25 Oct
2025
25 Oct
'25
11:25 p.m.
Hi Callers,
I have a gig on Oct 30, so naturally I'm plumbing the archives for
Halloween-themed choices. There have been several threads on this, I'm not
trying to start another one, I have two more specific questions:
1. Anyone got tips for teaching the Wizard's Walk figure? I've danced it
(although not recently); I've never called it. (I'm interested in all tips,
but FWIW I'm expecting a relatively experienced semi-monthly local crowd.)
2. The specific W'sW descendant I'm planning to use is Cis Hinkle's The
WItches Way
<https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=3804>,
which has the Wizard's Walk figure in A1. It seems to me that to better fit
the original Wizard's Walk tune the dance should be "rotated" thus:
A1: (4,4) balance the ring (with Nbr1s); Petronella turn 1 place to R (no
claps)
(8) Partner swing
A2: (4,4) balance the ring; Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Neighbor1 swing
B1: (8) Robins chain (to Ptr)
(6) circle RIGHT 3/4
(2) Ones arch, twos dive [to meet next Nbrs)
B2: (16) Wizard's Walk:
| (4) Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
| (4) backing up Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) backing up Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
Has anyone done that? Do y'all agree? (The original dance
<https://www.cambridgefolk.org.uk/contra/dances/ruth_ungar/wizards_walk.html>
has the W.W. figure in B2.) I don't know if such a variant deserves its own
name, but if so it seems like it should be called "Wayward Witches".
Cheers,
--Andrew Stout
28 Oct
28 Oct
12:21 a.m.
Hmmm. Maybe some dance weekend should hold a workshop on variants of the
Wizard Walk dance.,
The musicians will get much practice on this challenging tune.
I've been trying to master the tune on my soprano recorder for the
past year or so
On Mon, Oct 27, 2025 at 4:06 PM Diane Silver via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I love the dip-and-dive teaching strategy. Totally
borrowing that!
I have sometimes adapted Wizards Walk to make it a Mad-Robin-esque figure,
facing your partner across the set, to eliminate the challenge of walking
backwards on the reverse:
1s step forward (close to P) & slide sideways down the middle while 2s
slide up the outside.
1s step back (kinda like back into long lines) while 2s step forward and
everyone slide the SAME direction, past future Ns (1s slide down the
outside, 2s slide up the middle)
Reverse:
2s step back into long lines while 1s step forward (close to P). 1s slide
back UP the middle while 2s slide DOWN the outside.
1s step back into long lines while 2s step forward. 1s slide UP the
outside, 2s slide DOWN the middle).
It has the same oscillation; you're just sliding sideways instead of
facing up or down and walking forward for the first 2 passes and backward
for the reverse passes. There's less crashing into others.
On Sun, Oct 26, 2025 at 11:35 AM Steve Pike via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
For those not familiar with a mirror hey for
three [per Jonathan S], but
familiar with the square dance "Dip & Dive" figure, the W/Lizard Walk
piece
can be taught as a "Dip and Dive past two" then same thing but in reverse.
Then all that, but without hands, and upright!
"Here's what your feet will do, we'll teach it with hands first, then
without, but make sure your feet learn this:
Keep your partner's hand facing this way - up or down - the whole time.
2s arch, 1s dive, all forward to the next.
1s arch, 2s dive, all forward then stop. Now back up:
2s arch, 1s back under/2s back over,
1s arch, 2s back under.
"Let go of your partner, let your feet do the same thing but without
arches and dipping and diving:
1s split the 2s, all forward.
2s split the next, 1s on the outside..
Back up, 1s inside split the 2s,
then 2s inside split the next 1s."
Or something like that. Credit to Carol Ormand.
Steve Pike
Milwaukee, WI
That's your feet pattern: do the same thing without your partner's hand.
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27 Oct
27 Oct
9:05 p.m.
I love the dip-and-dive teaching strategy. Totally borrowing that!
I have sometimes adapted Wizards Walk to make it a Mad-Robin-esque figure,
facing your partner across the set, to eliminate the challenge of walking
backwards on the reverse:
1s step forward (close to P) & slide sideways down the middle while 2s
slide up the outside.
1s step back (kinda like back into long lines) while 2s step forward and
everyone slide the SAME direction, past future Ns (1s slide down the
outside, 2s slide up the middle)
Reverse:
2s step back into long lines while 1s step forward (close to P). 1s slide
back UP the middle while 2s slide DOWN the outside.
1s step back into long lines while 2s step forward. 1s slide UP the
outside, 2s slide DOWN the middle).
It has the same oscillation; you're just sliding sideways instead of facing
up or down and walking forward for the first 2 passes and backward for the
reverse passes. There's less crashing into others.
On Sun, Oct 26, 2025 at 11:35 AM Steve Pike via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
For those not familiar with a mirror hey for three
[per Jonathan S], but
familiar with the square dance "Dip & Dive" figure, the W/Lizard Walk
piece
can be taught as a "Dip and Dive past two" then same thing but in reverse.
Then all that, but without hands, and upright!
"Here's what your feet will do, we'll teach it with hands first, then
without, but make sure your feet learn this:
Keep your partner's hand facing this way - up or down - the whole time.
2s arch, 1s dive, all forward to the next.
1s arch, 2s dive, all forward then stop. Now back up:
2s arch, 1s back under/2s back over,
1s arch, 2s back under.
"Let go of your partner, let your feet do the same thing but without
arches and dipping and diving:
1s split the 2s, all forward.
2s split the next, 1s on the outside..
Back up, 1s inside split the 2s,
then 2s inside split the next 1s."
Or something like that. Credit to Carol Ormand.
Steve Pike
Milwaukee, WI
That's your feet pattern: do the same thing without your partner's hand.
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26 Oct
26 Oct
8:28 p.m.
There's also a recent Wizard's Walk variant called "Gee Wiz" by Jeremy
Korr:
A1 Neighbor balance and swing
A2 Gents allemande left 1 & 1/2
Partner swing
B1 Balance ring, Petronella turn
Balance ring, California twirl
B2 Wizard's Walk figure
https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=19725
Cheers,
-Chris Page
Los Angeles, CA
On Sat, Oct 25, 2025 at 4:25 PM Andrew Stout via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Callers,
I have a gig on Oct 30, so naturally I'm plumbing the archives for Halloween-themed
choices. There have been several threads on this, I'm not trying to start another one,
I have two more specific questions:
1. Anyone got tips for teaching the Wizard's Walk figure? I've danced it
(although not recently); I've never called it. (I'm interested in all tips, but
FWIW I'm expecting a relatively experienced semi-monthly local crowd.)
2. The specific W'sW descendant I'm planning to use is Cis Hinkle's The
WItches Way, which has the Wizard's Walk figure in A1. It seems to me that to better
fit the original Wizard's Walk tune the dance should be "rotated" thus:
A1: (4,4) balance the ring (with Nbr1s); Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Partner swing
A2: (4,4) balance the ring; Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Neighbor1 swing
B1: (8) Robins chain (to Ptr)
(6) circle RIGHT 3/4
(2) Ones arch, twos dive [to meet next Nbrs)
B2: (16) Wizard's Walk:
| (4) Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
| (4) backing up Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) backing up Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
Has anyone done that? Do y'all agree? (The original dance has the W.W. figure in B2.)
I don't know if such a variant deserves its own name, but if so it seems like it
should be called "Wayward Witches".
Cheers,
--Andrew Stout
_______________________________________________
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3:35 p.m.
For those not familiar with a mirror hey for three [per Jonathan S], but familiar with the
square dance "Dip & Dive" figure, the W/Lizard Walk piece can be taught as a
"Dip and Dive past two" then same thing but in reverse. Then all that, but
without hands, and upright!
"Here's what your feet will do, we'll teach it with hands first, then
without, but make sure your feet learn this:
Keep your partner's hand facing this way - up or down - the whole time.
2s arch, 1s dive, all forward to the next.
1s arch, 2s dive, all forward then stop. Now back up:
2s arch, 1s back under/2s back over,
1s arch, 2s back under.
"Let go of your partner, let your feet do the same thing but without arches and
dipping and diving:
1s split the 2s, all forward.
2s split the next, 1s on the outside..
Back up, 1s inside split the 2s,
then 2s inside split the next 1s."
Or something like that. Credit to Carol Ormand.
Steve Pike
Milwaukee, WI
That's your feet pattern: do the same thing without your partner's hand.
2:45 a.m.
Very interesting!
The way we dance it is slightly different
A2 - we just pull by 4 hands then right shoulder around with neighbor 1 1/2 time - which
causes you to run into your partner for the BCal & swing
B2 - the difference between wizard's walk and lizard's walk seems to be who is in
motion. We dance this part with both 1s & 2 moving forward and then back
Really a great dance. We only do it about once a year because most of out old time bands
don't play that tune.
Mac McKeever
On Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 08:17:53 PM CDT, Michael Dyck via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
On 2025-10-25 8:41 p.m., Mac Mckeever via Contra Callers wrote:
I understand an older figure was referred to as the
Lizard's Walk
(no reliable source for that).
See CDSS's 'Gems' p33 for both
"Wizard's Walk" and "Lizard Walk":
https://cdss.org/wp-content/uploads/resources/gemsweb.pdf#page=41
-Michael
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1:17 a.m.
On 2025-10-25 8:41 p.m., Mac Mckeever via Contra Callers wrote:
I understand an older figure was referred to as the
Lizard's Walk
(no reliable source for that).
See CDSS's 'Gems' p33 for both
"Wizard's Walk" and "Lizard Walk":
https://cdss.org/wp-content/uploads/resources/gemsweb.pdf#page=41
-Michael
1:10 a.m.
If you are looking for another themed dance you could try Witches' Switches by Al
Olson.
Witches' Switches
Al Olson
duple improper, triple progression
1-2 balance and swing your neighbor
3 - circle left
4 - star left
5 - allemande right your next neighbor 1 1/2
6 - allemande left your next neighbor 1 1/2
7-8 hey for 4, ladies start passing right shoulders
(7-8 ladies cross and swing your partners)
Good luck. I suspect I'll be seeing your mother tomorrow at Scottish.
Jonathan
________________________________
From: Sivier, Jonathan E <jsivier(a)illinois.edu>
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2025 7:54 PM
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] teaching Wizard's Walk; The (Wayward) Witches Way
Andrew,
I haven't called it for a while, but I have done so a few times in the past. Here
are a couple of notes I have on my card.
The 5 changes of rights and lefts is tricky and people have to go faster than they
think.
Think of the Walk portion of the dance, B2, as a mirror hey for 3, but with everyone
backing up instead of turning around at the ends. The 1s go down through their current 2s
and then out around the next 2s, and 2s go out around their current 1s and split the next
1s.
I have had bands use Childgrove or Dancing Bear as change tunes. I think one band that
did this started off with the alternate tune and then changed to Wizard's Walk as the
dancers got the hang of it.
Jonathan
-----
Jonathan Sivier
Caller of Contra, Square, English and Early American Dances
Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html
-----
Q: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
A: It depends on what dance you call!
________________________________
From: Andrew Stout via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2025 6:25 PM
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] teaching Wizard's Walk; The (Wayward) Witches Way
Hi Callers,
I have a gig on Oct 30, so naturally I'm plumbing the archives for Halloween-themed
choices. There have been several threads on this, I'm not trying to start another one,
I have two more specific questions:
1. Anyone got tips for teaching the Wizard's Walk figure? I've danced it (although
not recently); I've never called it. (I'm interested in all tips, but FWIW I'm
expecting a relatively experienced semi-monthly local crowd.)
2. The specific W'sW descendant I'm planning to use is Cis Hinkle's The
WItches
Way<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thec…C$>,
which has the Wizard's Walk figure in A1. It seems to me that to better fit the
original Wizard's Walk tune the dance should be "rotated" thus:
A1: (4,4) balance the ring (with Nbr1s); Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Partner swing
A2: (4,4) balance the ring; Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Neighbor1 swing
B1: (8) Robins chain (to Ptr)
(6) circle RIGHT 3/4
(2) Ones arch, twos dive [to meet next Nbrs)
B2: (16) Wizard's Walk:
| (4) Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
| (4) backing up Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) backing up Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
Has anyone done that? Do y'all agree? (The original
dance<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.cambridgefolk.org.uk/contr…
has the W.W. figure in B2.) I don't know if such a variant deserves its own name, but
if so it seems like it should be called "Wayward Witches".
Cheers,
--Andrew Stout
12:54 a.m.
Andrew,
I haven't called it for a while, but I have done so a few times in the past. Here
are a couple of notes I have on my card.
The 5 changes of rights and lefts is tricky and people have to go faster than they
think.
Think of the Walk portion of the dance, B2, as a mirror hey for 3, but with everyone
backing up instead of turning around at the ends. The 1s go down through their current 2s
and then out around the next 2s, and 2s go out around their current 1s and split the next
1s.
I have had bands use Childgrove or Dancing Bear as change tunes. I think one band that
did this started off with the alternate tune and then changed to Wizard's Walk as the
dancers got the hang of it.
Jonathan
-----
Jonathan Sivier
Caller of Contra, Square, English and Early American Dances
Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html
-----
Q: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
A: It depends on what dance you call!
________________________________
From: Andrew Stout via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2025 6:25 PM
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] teaching Wizard's Walk; The (Wayward) Witches Way
Hi Callers,
I have a gig on Oct 30, so naturally I'm plumbing the archives for Halloween-themed
choices. There have been several threads on this, I'm not trying to start another one,
I have two more specific questions:
1. Anyone got tips for teaching the Wizard's Walk figure? I've danced it (although
not recently); I've never called it. (I'm interested in all tips, but FWIW I'm
expecting a relatively experienced semi-monthly local crowd.)
2. The specific W'sW descendant I'm planning to use is Cis Hinkle's The
WItches
Way<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thec…C$>,
which has the Wizard's Walk figure in A1. It seems to me that to better fit the
original Wizard's Walk tune the dance should be "rotated" thus:
A1: (4,4) balance the ring (with Nbr1s); Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Partner swing
A2: (4,4) balance the ring; Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Neighbor1 swing
B1: (8) Robins chain (to Ptr)
(6) circle RIGHT 3/4
(2) Ones arch, twos dive [to meet next Nbrs)
B2: (16) Wizard's Walk:
| (4) Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
| (4) backing up Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) backing up Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
Has anyone done that? Do y'all agree? (The original
dance<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.cambridgefolk.org.uk/contr…
has the W.W. figure in B2.) I don't know if such a variant deserves its own name, but
if so it seems like it should be called "Wayward Witches".
Cheers,
--Andrew Stout
12:41 a.m.
I understand an older figure was referred to as the Lizard's Walk (no reliable source
for that). Could this very different version be something like Buzzard's Walk or
something like that?
We have a tradition in STLouis to dance Wizard's walk every NYE. The original caller
who established the tradition is no longer with us -but we keep doing it.
I might try this alternative this year. I like parts of it but not sure it the B1 fits
the music as well. The original has that as a build up for the B2. Chain and circle may
not have the same dynamic.
Same may be true for the A2 - I think the square thru fits the music so well - or I may
just be used to it.
Worth a try.
Mac McKeever
On Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 06:25:49 PM CDT, Andrew Stout via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Callers,
I have a gig on Oct 30, so naturally I'm plumbing the archives for Halloween-themed
choices. There have been several threads on this, I'm not trying to start another one,
I have two more specific questions:
1. Anyone got tips for teaching the Wizard's Walk figure? I've danced it (although
not recently); I've never called it. (I'm interested in all tips, but FWIW I'm
expecting a relatively experienced semi-monthly local crowd.)
2. The specific W'sW descendant I'm planning to use is Cis Hinkle's The
WItches Way, which has the Wizard's Walk figure in A1. It seems to me that to better
fit the original Wizard's Walk tune the dance should be "rotated" thus:
A1: (4,4) balance the ring (with Nbr1s); Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Partner swing
A2: (4,4) balance the ring; Petronella turn 1 place to R (no claps)
(8) Neighbor1 swing
B1: (8) Robins chain (to Ptr)
(6) circle RIGHT 3/4
(2) Ones arch, twos dive [to meet next Nbrs)
B2: (16) Wizard's Walk:
| (4) Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
| (4) backing up Nbr 3 mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
| (4) backing up Nbr 2 mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
Has anyone done that? Do y'all agree? (The original dance has the W.W. figure in B2.)
I don't know if such a variant deserves its own name, but if so it seems like it
should be called "Wayward Witches".
Cheers,
--Andrew Stout
_______________________________________________
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9 comments
8 participants
participants (8)
-
Andrew Stout -
Chris Page -
Diane Silver -
Mac Mckeever -
Michael Dyck -
Sivier, Jonathan E -
sjapartments＠gmail.com -
Steve Pike