25 Jan
2025
25 Jan
'25
3:36 p.m.
Many good contras where you leave the minor set aren’t too hard, but have
challenging end effects. One could eliminate the end effects using a
Sicilian circle. I haven't tried it, but wonder whether disorientation from
the curved set would offset the advantages.
If you’ve actually tried it, how did it go?
Rick
(...ignoring for the moment that Sicilian circles don't fit every hall or
size of group...)
27 Jan
27 Jan
1:03 p.m.
Hi Claire,
You can see the Zia formation at
https://contrafusion.co.uk/Formations.html#other if you scroll down a bit. It is a square
with contra lines radiating from the sides. There are some example dances there as well.
I set Sicilian Circles up by getting the dancers to make a Circle, then tell
one couple to face another couple and work around the circle telling each couple which way
to face. Experienced dancers will see what is happening and quickly start sorting
themselves out.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
12:50 p.m.
Jeff, what do you mean by zias?
One issue I have with sicilian circles is that I always need more time than
I think it should to set it up. That keeps me from incorporating them more
in my program. I have tried asking dancers to line up for a contra dance
and then ask them to bend the line to make a circle of small groups of 4.
Dancers have a hard time understanding that. They eventually get it but it
takes a long time. Ideas on how to set it up for dancers who are not
familiar with the formation?
Claire Baffaut
On Mon, Jan 27, 2025 at 6:10 AM Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Another thing to keep in mind about Sicilian Circles
is that they use the
rectangular space of a typical hall much less efficiently than contra sets,
so if you're planning to call an interesting dance this way you may show up
and find the hall is too crowded for it to be workable. Also an issue with
Zias.
Jeff
On Sun, Jan 26, 2025 at 1:12 AM Robert Matson via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
--
*Claire Baffaut*
Our dances are generally beginner-heavy. Our
priority is to get people
dancing and enjoying moving to the music as quickly as possibly. We often
do Sicilian Circles. Our participants like them fine. We've never seen
anything to make us think that the curvature of the lines causes an issue.
We've sometimes reformed simple contras as Sicilian Circles to make them
even easier to dance since any kind of end effect, even the simplest, can
confuse beginners.
For our purposes, I like this idea of taking a dance with a challenging
end effect and dancing it as a Sicilian Circle. Thanks for the good idea.
Rob
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Robert Matson
Cell: (917) 626-2675
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 12:58 PM Michael Fuerst via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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Rick: Can you provide the names of four or five
dances that you feel
have complicated enough end effects that you might want to call them as a
Sicilian circle?
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 9:45 AM Rick Mohr via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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Many good contras where you leave the minor set
aren’t too hard, but
have challenging end effects. One could eliminate the end effects using a
Sicilian circle. I haven't tried it, but wonder whether disorientation from
the curved set would offset the advantages.
If you’ve actually tried it, how did it go?
Rick
(...ignoring for the moment that Sicilian circles don't fit every hall
or size of group...)
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12:08 p.m.
Another thing to keep in mind about Sicilian Circles is that they use the
rectangular space of a typical hall much less efficiently than contra sets,
so if you're planning to call an interesting dance this way you may show up
and find the hall is too crowded for it to be workable. Also an issue with
Zias.
Jeff
On Sun, Jan 26, 2025 at 1:12 AM Robert Matson via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Our dances are generally beginner-heavy. Our priority
is to get people
dancing and enjoying moving to the music as quickly as possibly. We often
do Sicilian Circles. Our participants like them fine. We've never seen
anything to make us think that the curvature of the lines causes an issue.
We've sometimes reformed simple contras as Sicilian Circles to make them
even easier to dance since any kind of end effect, even the simplest, can
confuse beginners.
For our purposes, I like this idea of taking a dance with a challenging
end effect and dancing it as a Sicilian Circle. Thanks for the good idea.
Rob
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Robert Matson
Cell: (917) 626-2675
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 12:58 PM Michael Fuerst via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Rick: Can you provide the names of four or five
dances that you feel
have complicated enough end effects that you might want to call them as a
Sicilian circle?
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 9:45 AM Rick Mohr via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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Many good contras where you leave the minor set
aren’t too hard, but
have challenging end effects. One could eliminate the end effects using a
Sicilian circle. I haven't tried it, but wonder whether disorientation from
the curved set would offset the advantages.
If you’ve actually tried it, how did it go?
Rick
(...ignoring for the moment that Sicilian circles don't fit every hall
or size of group...)
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26 Jan
26 Jan
6:10 a.m.
Our dances are generally beginner-heavy. Our priority is to get people
dancing and enjoying moving to the music as quickly as possibly. We often
do Sicilian Circles. Our participants like them fine. We've never seen
anything to make us think that the curvature of the lines causes an issue.
We've sometimes reformed simple contras as Sicilian Circles to make them
even easier to dance since any kind of end effect, even the simplest, can
confuse beginners.
For our purposes, I like this idea of taking a dance with a challenging end
effect and dancing it as a Sicilian Circle. Thanks for the good idea.
Rob
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Robert Matson
Cell: (917) 626-2675
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 12:58 PM Michael Fuerst via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Rick: Can you provide the names of four or five
dances that you feel have
complicated enough end effects that you might want to call them as a
Sicilian circle?
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 9:45 AM Rick Mohr via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Many good contras where you leave the minor set
aren’t too hard, but have
challenging end effects. One could eliminate the end effects using a
Sicilian circle. I haven't tried it, but wonder whether disorientation from
the curved set would offset the advantages.
If you’ve actually tried it, how did it go?
Rick
(...ignoring for the moment that Sicilian circles don't fit every hall or
size of group...)
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25 Jan
25 Jan
6:57 p.m.
Rick: Can you provide the names of four or five dances that you feel have
complicated enough end effects that you might want to call them as a
Sicilian circle?
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 9:45 AM Rick Mohr via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Many good contras where you leave the minor set aren’t
too hard, but have
challenging end effects. One could eliminate the end effects using a
Sicilian circle. I haven't tried it, but wonder whether disorientation from
the curved set would offset the advantages.
If you’ve actually tried it, how did it go?
Rick
(...ignoring for the moment that Sicilian circles don't fit every hall or
size of group...)
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
5:26 p.m.
Sent from my iPad
On 25 Jan 2025, at 16:35, Alan J Rosenthal via Contra
Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I would also note that if you have an odd number of couples, you're
still going to have end effects in the vicinity of that one couple who is
out, and even worse, if the dance involves interacting with your future
neighbours (which is likely why you're doing this in the first place),
that out couple might be pulled both ways at once (no ghosts are available
for the end effects involving the couple at the out-couple's backs).
Yes, but in can be fun if the odd couple can work out how to come back into the dance as
the oppose role. I do this if I am getting bored with a dance that has been going on for
too long or the choreography is not interesting.
Graham K
5:24 p.m.
One of my all-time favourite contra corners dances, to dance and to call,
is Kathy Anderson's Labor of Love, which was written as a Sicilian circle.
It works brilliantly, even the forward and back.
Michael Barraclough (he/him, currently NW UK).
On 25 January 2025 16:59:41 John Sweeney via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Rick,
Lots of standard Contra moves will fail completely, such as Long Lines Go
Forward & Back or Down the Hall in Lines of Four.
You would have to pick the dance carefully and made sure it still worked.
Much better to try some existing Sicilian Circles that have been designed
to take advantage of the formation.
Here’s an easy one:
https://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/TheJasoomianJaunt.html
E-mail me if you want some more suggestions.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
From: Rick Mohr via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: 25 January 2025 15:36
To: Shared Weight Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Sicilian circle to tame end effects?
Many good contras where you leave the minor set aren’t too hard, but have
challenging end effects. One could eliminate the end effects using a
Sicilian circle. I haven't tried it, but wonder whether disorientation from
the curved set would offset the advantages.
If you’ve actually tried it, how did it go?
Rick
(...ignoring for the moment that Sicilian circles don't fit every hall or
size of group...)
_______________________________________________
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To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
4:59 p.m.
Hi Rick,
Lots of standard Contra moves will fail completely, such as Long Lines Go
Forward & Back or Down the Hall in Lines of Four.
You would have to pick the dance carefully and made sure it still worked.
Much better to try some existing Sicilian Circles that have been designed to
take advantage of the formation.
Here’s an easy one:
https://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/TheJasoomianJaunt.html
E-mail me if you want some more suggestions.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
From: Rick Mohr via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: 25 January 2025 15:36
To: Shared Weight Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Sicilian circle to tame end effects?
Many good contras where you leave the minor set aren’t too hard, but have challenging end
effects. One could eliminate the end effects using a Sicilian circle. I haven't tried
it, but wonder whether disorientation from the curved set would offset the advantages.
If you’ve actually tried it, how did it go?
Rick
(...ignoring for the moment that Sicilian circles don't fit every hall or size of
group...)
4:26 p.m.
It works and eliminates end effects - but the dancers
don't like it much
Yeah. I've tried this for English Country Dance, as opposed to Contra,
but I did find that people had inexplicable trouble with it. This was
a long time ago when I was a less-experienced caller, so it could have
been me (and of course it could be me if today too)... but I don't think
it was, at least not entirely.
I would also note that if you have an odd number of couples, you're
still going to have end effects in the vicinity of that one couple who is
out, and even worse, if the dance involves interacting with your future
neighbours (which is likely why you're doing this in the first place),
that out couple might be pulled both ways at once (no ghosts are available
for the end effects involving the couple at the out-couple's backs).
I think that most Contras give the 1s and 2s equal amounts of stuff to
do, but for those which don't, also note that with the Silician Circle,
you always stay 1s or always stay 2s for the whole dance -- you don't
get to try both.
regards,
ajr, dancing in and near Toronto, Canada
3:42 p.m.
I have tried Sicilian circles when we have too many for 1 line and 2 lines would be really
short. It works and eliminates end effects - but the dancers don't like it much
Mac
On Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 09:37:01 AM CST, Rick Mohr via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Many good contras where you leave the minor set aren’t too hard, but have challenging end
effects. One could eliminate the end effects using a Sicilian circle. I haven't tried
it, but wonder whether disorientation from the curved set would offset the advantages.
If you’ve actually tried it, how did it go?
Rick
(...ignoring for the moment that Sicilian circles don't fit every hall or size of
group...)
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days old
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10 comments
10 participants
participants (10)
-
Alan J Rosenthal -
Claire Baffaut -
Graham Knight -
Jeff Kaufman -
John Sweeney -
Mac Mckeever -
Michael Barraclough -
Rick Mohr -
Robert Matson -
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