HA! My set list was "Family Contra" by Sherry Nevins, followed by an attempt at "Reel Easy" by Cary Ravitz. That one fell apart and I turned it into a barn dance: circle left, circle right, in to the center, back out, swing your partner, repeat. Then it was quiet hour and we had to stop. We had very little time to begin with, but it ended up being just enough. That was also good because my voice was giving out, shouting over the chatter.

-Amy

On Aug 1, 2017 5:17 PM, "Claire Takemori via Callers" <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Hi Amy,
Would you be willing to share your program set list for the Cows/Chickens dance?
I’m curious what kind of dances went so well.

Thanks !
Claire Takemori (Campbell CA)

On Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 12:59 PM, Amy Wimmer via Callers
<callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi All,

I recently had the opportunity to call a contra to a group of rank
beginners
in a difficult situation: outdoors, on sloping concrete, without
amplification for either myself or the band, to people not expecting a
dance, with a band mostly unfamiliar with either contra or fiddle tunes,
who
had no opportunity to practice or choose tunes. It was a staff party
with a
barnyard theme. Granted, this particular good of people is accustomed to
being spontaneous and silly at times, most are in their 20's, and it's a
liberal, accepting group.

The organizers wanted to use the terms "cows" and "chickens" instead of
any
other usual terms for dancers. When they arrived at the party each person
chose a name tag with either a cow or a chicken on it. They didn't know
it,
but this determined which role they'd play in the dance. I arbitrarily
chose
to "put the chicken on the right, because the chicken is always right."
(I
keep chickens, and they ARE always right)

There was not time for much of a lesson, either. It'd have been much
easier
if everyone had joined the dance at the beginning. All said, just about
everyone had a really great time, myself included. The band was hyped up
to
try another dance evening later in the week, though that never
materialized.

I never mentioned gender in any way. That part just seemed to not matter.
They were dancing with their friends. It didn't matter that they weren't
experts or even very good.

I was heartened and encouraged to try something like this again, perhaps
with more widely used dancer terms.

-Amy

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