18 Jan
2008
18 Jan
'08
4:59 a.m.
Hello All,
I was considering adding some of the Chestnuts to my calling repertoire, and
I was wondering if I could get your best advice on approaching triple minor
dances in the Midwest (Lawrence Kansas). I believe most of the contra
dancers here have never seen such a critter, although a very few will have
seen it at an English Country dance.
I was considering calling a triplet or a duple minor dance with contra
corners in the first half to make sure everyone was comfortable with that
figure, and then calling "Sackett's Harbor" in the second half, which turns
the minor set 90 degrees (or 270 degrees, to be technical) so all the men
are all facing the stage and the women are facing down.
I want to lay out the rules of triplets very succinctly: Ones remain ones
all the way down the hall, while the twos become threes and then twos again
as they progress up. Threes also alternate roles, becoming twos and then
threes again. At the top, the first couple out waits out two iterations of
the dance before becoming ones. At the bottom, the threes must trade places
with the ones or they will remain out indefinitely.
Are these rules accurate as stated?
Any suggestions from New England? Elsewhere in the Midwest? Points beyond?
--Jerome
--
Jerome Grisanti
660-528-0858
660-528-0714
http://www.jeromegrisanti.com
18 Jan
18 Jan
7:36 a.m.
Hello All,
I was considering adding some of the Chestnuts to my
calling repertoire, and
I was wondering if I could get your best advice on approaching triple minor
dances in the Midwest (Lawrence Kansas). I believe most of the contra
dancers here have never seen such a critter, although a very few will have
seen it at an English Country dance.
I was considering calling a triplet or a duple minor
dance with contra
corners in the first half to make sure everyone was comfortable with that
figure, and then calling "Sackett's Harbor" in the second half, which
turns
the minor set 90 degrees (or 270 degrees, to be technical) so all the men
are all facing the stage and the women are facing down.
I want to lay out the rules of triplets very
succinctly: Ones remain ones
all the way down the hall, while the twos become threes and then twos again
as they progress up. Threes also alternate roles, becoming twos and then
threes again. At the top, the first couple out waits out two iterations of
the dance before becoming ones. At the bottom, the threes must trade places
with the ones or they will remain out indefinitely.
Are these rules accurate as stated?
No, because triplets are three-couple sets, and the progression is different;
typically, you'll dance each of the three roles in three times through the
dance.
Substituting "triple minors" I think these are essentially correct, as stated.
I tend to lay out the rules with somewhat different verbiage (when calling to
English dancers, anyway; I haven't called triple minors for contra dancers).
I say to the ones "you can't come in until you have two couples of your very
own to dance with."
"Ones have it easy - they do the same thing all the way down. Eventually
you'll only have one other couple - dance with a ghost couple, or at least
trade places with them, or they'll *never* get in."
"The secret to triple minors", I'll say, "is not to fuss about whether
you're a
two or a three. If you're not a one, you want to look *up* the set to where
the 1s are, and then do what they need. If somebody's trying to do a
right-hand star with you, do it." [What I'm trying to do here is to get the
dancers out of their heads and out of counting, and into their senses, looking
outward and seeing the whole dance. I *think* this is at least marginally
helpful, although some people are still going to spend the whole dance looking
inward and constantly being surprised when they're supposed to do something.]
I think you are correct not to mention the rather peculiar process of going
from being a 2 to being a 1. You've gotten up near the top, you do the dance
as a 2, your 1s migrate past you, and you're out one round even though you have
a couple above you. Then you're in one round, then you're out two rounds and
come back as 1s. I generally try not to discuss this and just use the "until
you have two couples of your very own" rule.
Any suggestions from New England? Elsewhere in the
Midwest? Points beyond?
I hope you'll accept California. I'd suggest, as a first-ever triple minor,
"Young Widow", if your band knows the tune. No swings, but a killer fun dance
with balancing, etc, and it isn't all solos for the 1s.
-- Alan
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025
===============================================================================
2:16 p.m.
Alan,
Thanks! I believe your suggestions of keeping the dancers' focus on the
senses and not in the head will be very helpful.
On Jan 18, 2008 1:36 AM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing <
winston(a)slac.stanford.edu> wrote:
--
Jerome Grisanti
660-528-0858
660-528-0714
http://www.jeromegrisanti.com
Hello All,
I was considering adding some of the Chestnuts to
my calling repertoire,
and
I was wondering if I could get your best advice
on approaching triple
minor
dances in the Midwest (Lawrence Kansas). I
believe most of the contra
dancers here have never seen such a critter, although a very few will
have
seen it at an English Country dance.
I was considering calling a triplet or a duple
minor dance with contra
corners in the first half to make sure everyone was comfortable with
that
figure, and then calling "Sackett's
Harbor" in the second half, which
turns
the minor set 90 degrees (or 270 degrees, to be
technical) so all the
men
are all facing the stage and the women are facing
down.
I want to lay out the rules of triplets very
succinctly: Ones remain
ones
all the way down the hall, while the twos become
threes and then twos
again
as they progress up. Threes also alternate roles,
becoming twos and then
threes again. At the top, the first couple out waits out two iterations
of
the dance before becoming ones. At the bottom,
the threes must trade
places
with the ones or they will remain out
indefinitely.
Are these rules accurate as stated?
No, because triplets are three-couple sets, and the progression is
different;
typically, you'll dance each of the three roles in three times through the
dance.
Substituting "triple minors" I think these are essentially correct, as
stated.
I tend to lay out the rules with somewhat different verbiage (when calling
to
English dancers, anyway; I haven't called triple minors for contra
dancers).
I say to the ones "you can't come in until you have two couples of your
very
own to dance with."
"Ones have it easy - they do the same thing all the way down. Eventually
you'll only have one other couple - dance with a ghost couple, or at least
trade places with them, or they'll *never* get in."
"The secret to triple minors", I'll say, "is not to fuss about
whether
you're a
two or a three. If you're not a one, you want to look *up* the set to
where
the 1s are, and then do what they need. If somebody's trying to do a
right-hand star with you, do it." [What I'm trying to do here is to get
the
dancers out of their heads and out of counting, and into their senses,
looking
outward and seeing the whole dance. I *think* this is at least marginally
helpful, although some people are still going to spend the whole dance
looking
inward and constantly being surprised when they're supposed to do
something.]
I think you are correct not to mention the rather peculiar process of
going
from being a 2 to being a 1. You've gotten up near the top, you do the
dance
as a 2, your 1s migrate past you, and you're out one round even though you
have
a couple above you. Then you're in one round, then you're out two rounds
and
come back as 1s. I generally try not to discuss this and just use the
"until
you have two couples of your very own" rule.
Any suggestions from New England? Elsewhere in
the Midwest? Points
beyond?
I hope you'll accept California. I'd suggest, as a first-ever triple
minor,
"Young Widow", if your band knows the tune. No swings, but a killer fun
dance
with balancing, etc, and it isn't all solos for the 1s.
-- Alan
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone:
650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA
94025
===============================================================================
1:47 p.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerome Grisanti" <jerome.grisanti(a)gmail.com>
Subject: [Callers] Triple Minors in the Midwest
I was considering calling a triplet or a duple minor
dance with contra
corners in the first half to make sure everyone was comfortable with that
figure, and then calling "Sackett's Harbor" in the second half, which
turns
the minor set 90 degrees (or 270 degrees, to be technical) so all the men
are all facing the stage and the women are facing down.
I find this a hoot!
Traditionally Sackett's Harbor is used as the way to
introduce folks to contra corners, because it is so much easier in a triple
minor than in a duple minor! Just goes to show that what ya know is always
easier than what you don't know.
I want to lay out the rules of [triple minors] very
succinctly: Ones
remain ones
all the way down the hall, while the twos become threes and then twos
again
as they progress up. Threes also alternate roles, becoming twos and then
threes again. At the top, the first couple out waits out two iterations of
the dance before becoming ones. At the bottom, the threes must trade
places
with the ones or they will remain out indefinitely.
I wan to agree with Alan that
too much discussion is problematic and saying
"waits out two iterations" is actually inaccurate. The couple progressing up
the set actually waits out three time, but (again as Alan so clearly pointed
out) since two of the waiting out times are together and the other is
earlier, most folks think it is only twice. I think he has the best wording
when he says "you cannot start until you have two couples ready to dance
with you" or something similar.
Are these rules accurate as stated?
Any suggestions from New England? Elsewhere in the Midwest? Points beyond?
Make sure your sets are not too long (nor too short, for that matter.) Pay
attention to when you call the band out. It is nice to do so just after a
new couple has come in at the top, and it isn't an every other kind of thing
as it is in a duple minor. (There's that wait out, in, out, out, in thing
again.)
hth,
Beth Parkes
6152
days inactive
6152
days old
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
3 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
-
Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing -
Beth Parkes -
Jerome Grisanti