Hi Laurie,
Here are a few stray thoughts about triplets.
- Which ones to try first
Ted's #24 is a great dance, but not necessarily the first one I'd try to introduce
triplets to a group.
Ted's #3 is probably the safest and easiest for a community dance.
I've found Ted's #29 to be fairly "contra friendly." It starts with a
partner bal & sw for all and has very satisfying "flow."
Of the triplets I've composed, I'd recommend #5 as most likely to succeed (rather
than #4).
Of course, all such decisions depend on the crowd.
- Where to find them
Ted's 41 triplets have all been published. Between Ted's two books, Zesty Contras
and Give-and-Take (all available from CDSS) you can find directions for any of them. I
will say that I think they are brilliant, but not all of the same quality. Many are quite
challenging, especially for groups that are not used to them. Lots of other triplets exist
if you go hunting. I'm rather fond of my son Micah's Triplet #pi, which can be
found at <http://www.math.uchicago.edu/~msmukler/dances.html>.
Why use them?
Triplets are a good way to introduce variety into an evening. They don't take very
long, so if they are less than perfect you can move on. The whole set is easily visible
and "process-able" to all the dancers. We six can work this out. They introduce
some fun interaction. For example, I follow Ted's custom of asking all the dancers to
introduce themselves and shake hands round their set. There's also the cheering
(pretending we recognize which one is #29), which always gets smiles.
Triplets can also be a great way to teach certain actions. For example, Linda Leslie's
Corner Triplet (sometimes called David's Triplet #1.5) is a wonderful and easy dance
for introducing contra corners.
- How to introduce them
Just do. Trust a good dance to "speak to" the dancers about why it is good.
Anything unfamiliar requires a bit of a leap, but if we never take that leap our dances
will feel more and more the same, and what fun is that?
David
On Aug 20, 2012, at 11:07 PM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:
Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:28:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Laur <lcpgr(a)yahoo.com>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Triplets
Message-ID:
<1345501694.2999.YahooMailClassic(a)web121704.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
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Thanks for starting the thread,?
Kalia.? I would like to start to include Triplets in one of our community series. ?And
tips like these from Louise are helpful. ?I'll look at Ted's 24 later tonight.
I was thinking of Ted's #41 which I have heard referenced either here or on
Trad-dance-caller. I also was interested in David's Triplet #4 by David Smukler; also
Packing the Boxes... ?I believe David is on either this list or on Trad-Dance-Caller. ?If
here, David, can you give me any tips?
Laurie PWest MI