6 Jul
2016
6 Jul
'16
10:46 p.m.
Hi Luke, thanks for a great weekend. I'm piping up as a dancer who had
hoped that you would call a grand square in a contra formation after the
discussion here. Tonight I find myself in an analytical frame of mind,
thinking about where we stumbled, in the hope that you (and others) will
keep calling this dance and have great success with it.
I'm from Illinois, but a regular at the two Wisconsin weekends
(IndepenDance and Squirrel Moon). The programs tend to be dominated by
contras, but with enough squares so most dancers are familiar with the
basic concepts. I haven't been keeping count, but it feels as though
most weekends include one dance with a grand square, and I felt that
there were sufficient dancers on Sunday who knew the grand square figure
that we should have been fine.
Personally, I struggled to remember which direction to start as we
flip-flopped from side to side. I think a lot of us were disoriented
that way. Even in a square dance with rotating partners, one role
usually stays home and can anchor the orientation.
Part of my problem was not (yet) having internalized my identity as part
of a right or left couple in a four-facing-four. I don't need to think
any more when I'm addressed as a gent (or lady), as a middle or inside
or outside. I know when I'm a head or a side. I know where to find my
corner wherever I am at the moment. But I don't recall dancing a
four-facing-four where the right couples did something different from
the left couples.
My two cents in the interest of continuous improvement.
-Dave Harding
On 7/5/2016 12:15 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote:
Thanks John, that does seem like a fun bit to
incorporate.
I ran the Fox Hollow Foibles dance with the Grand Square happening on
the diagonal at IndepenDance in Wisconsin. Folks seemed to have fun
with it, but it was certainly challenging (my sense is that community
doesn't do many squares; Grand or otherwise).
On Fri, Jul 1, 2016 at 5:20 PM, John Sweeney via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
<mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote:
Of course contra dancers like swinging, so you could try
incorporating this version into a contra dance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfqC8uVfCUo
In “Cowboy Dances” (1939) there was also a version with half a
two-hand turn (but they called it a swing!) every time you met
someone.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com
<mailto:john@modernjive.com> 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <mailto:Luke.Donev@gmail.com>
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7 Jul
7 Jul
12:15 a.m.
New subject: [Callers] Grand Square in a contra?
I would reiterate Dave's comment. The dance really only has one
challenge...but it is a doozy.. Remembering whether you are a head or a
side on each interrelation of the grand square is a challenge, partly
because you have to recall 2 things...Am I a head or a side & do I
separate or approach.
Great weekend, thanks Luke!
On Wed, Jul 6, 2016 at 9:46 PM, David Harding via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Luke, thanks for a great weekend. I'm piping
up as a dancer who had
hoped that you would call a grand square in a contra formation after the
discussion here. Tonight I find myself in an analytical frame of mind,
thinking about where we stumbled, in the hope that you (and others) will
keep calling this dance and have great success with it.
I'm from Illinois, but a regular at the two Wisconsin weekends
(IndepenDance and Squirrel Moon). The programs tend to be dominated by
contras, but with enough squares so most dancers are familiar with the
basic concepts. I haven't been keeping count, but it feels as though most
weekends include one dance with a grand square, and I felt that there were
sufficient dancers on Sunday who knew the grand square figure that we
should have been fine.
Personally, I struggled to remember which direction to start as we
flip-flopped from side to side. I think a lot of us were disoriented that
way. Even in a square dance with rotating partners, one role usually stays
home and can anchor the orientation.
Part of my problem was not (yet) having internalized my identity as part
of a right or left couple in a four-facing-four. I don't need to think any
more when I'm addressed as a gent (or lady), as a middle or inside or
outside. I know when I'm a head or a side. I know where to find my corner
wherever I am at the moment. But I don't recall dancing a four-facing-four
where the right couples did something different from the left couples.
My two cents in the interest of continuous improvement.
-Dave Harding
On 7/5/2016 12:15 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote:
Thanks John, that does seem like a fun bit to incorporate.
I ran the Fox Hollow Foibles dance with the Grand Square happening on the
diagonal at IndepenDance in Wisconsin. Folks seemed to have fun with it,
but it was certainly challenging (my sense is that community doesn't do
many squares; Grand or otherwise).
On Fri, Jul 1, 2016 at 5:20 PM, John Sweeney via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Of course contra dancers like swinging, so you
could try incorporating
this version into a contra dance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfqC8uVfCUo
In “Cowboy Dances” (1939) there was also a version with half a two-hand
turn (but they called it a swing!) every time you met someone.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>
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8 Jul
8 Jul
11:13 a.m.
New subject: [Callers] Grand Square in a contra?
Thanks for the feedback on how it went. Someone else suggested trying to
get a regular grand square into the program earlier in the weekend, which
may have helped.
I do think there are other dances which differentiate in 4x4s, such as the
center 4 star, or having one person in a group of four lead the rest of the
line. I agree it's more of a cognitive load though.
Another version I considered, Fox Hollow Fallacy, had the same bent 4x4
set-up but then had you do the grand square with heads and sides couples.
So you're working with your corner instead of your partner. I hope to try
that at some point and see how it goes. You could go even further in homage
to square dancing and start it with right side couples one time, then head
couples the next, then left side couples, then side couples; an alternating
four-phase sequence (RHLS gives a more even distribution of the roles than
RLHS). But that's more of the square "pay attention to the caller"
tradition than contra's "learn the dance and the caller drops out"
tradition. I can imagine another F word dancers might use to name that Fox
Hollow variant...
For anyone out that way considering attending, I thought the dance weekend
as a whole was loads of fun.
On Wed, Jul 6, 2016 at 10:46 PM, David Harding via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Luke, thanks for a great weekend. I'm piping
up as a dancer who had
hoped that you would call a grand square in a contra formation after the
discussion here. Tonight I find myself in an analytical frame of mind,
thinking about where we stumbled, in the hope that you (and others) will
keep calling this dance and have great success with it.
I'm from Illinois, but a regular at the two Wisconsin weekends
(IndepenDance and Squirrel Moon). The programs tend to be dominated by
contras, but with enough squares so most dancers are familiar with the
basic concepts. I haven't been keeping count, but it feels as though most
weekends include one dance with a grand square, and I felt that there were
sufficient dancers on Sunday who knew the grand square figure that we
should have been fine.
Personally, I struggled to remember which direction to start as we
flip-flopped from side to side. I think a lot of us were disoriented that
way. Even in a square dance with rotating partners, one role usually stays
home and can anchor the orientation.
Part of my problem was not (yet) having internalized my identity as part
of a right or left couple in a four-facing-four. I don't need to think any
more when I'm addressed as a gent (or lady), as a middle or inside or
outside. I know when I'm a head or a side. I know where to find my corner
wherever I am at the moment. But I don't recall dancing a four-facing-four
where the right couples did something different from the left couples.
My two cents in the interest of continuous improvement.
-Dave Harding
On 7/5/2016 12:15 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote:
Thanks John, that does seem like a fun bit to incorporate.
I ran the Fox Hollow Foibles dance with the Grand Square happening on the
diagonal at IndepenDance in Wisconsin. Folks seemed to have fun with it,
but it was certainly challenging (my sense is that community doesn't do
many squares; Grand or otherwise).
On Fri, Jul 1, 2016 at 5:20 PM, John Sweeney via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>
Of course contra dancers like swinging, so you
could try incorporating
this version into a contra dance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfqC8uVfCUo
In “Cowboy Dances” (1939) there was also a version with half a two-hand
turn (but they called it a swing!) every time you met someone.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing
listCallers@lists.sharedweight.nethttp://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
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2 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
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Bob Green via Callers -
David Harding via Callers
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Luke Donforth via Callers