I'm planning to include, in an upcoming evening, a dance with some moderate
(from a beginner perspective) end-effects. Preceding that, I'd like to get
the dancers accustomed to dancing with ghosts with a view to making the
end-effects make sense or, at least, be less of a concern.
I can think of a few dances in which there are easy-intros to end effects
(a move involving a an out-and-back with a shadow, for example (e.g. The
Young Adult Rose)) but I'm more interested in dances that callers may have
in mind that dance well with ghosts.
Maybe I could write a purpose-written dance with the name "The Ghosts and
Mrs. Muir". :)
(Dating myself)
Ken Panton
I picked up a Square Dance break from somewhere that was called the Dixie
Chain Break:
Dixie Chain Break:
Heads Hey for Four with hands Ladies lead with Right Hand
Sides the same
Heads and Sides do simultaneous Heys when four are in the middle they do a
Hands Across Star (Ladies Star, Pull the Men in, Men Star, Pull the Ladies
in)
My notes also say that the simultaneous crossed Heys are called a Grand Hey.
The original Dixie Chain was attributed to Bill Owen in 1952 and was just:
Ladies Pull By Right, Pull the Men in by the Left, Men Pull by Right
Quite why the Square Dance community felt the need to give "Three Changes of
a Hey" a special name, when it has been around since at least 1588, I don't
know - but then they did get up to over 5000 calls back in the 1950s...
Warleggan by Joyce Walker is a good four couple dance with a Grand Hey.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
940 574
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
I have called hey mania several times and it is not hard to stay with the phrasing - as long as you use the swing after the heys to let everyone catch up
Mac McKeever
On Wednesday, April 4, 2018, 11:17:08 AM CDT, Luke Donforth via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Thanks all for the feedback! I'll reach out to Erik and Nils.
As Rick pointed out, the dance could work from standard 4x4 lines; and I certainly wouldn't object to folks dancing it that way. In my head, the half grand hey precludes this from many dance events, so I figured dancers I could toss this at would probably not be thrown by the bent formation. But keeping the non-hook moves simple is worthwhile.
I haven't done a Dutch Crossing workshop, although I've been meaning to. Nice to see Lisa getting everyone through it, thank you for the link; and the reminder to learn Dutch Crossing.
Colin, I don't remember the last time I got to call a 48 bar dance. But if I get a band itching to play one, now I've got some things in the quiver.
Jim, I'll admit Heymania is intimidating to me. I like the fixed timing of contra, the squishyness of squares is a challenge for me. I'd have to work up to that one with some simpler non-musically-square squares.
As for this dance, dropping the balance before the partner swing and letting the hey flow into B2 seems the simplest and most forgiving way of handling the timing. I like the idea of the reunion moment being marked in time though, so that partners know when they're supposed to find each other. You could give the hey more time in B1 at the expense of some of the neighbor swing. What about the following variation, informed by Chris's comments on timing?
Tamlin's Cross (variation)4x4 (lines or bent)
A1
(4) All 8 go into the middle
(4) Gents roll partners away on the way out
(8) Corner Swing, square set
A2
(8) Gents left hands across star 1x; gents drop out
(8) Ladies left hands across star 1x;ladies keep hands, and take right hand with corner (making crossed wavy lines of 4)B1
(4) Balance the wavy lines of four(12) half grand hey, start passing corner you swung by right
then turn away from corner you swung
B2
(16) Partner Balance and Swing
End the swing facing new couple, having swapped sides with your trail-buddy couple
That gives both roles the muscle memory of a left hand star in the middle as prep for the handless-star in the hey; which could either be helpful or monotonous. <digression>
I wouldn't usually chase a left hand star with a left hand star, but I think left will flow better for the gents out of a swing; and I want the corners to take right hands (because getting folks to balance left then right seems impossible outside of Rory o'More). The two left hand stars would also leave some room for silliness on the part of the dancers. A2 could be ladies right hand star, then gents left; but I'm not super fond of the swing->ladies go in transition. It happens a lot in swing->chain, but I don't think it would add to the dance here.</digression>
Thanks again for sharing your experience :-)
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com
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On Tue, 3 Apr 2018 22:27:19 -0400, Luke Donforth wrote:
> I'd appreciate feedback on flow (would it work), timing (is it too much?) and how you'd teach it.
I think the "Bent 4x4" is an unnecessary complication. People expect to finish the figure facing the next line, not facing into
the centre of the next set, so I would say:
A1: Lines of four forward; gents roll partners away as you fall back. Do-si-do the next.
I agree with Rick that the star figure will take longer than a regular half hey, so just let it flow into B2 with a partner swing
- leave out the balance.
> I'm especially curious if something similar exists in the square dance repertoire; specifically the figure used in B1
People have mentioned two great dances: Hey-mania and Dutch Crossing. I'm sure there are others. There's also a nice dance by
Frances Richardson, which I'm planning to call at the final session of Lichfield Folk Festival in June. She wrote it when a
friend gave birth to female quadruplets, and around the quads' 13th birthday they all danced it in the same set (very
successfully).
The Dixon Quadrille
Frances Richardson, 1993
Music: 4 x 48 bar reels
A1: Allemande left corner, grand chain all the way.
A2: Finish the chain. Swing partner.
B1: Men left-hand star three-quarters to corner (new partner). Right-hand turn once, and face (in a cross formation, men in the
middle).
B2: Interlocking reels of four with hands (making a left-hand star in the middle each time).
C1: Finish the reels (still in cross formation), give right hand to new partner, balance forward & back and swing.
C2: Promenade to the _lady's_ place. (naturally)
And here's one of mine. "Reel" is English for "Hey".
A Reel Challenge
Colin Hume, 1995
Music: 48-bar reels
Figure:
A1: Heads forward and back. Head ladies chain across.
A2: Head ladies start a reel of four.
B1/2: Sides the same.
C1: Gipsy right new corner. Swing.
C2: Promenade to the man's place. [Ladies have moved one place left.]
Double Figure:
A1: All in to the middle and back. All four ladies chain.
A2: Ladies start interlocking reels of four.
B1: Extra time to finish the reels, and two more changes. Swing partner at home.
B2: Promenade.
Suggested sequence: Break, Figure twice for Heads, Break, Figure twice for Sides, Break, Double Figure, Final Break.
Colin Hume
Having tested something like this a decade ago, I can report from
painful experience
that the half hey takes about 12 beats, not 8.
"Harvest Hey" by Erik Hoffman gets the timing right.
-Chris Page
San Diego
On Tue, Apr 3, 2018 at 6:04 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I was playing around with a new (?) composition; and since it's a 4x4, it's
> unlikely I'll get a house-party together to test it any time soon. I'd
> appreciate feedback on flow (would it work), timing (is it too much?) and
> how you'd teach it. I'm especially curious if something similar exists in
> the square dance repertoire; specifically the figure used in B1
>
> Tamlin's Cross
> Bent 4x4 (i.e. 4x4 formation, but with couples facing into the middle on an
> X, instead of straight up and down in lines of four)
>
> A1
> (4) All 8 go into the middle and shout
> (4) Gents roll partners away on the way out
> (8) Neighbor Do-Si-Do
> A2
> (16) Neighbor Balance and Swing (square the set and face in)
> B1
> (8) Gents left hands across star 1x
> (8) start passing neighbor you swung by right, all 8 half hey through,
> then turn away from neighbor you swung
> B2
> (16) Partner Balance and Swing
> End the swing facing new couple, having swapped sides with your trail-buddy
> couple
>
> For the half hey through, all 8 folks are moving at the same time. At the
> end of A2, there are couples in head and side position (nobody is with their
> partner). The heads are heying up and down, while the sides are heying
> across. When four people of the same role come into the middle, what would
> normally be a left shoulder pass is (in my mind's eye) half of a left hand
> star
>
> I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
> Thanks
>
> --
> Luke Donforth
> Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
Luke,
You wrote:
> I'm especially curious if something similar exists in the square dance repertoire; specifically the figure used in B1
Ron Buchanan's dance "Heymania"
http://www.quiteapair.us/calling/acdol/dance/acd_210.html
includes interlocking heys similar to the your "all 8 half hey
through", except that his are full heys. Ron refers to the figure
as a "grand hey".
I've also a similar figure, but with dancers taking hands as the
pass (so that when four meet in the center they form an actual
star), in a square dance chorus that I first learned from Larry
Edelman. I don't know where Larry learned it or whether he
invented it. It might be something out of the 1950s.
--Jim
On Apr 3, 2018, at 6:04 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I was playing around with a new (?) composition; and since it's a 4x4, it's unlikely I'll get a house-party together to test it any time soon. I'd appreciate feedback on flow (would it work), timing (is it too much?) and how you'd teach it. I'm especially curious if something similar exists in the square dance repertoire; specifically the figure used in B1
>
> Tamlin's Cross
> Bent 4x4 (i.e. 4x4 formation, but with couples facing into the middle on an X, instead of straight up and down in lines of four)
>
> A1
> (4) All 8 go into the middle and shout
> (4) Gents roll partners away on the way out
> (8) Neighbor Do-Si-Do
> A2
> (16) Neighbor Balance and Swing (square the set and face in)
> B1
> (8) Gents left hands across star 1x
> (8) start passing neighbor you swung by right, all 8 half hey through,
> then turn away from neighbor you swung
> B2
> (16) Partner Balance and Swing
> End the swing facing new couple, having swapped sides with your trail-buddy couple
>
> For the half hey through, all 8 folks are moving at the same time. At the end of A2, there are couples in head and side position (nobody is with their partner). The heads are heying up and down, while the sides are heying across. When four people of the same role come into the middle, what would normally be a left shoulder pass is (in my mind's eye) half of a left hand star
>
> I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
> Thanks
>
> --
> Luke Donforth
> Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
that looks like pretty challenging timing in B1 - you might want to eliminate the balance in B2 and just let everyone sing whent they get there
That X formation will be unfamiliar and hard to recreate at the end of B2
Mac
On Tuesday, April 3, 2018, 8:04:49 PM CDT, Luke Donforth via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hello all,
I was playing around with a new (?) composition; and since it's a 4x4, it's unlikely I'll get a house-party together to test it any time soon. I'd appreciate feedback on flow (would it work), timing (is it too much?) and how you'd teach it. I'm especially curious if something similar exists in the square dance repertoire; specifically the figure used in B1
Tamlin's Cross
Bent 4x4 (i.e. 4x4 formation, but with couples facing into the middle on an X, instead of straight up and down in lines of four)
A1
(4) All 8 go into the middle and shout
(4) Gents roll partners away on the way out
(8) Neighbor Do-Si-Do
A2
(16) Neighbor Balance and Swing (square the set and face in)
B1
(8) Gents left hands across star 1x
(8) start passing neighbor you swung by right, all 8 half hey through,
then turn away from neighbor you swung
B2
(16) Partner Balance and Swing
End the swing facing new couple, having swapped sides with your trail-buddy couple
For the half hey through, all 8 folks are moving at the same time. At the end of A2, there are couples in head and side position (nobody is with their partner). The heads are heying up and down, while the sides are heying across. When four people of the same role come into the middle, what would normally be a left shoulder pass is (in my mind's eye) half of a left hand star
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com
_______________________________________________
List Name: Callers mailing list
List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
Nice idea. I've seen figures like the "hey through" in morris dances, and I
wouldn't be surprised if Scottish and English dances have a similar idea.
I think passing through the middle (with half of a left hand star) would
tend to take 4 beats rather than 2, so the figure would take 10 beats
rather than 8.
If the "X" is problematic it would work fine to start with lines of 4
forward and back, roll away, and dosido your "corner".
On Tue, Apr 3, 2018 at 9:04 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I was playing around with a new (?) composition; and since it's a 4x4,
> it's unlikely I'll get a house-party together to test it any time soon. I'd
> appreciate feedback on flow (would it work), timing (is it too much?) and
> how you'd teach it. I'm especially curious if something similar exists in
> the square dance repertoire; specifically the figure used in B1
>
> Tamlin's Cross
> Bent 4x4 (i.e. 4x4 formation, but with couples facing into the middle on
> an X, instead of straight up and down in lines of four)
>
> A1
> (4) All 8 go into the middle and shout
> (4) Gents roll partners away on the way out
> (8) Neighbor Do-Si-Do
> A2
> (16) Neighbor Balance and Swing (square the set and face in)
> B1
> (8) Gents left hands across star 1x
> (8) start passing neighbor you swung by right, all 8 half hey through,
> then turn away from neighbor you swung
> B2
> (16) Partner Balance and Swing
> End the swing facing new couple, having swapped sides with your
> trail-buddy couple
>
> For the half hey through, all 8 folks are moving at the same time. At the
> end of A2, there are couples in head and side position (nobody is with
> their partner). The heads are heying up and down, while the sides are
> heying across. When four people of the same role come into the middle, what
> would normally be a left shoulder pass is (in my mind's eye) half of a left
> hand star
>
> I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
> Thanks
>
> --
> Luke Donforth
> Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
>
Hello all,
I was playing around with a new (?) composition; and since it's a 4x4, it's
unlikely I'll get a house-party together to test it any time soon. I'd
appreciate feedback on flow (would it work), timing (is it too much?) and
how you'd teach it. I'm especially curious if something similar exists in
the square dance repertoire; specifically the figure used in B1
Tamlin's Cross
Bent 4x4 (i.e. 4x4 formation, but with couples facing into the middle on an
X, instead of straight up and down in lines of four)
A1
(4) All 8 go into the middle and shout
(4) Gents roll partners away on the way out
(8) Neighbor Do-Si-Do
A2
(16) Neighbor Balance and Swing (square the set and face in)
B1
(8) Gents left hands across star 1x
(8) start passing neighbor you swung by right, all 8 half hey through,
then turn away from neighbor you swung
B2
(16) Partner Balance and Swing
End the swing facing new couple, having swapped sides with your trail-buddy
couple
For the half hey through, all 8 folks are moving at the same time. At the
end of A2, there are couples in head and side position (nobody is with
their partner). The heads are heying up and down, while the sides are
heying across. When four people of the same role come into the middle, what
would normally be a left shoulder pass is (in my mind's eye) half of a left
hand star
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>
