For the historians: Before the Jan Jam video linked from the childgrove page below started up, caller Roger Diggle introduced Kathy Hirsch, who was dancing that evening. She was in the outer circle to the left of the field of view. If I recall correctly, the short version of the story was that she wrote it during a Breaking Up Thanksgiving weekend in the early 1980's. David Harding On 3/4/2012 2:21 PM, Linda Leslie wrote:

On Mar 4, 2012, at 9:22 AM, Donna Calhoun wrote: Several people have confirmed that this is not, as Donna had thought, Kathy Hirsh's "Ice Cream in the Sink," but nobody so far has suggested a correct title and author. I believe the sequence above may be a folk-processed variant of "Ted's Mixer" (not to be confused with "Ted's Solo Mixer") by Ted Sannella. Here are instructions for "Ted's Mixer": A1- All into the center and back In again, as ladies back out the gents turn to right to face partner and follow A2- Allemande right partner 1 1/2 Do-si-do B1- Allemande left 1 1/2 Promenade, gents reach back and ladies reach forward to take right hand with the next (forms a wavy “Alamo” ring with gents facing out and ladies in) B2- All balance twice Swing new partner (the one in your right hand), and face the center The description above is taken from the 2010 Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend syllabus: http://www.library.unh.edu/special/forms/rpdlw/syllabus2010.pdf The dance also appears in the 1997 RPDLW syllabus; in _Zesty Contras_, by Larry Jennings; and in Ted's book _Swing the Next_, where Ted supplies substantial commentary. I'll add here some comments of my own: 1. The transition from the promenade to the wavy ring in the last beat or two of B1 is extremely simple once dancers understand it, but if you describe it during the walk-through by just using the first words that happen to come out of your mouth, there may be some dancers who find the description baffling. For example, you may see some men attempting to turn to the left instead of to the right, or not turning at all and reaching back with their right hands in some awkward way, or starting to allemande their current partners. So think about what words you will use. If you can forestall dancers from releasing their partners' left hands, that will help avert some of the possible misinterpretations. 2. Ted recommends that the promenade be done with gent's right arms around their partners' backs, as in a courtesy turn. This promenade hold is more common in New England than in some other regions, and in this dance it makes for smooth transitions both from the allemande into the promenade and from the promenade to the wavy ring. 3. On the last few beats of the right allemande in A2, I like to switch smoothly from an allemande hold (the one that looks something like an arm wrestling) to a "modified handshake" hold (as in a grand right and left or a "hands-across" star) and step a little apart from my partner, so that on beat eight of the allemande our positions and the balance of our weight are as they would be on the last beat of a right-hand-in-right balance, ready to pull into the do-si-do. Not everyone will understand a verbal description, or even a demo, of this action, but I think that those who do will find it makes for a more satisfying transition from the allemande to the do-si-do. (If you don't understand the preceding description, try this: Get a partner, balance with each other by right hands, and do-si-do. Notice what the transition from the balance to the do-si-do feels like. Then figure out how you would get from an allemande into position for that kind of transition to a do-si-do.) Does anyone know of an on-line video of "Ted's Mixer"? I've done a little searching, but the only one I found was actually of "Ted's Solo Mixer". --Jim