Lots of great dances already suggested.
Talking about the bigger picture programming thing, I hear wanting to
change the feel and not have circles in every dance. While Give and Take
might feel like a cheat to you, it will feel different for the dancers, and
it's probably not egregious.
You can also add a fair bit of texture with just different results from the
circle. A swing ->circle & swing transition is going to feel different than
a circle into a chain, or a circle left to a circle right, etc. I think two
no-circle dances in a half is a good thing to shoot for, but also showing
the various ways the circle can be used.
A lot of 4x4 dances don't use circles, so if your crowds are up for (and
large enough) for those, they can get you there and add other program
texture.
As for specific dances that haven't been mentioned yet, here are some with
10+ calls from my box:
Marion's Delight by Carol Kopp
A turn for the better by Bill Pope
Friday Night Fever by Tony Parks
Rocket City Romp by Cis Hinkle
iFlirt by Luke Donforth
2nd Course by Luke Donforth
A Sure Thing by Chris Page (has Circle Right)
Treasure of the Sierra Madre by James Hutson (no N swing)
Amherst and Wooster by Chris Weiler (no N swing)
On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 8:16 PM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Helo Folks,
>
> This group has been so quiet lately. The group has been so important for
> me as I developed my Contra calling repertoire and skills, so I thought I'd
> initiate a conversation.
>
> As I sit here programming a dance I realize that I do not have many dances
> without circles. Many that I do have, do not have a Neighbor Swing, or
> have a Give & Take to cheat it out. Those factors limit where and when I
> can use them.
>
> I generally like to program two no circle dances in each half, and also a
> NO neighbor Swing dance in at least one half if not both halves of an
> evening. Any thoughts on this?
>
> Does anyone want to share some modern contras that have no Circles and no
> Give & Takes, but include a partner and neighbor swing.
>
> Here are a few I have used.
>
> Just for NEFFA, Linda Leslie
> Rollin' and Tumblin'. Cis Hinkle
> Rocket City Romp, Cis Hinkle
> Travels with Rick and Kim, Shari Miller Johnson
> Friday Night Fever, Tony Parkes
>
> Thanks,
> Rich Sbardella
> Stafford, CT
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
>
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>
Others not mentioned yet...
Pedal Pushers, Bob Dalsemer (is SF Prom. considered a cheat too?)
Molly Pitcher, Melanie Axel-Lute
Get Me Going , Lisa Greenleaf (believe you have this?)
Tranquility, Linda Leslie (" ")
MN-NY Happy Returns, Carol Ormand
Plus there's a bunch of mine - a sampling of proven/published longways:
Force of Nature – DI or Becket – Don Veino 20180620
Fun, easy intermediate dance
http://veino.com/blog/?p=2060
The Right In Tension (a.k.a. Synchro de Mayo) – Becket – Don Veino 20180430
Couple of interesting/unique twists in a down the hall dance
http://veino.com/blog/?p=2030
(Home Again, Home Again) Jiggity Jig – DI – Don Veino 20180430
Easy way to introduce RH High, Left Low turn to swap
http://veino.com/blog/?p=2117
Dosi Dude – DI – Don Veino 20171006
Easy big energy dance
http://veino.com/blog/?p=1959
(Riding in the) Zoomy Car – DI – Don Veino 20170717
Another unique take on a down the hall
http://veino.com/blog/?p=1792
Double Crossed Again! [V2] – DI – Don Veino 20140721
Double cross-trails dance
http://veino.com/blog/?p=1469
Charlie’s Free Flowing Elixir – DI – Don Veino 20160827
Fun, bouncy respin on a Charlie Harvey dance - sort of an alternate to Cis
Hinkle's Rocket City Romp
http://veino.com/blog/?p=1443
I ♥ Unicorns – DI – Don Veino 20170203
Mirror Mad Robin & Fig 8s in a DTH dance
http://veino.com/blog/?p=1317
-Don
On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 8:16 PM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Helo Folks,
>
> This group has been so quiet lately. The group has been so important for
> me as I developed my Contra calling repertoire and skills, so I thought I'd
> initiate a conversation.
>
> As I sit here programming a dance I realize that I do not have many dances
> without circles. Many that I do have, do not have a Neighbor Swing, or
> have a Give & Take to cheat it out. Those factors limit where and when I
> can use them.
>
> I generally like to program two no circle dances in each half, and also a
> NO neighbor Swing dance in at least one half if not both halves of an
> evening. Any thoughts on this?
>
> Does anyone want to share some modern contras that have no Circles and no
> Give & Takes, but include a partner and neighbor swing.
>
> Here are a few I have used.
>
> Just for NEFFA, Linda Leslie
> Rollin' and Tumblin'. Cis Hinkle
> Rocket City Romp, Cis Hinkle
> Travels with Rick and Kim, Shari Miller Johnson
> Friday Night Fever, Tony Parkes
>
> Thanks,
> Rich Sbardella
> Stafford, CT
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
>
Ummm.....Snake River Reel does not have a partner swing....in fact, your
partner is almost irrelevant for the whole dance!
On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 8:31 PM, Mark Hillegonds via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hi, Rich,
>
> Here are a few more for your consideration:
>
> Labor of Love, Kathy Anderson
> Alter-Ations, Jim Kitch
> Blue-Haired Girl, Chuck Roth
> Chrus Jig (Traditional) - Not modern, but still widely appreciated
> ContraQuad, Seth Tepfer
> Coray's Silver Jubilee (4 face 4), Carol Ormand
> Crunchy Cheese, Carol Ormand
> Dance All Night (4 face 4), Rick Mohr
> Dancing With A Pirate, Jo Mortland
> Fairport Harbor, Paul Balliet
> Fly Around My Pretty Littls Miss, Dale Wilson
> Fruit Punch, Diane Silver
> Furthermore, Scott Higgs
> Hey There, Tom Hinds
> Joyride, Eric Weberg
> Mad Robin Migration, Jim Hemphill
> Marian's Delight, Carol Kopp
> Meliza's Magical Mystery Motion, Cary Ravitz
> Of The Mills, John Gallagher
> Paddy On The Computer Chair, Martha Wild
> Pigtown Petronella, Cary Ravitz
> Princeton Petronella, Bob Isaacs
> Rick O'Shea's Hey, Jiim Hemphill
> Rollin' and Tumblin', Cis HInkle
> Snake River Reel, Peter Lippencott
> There Is No Way To Peace, Peace Is The Way, Erik Hoffman
> Trip to Lambertville, Steve Zakon-Anderson
> Webster Hall Reel, Don Theyken
> Winder in Summerland, Jeff Spero/James Hutson
>
> Enjoy!!!
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 8:16 PM Rich Sbardella via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Helo Folks,
>>
>> This group has been so quiet lately. The group has been so important for
>> me as I developed my Contra calling repertoire and skills, so I thought I'd
>> initiate a conversation.
>>
>> As I sit here programming a dance I realize that I do not have many
>> dances without circles. Many that I do have, do not have a Neighbor Swing,
>> or have a Give & Take to cheat it out. Those factors limit where and when
>> I can use them.
>>
>> I generally like to program two no circle dances in each half, and also a
>> NO neighbor Swing dance in at least one half if not both halves of an
>> evening. Any thoughts on this?
>>
>> Does anyone want to share some modern contras that have no Circles and no
>> Give & Takes, but include a partner and neighbor swing.
>>
>> Here are a few I have used.
>>
>> Just for NEFFA, Linda Leslie
>> Rollin' and Tumblin'. Cis Hinkle
>> Rocket City Romp, Cis Hinkle
>> Travels with Rick and Kim, Shari Miller Johnson
>> Friday Night Fever, Tony Parkes
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Rich Sbardella
>> Stafford, CT
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> List Name: Callers mailing list
>> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>
>
>
> --
> *Mark Hillegonds*
>
> Cell: 734-756-8441
> Email: mark.hillegonds(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/
>
>
Roger Diggle - Snake Oil Reel - great dance no circles
On Monday, July 9, 2018, 7:16:41 PM CDT, Rich Sbardella via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Helo Folks,
This group has been so quiet lately. The group has been so important for me as I developed my Contra calling repertoire and skills, so I thought I'd initiate a conversation.
As I sit here programming a dance I realize that I do not have many dances without circles. Many that I do have, do not have a Neighbor Swing, or have a Give & Take to cheat it out. Those factors limit where and when I can use them.
I generally like to program two no circle dances in each half, and also a NO neighbor Swing dance in at least one half if not both halves of an evening. Any thoughts on this?
Does anyone want to share some modern contras that have no Circles and no Give & Takes, but include a partner and neighbor swing.
Here are a few I have used.
Just for NEFFA, Linda LeslieRollin' and Tumblin'. Cis HinkleRocket City Romp, Cis HinkleTravels with Rick and Kim, Shari Miller JohnsonFriday Night Fever, Tony Parkes
Thanks,Rich SbardellaStafford, CT
_______________________________________________
List Name: Callers mailing list
List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
Hi, Rich,
Here are a few more for your consideration:
Labor of Love, Kathy Anderson
Alter-Ations, Jim Kitch
Blue-Haired Girl, Chuck Roth
Chrus Jig (Traditional) - Not modern, but still widely appreciated
ContraQuad, Seth Tepfer
Coray's Silver Jubilee (4 face 4), Carol Ormand
Crunchy Cheese, Carol Ormand
Dance All Night (4 face 4), Rick Mohr
Dancing With A Pirate, Jo Mortland
Fairport Harbor, Paul Balliet
Fly Around My Pretty Littls Miss, Dale Wilson
Fruit Punch, Diane Silver
Furthermore, Scott Higgs
Hey There, Tom Hinds
Joyride, Eric Weberg
Mad Robin Migration, Jim Hemphill
Marian's Delight, Carol Kopp
Meliza's Magical Mystery Motion, Cary Ravitz
Of The Mills, John Gallagher
Paddy On The Computer Chair, Martha Wild
Pigtown Petronella, Cary Ravitz
Princeton Petronella, Bob Isaacs
Rick O'Shea's Hey, Jiim Hemphill
Rollin' and Tumblin', Cis HInkle
Snake River Reel, Peter Lippencott
There Is No Way To Peace, Peace Is The Way, Erik Hoffman
Trip to Lambertville, Steve Zakon-Anderson
Webster Hall Reel, Don Theyken
Winder in Summerland, Jeff Spero/James Hutson
Enjoy!!!
On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 8:16 PM Rich Sbardella via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Helo Folks,
>
> This group has been so quiet lately. The group has been so important for
> me as I developed my Contra calling repertoire and skills, so I thought I'd
> initiate a conversation.
>
> As I sit here programming a dance I realize that I do not have many dances
> without circles. Many that I do have, do not have a Neighbor Swing, or
> have a Give & Take to cheat it out. Those factors limit where and when I
> can use them.
>
> I generally like to program two no circle dances in each half, and also a
> NO neighbor Swing dance in at least one half if not both halves of an
> evening. Any thoughts on this?
>
> Does anyone want to share some modern contras that have no Circles and no
> Give & Takes, but include a partner and neighbor swing.
>
> Here are a few I have used.
>
> Just for NEFFA, Linda Leslie
> Rollin' and Tumblin'. Cis Hinkle
> Rocket City Romp, Cis Hinkle
> Travels with Rick and Kim, Shari Miller Johnson
> Friday Night Fever, Tony Parkes
>
> Thanks,
> Rich Sbardella
> Stafford, CT
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
--
*Mark Hillegonds*
Cell: 734-756-8441
Email: mark.hillegonds(a)gmail.com
Helo Folks,
This group has been so quiet lately. The group has been so important for
me as I developed my Contra calling repertoire and skills, so I thought I'd
initiate a conversation.
As I sit here programming a dance I realize that I do not have many dances
without circles. Many that I do have, do not have a Neighbor Swing, or
have a Give & Take to cheat it out. Those factors limit where and when I
can use them.
I generally like to program two no circle dances in each half, and also a
NO neighbor Swing dance in at least one half if not both halves of an
evening. Any thoughts on this?
Does anyone want to share some modern contras that have no Circles and no
Give & Takes, but include a partner and neighbor swing.
Here are a few I have used.
Just for NEFFA, Linda Leslie
Rollin' and Tumblin'. Cis Hinkle
Rocket City Romp, Cis Hinkle
Travels with Rick and Kim, Shari Miller Johnson
Friday Night Fever, Tony Parkes
Thanks,
Rich Sbardella
Stafford, CT
The name of my local dance community, chosen >30 years ago, is Tallahassee Community Friends of Old-time Dance. Many dancers now prefer evenings made up entirely of contras, narrowly defined, but some still prefer our traditional mix of formations. When I advertise our dances on Facebook, I subtly call the events that I expect to be all-contras ‘contradances’, and the others ‘old-time dances’. I don’t know whether anyone notices. We aren’t the only such organization with ‘old-time’ in our name.
Richard Hopkins
850-544-7614
hopkinsrs(a)comcast.net
Sent from my iPhone
>
> ***************************************
I'm in Germany, and I'm speaking for the next few days at a Conference run by the European Callers and Teachers Association.
Several of my sessions are about Contras, and speaking to the Contra Coordinator as we drove to the hotel I realised we had very
different ideas about what a contra is. I say it is an American (or American-style) dance, longways duple or triple. He classes
three-couple dances (such as Ted's Triplets), four-couple dances and circles as contras. He even classes my dance "Sting in the
Tail" as a contra. This is for two three-couple sets side-by-side and involves siding into line, set and turn single. I would
regard this quite definitely as "Playford"-style, and I think Americans would categorise it as English. But what is a contra? I
know the hot-shots would say that it's longways duple improper or Becket with a partner swing and preferably a neighbor swing, but
is that your definition? What about an early American dance such as "The Young Widow" - is that a contra? Can a dance in waltz
time be a contra? I think of a contra as mainly danced to reels or jigs, though I know there are a few to slip-jigs. Within
reels I would include marches and American hornpipes, which are smooth, but not English hornpipes which I would dance to a
step-hop. And not Strathspeys. I would say contras are done to a walking step, apart from the swing which is often a buzz step.
But do you agree with me?
Answers fairly quickly please!
Colin Hume
Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://colinhume.com
Also from ECTA's definition:
"Contra Dance is mainly danced in two long, facing lines of couples, the
longways. There are different setups relating to the position of the
partner in the formation (e. g. Proper, Improper and Becket) and relating
to the number of couples dancing together (Duple, Triple, Triplet). A
different formation is the Sicilian Circle. Facing couples create a ring in
which in each group one couple is dancing counter clockwise and the other
clockwise.
Contra Dances are mostly danced to reels and jigs, but also to hornpipes.
The music consists of the melodies A and B, which each contain 16 bats and
are repeated so that a melodic structure of AABB is created. The set of
figures is danced to this AA BB structure of 64 beats. There also are
deviant structures like AB BA.
The Prompter explains each dance and calls the figures to the music a
little ahead of time. Like this it is possible for both experienced and new
dancers to dance. Through the repetition of the set of figures the dancers
learn the dance and the Prompter can shorten his calls or reduce them bit
by bit. The set of figures is written so that after dancing through it once
a new group of dancers meet. This is called the progression. In formations
with a fixed group of couples the position within the formation changes.
"[sic]
Bob
