[Callers] Brain Dead - Need Suggestions

[Michael Barraclough]

The second dance below is called Heaps. It was written in 2000 by Gordon 
Potts for Joe Heaps's wedding ceilidh.

Michael Barraclough

On 17/08/2019 22:49, John Sweeney via Callers wrote:
>
> Hi Linda,
>
> With some of the dancers as young as five you have quite a challenge.  :-)
>
> I would start with something like:
>
> Welcome to the Dance
>
> Sicilian Circle
>
> A1: Circle Left; Circle Right
>
> A2: Star Right; Star Left
>
> B1: Neighbour Arm Right; Arm Left
>
> B2: With Partner: Forward 1, 2, stamp, stamp, stamp; backwards 1, 2, 
> clap, clap, clap
>
> Odds (facing CCW) make arches, every go forwards and meet someone new
>
> I always teach B2 multiple times as the first part of the walkthrough 
> to establish the progression and direction and who is making the arches.
>
> From a musical point of view this gives them a chance to work easily 
> in eights, and practise stamping/clapping at the right time.
>
> The heel and toe in this makes them have to work with the music and 
> listen for their turn to go:
>
> Ping
>
> Longways; Proper; Four Couples (but if some sets have five couples it 
> is still fine)
>
> A1: Line 1 Lead Around Line 2 to places
>
> A2: Line 2 Lead Around Line 1 to places
>
> B1: Top Couple: two hands: Heel & Toe x2; Gallop to the bottom
>
> Top Couple: two hands: Heel & Toe x2; Gallop to the bottom
>
> B2: Top Couple: two hands: Heel & Toe x2; Gallop to the bottom
>
> Partner Arm Right (or Swing - but for this type of group I would use 
> Arming)
>
> To cover some musical education as well you could contrast different 
> time signatures.  For example you could use a dance with a long gallop 
> (sorry, I know you say “sashay” in the US, but “sashay” is defined as 
> “walk in an ostentatious yet casual manner, typically with exaggerated 
> movements of the hips and shoulders” so it is completely the wrong 
> word!) - I would tell them to “gallop”! Anyway, if you do a simple 
> dance with a long gallop and change tunes from a jig to a reel part 
> way through, you could tell them in advance to listen for the change 
> and see how it changes the feel of the gallop.
>
> You could try Swedish Masquearde 
> https://www.barndances.org.uk/detail.php?Title=Swedish_Masquerade to 
> show them the difference in feel between a march, a waltz and a polka 
> - I would substitute Two Hand Turns for the close hold waltz and polka 
> sections. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFqDEfZIxqg
>
> This type of group usually enjoys Horse’s Branle 
> https://www.webfeet.org/eceilidh/dances/horses-branle.html, getting 
> them to match footwork to the music in the A part, listen for their 
> turn every four counts in the B music, and timing their hey to finish 
> on time in the C music.  And of course it is different from many tunes 
> in that it has three parts.  If you want to be silly you can tell the 
> leader in the B part to do something silly in the four beat crossing, 
> then everyone else has to do the same thing.
>
> I hope that helps.
>
>          Happy dancing,
>
> John
>
> John Sweeney, Dancer, England   john at modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 
> 07802 940 574
>
> http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
>
> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
>
> http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
>
>
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