And of course there are dozens of contras written before the Great Revival (roughly 1965-present), when swinging wasn’t considered essential to a good dance. Money Musk, anyone? Tony Parkes Billerica, Mass. www.hands4.com<http://www.hands4.com/> New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century (available now) From: Jerome Grisanti via Contra Callers &lt;contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 11:05 AM To: Lisa Sieverts &lt;lisa(a)lisasieverts.com&gt; Cc: Caller's discussion list &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: [Callers] Re: Dances with fewer swings I second Lisa's idea, with the added note that such choreography will likely face some resistance if it's not sold well. So I encourage fun and creative choreography that will outweigh the perceived loss of value of dances with fewer swings. We might reinvigorate ideas from old square-dance figures (lady/lark around two, gent, robin drop through) and from English dance (cast and lead, set and turn single). Selling meaning to explore the fun and connective elements in these figures, rather than seeing them as placeholders. I'm sure there are many more ideas and I'm interested in them. Jerome On Wed, Nov 23, 2022, 10:18 AM Lisa Sieverts via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote: At the risk of derailing this conversation, ah, I definitely am derailing it so will change the subject line. I’d like to see new COVID-aware choreography with fewer swings. If swinging is perhaps the most dangerous thing we do while dancing, I’d like to see some new dances that emphasize partner swings and de-emphasize neighbor swings, and at least some dances without any swings. I’m intrigued by the idea that dances without swings open up 32 beats of opportunity for new choreography. Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 lisa@lisasieverts.com<mailto:lisa@lisasieverts.com> On 23 Nov 2022, at 9:30, Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers wrote: _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net>

I've been trying to do some of the dances that were popular when I first started contra dance in the late 1980's. Most evenings would include unequal dances where the 1's were the active couple and the 2's were inactive. These dances included figures that have been neglected of late. Like 1's down the middle and back and cast off with the 2's, along with chains and rights and lefts over and back. We just don't see dances like that done very often any more. While they all had swings my impression is that they had fewer swings than many of the dances today. A few examples are: Anne’s a Bride Tonight by Dillon Bustin Aston Polka Contra by John Findlay Blackthorn Reel by Roger Knox Broken Sixpence by Don Armstrong (one of my favorite dances) etc. Jonathan On 11/23/2022 10:05 AM, Jerome Grisanti via Contra Callers wrote:

Re " uses the square dance figure Right Hand High, Left Hand Low" Tony does, of course, mean "uses the Right Hand High, Left Hand Low figure from the 1651 dance Pepper's Black" http://playforddances.com/dances/peppers-black/ It's amazing how old some of these figures really are! :-) :-) Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs

The other night at a dance which I was calling the band asked if they could play Petronella for a dance with that “as in Petronella” move*. Although I have become less a curmudgeon about Chestnut tunes like Petronella & Rory O’More, highly influenced by Laurie Andres, I thus asked the dancers if they’d mind dancing a dance with no swings. The challenge was met and, I think, dancers had fun with Petronella. And, they now know a bit what callers mean when they say, “as in Petronella,” when describing the balance in a ring, twirl to the right figure. I always find the “as in” description weird way to say it, as most of the time 98% of the attendants have never danced Petronella or Rory O’More. OK it is a few more syllables saying, “the signature move borrowed from an old dance called Petronella,” or “Rory O’More.” Who knows? Putting it that way might make a dancer or two want to go figure out what the dance Petronella or Rory O’More was like? It might also give a bit of understanding why so many dances allude to the dance with “ella” or “oh-more” in the title like Tom Thoreau’s Barbarella: Barbarella (of course with Kudos to Jane Fonda) Becket by Tom Thoreau A1 Petronella Balance & Twirl twice A2 Two more Petronella Balance & Twirl B1 Partner Balance & Swing—can be changed into a NO SWING dance by: Partner Do Si Do, Neighbor Do Si Do B2 Right & Left Thru Across, Circle Left Half Way, with Partner, Slide Left to Next Couple B2 can be a Promenade Half, Circle Half, Slide to next Or, when calling this with a greater percentage of beginners: B2 Long Lines Forward & Back, Circle Once, Slide Left This dance can be danced with beginners and be interesting enough to entertain experienced dancers. It can also be adapted into a more amorphous and beginner friendly by doing it with small circles anywhere in the room of two, three or ? couples making circles: A1 & A2 Pet Balances B1 Possibilities: * Partner Balance & Swing * Partner Do Si Do then Swing * Corner Do Si Do, Partner Do Si Do—Now a NO SWING dance * Anything you can come up with for 16 beats… B2 With Partner (or as mixer with Corner) Scatter Promenade forming new circles I find when calling to a large number of beginners, showing and teaching the balance but then giving permission to just bounce around for four beats then move once space to the right—four small steps or a twirl—the have fun with this, and it’s accessible. Erik Hoffman From: Jerome Grisanti via Contra Callers &lt;contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 8:05 AM To: Lisa Sieverts &lt;lisa(a)lisasieverts.com&gt; Cc: Caller's discussion list &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: [Callers] Re: Dances with fewer swings I second Lisa's idea, with the added note that such choreography will likely face some resistance if it's not sold well. So I encourage fun and creative choreography that will outweigh the perceived l External (contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>) INKY is learning...<https://protection.inkyphishfence.com/report?id=bmV0b3JnZnQx… Report This Email<https://protection.inkyphishfence.com/report?id=bmV0b3JnZnQxNTA4MD… FAQ<https://www.inky.com/banner-faq> GoDaddy Advanced Email Security, Powered by INKY<https://www.inky.com/protection-by-inky> I second Lisa's idea, with the added note that such choreography will likely face some resistance if it's not sold well. So I encourage fun and creative choreography that will outweigh the perceived loss of value of dances with fewer swings. We might reinvigorate ideas from old square-dance figures (lady/lark around two, gent, robin drop through) and from English dance (cast and lead, set and turn single). Selling meaning to explore the fun and connective elements in these figures, rather than seeing them as placeholders. I'm sure there are many more ideas and I'm interested in them. Jerome On Wed, Nov 23, 2022, 10:18 AM Lisa Sieverts via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote: At the risk of derailing this conversation, ah, I definitely am derailing it so will change the subject line. I’d like to see new COVID-aware choreography with fewer swings. If swinging is perhaps the most dangerous thing we do while dancing, I’d like to see some new dances that emphasize partner swings and de-emphasize neighbor swings, and at least some dances without any swings. I’m intrigued by the idea that dances without swings open up 32 beats of opportunity for new choreography. Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 lisa@lisasieverts.com<mailto:lisa@lisasieverts.com> On 23 Nov 2022, at 9:30, Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers wrote: _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net>

At the risk of disagreeing with John and Colin (!), I think it’s worth pointing out that the UK actually has two largely distinct groups of dancers engaging with the contra tradition, which I will loosely classify as the folk club scene and the contra scene. The former, yes, mixes genres rampantly, produces dances with the variety such a practice might lead you to expect, and, I hear, does Devil’s Dream regularly. (I’ve been dancing in the UK regularly, if not always frequently, for 15-odd years and I’ve done it twice; once it was an overtly historical nod that we collectively seemed to grit our teeth for.) The latter does an approximation of US-style modern contra, albeit a tad more sedately and with ~5-15% more tolerance for variety, and an enthusiasm on the part of organisers for squares that had vanished in my US contra world by the mid-2010s (although they are far from ubiquitous and one rarely gets more than one in an evening). Dancers at these events would express surprise if offered a dance with no swings, without explanation. This contra-only strand of UK social folk dancing is not new — it has existed, albeit in an evolving form, for at least forty years. New series appear with some regularity. In line with its general openness to evolution, the contra community here has embraced explorations of gender-free calling and consistently attracts young and new dancers — neither of which are broadly true of the club scene (and yes, I think these things are related). I call a fair amount in the folk club scene and dance at local clubs when I travel; this isn’t meant as a dismissal of them or their value. But I do think the separation is worth noting, in part because it raises questions — and potential answers — about the future. Louise. (Winchester, UK)

On Wed, Nov 23, 2022 at 11:24 AM John Sweeney via Contra Callers &lt;contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: And yet most of those standards have the same B1 of ones lead down, come back, cast off, and a B2 of a full right and left through (or possibly a full chain for the few new-fangled improper dances). Sometimes I wonder if having a section where the dancers can go on autopliot is a good thing. It certainly cuts down on the new figure sequences that need remembering. Cheers, -Chris Page Los Angeles, CA