I looked at it and thought "jigs" because of the 4 steps into the middle (and thinking of slowing folks down). What kind of tune did you use Chuck?
Donna
Web Site: donnahuntcaller.com
Email: dhuntdancer(a)aol.com
Cell: 215-565-6050
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
To: callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>; Kalia Kliban <kalia.kliban(a)gmail.com>
Sent: Wed, Jul 18, 2018 1:35 pm
Subject: Re: [Callers] New dance
It's been road tested at our local caller's night; not yet at an actual dance. Hope to in the next couple weeks.
From: Callers <callers-bounces(a)lists.sharedweight.net> on behalf of Kalia Kliban via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2018 5:30 PM
To: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Subject: Re: [Callers] New dance
On 7/18/2018 6:54 AM, Charles via Callers wrote:
> I'm posting a new dance of mine - the hook is a half hey into a long
> wavy line of gents in the center. Haven't seen it before, and I'm
> wondering if anyone knows of other dances with this figure. Also, I
> looked for other dances called the Portland Reel and couldn't find any,
> but if that name has been used let me know.
>
> Other feedback welcome:
>
> *Dugan**’s Duck Dynasty***(Becket)Chuck Abell 7/18
> (/aka/The Portland Reel)
> *A1********Half hey, gents pass left to start (8)*
> *Same gents take left hands in center to make long wavy line of
> gents****(4)**
> *****Gents bal left/right (4)*
> *A2******Gents alle left 1 1/4x (4)*
> *****N swing******(12)*
> **
> *B1******On right diagonal ladies chain to shadow***(if someone is
> there)***(8)*
> **(w/ current N)***LHS 1x (8)*
> *B2******P dosido and swing (16)*
> ****/w/ these N…/
> /
> /
> /*Gents be sure to take four full steps/beats to get into the middle/
This looks good on paper. Have you road-tested it? That note at the
bottom does look like the place where the pattern could be vulnerable,
since getting folks to take their time and not arrive early can be tricky.
Kalia in Sebastopol
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Emma,
Thanks for sharing your new dance. I believe it’s always best to have larks, men or first corners gypsy, walk around or allemande by the left. One reason is that the dancers keep their positioning better especially if there’s a swing.
Of course a large number of dances follow this rule so I also believe that it’s a good idea to do something out of the ordinary once in a while. So which hand/shoulder you use may also depend on one’s program.
Tom
Sent from my iPad
> On Jul 18, 2018, at 3:17 PM, Emma Azelborn via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I'm writing to share a contra dance I've written. We've tried it out twice, once at the Camp Sturtevant weekend and once at our 5th Saturday advanced dance. The interesting part is the progression, from a hey into a circle with new neighbors.
>
> Switching the 2nd half of A1 to Raven instead of Lark also works, it just flips the direction the dance progresses. I ended up choosing Larks because of the Raven alamande at the end.
>
> Any feedback or thoughts are welcome!
>
> Emma Azelborn
> Los Angeles
>
> Hey Dreaming
> Contra Dance by Emma Azelborn
>
> Beckett, progresses to the left
> Works best with ample floor space for the orbit
>
> Teaching notes:
> It helps to identify future neighbors before starting, so dancers know who to be looking for in the progression out of the hey (they're on the left diagonal)
> Ravens turn over their left shoulder to progress & circle instead of looping right at the end of the hey
> Larks keep going the same direction of travel into the orbit
>
> A1
> 8
> Long lines fwd & back
>
> 8
> Larks right shoulder round 1½
> A2
> 16
> Neighbor balance and swing
> B1
> 8
> Larks in for half a left shoulder hey
>
> 8
> Circle right 3 places with new neighbors (this is the progression)
> Larks assist Ravens to center
> B2
> 8
> Ravens alamande right 1½ while Larks orbit halfway counterclockwise
>
> 8
> Partner swing
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
*Hi Everyone,I'm writing to share a contra dance I've written. We've tried
it out twice, once at the Camp Sturtevant weekend and once at our 5th
Saturday advanced dance. The interesting part is the progression, from a
hey into a circle with new neighbors.Switching the 2nd half of A1 to Raven
instead of Lark also works, it just flips the direction the dance
progresses. I ended up choosing Larks because of the Raven alamande at the
end.Any feedback or thoughts are welcome!Emma AzelbornLos AngelesHey
DreamingContra Dance by Emma AzelbornBeckett, progresses to the leftWorks
best with ample floor space for the orbitTeaching notes: - It helps to
identify future neighbors before starting, so dancers know who to be
looking for in the progression out of the hey (they're on the left
diagonal)- Ravens turn over their left shoulder to progress & circle
instead of looping right at the end of the hey- Larks keep going the same
direction of travel into the orbitA18Long lines fwd & back8Larks right
shoulder round 1½A216Neighbor balance and swingB18Larks in for half a left
shoulder hey8Circle right 3 places with new neighbors (this is the
progression)Larks assist Ravens to centerB28Ravens alamande right 1½ while
Larks orbit halfway counterclockwise8Partner swing*
On 7/18/2018 6:54 AM, Charles via Callers wrote:
> I'm posting a new dance of mine - the hook is a half hey into a long
> wavy line of gents in the center. Haven't seen it before, and I'm
> wondering if anyone knows of other dances with this figure. Also, I
> looked for other dances called the Portland Reel and couldn't find any,
> but if that name has been used let me know.
>
> Other feedback welcome:
>
> *Dugan**’s Duck Dynasty***(Becket)Chuck Abell 7/18
> (/aka/The Portland Reel)
> *A1********Half hey, gents pass left to start (8)*
> *Same gents take left hands in center to make long wavy line of
> gents****(4)**
> *****Gents bal left/right (4)*
> *A2******Gents alle left 1 1/4x (4)*
> *****N swing******(12)*
> **
> *B1******On right diagonal ladies chain to shadow***(if someone is
> there)***(8)*
> **(w/ current N)***LHS 1x (8)*
> *B2******P dosido and swing (16)*
> ****/w/ these N…/
> /
> /
> /*Gents be sure to take four full steps/beats to get into the middle/
This looks good on paper. Have you road-tested it? That note at the
bottom does look like the place where the pattern could be vulnerable,
since getting folks to take their time and not arrive early can be tricky.
Kalia in Sebastopol
On 2018-07-18 09:54 AM, Charles via Callers wrote:
> Also, I looked for other dances called the Portland Reel and couldn't
> find any, but if that name has been used let me know.
http://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/index/search.php?ti=portland+reel
returns 2 hits for "Portland Reel" by/from Herbie Gaudreau.
It appeared in Ralph Page's "Northern Junket" vol 11 #9 (April 1974)
and can be seen here:
http://digital.unh.edu/fedora/objects/northernjunket:0129/datastreams/APPLI…
(It's unclear to me whether the "I" in the subsequent notes is Ralph Page or
Herbie Gaudreau.)
This was then reproduced (without the notes) in Roger Knox's "Contras: As
Ralph Page Called Them" (1990).
-Michael
I'm posting a new dance of mine - the hook is a half hey into a long wavy line of gents in the center. Haven't seen it before, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of other dances with this figure. Also, I looked for other dances called the Portland Reel and couldn't find any, but if that name has been used let me know.
Other feedback welcome:
Dugan’s Duck Dynasty (Becket) Chuck Abell 7/18
(aka The Portland Reel)
A1 Half hey, gents pass left to start (8)
Same gents take left hands in center to make long wavy line of gents (4)*
Gents bal left/right (4)
A2 Gents alle left 1 1/4x (4)
N swing (12)
B1 On right diagonal ladies chain to shadow (if someone is there) (8)
(w/ current N) LHS 1x (8)
B2 P dosido and swing (16)
w/ these N…
*Gents be sure to take four full steps/beats to get into the middle
Mary,
This doesn't really answer your question, but I think it is important to bring up.
Please try to avoid gendered pronouns. As a male person who often dances The Raven role, one thing I really appreciate is a caller who doesn't use gendered pronouns regardless of the terms being used.
So for instance, don't say "Larks allemande left to your partner and swing her" instead just say "... And swing your partner" or "swing them". Usingg endered pronouns defeats the entire point of using larks and Ravens. While still using gents and ladies (community preference) I have been trying really hard to remove any use of she, he, her, him, etc.
Regards,
Ben
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jul 15, 2018, at 4:44 PM, Angela DeCarlis via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Hi Mary,
>
> The important thing, I think, is that you communicate something along the following lines: "Contra dance is divided into two roles, so that sometimes half the people dancing do one thing while the other half do something different. Otherwise, the two dance roles are nearly identical, with most moves happening for dancers in both roles. The two roles have been named to correspond to positions, so that the Lark begins the dance and ends the swing on the Left, and the Raven does those things on the Right. If you abide by these positional rules, you'll always find yourself in a good place to move on to the next piece of choreography."
>
> As is the case with technically simple but uncommon figures like 'Circle Right,' beginners will generally have an easier time with new terms than will experienced dancers. Their brains are already in learning mode, whereas some of the old hands may be flying on autopilot. The tricky part is that you can't necessarily rely on the experienced folks to be as helpful to the newbs as they may be ordinarily, so programming just a tick easier than you are used to could be a safe bet, especially if you're in the process of getting comfortable using the new terms yourself!
>
> If you're on Facebook, I highly recommend joining the group Larks and Ravens Contra Dancers. There have been a lot of really great conversations in that group, including several about how calling with genderfree terminology benefits the whole community, including those of us who are straight and cisgendered.
>
> For what it's worth, I've officially gotten to a point where calling Larks and Ravens is easier for me. It's lovely that the common Allemandes alliterate with the new terms (Larks typically allemande left, while Ravens often allemande right), and it now feels so strange to say "Ladies allemande right"; it feels like I've messed up!
>
> Good luck and please feel free to reach out to me if you have further questions on this!
>
> Angela
>
>> On Sun, Jul 15, 2018 at 6:27 PM, Mary Collins via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>> I call in primarily a traditional dance community but am investigating starting to call using larks and ravens. I am curious about what words you use and how you teach larks and ravens positioning. Thanks.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/
Hi Mary,
The important thing, I think, is that you communicate something along the
following lines: "Contra dance is divided into two roles, so that sometimes
half the people dancing do one thing while the other half do something
different. Otherwise, the two dance roles are nearly identical, with most
moves happening for dancers in both roles. The two roles have been named to
correspond to positions, so that the Lark begins the dance and ends the
swing on the Left, and the Raven does those things on the Right. If you
abide by these positional rules, you'll always find yourself in a good
place to move on to the next piece of choreography."
As is the case with technically simple but uncommon figures like 'Circle
Right,' beginners will generally have an easier time with new terms than
will experienced dancers. Their brains are already in learning mode,
whereas some of the old hands may be flying on autopilot. The tricky part
is that you can't necessarily rely on the experienced folks to be as
helpful to the newbs as they may be ordinarily, so programming just a tick
easier than you are used to could be a safe bet, especially if you're in
the process of getting comfortable using the new terms yourself!
If you're on Facebook, I highly recommend joining the group Larks and
Ravens Contra Dancers
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/1340769606022971/?ref=br_rs>. There have
been a lot of really great conversations in that group, including several
about how calling with genderfree terminology benefits the whole community,
including those of us who are straight and cisgendered.
For what it's worth, I've officially gotten to a point where calling Larks
and Ravens is *easier* for me. It's lovely that the common Allemandes
alliterate with the new terms (Larks typically allemande left, while Ravens
often allemande right), and it now feels so strange to say "Ladies
allemande right"; it feels like I've messed up!
Good luck and please feel free to reach out to me if you have further
questions on this!
Angela
On Sun, Jul 15, 2018 at 6:27 PM, Mary Collins via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> I call in primarily a traditional dance community but am investigating
> starting to call using larks and ravens. I am curious about what words you
> use and how you teach larks and ravens positioning. Thanks.
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
>
I call in primarily a traditional dance community but am investigating
starting to call using larks and ravens. I am curious about what words you
use and how you teach larks and ravens positioning. Thanks.
Hi Rich,
If you have a great dance that you want to call but it has a circle, and you have called too many circles, then why not just rechoreograph it to remove the circle?
For example you can replace
Neighbour Swing; Circle Left 3/4; Partner Swing
with
Neighbour Swing; Balance the Ring; Ladies Cross Over (by the right shoulder); Partner Swing
or with
Neighbour Swing; Ladies Balance F/B with Right Hand; Ladies Pull by; Partner Swing
with no effect on the rest of the dance.
Both versions send the lady smoothly across the set, flowing into her partner's arms with the right momentum. The second version can be especially satisfying if the ladies use just enough tension to catapult each other into their partner's arms.
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
