Here are a selection of contras without swings (source, author). READING REEL (Balance & Swing, Ted Sannella) WRONG SIDE REEL (Spoil The Broth, Tom Cook) EAST MEETS WEST (Zesty Contras, Herbie Gaudreau) BOBS J&L (http://www.davidsmukler.syracusecountrydancers.org/Nicholson.html, Bob Nicholson) DEVILS DREAM (Traditional, The Contra Dance Book) Many older contras (pre-zesty) did not have swings. The Contra Dance Book (Holden, Kaltman, Kulbitsky), Balance & Swing (Ted Sannella) and An Elegant Collection of Contras and Squares (Ralph Page) will all provide you with many more. Michael Barraclough http://www.michaelbarraclough.com -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Nancy Turner Sent: 14 December 2007 02:05 To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: [Callers] Swingless contras? This week, I called a dance for 50 enthusiastic highschool juniors who were celebrating the end of their semester together. All beginners. The organizer asked that we do contras and so I picked ones that had very obvious transitions and slowly introduced new moves. I wasn't prepared for their enthusiasm! By the fourth dance they settled a bit and better understood the contra format and we all got into a good grove. I found that initially, the kids embraced the swings with gusto. The dances that I picked included both neighbor and partner swings -- and once they got going, there was no stopping them within the 8 measures. So we proceeded off-tempo and everyone had a good time. I'm wondering if anyone knows of any swingless contras. For this type of audience, I might consider adding in one or two such dances near the beginning. Any other tips that you've learned for calling for enthusiastic teens would also be appreciated. Nancy Turner Waitsfield VT _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

Family Contra, by Sherr Nevins is a great dance without a swing that I have used for beginning or experienced dancers. It is easy to teach and easy to learn. I am pretty sure that this list is where I got it in the first place: Family Contra by Sherry Nevins Duple Improper or Proper, doesn't matter A1 Balance Ring Twice Circle L 1x A2 Balance Ring Twice Circle R 1x B1 Dosido Neighbor Dosido Partner B2 Take hands w Partner, Dosido neighbors as a couple, on to new neighbors Richard Green Wayne, Maine -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Nancy Turner Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 9:05 PM To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: [Callers] Swingless contras? This week, I called a dance for 50 enthusiastic highschool juniors who were celebrating the end of their semester together. All beginners. The organizer asked that we do contras and so I picked ones that had very obvious transitions and slowly introduced new moves. I wasn't prepared for their enthusiasm! By the fourth dance they settled a bit and better understood the contra format and we all got into a good grove. I found that initially, the kids embraced the swings with gusto. The dances that I picked included both neighbor and partner swings -- and once they got going, there was no stopping them within the 8 measures. So we proceeded off-tempo and everyone had a good time. I'm wondering if anyone knows of any swingless contras. For this type of audience, I might consider adding in one or two such dances near the beginning. Any other tips that you've learned for calling for enthusiastic teens would also be appreciated. Nancy Turner Waitsfield VT _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers