8 Aug
2017
8 Aug
'17
1:02 p.m.
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a waltz tune? I danced
one once many years ago and haven't thought much about it since, though it
was pretty special.
Thank you in advance for sharing some choreography!
Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.com
www.DuganMurphy.com
www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com
www.NufSed.consulting
8 Aug
8 Aug
1:19 p.m.
On Tue, 8 Aug 2017 14:02:07 -0400, Dugan Murphy via Callers wrote:
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a
waltz tune?
Depends what you class as a contra! Here's one of mine - at least it's longways
duple improper.
http://colinhume.com/instl.htm#HeidisWaltz
Colin Hume
1:43 p.m.
Dugan Murphy wrote:
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a
waltz tune?
The one popular waltz contra of the 1945–1960 square dance revival was Hills of Habersham,
written in I think 1955:
http://www.lloydshaw.org/uploads/3/4/2/3/3423313/hills_of_habersham.pdf
The Lloyd Shaw Foundation will sell you a download of organ music for it (with or without
calls by Don Armstrong). I like the music even though some might find it hokey, but even
better I like “Spanish Waltz” on the Civil War Ballroom CD by Spare Parts. That track is
also excellent for the Spanish Dance (a waltz Sicilian, for which it was intended) as well
as the Fan Dance / Hat Dance / Rose and the Thorn / whatever you want to call it.
Note that there is a typo on the LSF cue sheet: “Habersham River” should be the
Chattahoochee River, which rises in the Hills of Habersham. LSF could use some cleaning up
of the information on its download pages; many tunes are only listed under the name of the
dance chosen for them, and most musicians’ and bands’ names have been lost, even those who
recorded directly for LSF (as distinguished from tracks that were recorded elsewhere and
licensed by LSF; with those, the omission of names is often the fault of the original
recording company).
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
www.hands4.com<http://www.hands4.com/>
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(to be published real soon)
1:43 p.m.
Hi Dugan,
One of my favorites is Bob Green’s Alison Wonderland, (improper):
A1 1-8 Nbrs balance + swing
A2 1-4 Circle L ¾
5-8 Ptnr swing
B1 1-4 Gents star promenade 1x*
5-8 Butterfly twirl
B2 1-4 Women chain to Nbr
5-8 Long lines fwd + back
* Consider gents linking elbows to get into this.
Thanx, Ric Goldman
From: Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Dugan Murphy
via Callers
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 11:02 AM
To: Callers List Serve <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a waltz tune? I danced one once many
years ago and haven't thought much about it since, though it was pretty special.
Thank you in advance for sharing some choreography!
Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.com <http://duganmurphy.com>
www.DuganMurphy.com <http://www.DuganMurphy.com>
www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com <http://www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com>
www.NufSed.consulting <http://www.NufSed.consulting>
2 p.m.
Ric, that looks more like a normal contra than a waltz contra to me. Can you share your
experience of swinging, or teaching a swing, to waltz music?
Thanks…
Tony
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
www.hands4.com<http://www.hands4.com/>
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(to be published real soon)
From: Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Ric Goldman -
Letsdance via Callers
Sent: Tuesday, August 8, 2017 2:44 PM
To: 'Dugan Murphy' <dugan(a)duganmurphy.com>om>; 'Callers List Serve'
<callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Hi Dugan,
One of my favorites is Bob Green’s Alison Wonderland, (improper):
A1 1-8 Nbrs balance + swing
A2 1-4 Circle L ¾
5-8 Ptnr swing
B1 1-4 Gents star promenade 1x*
5-8 Butterfly twirl
B2 1-4 Women chain to Nbr
5-8 Long lines fwd + back
* Consider gents linking elbows to get into this.
Thanx, Ric Goldman
From: Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Dugan Murphy
via Callers
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 11:02 AM
To: Callers List Serve
<callers@sharedweight.net<mailto:callers@sharedweight.net>>
Subject: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a waltz tune? I danced one once many
years ago and haven't thought much about it since, though it was pretty special.
Thank you in advance for sharing some choreography!
Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.com<http://duganmurphy.com>
www.DuganMurphy.com<http://www.DuganMurphy.com>
www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com<http://www.PortlandIntownContraDance.c…
www.NufSed.consulting<http://www.NufSed.consulting>
2:16 p.m.
Dugan --
Over in English-country-dance land there are a zillion longways duple
minor waltz-time dances. Some of them have contra figures.
Gary Roodman's "Winter Dreams Waltz" to Jonathan Jensen's tune starts
off with a leisurely unassisted 1s cast down and face up while 2s lead
up and face down which will require a demonstration, but after that it's
mirror gypsy, pass through across, courtesy turn, left -had-star, long
lines fall back/come forward, circle left 1x,square-thru 2 (no
balances), partner two-hand-turn once round, whch should all be pretty
accessible for contra dancers, and it's a gorgeous dance. (There's a
couple of videos up of it which each show people who don't have hold of
it yet.)
I wrote this one which has English figures that have already infiltrated
contra dance (poussette, dolphin hey); even though it's not standard
contra figures (and the right hand turn halfway isn't an allemande) I
think contra dancers will like it.
MOVEMENT AFOOT
Alan Winston - thought of it at AmWeek, Jul 3, 2013
longways duple minor
Tune: "Steciaks" in waltz book II, by Larry Unger
A1: 1-2: Men set forward to women (boureeish, stamping optional)
3-4: Men fall back as women come forward
5-6: All turn single R
7-8: All RH turn halfway
A2: As above, with women leading. Keep right hands ...
B1: 1-4: ... take left hands as well for Clockwise half poussette
(progressed)
5-8: contra-style Mad Robin (W1 and M2 through the middle first)
B2: 1-8: 1s acting as a unit, dolphin hey for three
(M1 turns round coming out of the mad robin to give Left shoulder
to M2, W1 takes the lead, giving right to M2 on the other side,
M1 takes the lead to arrive progressed and proper.)
NOTE: Alan is agreeable to couple-dance style variations in the
half-poussette,
and in general hopes for a spirit of flirtatious play.
Here's a video into which I had no input, where some of the dancers have
the spirit. (They don't seem to understand that in A1 1-2 the women
should stand their ground rather than falling back, but it's an
acceptable variation.)
-- Alan
On 8/8/17 11:02 AM, Dugan Murphy via Callers wrote:
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a
waltz tune? I
danced one once many years ago and haven't thought much about it
since, though it was pretty special.
Thank you in advance for sharing some choreography!
Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.com <http://duganmurphy.com>
www.DuganMurphy.com <http://www.DuganMurphy.com>
www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com
<http://www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com>
www.NufSed.consulting <http://www.NufSed.consulting>
_______________________________________________
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Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
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2:22 p.m.
Hi Tony,
Actually, it seemed to work pretty easily. I sometimes have to be a bit laborious in the
teaching getting folks to sync up with the tempo. I find counting the steps helpful, and
after a few times folks adjust to the timing.
Here’s a video of one of my earliest attempts with the dance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxbEGgYqhhc
Hope this helps.
Thanx, Ric
From: Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Tony Parkes via
Callers
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 12:01 PM
To: callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Ric, that looks more like a normal contra than a waltz contra to me. Can you share your
experience of swinging, or teaching a swing, to waltz music?
Thanks…
Tony
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
<http://www.hands4.com/> www.hands4.com
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(to be published real soon)
From: Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Ric Goldman -
Letsdance via Callers
Sent: Tuesday, August 8, 2017 2:44 PM
To: 'Dugan Murphy' <dugan(a)duganmurphy.com <mailto:dugan@duganmurphy.com>
>; 'Callers List Serve' <callers(a)sharedweight.net
<mailto:callers@sharedweight.net> >
Subject: Re: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Hi Dugan,
One of my favorites is Bob Green’s Alison Wonderland, (improper):
A1 1-8 Nbrs balance + swing
A2 1-4 Circle L ¾
5-8 Ptnr swing
B1 1-4 Gents star promenade 1x*
5-8 Butterfly twirl
B2 1-4 Women chain to Nbr
5-8 Long lines fwd + back
* Consider gents linking elbows to get into this.
Thanx, Ric Goldman
From: Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Dugan Murphy
via Callers
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 11:02 AM
To: Callers List Serve <callers(a)sharedweight.net
<mailto:callers@sharedweight.net> >
Subject: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a waltz tune? I danced one once many
years ago and haven't thought much about it since, though it was pretty special.
Thank you in advance for sharing some choreography!
Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.com <http://duganmurphy.com>
www.DuganMurphy.com <http://www.DuganMurphy.com>
www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com <http://www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com>
www.NufSed.consulting <http://www.NufSed.consulting>
9 Aug
9 Aug
5:25 a.m.
Of course you are correct that it is a "regular" contra. There is nothing that
forces the dance to be done in waltz time, only my intent makes it a waltz contra. I give
a little of the back story in this video of the maiden voyage of the dance.
http://youtu.be/PXwAAASyrSE
I don't have any of the teach in the video, but like Ric, I had them practicing the
swing in waltz time. I demoed how to do it with alternating feet, so yes, it added about
a minute and a half to the walk-through. I will sometimes do it as the last dance of the
first half with the instruction, "Find a partner for a waltz and line up for a
contra". The last time thru at the end of the partner swing, the call is, "Free
waltz with your partner!"
Here is the dance done to a 4/4 tune:
http://youtu.be/Xgbw3ID-RBU
Sometimes you push her envelope.... ;-)
Bob Green
St. Louis
Sent from my iPad
On Aug 8, 2017, at 2:00 PM, Tony Parkes via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Ric, that looks more like a normal contra than a waltz contra to me. Can you share your
experience of swinging, or teaching a swing, to waltz music?
Thanks…
Tony
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
www.hands4.com
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(to be published real soon)
From: Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Ric Goldman -
Letsdance via Callers
Sent: Tuesday, August 8, 2017 2:44 PM
To: 'Dugan Murphy' <dugan(a)duganmurphy.com>om>; 'Callers List Serve'
<callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Hi Dugan,
One of my favorites is Bob Green’s Alison Wonderland, (improper):
A1 1-8 Nbrs balance + swing
A2 1-4 Circle L ¾
5-8 Ptnr swing
B1 1-4 Gents star promenade 1x*
5-8 Butterfly twirl
B2 1-4 Women chain to Nbr
5-8 Long lines fwd + back
* Consider gents linking elbows to get into this.
Thanx, Ric Goldman
From: Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Dugan Murphy
via Callers
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 11:02 AM
To: Callers List Serve <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a waltz tune? I danced one once many
years ago and haven't thought much about it since, though it was pretty special.
Thank you in advance for sharing some choreography!
Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.com
www.DuganMurphy.com
www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com
www.NufSed.consulting
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
2:25 p.m.
I think the distinction between a contra dance and other longways set
dances is actually a pretty blurry line that is primarily a function of
time, place and convention. By our current convention, contras have become
primarily longways dances 64 counts long, usually danced to 32 bar reels or
jigs. Most waltzes (but certainly not all) are also 32 bars, but that is 96
counts. To do a contra in waltz time, the footfalls have to be adapted to
the music in some way, at least if you want it to have any kind of
satisfactory feel.
One of the ways, at least on this side of the pond, we designate the
difference is we refer dances with 64 counts danced to square reels and
jigs with partner/neighbor swings as contra dances. When we vary the
length, meter, or remove the swings, we call then English country dances.
;-)
One of the distinguishing features of modern contra dances is that they do
not have any footwork. While most contra dancers add a buzz step for the
swing, the whole dance can be done with a walking step. There is no
skipping, setting, rigadoons or the like. what we refer to as English
dances can have those features. As Tony pointed out, the 3/4 time music
present a different challenge in a swing, as it adds a different element of
footwork.
Bob
On Wed, Aug 9, 2017 at 5:25 AM, Robert Green via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Of course you are correct that it is a
"regular" contra. There is nothing
that forces the dance to be done in waltz time, only my intent makes it a
waltz contra. I give a little of the back story in this video of the maiden
voyage of the dance.
http://youtu.be/PXwAAASyrSE
I don't have any of the teach in the video, but like Ric, I had them
practicing the swing in waltz time. I demoed how to do it with alternating
feet, so yes, it added about a minute and a half to the walk-through. I
will sometimes do it as the last dance of the first half with the
instruction, "Find a partner for a waltz and line up for a contra". The
last time thru at the end of the partner swing, the call is, "Free waltz
with your partner!"
Here is the dance done to a 4/4 tune:
http://youtu.be/Xgbw3ID-RBU
Sometimes you push her envelope.... ;-)
Bob Green
St. Louis
Sent from my iPad
On Aug 8, 2017, at 2:00 PM, Tony Parkes via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Ric, that looks more like a normal contra than a waltz contra to me. Can
you share your experience of swinging, or teaching a swing, to waltz music?
Thanks…
Tony
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
www.hands4.com
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(to be published real soon)
*From:* Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net
<callers-bounces(a)lists.sharedweight.net>] *On Behalf Of *Ric Goldman -
Letsdance via Callers
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 8, 2017 2:44 PM
*To:* 'Dugan Murphy' <dugan(a)duganmurphy.com>om>; 'Callers List Serve'
<
callers(a)sharedweight.net>
*Subject:* Re: [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Hi Dugan,
One of my favorites is Bob Green’s *Alison Wonderland*, (improper):
A1 1-8 Nbrs balance + swing
A2 1-4 Circle L ¾
5-8 Ptnr swing
B1 1-4 Gents star promenade 1x*
5-8 Butterfly twirl
B2 1-4 Women chain to Nbr
5-8 Long lines fwd + back
** Consider gents linking elbows to get into this.*
Thanx, Ric Goldman
*From:* Callers [mailto:callers-bounces@lists.sharedweight.net
<callers-bounces(a)lists.sharedweight.net>] *On Behalf Of *Dugan Murphy via
Callers
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 08, 2017 11:02 AM
*To:* Callers List Serve <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
*Subject:* [Callers] Waltz-Time Contra Choreography
Do you have a favorite contra dance written to fit a waltz tune? I danced
one once many years ago and haven't thought much about it since, though it
was pretty special.
Thank you in advance for sharing some choreography!
Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.com
www.DuganMurphy.com
www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com
www.NufSed.consulting
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
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8 comments
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participants (7)
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Alan Winston via Callers -
Bob Green via Callers
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Colin Hume via Callers
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Dugan Murphy via Callers
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Ric Goldman - Letsdance via Callers
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Robert Green via Callers
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Tony Parkes via Callers