Has anyone experienced issues with their wooden dance floors becoming
sticky during humid weather? If so, what if anything has been done to
alleviate the problem?
thanks.
Mary C. - Buffalo
--
“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass ... it's about learning
to dance in the rain!” ~ Unknown
Hi Rickey,
Some of your options depend on the skill levels of your dancers and their
willingness to explore related genres. There have been lots of great
suggestions already. Here are a few more.
Many of the Playford dances are great fun and can be danced with the kind of
energy that contra dancers like to use. Have a look at this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avfqi-cjrYI
The first figure is OK, albeit a little long, but the second one, the
Shuttle (starts at 1:22), is great fun, as is the last one, the Sheepskin
Hey (starts at 1:46). If you think your dancers would enjoy that sort of
dance then there are loads of great English dances out there, from Playford
through to eCeilidh: http://www.webfeet.org/dances/index.html
Here is another sample with four different heys in three figures (watch the
top couple carefully in the last figure - they are doing a circular hey
while the others are dancing heys on the side!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmepHV5cM7k
Couple dances:
Salty Dog Rag
Swedish Masquerade
The Ideal Schottische
Two Couple Dances:
Thanks to Mr Playford
Jubilation
and lots more...
Three Couple Dances:
Too many to mention!
Four Couple Dances:
No good - if you have 10 to 14 people then too many are sitting out - I have
the same problem at some of my sessions.
Five Couple Dances:
Yorkshire Rose
Boston Tea Party
Fivepenny Piece
And I have a version of Up Tails All using modern moves, each couple going
round the circle doing the move of their choice with each other couple, with
multiple couples active at the same time - contact me if you are interested.
Six Couple Dances:
Square --- NOT!
Hexitation - and double up the Heads to turn 12 people into a square dance
for fun in the choruses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qNy9II3OiU
Seven Couple Dances:
See the recent discussion at Cat's Calling Academy:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/110222402336603/permalink/1201075319917967/
Five Assorted Dancers:
Five Weevils (I think some weevils were mentioned already)
F-Lock
Quintilinear
SAD Dances (Seven Assorted Dancers):
Six Plus One
The Moon & Seven Stars
Nine Assorted Dancers:
Westward Ho!
Of course there are also Circle Mixers.
And Appalachian Big Set is fun as well if you have 12 people (or 10 or 14 -
one couple will be out briefly each time). Here is a sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3mEOihRck
There are lots of two couple figures in the tradition and you can mix them
up any way you wish, with a scatter promenade between each couple of figures
to change neighbours. Each dance starts and ends in a big circle and there
are lots of fun moves for that formation in the tradition as well. This is
square dancing for when you don't have multiples of eight!
Hope that helps.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
Since no one has mentioned it yet, Paul Rosenberg's book Peel The Banana is another excellent source.
I'll be getting in touch with Sister Mary Joseph after I get back home tomorrow.
Jacob
Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
-------- Original message --------
From: "P. Campbell via Callers" <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Date:07/15/2015 9:33 AM (GMT-05:00)
To: Colin Hume <colin(a)colinhume.com>
Cc: Sister Mary Joseph <smjmicm2004(a)gmail.com>,Callers List <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Help for a caller
I agree - the dances she's leading are what I call "community dances" and I've also emailed her separately with some suggestions of mainly whole set dances and circle, square, & other formations that are family-friendly.
Marion Rose also has some great books with CDs; the series is called Step Lively (Canadian).
Patricia
countrydancecaller(a)gmail.com
www.countrydancecaller.com
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jul 15, 2015, at 9:00 AM, Colin Hume via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:34:10 -0400, Sister Mary Joseph wrote:
>> I'm not sure if the dances I do know are even contras technically.
>> I am pretty much working with the families who come here to Mass
>> and am looking to add to the ten or so dances that they already
>> know. Here are a few of our dances.
>>
>> -The Virginia Reel
>> - The Bridge of Athlone
>> - Heel & Toe Polka
>> - Oh Suzanna
>
> No, they're not contras; they're English Barn Dance repertoire -
> though I'm not saying they're all dances from England; Bridge of
> Athlone comes from Ireland and Virginia Reel comes from America though
> the original was Sir Roger de Coverley which comes from England.
> Every Saturday night hundreds of callers in England will be teaching
> these at Barn Dances to people who may never have danced before:
> school PTAs, Weddings, Scout or Guide parents, etc.
>
> I recommend http://barndances.org.uk/ where Thomas Green which gives
> lots of good advice and instructions for lots of good dances.
>
> To find out what the terms mean, I recommend Hugh Stewart's book
> "Elements of English Country Dance" which you can find online at
> http://round.soc.srcf.net/dances/elements.htm
>
> Colin Hume
>
> Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://www.colinhume.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:34:10 -0400, Sister Mary Joseph wrote:
> I'm not sure if the dances I do know are even contras technically.
> I am pretty much working with the families who come here to Mass
> and am looking to add to the ten or so dances that they already
> know. Here are a few of our dances.
>
> -The Virginia Reel
> - The Bridge of Athlone
> - Heel & Toe Polka
> - Oh Suzanna
No, they're not contras; they're English Barn Dance repertoire -
though I'm not saying they're all dances from England; Bridge of
Athlone comes from Ireland and Virginia Reel comes from America though
the original was Sir Roger de Coverley which comes from England.
Every Saturday night hundreds of callers in England will be teaching
these at Barn Dances to people who may never have danced before:
school PTAs, Weddings, Scout or Guide parents, etc.
I recommend http://barndances.org.uk/ where Thomas Green which gives
lots of good advice and instructions for lots of good dances.
To find out what the terms mean, I recommend Hugh Stewart's book
"Elements of English Country Dance" which you can find online at
http://round.soc.srcf.net/dances/elements.htm
Colin Hume
Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://www.colinhume.com
Yes, everything from New England Dancing Masters is excellent, including video and DVD.
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jul 14, 2015, at 11:24 PM, James Saxe via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Note that New England Dancing Masters have also produced
> a video to go with the _Chimes of Dunkirk_ book and CD.
> The description here
>
> http://www.dancingmasters.com/store/books-cds-dvds/chimes-of-dunkirk-video
>
> says that it includes teaching of the dances.
>
> Disclaimer: I don't own this video and haven't watched it.
> But the quality of the NEDM books and CDs makes me guess
> it would be similarly well produced. Perhaps there's
> someone on this list who could give a first-hand review.
>
> --Jim
>
> On Jul 14, 2015, at 8:46 PM, Delia Clark via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote
> (re the inquiry from Sr. Mary Joseph forwarded by Cary Ravitz):
>>
>> If she has any budget at all, I really recommend the New England Dancing Masters books: http://www.amidonmusic.com/books-cds-store/new-england-dancing-masters which I learned about from David Millstone.
>> I especially like Chimes of Dunkirk and Sashay the Donut. They’re FULL of the kinds of dances she’s looking for!
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
The Childgrove website has lots of videos. The chestnuts may be good for her and maybe she can pick up some of the contras as well. Because the video is there with the choreography as well she may be able to start picking up the written terminology that she reads as well. You could also point out that some of your dances have youtube links, but they may be more than what she is looking for.
Janet
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
-------- Original message --------
From: Cary Ravitz via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Date: 07/14/2015 6:34 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: Shared_Weight_Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Help for a caller
I received this note a couple of days ago. I am not qualified to answer it, but I know there are many people here who could help. I gave her a limited response and offered to help her out with SharedWeight - she asked me to post here for her. You can email her directly or I will forward any posted responses. Thanks, Cary Ravitz
"
My name is Sr. Mary Joseph and I am Catholic Sister who is very new at
calling dances. I'm not sure if the dances I do know are even contras
technically. I am pretty much working with the families who come here
to Mass and am looking to add to the ten or so dances that they already
know. Here are a few of our dances.
-The Virginia Reel
- The Bridge of Athlone
- Heel & Toe Polka
- Oh Suzanna
I have had success learning dances off a few YouTube videos especially
the set from Mark Geslison and Geoff Groberg. I have a very hard time
deciphering dances that are simply written out on some web sites. If I
knew the jargon a little better, I'm sure that would be a huge
resourse. Right now, I think I need to see it.
Because you have a much better idea about the world of contra dancing/
folk dancing than I do, I was hoping you could point me in the right
direction. Do you know of any websites that have lots of videos of the
dances? I could probably invest in a set of DVD's if I new it was going
to be helpful. Is there someone I could call with my questions?
I unfortunately do not have much time to dedicate to developing this
skill, but I figure a little improvement would be better than none.
Thank you for your time. May God bless you.
"
Sister Mary Joseph <smjmicm2004(a)gmail.com>
--
Cary Ravitz
ravitz(a)ravitz.us
If she has any budget at all, I really recommend the New England Dancing Masters books: http://www.amidonmusic.com/books-cds-store/new-england-dancing-masters <http://www.amidonmusic.com/books-cds-store/new-england-dancing-masters> which I learned about from David Millstone.
I especially like Chimes of Dunkirk and Sashay the Donut. They’re FULL of the kinds of dances she’s looking for!
> On Jul 14, 2015, at 6:34 PM, Cary Ravitz via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> I received this note a couple of days ago. I am not qualified to answer it, but I know there are many people here who could help. I gave her a limited response and offered to help her out with SharedWeight - she asked me to post here for her. You can email her directly or I will forward any posted responses. Thanks, Cary Ravitz
>
> "
> My name is Sr. Mary Joseph and I am Catholic Sister who is very new at calling dances. I'm not sure if the dances I do know are even contras technically. I am pretty much working with the families who come here to Mass and am looking to add to the ten or so dances that they already know. Here are a few of our dances.
>
> -The Virginia Reel
> - The Bridge of Athlone
> - Heel & Toe Polka
> - Oh Suzanna
>
> I have had success learning dances off a few YouTube videos especially the set from Mark Geslison and Geoff Groberg. I have a very hard time deciphering dances that are simply written out on some web sites. If I knew the jargon a little better, I'm sure that would be a huge resourse. Right now, I think I need to see it.
>
> Because you have a much better idea about the world of contra dancing/ folk dancing than I do, I was hoping you could point me in the right direction. Do you know of any websites that have lots of videos of the dances? I could probably invest in a set of DVD's if I new it was going to be helpful. Is there someone I could call with my questions?
>
> I unfortunately do not have much time to dedicate to developing this skill, but I figure a little improvement would be better than none. Thank you for your time. May God bless you.
> "
>
> Sister Mary Joseph <smjmicm2004(a)gmail.com <mailto:smjmicm2004@gmail.com>>
>
> --
> Cary Ravitz
> ravitz(a)ravitz.us <mailto:ravitz@ravitz.us>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
Delia Clark
PO Box 45
Taftsville, VT 05073
802-457-2075
deliaclark8(a)gmail.com
I received this note a couple of days ago. I am not qualified to answer it,
but I know there are many people here who could help. I gave her a limited
response and offered to help her out with SharedWeight - she asked me to
post here for her. You can email her directly or I will forward any posted
responses. Thanks, Cary Ravitz
"
My name is Sr. Mary Joseph and I am Catholic Sister who is very new at
calling dances. I'm not sure if the dances I do know are even contras
technically. I am pretty much working with the families who come here to
Mass and am looking to add to the ten or so dances that they already know.
Here are a few of our dances.
-The Virginia Reel
- The Bridge of Athlone
- Heel & Toe Polka
- Oh Suzanna
I have had success learning dances off a few YouTube videos especially the
set from Mark Geslison and Geoff Groberg. I have a very hard time
deciphering dances that are simply written out on some web sites. If I
knew the jargon a little better, I'm sure that would be a huge resourse.
Right now, I think I need to see it.
Because you have a much better idea about the world of contra dancing/ folk
dancing than I do, I was hoping you could point me in the right direction.
Do you know of any websites that have lots of videos of the dances? I
could probably invest in a set of DVD's if I new it was going to be
helpful. Is there someone I could call with my questions?
I unfortunately do not have much time to dedicate to developing this skill,
but I figure a little improvement would be better than none. Thank you for
your time. May God bless you.
"
Sister Mary Joseph <smjmicm2004(a)gmail.com>
--
Cary Ravitz
ravitz(a)ravitz.us
Hi callers, have you any dances for evenings when only a few folks show up,
say 10 or 12 or under, other than squares.
Rickey Holt with the summertime low attendance blues
holt.e(a)comcast.net
Lindsey,
I was looking for a fun but easy to call contra and found this one for your nautical theme. From Rich Goss' collection of dance cards. http://www.quiteapair.us/calling/
claire takemori
Dancing Sailors - Ed Shaw Proper
Reels
A1: Actives down the outside below two couples
Return up the center, cast off
A2: Actives turn contra corners
B1: Actives with their second corners
Hey-for-4 on the diag (actives start pass right sh)
B2: Actives swing in the middle (end facing up)
