Rich Sbardella wrote:
<<I am looking for a few dances that have a star right, star left sequence that are appropriate for a crowd with a significant number of beginners, that I can use as a first, second, or third dance of the evening.>>
Yankee Reel (Ted Sannella)
Duple improper
A.1 Star right, star left
A.2 Ones down center, up outside to place
B.1 Ones swing partner (8 counts), then neighbor (8 counts)
B.2 Half promenade, right and left through
I use this a lot with mixed floors (i.e. high percentage of first- or second-timers, but not ONS). I've found that the B.2 combination makes it relatively easy to get the concept of RLT across: I get them to do the half promenade, then explain that RLT is almost the same traffic pattern except that instead of couples staying together, the lady is going to go between the opposite two. It's the best luck I've had teaching RLT, which for my money is the hardest move in contra/NE square dancing because it's a compound move: you go straight and then you turn, and you turn in a way you weren't expecting. The most common error is for people, especially in the lady's role, to turn solo right after the pass through. The analogy with half promenade seems to forestall this.
(If you're in an area where people give right hands in RLT, there's another common error: they hold on too long and get pulled around to face back the way they came. You need to emphasize dropping hands and waiting for the courtesy turn before they change facing direction.)
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
Hello friends,
I often use Jefferson and Lincoln as the first dance of the evening because
it employs many of the most basic calls and has an easy progression. I am
looking for a few dances that have a star right, star left sequence that
are appropriate for a crowd with a significant number of beginners, that I
can use as a first, second, or third dance of the evening.
Any suggestions?
Rich
Stafford, CT
Hello Emily:
Yes! Send me the list ! Thanks - _Ralphsweet(a)aol.com_
(mailto:Ralphsweet@aol.com)
In a message dated 5/18/2016 10:49:09 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com writes:
Tune books and folk music journals. Some hard cover books like Nevell’s
etc.
Email me for list.__
_________________
Emily L. Ferguson
mailto:elf@landsedgephoto.com
774-392-0022
New England landscapes, wooden boats and races
_http://www.landsedgephoto.com_ (http://www.landsedgephoto.com/)
·
BULL & MORE BULL, a beautifully produced 136 page perfectly bound collection of poems by Dudley Laufman about his experiences working on dairy farms, has just been published by Longhouse. Some of the pieces are set at the agricultural school where he learned to call square dances back in the day.
To order, send $18 to Longhouse
PO Box 2454, West Brattleboro, Vermont 05053
.
Dudley & Jacqueline Laufman
PO Box 61, 322 Shaker Rd
Canterbury, NH 03224
www.laufman.org
603-783-4719
jdlaufman(a)comcast.net
Education book & CD at www.humankinetics.com
Performance Calendar at www.laufman.org
Can anyone title this dance for me?
Thanks, Rich
Half Hey (Untitled)
w/Neighbor Allemande Left 1 1/2
Ladies Chain
Half Hey
Partner Swing
Gents Allemande Left 1 1/2
Neighbor Swing
(full) Circle Left
w/neighbor Right Hand Turn
(Next Neighbor Allemande Left 1 1/2)
Two dances to share.
I was coordinating at the Thursday Night Dance in Mt. Airy
(Philadelphia) a few weeks ago with a band led by my son, Ben. We
were talking about doing a dance that would go well with a medley of
jigs that were fairly smooth in the As and very chunky in the B parts.
I searched my dance collection and found an old dance that I made up
nearly 20 years ago and had not called since. I made it up to go with
a specific tune – Maggie Brown’s Favorite – that has a chunky A and
smooth B. So, as we do with a lot of dances, after shaking the
cobwebs off it, I swapped the parts of the dance around and rolled it
out and . . . darn . . . it went very nicely and dancers seemed to
have a very fine time. Back when it was created, dancers seemed to
struggle quite a bit with the balance and square thru part. That’s
become pretty commonplace now. The dance, titled Maggie Brown’s
Favorite, goes very well with the name tune as written. If you want
smooth A and chunky B, just swap the parts around.
The second dance, Maggie Brown’s Other Favorite, is one I’ve used a
fair amount over the years. I think it’s a pretty nice dance, also.
Both dances feature a “meanwhile” figure with women allemanding once
and a half with men orbiting around them – that’s the raison d’etre
for the dances. But the balance and square thru part of the original
is good and the element of surprise when you turn around to balance
and swing your neighbor in Maggie Brown’s Other … that’s a very nice
little moment indeed.
If anyone cares to test drive, let me know what you think.
Ridge
***************************
Maggie Brown’s Favorite
Contra, Duple, Becket, Clockwise
Ridge Kennedy - 9/96, rev. 12/2001
A-1 Balance Partner (4) Pull by Right, Pull By Neighbor with Left (4)
Balance Partner (4) Pull by Right, Pull By Neighbor with Left (4)
A-2 Balance and Swing Your Partner (16)
B-1 Circle Left Three Quarters, Pass Thru (8) Swing Next New Neighbor (8)
B-2 Long Lines Forward and Back (8)
Women Allemande Left 1 1/2
meanwhile
Men Promenade around One time (8)
Notes: Features an “orbit” and requires space along the lines. See
also Maggie Brown’s Other Favorite, a better dance I believe. Goes
very well with title tune or other bouncy/smooth jigs. Title honors
band with same name that included Carl Friedman and Ralph Barthine of
Baltimore area.
Maggie Brown’s Other favorite
Contra, Duple, Becket, Counterclockwise
Ridge Kennedy;/May ‘97
A-1 Circle Left Three Quarters (8) Neighbor Do Si Do (8)
Turn Around and face New Neighbor (Surprise!)
A-2 Balance and Swing New Neighbor (16)
B-1 Long Lines Forward and Back (8)
Women Allemande Left 1 1/2 (8)
meanwhile
Men Promenade Clockwise Once Around (8)
B-2 Balance and Swing Your Partner (16)
Notes: Need space up and down for the orbit figure. If too crowded,
men can just wait on side.
--
Ridge Kennedy [Exit 145]
When you stumble, make it part of the dance. - Anonymous
And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at
least once. And we should call every truth false which was not
accompanied by at least one laugh. - Friedrich Nietzsche
