13 Jun
2015
13 Jun
'15
9:12 p.m.
There are many others out there, as well. I can't name one where you
swap and then face, but I'm sure there was one. Take a look through
Burlson's Square Dance Encyclopedia to find it. With a squares group
I'd call it as "California Twirl/Partner Trade and Roll To Face,"
although I think Trade and Roll would suffice.
Lots of figures were developed (with multiple names) between the 1940s
and 1980s, but they are no longer on the active call lists.
CallerLab's preference in recent years has been to eliminate calls
that are mirror duplicates and go with the phrase "left." For
example, Swat the Flea is now known only as "Left Box the Gnat," a
"Nevada Twirl" is now "Left California Twirl," and "Seesaw"
(except in
the case of the combined "seesaw round your courner, dosado your own")
is now "Left Dosado." I learned THAT one when I tried to use Seesaw
in Arizona and the dancers got mad at me...I told them to just do it
anyway.
Other figures:
Curlique: As Box the Gnat, trading places, but only change facing by
1/4 right-face instead of 1/2. In a contra, this would set you up for
a box circulate if done along the lines or for a march along the
set/walk and dodge progression if done across. There was a left-hand
version of that, but I don't recall the name.
Left Star Thru: A Star Thru done with Men's left, Lady's right hands.
I'm sure it had an older name, but I don't know it. (As Erik said, in
a Star Thru the dancers make an arch with the indicated hands and pass
by with the lady going under the arch; while trading positions, they
also both turn their facing 1/4 in the direction of the joined hand.
This ends with them facing the same direction)
Interesting note: Star Thru is one of the few figures in modern
squares which by definition CANNOT be done by two facing people
dancing the same gender role. Box the Gnat is another, and possibly
California Twirl depending on the exact definition. The
gender-neutral replacements are Slide Thru and Partner Trade.
On 6/13/15, Erik Hoffman via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I learned several subtle distinctions. Back in the
80s, when Larry
Edelman was on staff at lots of our weeks and weekends, he'd drill us in
these figures:
These moves depend on where you're facing when you start, and which way
you face when you end.
Both Box the Gnat and Swat the Flea start facing the person you're doing
it with, and have you change places and end facing them
Box the Gnat starts facing the person you're boxing with, joining right
hands turning the woman or raven under, and swapping places, ending
facing each other and right hands are still joined.
Swat the Flea is the same, except you have left hands joining left hands
Both the California Twirl (also called the Frontier Twirl) starts
standing next to the person you're doing it with, woman or raven on
right, man or lark on left with near hands joined, and ends with the
couple about facing. That it, it results in the pair turning as a couple.
The Jersey or Nevada Twirl does the same, but with the man (or lark) on
the right, woman (or raven) on the left.
A star through starts with a pair facing each other with the man's
(lark's) right hand joined with the woman's (raven's) left hand and ends
with them swapping sides, but facing the same direction.
There are several contras that use it. A part might be
A1 facing your new neighbor: join inside hands (man's right, woman's
left), balance, star through (end facing partner); Women chain
I don't recall if there's a reverse star through: starting facing
someone, joining hands -- Man's left, Woman's right, and "reverse star
through (moon through?) -- ending side by side, woman on left, man on
right.
And I don't think I've ever learned one where you start side by side, do
a swap to change, and end up facing each other....
~erik hoffman
oakland, ca
On 6/12/2015 9:17 PM, Jeff Kaufman via Callers wrote:
--
Neal Schlein
Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library
Currently reading: *The Different Girl* by Gordon Dahlquist
Currently learning: How to set up an automated email system.
Huh. If learned it as:
G right in L left: California twirl
G right in L right: box the gnat
G left in L left: swat the flea
G left in L right: star through
Or just tell people what hands to join and then "twirl to swap".
On Jun 12, 2015 10:40 PM, "Charles M. Hannum via Callers"
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
<mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote:
Indeed, the only times I've seen “star thru” used in contra, it
was directly borrowed from MWSD.
This is what Callerlab says. Even in Tech Squares it's considered
incorrect to call it from other formations.
24. Star Thru
Starting formation: Facing Dancers (man facing woman)
Command example: Star Thru
Dance action: Man places his right hand against woman's left hand,
palm to palm with fingers up, to make an arch. As the dancers move
forward the woman does a one quarter (90 degrees) left face turn
under the arch, while the man does a one quarter (90 degrees) turn
to the right moving past the woman.
Ending formation: Couple
Timing: 4
Styling: Hands are joined in raised position at approximately eye
level, palm to palm, with fingers pointed up to form an arch. The
arch will be offset to the man's right and woman's left. The man's
hand should be used to stabilize as the woman provides her own
momentum. As the call is completed, the hand grip should be
readjusted to couple handhold.
On Fri, Jun 12, 2015 at 11:25 PM, Aahz Maruch via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
<mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote:
On Fri, Jun 12, 2015, Jeff Kaufman via Callers wrote:
Nit: a "California twirl with other hands" is traditionally
called a "star
through".
Really? I haven't seen Star Thru in contra much; in MWSD, at
least, Star
Thru is normally done with partners facing each other, as
opposed to the
California Twirl with partners facing the same direction.
What's being
asked for here is a sashayed California Twirl -- I don't think
I've ever
seen that before. However, "Nevada Twirl" does have plenty of
hits when
I search, which suggests a clear provenance...
(You could argue that in a ring partners are sort-of facing
each other,
but I think that's a wasted argument when people already have
a clear
choreographic name for the concept.)
--
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