Hi Rickey, Most of the dances where I call are fairly heavy with beginners. Our goal always is to create a good time for the experienced dancers while at the same time maximizing the chances that the beginners will want to come back. We are growing a couple of nice community dances this way. A very easy loved-by-all dance that immediately comes to my mind is one we discussed on this list not long ago - Haymaker's Jig/Lady of the Lake (4 in line down the hall). Dances I also frequently use which are great for beginners (and which our experienced dancers still have fun with, though they seem to like them mixed with some things with somewhat more challenge): The Essex Reel La Bastringue (circle mixer) Jefferson' Reel (also know as Jefferson & Liberty) On The Floor (see calls below) On The Floor (John McIntire) Duple, Improper A1 Circle Left, Circle Right A2 Neighbor Do Si Do, Neighbor Swing B1 Ladies Chain B2 Long Lines Forward and Back, Ones Swing One thing I do at dances with heavy concentrations of beginners is a lot of dances that do not have partner swings. The reason for this is that a lot of the beginners come with a partner and dance only with their partner. This gets them more easily confused than if they are doing more interacting with the experienced dancers. I also find that generally moves that require contact (i.e. ladies chain, allemande, rights & lefts as done in Maine, circle, star) help prevent people from getting lost better than moves with no contact (hey, more than one do si do in a row, pass through, etc.) Hope that helps! I'd love to know what the dances are that you use. -cynthia -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net]On Behalf Of Rickey Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 3:39 PM To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: [Callers] Dances for Beginners and Hi All, What are your favorite dances for beginners, and "very beginners" - any formation? Are there some of these that experienced dancers can also enjoy? I would be happy to share what I have, if folks would like that, as well. Thanks, Rickey Holt _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers