On Jun 10, 2017, at 11:54 AM, Frederick Park <frederick@apalache.com> wrote:

. . . I wish to offer a teaching element I’ve used successfully in the Pat Shaw dance, K + E.

Once sets are established, 1s on the outside facing in, 2s standing back to back in the center facing outside couples, the primary dance move that makes it all work out is the partner relationship.

I ask all to practice once or twice “Change Hands” with Partners. Obviously, those in the center, the 1s, when changing the direction they face at any time places their own Partner on one side and then the other.

Simply suggesting that the call is “Change Hands” when practicing the move makes it unique and clear and simple, all at once!

Having the sense of “double beckett” is not so very intuitive for dancers simply because this dance is a one-of-a-kind dance. I can “see” it but I wouldn’t mention it to dancers.

The 1s need to “bond”. As well those far across on the opposite side of the set, the 2s, need to “bond” or recognize they are a unit…which is all the more useful once any couples reach the end of the set.

To that end I ask the dancers to change places with couple they are initially facing (each 1 changes places with their original 2) and the “Change Hands” introduces them to their other half for any who are in the center four.

The only thing that pushes this dance into the realm of “intermediate to advanced” is the final 8 bars of the dance, the progression.

Those on the outside are swinging their Partners and could and should “move up the hall” every so slightly.

Meanwhile the center four have just met again (the “magic” includes meeting their Partners!) and are with their “other half”, the 2s!

The 1s then “Circle Down - three quarters ‘round - and Change Hands”.

This call indicates the movement of Circle Left 3/4 WHILE moving down the hall ever so slightly (to end with “Trade Hands in the Center”, face out and meet a new Couple 2 to begin again . . .

I’ve found that the movement of Circle and move is akin the square dance chorus figure of four dancers moving in a circle Left while dancing in Promenade direction around the “other couple”.

So introducing such a chorus in a square dance one or two dances earlier allows the whole dance hall to be a bit familiar with the similar pattern used in K+E!

Lastly, may I recommend that any of you may also find interest in Pat Shaw’s “The American Husband”! It’s a sicillian circle for groups of three, very unusual progression and includes a Shetland Hey (for three) with each couple dancing as a single unit in a hey for three pattern! Let me know if you can’t find it and I’ll post it here.

More dances? Yes, please! (especially circle mixers and sicillian circles) : )

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And here’s one from me ~

"Michael and Angie”

Originally written as a wedding dance for old friends in the early days of the Old Farmers Ball, it also works as a stand-alone Becket Formation dance.

Formation:

Sicilian Circle, Becket Formation (large circle round the hall, with hands four established as in Becket. Each couple either faces out of the large big circle or into the large big circle).

Notes:

ID each dancers’ “Corner” thusly: join hands in two single circles just after hands-four have been established. Corners are as in the original Becket’s Reel, next to you in the large circle but NOT in your “hands four”. Moderate to slow speed. Accomplished dance leaders may choose to speed up the dance tempo just a bit after seeing the room has “got it”!

A1 Corners Alle. L, Partners Swing (end facing original Opposite Couple) . . .

A2 Circular Hey (see description below - alternatively, simply dance a straight Hey for Four but note the ending!!!)

B1 See Saw Partner once Round (ending with the Gent on the R. Lady on the L. facing Original Opposite Couple in original Hands-Four),

Star Left three-quarters round (progression - to face new dancers)

B2 Swing New Opposites, Half Ladies Chain (to Partner)

Additional Notes for teaching: Timing is an essential part of a satisfactory dance here. There are two points that may be useful.

First - - - - - - -

The beginning of the dance flows out of a Ladies Chain to their Partners and into Allemande Left with Corners all. To ease this transition, a modified “courtesy turn” enabling the person dancing the “Gent’s” roll to use his Right Arm around their Partner’s waist to receive and send their Partner toward their Corner…freeing both dancers’ Left Hand for the Allemande Left with Corners All.

Second - - - - -

The Hey begins (one may assume) with the Gent on the Left as the two couples face one another. Yet the end of the Hey - in this dance - requires the Gent to transition from the Hey into a “See Saw” (or reverse Gypsy) and then into a Star Left AHEAD of his Partner (which translates into “Gent on the Right” for the Star). Facilitating this move, it may prove useful to ask the “Gents” to look for each other as the See Saw ends and “imply” or “suggest” to his Partner that she follow him, reaching with Her Left for the other Lady and into the Star. (Original Opposite Couple may be a bit to the Right . . .)

Circular Hey : this unusual pattern is rare indeed. The men will dance this hey with each other. Their Partners will transition out of their Hey “line” and into the adjacent Hey. So its a Circular Hey for the Women while the Gents will Hey with each other and with Four Ladies rather than just the two which we think of usually in a Hey. It happens in the same amount of dance time as a normal Hey.

Here’s how I teach the A2 into B1 - very slowly the first time through . . .

1. Lady’s pass R., then pass Neighbor Gent L. and STOP - facing out of the Hey - and please don’t turn around!

Gents pass each other - and please don’t turn around! (All now have their backs to the center of their initial Hey Line of Four with Gents near the middle and their Lady’s backs are in front of them…)

2. Ladies look to their Left, Gents look to their Right and identify a their “Shadow Neighbor" (SAME PERSON in each new turn of the Circular Hey)

I ask the Gents to hold their places and ask the Ladies to all move toward that Shadow Neighbor, face him AND to note the other Gent in their “new” hey line.

3. Ladies will now dance the second half of this Hey passing BOTH of these Gents in the usual manner,

Left with “Shadow”, Ladies Pass Right with each other, and Left with the “other Gent” in this new Hey…and STOP,

again, with the Ladies facing out while the Gents pass each other and back to their Original side of the set...

4. All turn toward their Partner (Lady turns L., Gent turns R.) and dance toward Partner, leading into . . .

a Left-Shoulder See Saw (or “dance Left ‘round your Partner once) and identify Original Opposite Couple in Hands-Four and transitioning into a Star Left with Original Opposite Couple 3/4 round!

I think you’ll discover that in the flow of the dance, in the transition from the Hey / See Saw / to the Star, dancers will find their original Opposite Couple may be slightly toward the R. diagonal. This effect is reduced by a larger number of dancers participating. In Sicilian Circle Becket Form, a suggested “minimum” number of circles in Hands-Four is 16, a rather large circle of dancers for this to work well as written.

The Circular Hey happens to flow very smoothly once folks “have it” hence, I start the dance a bit slower than it’s intended dance speed. It’s a very fine choice for a dance festival in the big circle pattern. But the alternative, the Becket-contra makes this a good dance for any night when dancers are up for a bit of a challenge - with no changes. If one would use a “normal” Hey for Four rather the Circular Hey, its easier still. The rewards are great as it’s always been very well received.

I use minor or model reels with this dance as it can be “mystical”.