXER *FAMILY*
1. F&B 2. F&B
3. Circle LEFT
4. Circle RIGHT
5. keep walking, ladies tap gent in front of them
6. Swing NEIGHBOR
7&8. Promenade new Partner
Jubilee Rag
FAMILY longways sets of 4-5 couples
1. partner allemand RIGHT 1
2. partner allemande LEFT 1x
3. do si do partner by right
4. do si do partner by left
5&6. top couple sashay down and back
7. top couple lead down the middle, rest cast IN to follow
8. at bottom, top couple make an arch, all through and UP the outside
to place
Welsh Circle Dance
circle of partners
FAMILY
1a. Shake RIGHT hands with P 4x (... shake shake shake shake)
1b. Shake LEFT hands with P 4x
2a. Clap own hands 4 times
2b. Clap partner’s hands 4 times
3. With partner, sashay 4 steps into the center and back out
4. Repeat
5. Allemande right 1 or 2x
6. Allemande left 1 or 2x
7&8. Promenade (could progress here by having the women move back one)
Cat and Mouse (5-6 couples per set. Might fall off the phrase)
longways sets
PROPER (cat on left, mouse on right)
FAMILY
1. F&B
2. Top couple sashay down & back
3. Top couple cast and lead their line down the outside ("peel the
banana")
4. Top couple arch, all under the arch back to place
5. Top couple “cat and mouse”: cat up the center, mouse up the
outside of mice line, then
6. Mouse down the center, cat down the outside of cat’s line
7&8. All partner swing
Kids Chaos Mixer #3 Chrissy Fowler
*FAMILY* scattered couple
1. set of 4, Circle Left
2. Circle Right
3. Right hand star
4. Left hand star
5. Neighbor two hand turn
6. Partner two hand turn
7&8. With PARTNER promenade to new couple
Chicken Dance (needs the named tune)
Reel du Canard
*FAMILY*
1a. 4x beak (hands like a beak)
1b. 4x wings (arms bent like wings)
1c. 4x waddles (hips back and forth)
1d. 4 claps
and repeat 3 more times
5&6. Circle Left
7&8. Circle Right
Do the first part faster each time through the tune.
Circassian Circle Paul Rosenberg
circle of couples facing in *FAMILY*
ask them to self identify as either moon or star!
1. F&B
2. F&B
3. Women (Stars) in, 2, 3 CLAP
4. Men (Moons) in, 2, 3 CLAP
5. do-si-do partner
6. two hand turn partner
7&8. Promenade; form circle
Tall, Short Kathryn Larsen *FAMILY*
1&2. Circle RIGHT
3&4. Circle LEFT
5. Short people in, 2, 3, CLAP
6. Tall people in, 2, 3, CLAP
7. Short people in, circle RIGHT on the inside, Tall people on the
outside, circle LEFT
8. Switch gears, Circle LEFT on the inside and RIGHT on the outside
music stop at random
short people turn around and elbow swing someone on the outside
6474
days inactive
6477
days old
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
4 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing -
Gale T. Wood -
Jeffrey Petrovitch -
Lisa Sieverts -
Rickey