[Callers] Transgressive contras

[Luke Donforth via Callers]

I should note, I've never actually tried calling "Luke's Options are
Limited" it was mostly a theoretical exercise for me. To my knowledge it's
never been danced.

If you have only two sets, it's not clear to me how a transgressive contras
are functionally different than 4 face 4 dances or their cousin, Tempest
Formation. (In my box, I'd put "Kim's Game" under Tempest Formation.)
The Tempest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qNp-n4CbdI
It becomes a question of if everyone is changing lines, or just half the
couples are, but you're bouncing back and forth.

If that's all you want, great. There's lots of room to write more 4 face 4
and tempest formation dances, and you can incorporate pass through lines
there.

If you have more than two sets involved, I haven't found a way to keep
things from being either complicated or boring for some dancers.

Option 1: all 1s and 2s progress the same way every time
If you have a progression that's down one couple, and over one set to the
left for the 1s, and up one couple over one set to the right for the 2s,
you no longer change numbers when you reach the bottom of the hall, you
also change numbers when you reach the sides. So even with 5 sets across
and 20 hands four deep, nobody is going to go more than 5 hands-four from
their original position. If you've got a square (10 sets across, 10 hands
four deep, etc) some folks on the main diagonal see 10 different couples,
but other folks will bounce back and fourth on short diagonals of just a
few couples.

Option 2: have options that vary the progression
This is what "Luke's Options are Limited" attempts to do (
http://www.madrobincallers.org/2013/01/25/attempting-a-grid-contra-choreography/
). If gives you different dances (thematically linked) to travel to
different points on the floor. You could find other pairs of
improper/becket dances using wide lines and long lines, and even
incorporate passing through lines. But you're stuck with having to have
different dances to call and be calling all the way through the dance. I
personally try and get out of the way of the band and dancers interacting,
and dislike calling through the entire dance.

Option 3: expand 4 face 4 to 6 face 6, 8 face 8, etc.
I played around with this a bit, and I think others have as well (Roger
Auman?). There are dances up at
http://www.madrobincallers.org/2014/02/26/6-facing-6-contra-dances/
I haven't done anything with them after writing them, but if they inspire
you; feel free to use them. The hard part (in my opinion) is giving
everyone something interesting to do. If your line of 6 has a pass through
along the set, you've got to keep your trail buddy groups together and
permuting, or some folks get a bum ride.

Option 4: I haven't found one, but let me know if you do!

Have fun.

On Fri, May 1, 2015 at 11:36 AM, Michael Dyck via Callers <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> On 15-05-01 01:02 AM, Lindsey Dono wrote:
>
>>
>> Is "grid contra" the more standard terminology than "transgressive?"
>>
>
> I hadn't heard the term "transgressive contra" before, and I'm not finding
> hits for the term in search engines.
>
> Here's what I've got:
>
> 1990-1995
> Chris Kermiet: "Beckett's Crossing"
> (in his "Zany Contras and Other Stuff!")
> http://k-1.us/contras/beckettscrossing.html
> (refers to it as "a progressive contra dance")
>
> May 2010
> Peter Foster: "Crisscross"
> http://pfoster.pcug.org.au/dance/contra.htm#cri
> (Doesn't really have a term for the dance form.)
>
> Jan 2012?
> Seth Tepfer: "Transgression"
>
> http://lists.sharedweight.net/pipermail/callers-sharedweight.net/2012-January/004159.html
> (refers to it as a "grid contra", but also refers to progression across as
> "transgression", hence the dance's title)
> See also other posts in that thread.
>
> Jan 2013
> Luke Donforth: "Luke's Options are Limited"
>
> http://www.madrobincallers.org/2013/01/25/attempting-a-grid-contra-choreography/
> (refers to it as a "grid contra")
>
> -Michael
>
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>



-- 
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth at gmail.com <Luke.Donev at gmail.com>
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