It’s perhaps worth saying during the teaching “also called a double mad robin,” since dancers will sometimes hear that (from callers who know ECD). I’ve seen confusion on moderately experienced contra dancers’ faces (and feet) at the term “double mad robin” (thinking you go around twice, or that it involves more than 4 people) because they’ve only ever seen the figure with 4 people moving and they’ve only ever heard it called “mad robin.”
(In the English country dance “Mad Robin,” only two people are moving in the eponymous figure.)
Read Weaver
Jamaica Plain, MA
http://lcfd.org
Hi All:
I have some cryptic notes about the dance by Robert Cromartie: "Would you do it for $20", and it's not complete.
Would someone, please, send me the figures so that I can correct my notes? Thanks.
Donna Hunt
Email: dhuntdancer(a)aol.com
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
On Mon, 24 Sep 2018 22:57:42 +0000, Bill Olson via Callers wrote:
> Judy, I really like Sackett's Harbor.
I second Bill's vote for Sackett's Harbor. Always goes down well, and it's a good introduction to contra corners because the twos
and threes can only see their own active couple whereas when it's been compressed to duple minor they have to look out for people
coming at them from all directions, it seems!
Colin Hume
What is the difference between a dance caller and a savings bond?
A savings bond eventually matures.and makes money! (said with a grin, of
course!)
On a more serious note, I would like to get my local dance series doing
more-well, actually some!-triple minors. Eventually I'd like to get them to
at least tolerate some of the traditional dances, but the learning curve of
triple minor +plus unfamiliar figures + no swing has always been just too
steep for them to manage. I've gone through Zesty Contras for more modern
triples but so far haven't found one that I think will work-so, what are
your favourite triple minors? What worked-and what didn't-in introducing
them to a crowd used to at least one swing in every dance, and everybody
moving most, if not all of the time?
Can include contra corners as they are pretty proficient-thanks to 3 years
of including it every time I call!
Thanks everyone,
Judy Greenhill
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
For me, the obvious problem with the do-si-do analogy is that mad robins
can go in either direction, and if it's counterclockwise, it's the path of
a see-saw instead of a do-si-do (and I don't teach see-saw if I can help
it).
My experience is that the important parts are:
- It's a sideways sliding figure
- You're sliding around neighbor while looking at partner (or vice versa)
- You return to where you started
So this might sound like:
"Don't do it yet. We're about to do a sideways sliding figure called a mad
robin."
(Maybe, add something about returning to starting place if it seems like
it'll help this audience)
"You'll be looking at your partner the whole time but sliding sideways
around your neighbor."
"It starts with, ravens slide to the right in front as larks slide to the
left behind," (dancers are now moving)
"then larks slide to the right in front as ravens slide to the left
behind." (continue moving)
"And you're back where you started."
Also, some people - some beginners, but also some experienced dancers - are
not able to confidently move sideways while keeping their eyes on their
partner, or maybe it's too much staring for them, so they do the motion
without the eye contact. At my local dances I'd say this happens at least
1/3 of the time. Does this feel satisfying? No. Does it work fine? Yes.
I've learned to manage my expectations.
Yoyo Zhou
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 9:57 AM Don Veino via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> 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]
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
What's orange and sounds like a parrot?
A carrot!
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 6:24 PM Polly Minstrel via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> My latest fave: what does the family of cows have for dinner?
> Hay-for-four.
>
> *groan
>
> On Mon, Sep 24, 2018, 3:50 PM Isaac Banner via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Hey everyone,
>>
>> Improbably, I've found that I've reached the bottom of my barrel of jokes
>> to tell while calling!
>> Part of it might be that I go through more than just 1 or 2 on some
>> nights....
>>
>> Regardless, I've found that I need to restock my box of dance-safe humor
>> a bit if I'm going to keep up my infamous taste for humor. What are some of
>> your favorite dance-safe jokes that are short enough to pepper in-between
>> dances or before a walkthrough?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Isaac Banner
>> _______________________________________________
>> List Name: Callers mailing list
>> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
My latest fave: what does the family of cows have for dinner? Hay-for-four.
*groan
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018, 3:50 PM Isaac Banner via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hey everyone,
>
> Improbably, I've found that I've reached the bottom of my barrel of jokes
> to tell while calling!
> Part of it might be that I go through more than just 1 or 2 on some
> nights....
>
> Regardless, I've found that I need to restock my box of dance-safe humor a
> bit if I'm going to keep up my infamous taste for humor. What are some of
> your favorite dance-safe jokes that are short enough to pepper in-between
> dances or before a walkthrough?
>
> Thanks,
> Isaac Banner
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
Hi Judy,
I like Alamo Triad from Give-and-Take.
Hands Six from the top. #1s Improper, #2s and #3s Becket, now
hold hands in a circle of six - #1s keep your backs to the band.
It is Double Progression, so you don't spend so long out at
the end. It has a swing. The #2s and #3s keep switching sides, but do the
same movements so there is less confusion. They are all standard contra
moves.
You just need to really make sure that they understand that
only one of the two couples out at the top can become the next #1s!
It may help them to start understanding some of the concepts.
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 Judy
Greenhill via Callers
Sent: 24 September 2018 22:35
To: callers discussion list <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
On a more serious note, I would like to get my local dance series doing
more-well, actually some!-triple minors. Eventually I'd like to get them to
at least tolerate some of the traditional dances, but the learning curve of
triple minor +plus unfamiliar figures + no swing has always been just too
steep for them to manage. I've gone through Zesty Contras for more modern
triples but so far haven't found one that I think will work-so, what are
your favourite triple minors? What worked-and what didn't-in introducing
them to a crowd used to at least one swing in every dance, and everybody
moving most, if not all of the time?
Can include contra corners as they are pretty proficient-thanks to 3 years
of including it every time I call!
Thanks everyone,
Judy Greenhill
<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai
gn=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient>
Virus-free.
<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai
gn=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient> www.avast.com
