That's why I use the term "sashay around" rather than "mad robin".
Sashay means move sideways, and around is pretty obvious.
tell them who to go around and who to focus their attention on and no one
has too much trouble doing it correctly.
Besides, "sashay around" or "sashay round" feels better to say than "mad
robin" -- which sounds angry or confused, IMO.
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 11:39 AM Don Veino via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> As may be obvious, I love Mad Robins. I'm still working on what is the
> best way to teach them.
>
> I know about the "Dosido/now face your Partner/on the same path as the
> Dosido, do a Mad Robin" approach and have used it.
>
> I've heard other callers I admire admonish to not use the "wrong" move as
> a teaching tool for the "right" move - as it's that much harder to
> "unlearn" the original bit.
>
> What I've observed is that newer dancers may end up focused on the wrong
> person, facing the wrong direction, and possibly doing the "Dosido Twirl"
> when using the Dosido teach. But they *do* follow the correct path (so
> long as the caller remembers to say SeeSaw vs. Dosido as the correct
> analogue) on the floor. Some can make the facing adjustment and some
> persist in facing the wrong way. If the dance tolerates the facing
> differences, all is OK.
>
> As a practice, I actively solicit feedback on my calling at each gig. Out
> of a recent one I got into an extended discussion about the Mad Robin teach
> with a dancer whom had struggled with their beginner partner in a sequence
> that evening. I had read that crowd as highly experienced so did only a
> basic teaching of the move, which they reported having not got through to
> this beginner. They freely offered that all was well around them, it was
> just a frustration in their own experience. We touched on the merits and
> drawbacks of the Dosido teach (which I chose not to use in that situation
> as it appears to annoy experienced dancers, plus because of the above
> points).
>
> I'm trying to evolve to something that teaches both the correct motion and
> the facing direction at the same time - *without* taxing experienced
> folks' patience. I have my own ideas on this but welcome others'.
>
> So, how do *you* teach a Mad Robin most effectively and efficiently? Do
> you vary it by context, crowd composition, other factors?
>
> Thanks,
> Don
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
--
*Looking forward,Linda S. Mrosko*
*102 Mitchell Drive*
*Temple, Texas 76501*
*(903) 292-3713 (Cell)*
*(903) 603-9955 (Skype)*
*contradancetx.com <http://www.contradancetx.com>*
*www.zazzle.com/fuzzycozy* <http://www.zazzle.com/fuzzycozy*> (Dance
buttons, t-shirts, & more)*
Hi Don,
I find that the key word is the one that Maia used: “Slide”.
I teach it as slide in front/behind, step forwards/backwards, slide back to where you started.
And, very important, I call it as “Slide (to the side)” for the first few times through the dance.
Calling “Mad Robin” means that they have to process the words before they can do the move. Call “Slide” and they slide.
I find that using a Ladies’ Chain into an anti-clockwise Mad Robin is one of the easiest combinations since the dancers finish the Ladies’ Chain with man behind and the lady in front ready for the slide.
Telling the dancers that it is called a Mad Robin is useful as it may help them next time they meet the move, but it is not a useful term per se as it has no intrinsic meaning.
I don’t usually bother with the Dosido method; it causes more confusion that it is worth.
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
Your numbered list approach is just what I did that night (but Gents and
Ladies). I do like your stressing point 2.
-Don
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 12:49 PM, Maia McCormick <maiamcc(a)gmail.com> wrote:
[snip]
>
> When teaching it from the mic, I've taken to doing it like this:
> 1. "This is another of those fancy moves that gets you right back where
> you started. *At the end of this move, you'll be right back here*."
> 2. "So it's important to *stay on the side of your set*. Lots of people
> feel like they should cross. Don't."
> 3. "Lock eyes with your [partner]. You're going to walk a little circle
> around your [neighbor], while looking at your partner.
> 4. "[Ravens] take a small step forward, [larks] take a small step back."
> 5. "Keep your eyes on your partner. Ravens, step to your left and larks
> step to your right, sliding past your neighbor."
> 6. "Now larks step forward and ravens step back; larks step right and
> ravens step left, sliding past your neighbor again."
> 7. "You're back where you started, hooray! Now let's try that up to
> speed..." etc.
>
> On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 12:39 PM Don Veino via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> As may be obvious, I love Mad Robins. I'm still working on what is the
>> best way to teach them.
>>
>> [snip]
Oh man, I'm excited to hear others' response to this question, because I've
also struggled with this. For a while I used "dosido; now walk that same
path while looking at your partner" and found it to be... less effective
with the beginners than I wanted it to be.
Honestly, sometimes I demo it, especially if there's something interesting
that comes after--while it definitely CAN be taught from the mic, sometimes
a demo is just clearer.
When teaching it from the mic, I've taken to doing it like this:
1. "This is another of those fancy moves that gets you right back where you
started. *At the end of this move, you'll be right back here*."
2. "So it's important to *stay on the side of your set*. Lots of people
feel like they should cross. Don't."
3. "Lock eyes with your [partner]. You're going to walk a little circle
around your [neighbor], while looking at your partner.
4. "[Ravens] take a small step forward, [larks] take a small step back."
5. "Keep your eyes on your partner. Ravens, step to your left and larks
step to your right, sliding past your neighbor."
6. "Now larks step forward and ravens step back; larks step right and
ravens step left, sliding past your neighbor again."
7. "You're back where you started, hooray! Now let's try that up to
speed..." etc.
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 12:39 PM Don Veino via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> As may be obvious, I love Mad Robins. I'm still working on what is the
> best way to teach them.
>
> I know about the "Dosido/now face your Partner/on the same path as the
> Dosido, do a Mad Robin" approach and have used it.
>
> I've heard other callers I admire admonish to not use the "wrong" move as
> a teaching tool for the "right" move - as it's that much harder to
> "unlearn" the original bit.
>
> What I've observed is that newer dancers may end up focused on the wrong
> person, facing the wrong direction, and possibly doing the "Dosido Twirl"
> when using the Dosido teach. But they *do* follow the correct path (so
> long as the caller remembers to say SeeSaw vs. Dosido as the correct
> analogue) on the floor. Some can make the facing adjustment and some
> persist in facing the wrong way. If the dance tolerates the facing
> differences, all is OK.
>
> As a practice, I actively solicit feedback on my calling at each gig. Out
> of a recent one I got into an extended discussion about the Mad Robin teach
> with a dancer whom had struggled with their beginner partner in a sequence
> that evening. I had read that crowd as highly experienced so did only a
> basic teaching of the move, which they reported having not got through to
> this beginner. They freely offered that all was well around them, it was
> just a frustration in their own experience. We touched on the merits and
> drawbacks of the Dosido teach (which I chose not to use in that situation
> as it appears to annoy experienced dancers, plus because of the above
> points).
>
> I'm trying to evolve to something that teaches both the correct motion and
> the facing direction at the same time - *without* taxing experienced
> folks' patience. I have my own ideas on this but welcome others'.
>
> So, how do *you* teach a Mad Robin most effectively and efficiently? Do
> you vary it by context, crowd composition, other factors?
>
> Thanks,
> Don
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
As may be obvious, I love Mad Robins. I'm still working on what is the best
way to teach them.
I know about the "Dosido/now face your Partner/on the same path as the
Dosido, do a Mad Robin" approach and have used it.
I've heard other callers I admire admonish to not use the "wrong" move as a
teaching tool for the "right" move - as it's that much harder to "unlearn"
the original bit.
What I've observed is that newer dancers may end up focused on the wrong
person, facing the wrong direction, and possibly doing the "Dosido Twirl"
when using the Dosido teach. But they *do* follow the correct path (so long
as the caller remembers to say SeeSaw vs. Dosido as the correct analogue)
on the floor. Some can make the facing adjustment and some persist in
facing the wrong way. If the dance tolerates the facing differences, all is
OK.
As a practice, I actively solicit feedback on my calling at each gig. Out
of a recent one I got into an extended discussion about the Mad Robin teach
with a dancer whom had struggled with their beginner partner in a sequence
that evening. I had read that crowd as highly experienced so did only a
basic teaching of the move, which they reported having not got through to
this beginner. They freely offered that all was well around them, it was
just a frustration in their own experience. We touched on the merits and
drawbacks of the Dosido teach (which I chose not to use in that situation
as it appears to annoy experienced dancers, plus because of the above
points).
I'm trying to evolve to something that teaches both the correct motion and
the facing direction at the same time - *without* taxing experienced folks'
patience. I have my own ideas on this but welcome others'.
So, how do *you* teach a Mad Robin most effectively and efficiently? Do you
vary it by context, crowd composition, other factors?
Thanks,
Don
Hi Keith,
Nice dance! I think the notes in your email are different from the
animation though. In the first part of B2, your animation shows the men
allemanding with each other, not with their next neighbors (who would be
ladies). Is the intended instruction? It's a fun idea. Next time I am
calling to a group of capable dancers, I'll give it a try.
A similar figure with the gent-only interaction moving up/down the line
also occurs in Jim Hemphill's "Steam Train" and "Raindrops on a Chain" (
http://www.childgrove.org/mo-dances/jim-hemphill ). I've been trying to
write a variation on Steam Train which alternates between the women doing
the key figure (same-sex interaction up the line) and the men (as written),
but it hasn't quite converged yet....
Steven
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 2:54 AM <callers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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> 1. New dance, new move (Keith Wood)
>
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2018 15:27:15 +1000
> From: Keith Wood <wood.keith(a)optusnet.com.au>
> To: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Subject: [Callers] New dance, new move
> Message-ID: <ba85f45e-37df-b33b-b0b1-5bbad90c2bd4(a)optusnet.com.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>
> Hi Everyone
>
> My latest dance for your enjoyment, with an animation at
> http://www.dancekaleidoscope.org.au/dance.html#Ophidian.
>
> Ophidian
> Keith Wood September 2018
> Becket formation, double reverse progression
>
> The snakelike move for the men to reunite with their partners inspired
> this dance, and its name. If there's a spare couple at the bottom they
> wait together on the "men's" line. The woman joins in from the diagonal
> ladies chain, while the man joins in from the snake.
>
> A1 ?? Men allemande left once around, while women orbit clockwise half-way
> ? ?? ?? Swing opposite
> A2??? On the left diagonal, ladies chain to shadow
> ? ?? ?? Opposite do-si-do left shoulder
> B1 ?? Star left once around
> ? ?? ?? Star right once around
> B2 ?? Snake: Men allemande right 5/8, next neighbour allemande left 1/2,
> next neighbour allemande right 1/2 to face partner; man coming out at
> the end loop right and rejoin immediately
> ? ?? ?? Swing partner
>
> Cheers
>
> Keith
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
> https://www.avast.com/antivirus
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 53, Issue 14
> ***************************************
>
Just FYI, Teen Spirit worked out fine when called. People *really* like to
travel during the Sashay/Gallop, even after encouraging them in the
walk-through to moderate the pass back (so they would get to the ring/4
balance on time). Settled down after a couple rounds. Worked best when
folks moved to a two-hand hold rather than staying in ballroom position out
of the swing.
-Don
Hi Don,
I get confused when Americans use Sashay in a dance.
Do you mean Sashay as in Roll Away with a Half Sashay – where it just means step to the side?
Or do you mean Sashay as in the dictionary: “walk in an ostentatious yet casual manner, typically with exaggerated movements of the hips and shoulders”?
Or do you mean Gallop, where you take your partner in a Ballroom (or Two Hand) Hold and charge across using Side-Together, Side-Together steps?
I think you mean the last one. We always say Gallop in the UK. It avoids a lot of confusion and is much more in keeping with the actual move.
(Yes, yes, I know Americans have been using Sashay for a long time, and, like Humpty Dumpty, you can pay the words extra at the end of the week to make the words mean anything you want, but Gallop is such a better way of saying it! I can’t imagine what would happen if I asked a bunch of English teenagers to Sashay across the floor :-) ).
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
From: Callers <callers-bounces(a)lists.sharedweight.net> On Behalf Of Don Veino via Callers
Sent: 21 September 2018 20:48
To: Shared Weight <Callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Easy contras for teens
It appears that the formatting on this one may have gone awry, so here's another try:
DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE - Becket - Don Veino 20180914
A1 Left diagonal Neighbors SeeSaw Sashay* w/Partner
[Gents back to back to start, can substitute a diagonal left couple conventional SeeSaw]
Gents Allemande Left 1+1/2x, give RH to Neighbor
A2 Wave/4 across Balance Right & Left, Slide/Twirl Right
Wave/4 across Balance Left & Right, Slide/Twirl Left
B1 Neighbor Balance & Swing
B2 Gents low LH Balance (L adjust to left), Pull By & Partner Swing
[or Give & Take to Ladies, Partner Swing]
*With your Partner Sashay around your next Neighbors following the path of a SeeSaw
End effects: Wait out crossed over on left diagonal for SeeSaw
On Fri, Sep 21, 2018 at 3:28 PM, Don Veino <sharedweight_net(a)veino.com <mailto:sharedweight_net@veino.com> > wrote:
[snip]
It appears that the formatting on this one may have gone awry, so here's
another try:
DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE - Becket - Don Veino 20180914
A1 Left diagonal Neighbors SeeSaw Sashay* w/Partner
[Gents back to back to start, can substitute a diagonal left couple
conventional SeeSaw]
Gents Allemande Left 1+1/2x, give RH to Neighbor
A2 Wave/4 across Balance Right & Left, Slide/Twirl Right
Wave/4 across Balance Left & Right, Slide/Twirl Left
B1 Neighbor Balance & Swing
B2 Gents low LH Balance (L adjust to left), Pull By & Partner Swing
[or Give & Take to Ladies, Partner Swing]
*With your Partner Sashay around your next Neighbors following the path of
a SeeSaw
End effects: Wait out crossed over on left diagonal for SeeSaw
On Fri, Sep 21, 2018 at 3:28 PM, Don Veino <sharedweight_net(a)veino.com>
wrote:
> [snip]
>
There's *Grease and Glue* by Linda Mrosko:
https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/msg10519.html
At Ogontz Family Camp this year (missed you three!) Steve Z-A wanted to
teach Mad Robin to the 11s & 12s but didn't have a dance that was suitable.
We couldn't find one in my deck either, so I wrote this one. It worked out
well but as you know that group may be at a more advanced level than your
average teens:
*Mad for Ogontz - DI - Don Veino 20180808*
A1 Neighbor Gypsy, Swing
A2 Gents Allemande Left 1+1/2x, Partner Swing
B1 Long Lines Forward & Back, Half Hey (Ladies Right start)
B2 Ladies Chain, Mad Robin CCW (Ladies thru center first) to next
I've also been playing recently with some compositions for a younger and/or
more energetic crowd. For instance, I've noted they tend to enjoy Sashays,
so...
*DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE - Becket - Don Veino 20180914A1 Left diagonal
Neighbors SeeSaw Sashay* w/Partner[Gents back to back to start, can
substitute a diagonal left couple conventional SeeSaw]Gents Allemande Left
1+1/2x, give RH to NeighborA2 Wave/4 across Balance Right & Left,
Slide/Twirl RightWave/4 across Balance Left & Right, Slide/Twirl LeftB1
Neighbor Balance & SwingB2 Gents low LH Balance (L adjust to left), Pull By
& Partner Swing[or Give & Take to Ladies, Partner Swing]*With your Partner
Sashay around your next Neighbors following the path of a SeeSawEnd
effects: Wait out crossed over on left diagonal for SeeSaw*
High Voltage worked well with the target group (mustn't go too far away on
sashay!). The following sibling hasn't been tested and didn't have a name
until your request inspired it... :-) I may be giving this one a go at my
gig tonight.
*(Smells Like) Teen Spirit - Becket - Don Veino 20180914*
A1 Left diagonal Neighbors SeeSaw Sashay w/Partner [to opp these N]
Ring/4 Balance, Twirl/Slide Right
A2 Neighbor Balance & Swing
B1 Long Lines Forward & Back, Star Right 3/4x
[can take right hand with Partner and pull into...]
B2 Partner Dosido & Swing
End effects: Wait out crossed over on left diagonal for SeeSaw
*BTW*, I've found out that "SeeSaw Sashay" is surprisingly hard to say
without practice - sort of a Peter Piper thing. :-)
On Wed, Sep 19, 2018 at 4:55 PM, Rick Mohr via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> I call a small monthly dance for teenagers, a blast and interesting in
> many ways.
>
> My easiest “regular evening” contras are a good challenge for the group,
> so I’m looking for some varied easy contras to lead up to those. (Also
> interesting barn dances -- asking about those in a separate thread.)
>
> The teens are fine with swings but aren’t hooked on them like most contra
> dancers. So contras with no partner swing, no neighbor swing, or no swings
> at all are just fine, and good for variety. And our lines are fairly short,
> so unequal dances are OK.
>
> Here are some favorites. Have other good ones to add? The group is all
> about having fun, so it’s fine to have chases, basket swings, sashaying,
> and other goofiness.
>
> Family Contra (Sherry Nevins)
> A1: Bal ring x2, circle R
> A2: Bal ring x2, circle L
> B1: Dosido P, dosido N
> B2: Dosido as couples 1.5
>
> Andy White's (Amy Cann)
> A1: Circle L, dosido P
> A2: As couples dosido Ns, 2 hand turn N
> B1: Clap both/R/both/L with P, same with N; repeat all
> B2: 2s arch, 1s duck; 1s arch, 2s duck BACK; 2s arch, 1s duck
>
> Jefferson & Liberty
> A1: Circle L/R
> A2: Star R/L
> B1: 1s balance & swing
> B2: Down center, 1's arch, 2's duck; return (1s backing up)
>
> Monterey Detour (Bob Dalsemer)
> A1: Down center (turn alone) & back
> A2: Circle R/L
> B1: Dosido N, sw N
> B2: F&b, 1s sw
>
> Thanks!
>
> Rick
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
