Import1 May 2015

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55 discussions

Re: [Callers] Itty-bitty dances, triplets, odd numbers

by jill allen via Callers

Chris, Thank you so much for the correct author and title. Jill On May 8, 2015, at 12:23 PM, Chris Page wrote: > Beneficial Triplet by Al Olson. A very nice one. > > -Chris Page > San Diego > > > > A1 all pass ptr by RH > all who can, pass person on L diag by LH > all pass person straight across by RH > L diag by LH > A2 across by RH > L diag by LH > bal ptr, box the gnat > B1 B & S ptr ending proper > B2 bottom cpl lead up the middle, turn alone and lead back down the middle > cast with 2nd (now at bottom) cpl to end in 2nd place* > > *end: 33 > 11 > 22 >

9 years, 7 months

[Callers] Identify dance

by Amy Wimmer via Callers

Hive mind, I've been calling this dance but don't know its name or author. Do you? The link is to the YouTube video where I found it. Improper contra A1 Ring of 4 balance, gents roll away Ladies chain A2 Ladies gypsy once Partner swing B1 Circle left 3/4 Balance, Petronella B2 Balance, Petronella Balance, California twirl https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MiY4bThBhnE -Amy

9 years, 7 months

[Callers] Contra Dance Birthday Round

by William Loving via Callers

Dear Contra friends, With the help of a number of contributors I believe I finally have a good accounting of the origins of the now rapidly spreading “Contra Dance Birthday Round”. You can read all I’ve put together here on the Downtown Amherst Contra Dance website, with more details, links to recordings and sheet music: http://www.amherstcontra.org/Amherst_Contradance/Birthday_Song.html We’ve known for a long time that the song was composed in the 1950s or early 60s by Dorothy Dushkin, co-founder of the Kinhaven Music School & Camp in Weston, Vermont, but the origins of the tune have remained a mystery until recently. Some years ago, long-time contra dance caller Ralph Sweet came across an out-of-print Girl Scout songbook at a flea market, and in it he recognized a song that had the same melody as the birthday round. He bought the book, took it home and then, misplaced it for a time. In today’s mail, I received from Ralph a photocopy from that book with the song “Whene’er You Make a Promise”, written in 1828 by English composer William Shield, who also composed the tune to “Auld Lang Syne” (to lyrics from Robert Burns). The original lyrics are lovely and may also be familiar to anyone who was in the Girl Scouts or Girl Guides, this apparently having been sung as a campfire song for generations. When e're you make a promise, Consider well its importance And...when...made, Engrave it upon your heart. Enjoy! Will Loving Northampton, Massachusetts USA

9 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Chinese Fan from Square dance

by Neal Schlein via Callers

> --snip-- > > Just thinking about the elbow hold as a mini star will confuse some > dancers. It certainly confused me. Having this duo hang out (or > migrate rotationally) while the center star rotates all the way around > sounds to me like a disaster. I'd have difficulty doing it. I can keep > oriented while swinging, and I have good timing. I'm not sure what > you'd gain by doing the long girl's spin. Just to clarify--calling them mini-stars isn't how I'd ever teach it, nor how I think of the figure. Jeff was asking about breaking it down into established contra figures and how it differed from a simple backtrack; I wanted to make sure that the triple-star aspect came across. The dance is just so simple to actually do and teach in real time! I also agree that the 1 and 1/2 trick is not something with wide utility. That was more an example of how the figure can be adjusted on the fly, or for performance effect. Our caller once used it during a show to help us reset after something went wrong; as I recall, two of the ladies were swapped, so they slowed down to one time around while the other pair did the full once and a half. Other than that, though, you're right: there is very little call to use it (pun intended). Half-sashayed, reverse stars, and mixed gender Fans are an easier way to keep it interesting. And Chris is right, too--the fuzziness of the start and ending points on this kind of figure is what makes them poorly suited to contras in general, although it CAN be done crisply and in exact positions. Maybe it would help if the promenade or swing or other recovery figure ends in each couple's starting position, not the progressed one. Which pretty much restricts the Fan to happening in the A part of the music, or very top of the B. Neal

9 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Itty-bitty dances, triplets, odd numbers

by Kalia Kliban via Callers

On 5/4/2015 3:00 PM, Chris Page wrote: > Some of my favourite triplets: > > Ted's Triplet #3 > Star Chase (Al Olson, one of the variants with a swing) > Ted's Triplet #2 > Microchasmic Triplet (Ann Fallon) > Triplet to Eugene (Mary Devlin) > Housewarming (Jacob Bloom) > Proofreader's Triplet (Al Olson) > Beneficial Triplet (Al Olson) > TLC Triplet (Me) > Right and Left Triplet (Me) > Cinnamon Cruller (Bob Issacs) > David's Triplet #4 (David Smukler) > > Cheers, > -Chris Hooray! Sounds like I'll be ready for my next triplet-intensive evening, and then some. Thanks, Chris! Kalia

9 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Chinese Fan from Square dance

by Chris Page via Callers

Another thing to consider is progressing on to the next. Chinese Fan is fuzzy about where moves end, as the star turns. So you need to have dancers promenade "to progressed places", rather than just circling halfway or some such. I've found dancers have great trouble with this, at least partly because 4-face-4 is an uncommon formation, so they can't just progress by autopilot. Some of my biggest and most memorable crashes when testing dances have resulted from this problem. -Chris Page San Diego

9 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Chinese Fan from Square dance

by Jeff Kaufman via Callers

Thanks for the explanation! I don't think step #2 would be easy to call in a 4x4, because you don't really have heads or sides. One solution would be to say the couple on the right in each pair are the heads, which in a standard 4x4 means purple alternate each time. But I think that would be quite hard for dancers to remember while starring. Getting the timing right so everyone naturally ended in the right locations with the music would also be hard in a contra. Still, this could be taught and called as a series of basic moves without introducing a new call. The prompting during the dance could be "star promenade ... head ladies turn back, allemande that side lady halfway, promenade your opposite." On May 4, 2015 5:47 PM, "Neal Schlein via Callers" < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I believe the dance doesn't exist yet, Jeff. I am curious about the 4x4 > implementation as well, however; it might work just fine, or it might wear > out the novelty quickly. Chinese Fan would show spectacularly in a waltz > quadrille. > > You're close on your interpretation of the figure; that's the effect it > has, but is not quite how it happens. What actually occurs are a pair of > mini-stars on the outside around the central star. > > It isn't a hard move at all; in fact, it's probably easier to learn and > execute correctly than a right and left thru. > > 1. Star Promenade (men keep the star and never stop moving.) > 2. The first and third ladies (heads) step out AS IF to backtrack--but > they don't want to go very wide or get to go very far. It's more like a > cast off than a backtrack, except they keep in close. > 3. The head ladies immediately hook elbows with the trailing side ladies > to make two-person stars (elbow hook because an allemande makes the > circumference a bit large for comfortably maintaining an even speed and > tension). They turn those mini-stars halfway so the heads can rejoin the > star promenade, and then the side ladies fold in behind with the incoming > gent. That puts both ladies with their opposite. > > If you call Chinese Fan such that the mini stars are longer, folks end up > back with their partners. With skilled dancers you can do that > intentionally just by adding an extra four counts of patter in. At speed, > the ladies wind up turning 1 and 1/2 times, the men go all the way around, > and that is perfectly legitimate for the caller to do. > > What makes the timing tricky is that this is a traditional square dance > move, and not a modern squares or contra dance move; squares aren't set to > the phrase of a 16 bar tune, the calls themselves are constructed > differently, the dancers don't know exactly what is coming when, and the > figures have some give in them. This thing technically takes 6 counts to > complete--but absolutely no one is going to dance it that fast or count it > that way unless they are hyped up on sugar or have drilled it like crazy > for precision performance (that's how I learned it). In reality, though, > we wouldn't teach it with the counts. The majority of dancers will > naturally take 8 to 10 counts for each fan, plus some time between the > two. (Note: at 6 counts per plus a 4 count recovery, two renditions of > the Chinese Fan comes to exactly 16 counts, and moves everyone 1/2 of the > way around the circle!) > > For contra-type settings, things are a little different. Because of the > predictability of the dance and the musical structure, I'd say that with > careful teaching it can reliably be an 8 count sequence per fan, plus time > to recover between them. > > Chinese Fan isn't actually a MWSD figure to the best of my knowledge. > Even if it were active, it would be considered a traditional or > traditional-style move. It very well may be a post-1950s creation, and > could have been originally published by Sets in Order, but is very much in > line with the older material found in Colorado and the inner-mountain > West. The things that have been generally shifted into contra are modern > figures with linear structures and short, punctuated movement like box > circulate, scoot back, swing thru, square thru, box the gnat, flutterwheel > (in the form of star promenades), and cross trail thru (although that one > makes me a little sad when I see it taught as a linear figure or in crowded > halls; it deserves more movement and flow than it gets). > > > Neal Schlein > Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library > > > Currently reading: *The Different Girl* by Gordon Dahlquist > Currently learning: How to set up an automated email system. > > On Mon, May 4, 2015 at 2:46 PM, Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)jefftk.com> wrote: > >> What's the choreography of this 4x4? I'm curious about how the timing of >> this figure works. It sounds like the timings you'd use for experienced >> dancers and newer dancers are dramatically different, which makes it hard >> to fit to the music with a general crowd in a way that works for the new >> dancers and feels satisfying for the experienced ones. >> >> Some successful transplants like the MWSD "box circulate" have worked by >> breaking down the movements into standard contra calls, without having to >> introduce a new call. Would that work here? >> >> For example, teach by asking them to star promenade, and then saying that >> while the gents keep starring the ladies turn out and single file promenade >> back two. During the dance you could just call "ladies turn out, go back >> two". (But I'm not confident I understand the figure, so this might not be >> close enough to what you want the dancers to do.) >> On May 4, 2015 2:54 PM, "Claire Takemori via Callers" < >> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >> >>> Hi Neal and All, >>> thank you for the replies and help. I can see that it's not a simple >>> choreography issue. >>> I will give the floor pattern/teaching to my friend to see how >>> choreography goes. >>> I will ask an Advanced caller who knows how to teach Chinese Fan to see >>> if they want to try the Contra 4x4, AFTER teaching a square with the >>> Chinese Fan, so the crowd knows it already. >>> >>> Neal, I hear you on bringing a square move to Contra. And I've >>> experienced some new contras that are not so rigid or linear, so I thought >>> it might work. >>> >>> Thanks everyone! >>> claire >>> >>> On May 4, 2015, at 9:46 AM, Neal Schlein <nschlein(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Claire, >>> >>> I can help, but am not certain you asked for what you truly want. Are >>> you really looking for a set of calls for the square, or do you need >>> directions for the floor pattern, teaching instructions, a working timing >>> for the square-style calls, or the timing of the figure for a contra >>> setting? >>> >>> I'm asking because I suspect your friend doesn't actually need the >>> calls. This is going to open a can of worms on the list, but contras and >>> mescalonzas (aka 4x4 dances) are prompted, not called. Although most >>> dancers and many callers don't make a distinction, the mechanics and timing >>> of the two techniques are different. If you move Chinese Fan into a >>> contra-type setting, the calls (as a square dance caller would see them) >>> are technically irrelevant because you wouldn't want to use them. (And, >>> with many figures, you can't use them without either changing the wording, >>> changing the timing, or stepping outside of the contra-prompting >>> technique.) What I am betting he actually needs to know is the full floor >>> pattern and the timing of that sequence. >>> >>> *The Call* >>> For someone who knows the Chinese Fan figure is coming and how to do it, >>> the only necessary words for prompting are some variation on: >>> *Head (side) ladies turn back (lead, roll back, open out...) for a >>> Chinese fan.* (After completion, repeat for either same ladies or >>> other pair of ladies) >>> >>> That would suffice for a New England style square or a quadrille, as >>> everything else in the call is just filler. A longer call with patter >>> would be personalized to the caller and the region; in my calling >>> tradition, there would be near-constant running patter throughout. Both >>> the phrasing and the timing of the above would port over to contras and >>> your 4x4, although you wouldn't need to identify the leading parties >>> because their identity would be pre-defined. >>> >>> *Floor pattern/teaching* >>> Start in a Star Promenade; men keep the star and continue turning it >>> moving throughout. Identified ladies will turn out and away from their >>> partner to face the other direction, and then hook free elbows with the >>> lady behind them. Ladies turn 1/2 while men turn the star 1/4; lead lady >>> rejoins the star promenade with next man to arrive (original opposite). >>> Star turns another 1/4 and the following ladies rejoin star promenade with >>> the next man behind (original opposite). Repeat with either lady to return >>> to partner. >>> >>> *Timing* >>> If done precisely, each piece can be accomplished in 2 counts and it >>> takes 6 counts to complete the figure: >>> 1-2 Lead lady turns away from partner to face reverse direction; star >>> moves forward 1/4. (ending position: Ladies have met to hook elbows in the >>> position the lead ladies were in.) >>> 3-4 Men rotate star one position while ladies turn 1/2. (Ending >>> position: Lead lady has rejoined star with opposite man and released >>> following lady.) >>> 5-6 Star rotates 1/4; following ladies ladies loop toward center and >>> rejoin star. (Ending formation: Star Promenade. Ending location: All with >>> opposite person from start. Men have moved forward 3/4 around circle, and >>> ladies have moved forward 1/4 from beginning position.) >>> >>> That is a tight, performance-style timing. In reality, it takes between >>> 2 and 4 beats per part and a total of 8 to 12 counts to complete; also, if >>> called square to the walls the action will actually happen on the corner >>> diagonals and the set will have turned somewhat less than the full men 3/4 >>> ladies 1/4. >>> >>> >>> Also...and this is an entirely personal opinion and something of a >>> soapbox... I would caution against moving this figure out of its >>> traditional environment, especially if you really love it. I know lots of >>> people on here will disagree with me, but figures that are lively, >>> expansive, and joyously free in their original square-dance context (such >>> as basket swings, the docey-do, Harlem Rosettes, or Texas Stars and the >>> related figures) tend to be greatly diminished when shoehorned into the >>> rigid 8 count phrase and linear, mechanical, progressive format of contra >>> dancing. Sometimes it is done successfully, but not very often. (End of >>> soap box.) >>> >>> >>> Good luck; if your friend does want a set of calls for the square dance >>> version, I can write something up. >>> Neal Schlein >>> >>> Neal Schlein >>> Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library >>> >>> >>> Currently reading: *The Different Girl* by Gordon Dahlquist >>> Currently learning: How to set up an automated email system. >>> >>> On Sat, May 2, 2015 at 3:58 PM, Claire Takemori via Callers < >>> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >>> >>>> Hi. >>>> I'm new to the list, not a caller yet, but wanting to learn more about >>>> Contra dance and maybe calling. >>>> >>>> I've got a friend who is writing a 4x4 contra for me with a Chinese Fan >>>> in it. He needs to know how to call the Fan as he can't figure it out from >>>> the one video I've found on youtube that has it in it (Three Arches) >>>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8c6Xzn3AyE >>>> >>>> Can you tell me how to call a Chinese Fan? >>>> >>>> Thanks! >>>> claire >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Callers mailing list >>>> Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>>> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Callers mailing list >>> Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >>> >>> > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > >

9 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Chinese Fan from Square dance

by Gloria Krusemeyer via Callers

--snip-- > If you call Chinese Fan such that the mini stars are longer, folks end up > back with their partners. With skilled dancers you can do that > intentionally just by adding an extra four counts of patter in. At speed, > the ladies wind up turning 1 and 1/2 times, the men go all the way around, > and that is perfectly legitimate for the caller to do. --snip-- Just thinking about the elbow hold as a mini star will confuse some dancers. It certainly confused me. Having this duo hang out (or migrate rotationally) while the center star rotates all the way around sounds to me like a disaster. I'd have difficulty doing it. I can keep oriented while swinging, and I have good timing. I'm not sure what you'd gain by doing the long girl's spin. I have danced the Chinese Fan many times, and called it twice to teenagers - some of whom have never danced anything before. Aiming for the next spoke is easy. When first teaching, coach the one who rolled back to hook elbows with the next. The Chinese Fan works because the Turn Back / Pickup / Drop off / Catch are so close in space and well in sync. The only times I've seen it totally fall apart is when the center star stops turning. Once the dancers have the basic fan, you can do a butterfly whirl and put the girls in the center. (Texas Star) If things are going really well, you can do the Chinese Fan with half sashayed couples alternating with standard couples. (or with same sex couples). Set it up again. Maybe: Heads make a Star. turn it once around, then Pick up your Corner for a Star Promenade. Side [Boy / Girl] Roll Back for a Chinese Fan. Both the Chinese Fan and Texas Star work for 6 couples. You should be able to call at the same time to groups with both 4 and 6 couples. --- I had problems trying to call the Chinese Fan to the phrase, contra style. This is a good time to have the band play a crooked tune. Gloria Krusemeyer

9 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Transgressive contras

by Lindsey Dono via Callers

Hi Luke, Thanks for sharing all of this! I'm looking for ideas for a sophisticated crowd and a very square room; 4x4s (and 6x6s etc) end up progressing folks to the same neighbors multiple times, and no one cares to be inactive. I could likely get away with one dance where I'd call all the way through; typically I've been dropping out after ~5 times through with this crowd. I'll check out the Mad Robin site and let you know what, if anything, I decide to try! Lindsey (PS: Odd connection- I'm the girlfriend of your brother's former housemate in WA; we've had Jason over for dinner.) From: Luke Donforth <luke.donev(a)gmail.com> To: Lindsey Dono <lynzimd(a)yahoo.com> Cc: "callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net" <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Friday, May 1, 2015 11:37 AM Subject: Re: [Callers] Transgressive contras I should note, I've never actually tried calling "Luke's Options are Limited" it was mostly a theoretical exercise for me. To my knowledge it's never been danced. If you have only two sets, it's not clear to me how a transgressive contras are functionally different than 4 face 4 dances or their cousin, Tempest Formation. (In my box, I'd put "Kim's Game" under Tempest Formation.) The Tempest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qNp-n4CbdI It becomes a question of if everyone is changing lines, or just half the couples are, but you're bouncing back and forth. If that's all you want, great. There's lots of room to write more 4 face 4 and tempest formation dances, and you can incorporate pass through lines there. If you have more than two sets involved, I haven't found a way to keep things from being either complicated or boring for some dancers. Option 1: all 1s and 2s progress the same way every time If you have a progression that's down one couple, and over one set to the left for the 1s, and up one couple over one set to the right for the 2s, you no longer change numbers when you reach the bottom of the hall, you also change numbers when you reach the sides. So even with 5 sets across and 20 hands four deep, nobody is going to go more than 5 hands-four from their original position. If you've got a square (10 sets across, 10 hands four deep, etc) some folks on the main diagonal see 10 different couples, but other folks will bounce back and fourth on short diagonals of just a few couples. Option 2: have options that vary the progression This is what "Luke's Options are Limited" attempts to do (http://www.madrobincallers.org/2013/01/25/attempting-a-grid-contra-choreogr… ). If gives you different dances (thematically linked) to travel to different points on the floor. You could find other pairs of improper/becket dances using wide lines and long lines, and even incorporate passing through lines. But you're stuck with having to have different dances to call and be calling all the way through the dance. I personally try and get out of the way of the band and dancers interacting, and dislike calling through the entire dance. Option 3: expand 4 face 4 to 6 face 6, 8 face 8, etc. I played around with this a bit, and I think others have as well (Roger Auman?). There are dances up at http://www.madrobincallers.org/2014/02/26/6-facing-6-contra-dances/ I haven't done anything with them after writing them, but if they inspire you; feel free to use them. The hard part (in my opinion) is giving everyone something interesting to do. If your line of 6 has a pass through along the set, you've got to keep your trail buddy groups together and permuting, or some folks get a bum ride. Option 4: I haven't found one, but let me know if you do! Have fun. On Fri, May 1, 2015 at 11:36 AM, Michael Dyck via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: On 15-05-01 01:02 AM, Lindsey Dono wrote: Is "grid contra" the more standard terminology than "transgressive?" I hadn't heard the term "transgressive contra" before, and I'm not finding hits for the term in search engines. Here's what I've got: 1990-1995 Chris Kermiet: "Beckett's Crossing" (in his "Zany Contras and Other Stuff!") http://k-1.us/contras/beckettscrossing.html (refers to it as "a progressive contra dance") May 2010 Peter Foster: "Crisscross" http://pfoster.pcug.org.au/dance/contra.htm#cri (Doesn't really have a term for the dance form.) Jan 2012? Seth Tepfer: "Transgression" http://lists.sharedweight.net/pipermail/callers-sharedweight.net/2012-Janua… (refers to it as a "grid contra", but also refers to progression across as "transgression", hence the dance's title) See also other posts in that thread. Jan 2013 Luke Donforth: "Luke's Options are Limited" http://www.madrobincallers.org/2013/01/25/attempting-a-grid-contra-choreogr… (refers to it as a "grid contra") -Michael _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com

9 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Chinese Fan from Square dance

by Neal Schlein via Callers

I believe the dance doesn't exist yet, Jeff. I am curious about the 4x4 implementation as well, however; it might work just fine, or it might wear out the novelty quickly. Chinese Fan would show spectacularly in a waltz quadrille. You're close on your interpretation of the figure; that's the effect it has, but is not quite how it happens. What actually occurs are a pair of mini-stars on the outside around the central star. It isn't a hard move at all; in fact, it's probably easier to learn and execute correctly than a right and left thru. 1. Star Promenade (men keep the star and never stop moving.) 2. The first and third ladies (heads) step out AS IF to backtrack--but they don't want to go very wide or get to go very far. It's more like a cast off than a backtrack, except they keep in close. 3. The head ladies immediately hook elbows with the trailing side ladies to make two-person stars (elbow hook because an allemande makes the circumference a bit large for comfortably maintaining an even speed and tension). They turn those mini-stars halfway so the heads can rejoin the star promenade, and then the side ladies fold in behind with the incoming gent. That puts both ladies with their opposite. If you call Chinese Fan such that the mini stars are longer, folks end up back with their partners. With skilled dancers you can do that intentionally just by adding an extra four counts of patter in. At speed, the ladies wind up turning 1 and 1/2 times, the men go all the way around, and that is perfectly legitimate for the caller to do. What makes the timing tricky is that this is a traditional square dance move, and not a modern squares or contra dance move; squares aren't set to the phrase of a 16 bar tune, the calls themselves are constructed differently, the dancers don't know exactly what is coming when, and the figures have some give in them. This thing technically takes 6 counts to complete--but absolutely no one is going to dance it that fast or count it that way unless they are hyped up on sugar or have drilled it like crazy for precision performance (that's how I learned it). In reality, though, we wouldn't teach it with the counts. The majority of dancers will naturally take 8 to 10 counts for each fan, plus some time between the two. (Note: at 6 counts per plus a 4 count recovery, two renditions of the Chinese Fan comes to exactly 16 counts, and moves everyone 1/2 of the way around the circle!) For contra-type settings, things are a little different. Because of the predictability of the dance and the musical structure, I'd say that with careful teaching it can reliably be an 8 count sequence per fan, plus time to recover between them. Chinese Fan isn't actually a MWSD figure to the best of my knowledge. Even if it were active, it would be considered a traditional or traditional-style move. It very well may be a post-1950s creation, and could have been originally published by Sets in Order, but is very much in line with the older material found in Colorado and the inner-mountain West. The things that have been generally shifted into contra are modern figures with linear structures and short, punctuated movement like box circulate, scoot back, swing thru, square thru, box the gnat, flutterwheel (in the form of star promenades), and cross trail thru (although that one makes me a little sad when I see it taught as a linear figure or in crowded halls; it deserves more movement and flow than it gets). Neal Schlein Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library Currently reading: *The Different Girl* by Gordon Dahlquist Currently learning: How to set up an automated email system. On Mon, May 4, 2015 at 2:46 PM, Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)jefftk.com> wrote: > What's the choreography of this 4x4? I'm curious about how the timing of > this figure works. It sounds like the timings you'd use for experienced > dancers and newer dancers are dramatically different, which makes it hard > to fit to the music with a general crowd in a way that works for the new > dancers and feels satisfying for the experienced ones. > > Some successful transplants like the MWSD "box circulate" have worked by > breaking down the movements into standard contra calls, without having to > introduce a new call. Would that work here? > > For example, teach by asking them to star promenade, and then saying that > while the gents keep starring the ladies turn out and single file promenade > back two. During the dance you could just call "ladies turn out, go back > two". (But I'm not confident I understand the figure, so this might not be > close enough to what you want the dancers to do.) > On May 4, 2015 2:54 PM, "Claire Takemori via Callers" < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> Hi Neal and All, >> thank you for the replies and help. I can see that it's not a simple >> choreography issue. >> I will give the floor pattern/teaching to my friend to see how >> choreography goes. >> I will ask an Advanced caller who knows how to teach Chinese Fan to see >> if they want to try the Contra 4x4, AFTER teaching a square with the >> Chinese Fan, so the crowd knows it already. >> >> Neal, I hear you on bringing a square move to Contra. And I've >> experienced some new contras that are not so rigid or linear, so I thought >> it might work. >> >> Thanks everyone! >> claire >> >> On May 4, 2015, at 9:46 AM, Neal Schlein <nschlein(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Hi Claire, >> >> I can help, but am not certain you asked for what you truly want. Are >> you really looking for a set of calls for the square, or do you need >> directions for the floor pattern, teaching instructions, a working timing >> for the square-style calls, or the timing of the figure for a contra >> setting? >> >> I'm asking because I suspect your friend doesn't actually need the >> calls. This is going to open a can of worms on the list, but contras and >> mescalonzas (aka 4x4 dances) are prompted, not called. Although most >> dancers and many callers don't make a distinction, the mechanics and timing >> of the two techniques are different. If you move Chinese Fan into a >> contra-type setting, the calls (as a square dance caller would see them) >> are technically irrelevant because you wouldn't want to use them. (And, >> with many figures, you can't use them without either changing the wording, >> changing the timing, or stepping outside of the contra-prompting >> technique.) What I am betting he actually needs to know is the full floor >> pattern and the timing of that sequence. >> >> *The Call* >> For someone who knows the Chinese Fan figure is coming and how to do it, >> the only necessary words for prompting are some variation on: >> *Head (side) ladies turn back (lead, roll back, open out...) for a >> Chinese fan.* (After completion, repeat for either same ladies or other >> pair of ladies) >> >> That would suffice for a New England style square or a quadrille, as >> everything else in the call is just filler. A longer call with patter >> would be personalized to the caller and the region; in my calling >> tradition, there would be near-constant running patter throughout. Both >> the phrasing and the timing of the above would port over to contras and >> your 4x4, although you wouldn't need to identify the leading parties >> because their identity would be pre-defined. >> >> *Floor pattern/teaching* >> Start in a Star Promenade; men keep the star and continue turning it >> moving throughout. Identified ladies will turn out and away from their >> partner to face the other direction, and then hook free elbows with the >> lady behind them. Ladies turn 1/2 while men turn the star 1/4; lead lady >> rejoins the star promenade with next man to arrive (original opposite). >> Star turns another 1/4 and the following ladies rejoin star promenade with >> the next man behind (original opposite). Repeat with either lady to return >> to partner. >> >> *Timing* >> If done precisely, each piece can be accomplished in 2 counts and it >> takes 6 counts to complete the figure: >> 1-2 Lead lady turns away from partner to face reverse direction; star >> moves forward 1/4. (ending position: Ladies have met to hook elbows in the >> position the lead ladies were in.) >> 3-4 Men rotate star one position while ladies turn 1/2. (Ending >> position: Lead lady has rejoined star with opposite man and released >> following lady.) >> 5-6 Star rotates 1/4; following ladies ladies loop toward center and >> rejoin star. (Ending formation: Star Promenade. Ending location: All with >> opposite person from start. Men have moved forward 3/4 around circle, and >> ladies have moved forward 1/4 from beginning position.) >> >> That is a tight, performance-style timing. In reality, it takes between >> 2 and 4 beats per part and a total of 8 to 12 counts to complete; also, if >> called square to the walls the action will actually happen on the corner >> diagonals and the set will have turned somewhat less than the full men 3/4 >> ladies 1/4. >> >> >> Also...and this is an entirely personal opinion and something of a >> soapbox... I would caution against moving this figure out of its >> traditional environment, especially if you really love it. I know lots of >> people on here will disagree with me, but figures that are lively, >> expansive, and joyously free in their original square-dance context (such >> as basket swings, the docey-do, Harlem Rosettes, or Texas Stars and the >> related figures) tend to be greatly diminished when shoehorned into the >> rigid 8 count phrase and linear, mechanical, progressive format of contra >> dancing. Sometimes it is done successfully, but not very often. (End of >> soap box.) >> >> >> Good luck; if your friend does want a set of calls for the square dance >> version, I can write something up. >> Neal Schlein >> >> Neal Schlein >> Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library >> >> >> Currently reading: *The Different Girl* by Gordon Dahlquist >> Currently learning: How to set up an automated email system. >> >> On Sat, May 2, 2015 at 3:58 PM, Claire Takemori via Callers < >> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >> >>> Hi. >>> I'm new to the list, not a caller yet, but wanting to learn more about >>> Contra dance and maybe calling. >>> >>> I've got a friend who is writing a 4x4 contra for me with a Chinese Fan >>> in it. He needs to know how to call the Fan as he can't figure it out from >>> the one video I've found on youtube that has it in it (Three Arches) >>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8c6Xzn3AyE >>> >>> Can you tell me how to call a Chinese Fan? >>> >>> Thanks! >>> claire >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Callers mailing list >>> Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >>> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >> >>

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Import1 May 2015