11 Sep
2024
11 Sep
'24
4:30 p.m.
Hi all- here in Halifax, to keep things simple for our beginner-full/generally unskilled
group, we never dance in Becket formation these days.
But Luke's original post has suddenly got me "seeing the light" about how I
could use simple beckets as a way to get beginner people dancing in contra lines without
worrying about the complexities of ejection and getting ppl to remember to change places
when ejected. (And also avoiding the strange feeling of how the dance symmetry changes
when you switch from moving up the hall to down the hall or vice versa).
So I'm going to test it out with my group...
But I realize it's been a while since I danced a Becket and I forget some of the basic
mechanics.
I just tried googling but could not easily find the info I was looking for...
so-- apologies for asking such a basic question here-- but I trust it will be an efficient
way to find an answer :)
First off just a bit of info on my plan--
, I plan for now to try out only very simple Beckets where everyone comes back to their
home place after every figure.
So i'll be explaining the progression as sliding CCW (I'm gonna go with CCW
progression only, for now) 2 places, until you are in a new duple.
(we may play on simple variations of this like going forward in lines towards the old
couple, and veering backwards towards the new couple as in the first dance Luke presented
here).
I understand that if there is an odd number of couples, then every time the dance runs
through, a couple will be ejected, either at the top or the bottom.
My question is-- if there is an EVEN number of couples, then are two couples ejected, top
and bottom, every second time??
Or, does the progression just involve a big fast turn for the people at the top and bottom
of the giant oval, so that they always meet a new couple, every single time?
thanks all for your help :)
Kat k
12 Sep
12 Sep
7:11 a.m.
I think many(?) of us do this because it functions the same as doing the
alternative for becket left/CW dances: it gives the dancers a clue as to
which direction they will progress in the hall. They line up improper,
looking toward their direction of progression, and then they're rotated
consistent with that for the dance's becket orientation.
When I call, I'll often include a little tip on that as we begin the
walkthrough - "this is a Becket Right dance - what that means is, if you
look to your right currently, THAT will be your direction of progression."
-Don
On Thu, Sep 12, 2024 at 1:28 AM Isaac Banner via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
In my opinion, one common thing that makes CCW dances harder to understand
for dancers is callers who have everyone circle *right* one place to get
set up at the beginning.
5:05 a.m.
A minor point looking to the future: Most Beckett dances have a
clockwise progression, not counterclockwise. I would suggest getting
your community accustomed to the clockwise direction of progression. As
you start to draw from the canon of dances, you will have far more to
choose from with that progression. And the ones that go
counterclockwise tend, I think, to be more challenging. Often the
instructions lining up are, starting with duple minor configuration,
"Take hands four from the top and circle left one place into Beckett
formation." This builds in a little muscle memory of the progression
direction and puts the ones moving down the hall.
Dave Harding
Dancing in the Chicago area and across the Midwest
On 9/11/2024 10:30 AM, Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers wrote:
Hi all- here in Halifax, to keep things simple for our
beginner-full/generally unskilled group, we never dance in Becket
formation these days.
But Luke's original post has suddenly got me "seeing the light" about
how I could use simple beckets as a way to get beginner people dancing
in contra lines without worrying about the complexities of ejection
and getting ppl to remember to change places when ejected. (And also
avoiding the strange feeling of how the dance symmetry changes when
you switch from moving up the hall to down the hall or vice versa).
So I'm going to test it out with my group...
But I realize it's been a while since I danced a Becket and I forget
some of the basic mechanics.
I just tried googling but could not easily find the info I was looking
for...
so-- apologies for asking such a basic question here-- but I trust it
will be an efficient way to find an answer :)
First off just a bit of info on my plan--
, I plan for now to try out only very simple Beckets where everyone
comes back to their home place after every figure.
So i'll be explaining the progression as sliding CCW (I'm gonna go
with CCW progression only, for now) 2 places, until you are in a new
duple.
(we may play on simple variations of this like going forward in lines
towards the old couple, and veering backwards towards the new couple
as in the first dance Luke presented here).
I understand that if there is an odd number of couples, then every
time the dance runs through, a couple will be ejected, either at the
top or the bottom.
My question is-- if there is an EVEN number of couples, then are two
couples ejected, top and bottom, every second time??
Or, does the progression just involve a big fast turn for the people
at the top and bottom of the giant oval, so that they always meet a
new couple, every single time?
thanks all for your help :)
Kat k
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11 Sep
11 Sep
5:13 p.m.
Just what I needed to know, thank you Abigail for the timely answer!! :)
Kat K, Hfx
Sep 11, 2024 12:53:47 PM Abigail Sorg <absorg(a)gmail.com>om>:
Apologies, I responded directly instead of to the
list!
The progression for a becket would be similar to improper as far as being out is
concerned - if there are an even number of couples, then you'd have a couple out at
both the top and the bottom simultaneously, every other time. The only time you'd have
a big fast turn of some sort would be if it's a double-progression dance; if
you're trying to keep things very straightforward for your community I don't think
you'd be selecting those dances anyway.
Abbie Sorg
Tucson, AZ
On Wed, Sep 11, 2024 at 8:30 AM Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hi all- here in Halifax, to keep things simple for our beginner-full/generally
unskilled group, we never dance in Becket formation these days.
>
> But Luke's original post has suddenly got me "seeing the light" about
how I could use simple beckets as a way to get beginner people dancing in contra lines
without worrying about the complexities of ejection and getting ppl to remember to change
places when ejected. (And also avoiding the strange feeling of how the dance symmetry
changes when you switch from moving up the hall to down the hall or vice versa).
>
> So I'm going to test it out with my group...
>
> But I realize it's been a while since I danced a Becket and I forget some of the
basic mechanics.
>
> I just tried googling but could not easily find the info I was looking for...
>
> so-- apologies for asking such a basic question here-- but I trust it will be an
efficient way to find an answer :)
>
> First off just a bit of info on my plan--
> , I plan for now to try out only very simple Beckets where everyone comes back to
their home place after every figure.
>
> So i'll be explaining the progression as sliding CCW (I'm gonna go with CCW
progression only, for now) 2 places, until you are in a new duple.
> (we may play on simple variations of this like going forward in lines towards the old
couple, and veering backwards towards the new couple as in the first dance Luke presented
here).
>
> I understand that if there is an odd number of couples, then every time the dance
runs through, a couple will be ejected, either at the top or the bottom.
>
> My question is-- if there is an EVEN number of couples, then are two couples ejected,
top and bottom, every second time??
>
> Or, does the progression just involve a big fast turn for the people at the top and
bottom of the giant oval, so that they always meet a new couple, every single time?
>
> thanks all for your help :)
>
> Kat k
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
4:53 p.m.
Apologies, I responded directly instead of to the list!
The progression for a becket would be similar to improper as far as being
out is concerned - if there are an even number of couples, then you'd have
a couple out at both the top and the bottom simultaneously, every other
time. The only time you'd have a big fast turn of some sort would be if
it's a double-progression dance; if you're trying to keep things very
straightforward for your community I don't think you'd be selecting those
dances anyway.
Abbie Sorg
Tucson, AZ
On Wed, Sep 11, 2024 at 8:30 AM Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi all- here in Halifax, to keep things simple for
our
beginner-full/generally unskilled group, we never dance in Becket formation
these days.
But Luke's original post has suddenly got me "seeing the light" about how
I could use simple beckets as a way to get beginner people dancing in
contra lines without worrying about the complexities of ejection and
getting ppl to remember to change places when ejected. (And also avoiding
the strange feeling of how the dance symmetry changes when you switch from
moving up the hall to down the hall or vice versa).
So I'm going to test it out with my group...
But I realize it's been a while since I danced a Becket and I forget some
of the basic mechanics.
I just tried googling but could not easily find the info I was looking
for...
so-- apologies for asking such a basic question here-- but I trust it will
be an efficient way to find an answer :)
First off just a bit of info on my plan--
, I plan for now to try out only very simple Beckets where everyone comes
back to their home place after every figure.
So i'll be explaining the progression as sliding CCW (I'm gonna go with
CCW progression only, for now) 2 places, until you are in a new duple.
(we may play on simple variations of this like going forward in lines
towards the old couple, and veering backwards towards the new couple as in
the first dance Luke presented here).
I understand that if there is an odd number of couples, then every time
the dance runs through, a couple will be ejected, either at the top or the
bottom.
My question is-- if there is an EVEN number of couples, then are two
couples ejected, top and bottom, every second time??
Or, does the progression just involve a big fast turn for the people at
the top and bottom of the giant oval, so that they always meet a new
couple, every single time?
thanks all for your help :)
Kat k
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5 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
Abigail Sorg -
David Harding -
Don Veino -
Isaac Banner -
Katherine Kitching