[Callers] Family Dances

[Meg Dedolph]

I use Traffic Jam as a warm-up dance at most all-ages dances I call now,
including the one I run,  and it works great, especially to get people on
the floor while the band is soundchecking or something.

When you say "lots of young kids," you didn't mention how young, which
makes a difference. If they're mostly preschool-aged or younger, they may
not be able to make a circle or follow a direction like "stand across from
your partner." If it's a mixed age group with some older kids you have some
more things that will work well. The non-participating adults is a separate
issue we could talk about also, but with the situation you described, here
are some things I might try.

Get them into groups of four or five or six or whatever and do some square
dance figures - circle left, circle right, make a star, make a star with
your other hand in, grab your partner's hand and make a circle with some
other people. I don't obsess too much over left or right hand star if kids
don't actually *know* their lefts from their rights (anyone younger than
kindergarten/ first grade, imo). Only adults get bent out of shape when
someone is walking backwards in a star. :)

Make a big line and be a snake. Do that ball of yarn thing.

Maybe do the heel and toe polka, but don't put the progression in at the
end; just keep your partner.

If the band is willing to play along, you can do something fun to "Down By
The Station." - Have folks make "trains" of four or five people. They can
put their hands on the waists of the person in front of them, or just hold
hands. Sing the song, "Down By the Station." In lines, facing the front of
the hall, walk forward four steps to the song (step, step, step, stop) and
then backwards (step, step, step, stop.)  At the end of the song, have the
band play a short tune - two As, or an A and B, and the trains can drive
anywhere they want in the room - they just have to be back to the station
by the end of the tune to start the song again. Tell the first person (the
engine) to go to the back and be the caboose so everyone has a turn to
drive their train.

Throw a couple silly songs in if everyone is getting tired. You can do
Looby Loo pretty easily. Don't call it a "break." Keep everyone on the
floor, or else they think it's a good time to stop dancing. If you have a
band, have everyone sit down and listen to the band play a tune or two. Ask
the musicians to take turns playing their instruments so the kids can hear
each one.

Good luck!
Meg


On Thu, Sep 5, 2019 at 10:42 PM Jerome Grisanti via Callers <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> One of the selling points of Sasha (besides the fact that it's REALLY fun)
> is this:
>
> In Russian, Sasha can be either a boy's name or a girl's name, so it
> doesn't matter who you face or who you are. (Some kids of a certain age are
> reluctant to interact with all their classmates, but I find this gives them
> permission).
>
> --Jerome
>
>
> Jerome Grisanti
> 660-528-0858
> http://www.jeromegrisanti.com
>
> "Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and
> power and magic in it." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
>
>
> On Thu, Sep 5, 2019 at 4:12 PM Erik Hoffman via Callers <
> callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Sasha, Skip to my Lou, Silly Threesome, anything in the New England
>> Dancing Masters books:
>>
>> https://dancingmasters.com/
>>
>>
>>
>> Video of The Silly Threesome:
>>
>> https://squaredancehistory.net/items/show/730
>>
>>
>>
>> or Marion Rose’s books:
>>
>> https://www.marianrose.com/store/
>>
>>
>>
>> ~Erik Hoffman
>>
>> *From:* Callers <callers-bounces at lists.sharedweight.net> *On Behalf Of *T
>> Claw via Callers
>> *Sent:* Thursday, September 5, 2019 12:27 PM
>> *To:* callers at lists.sharedweight.net
>> *Subject:* [Callers] Family Dances
>>
>>
>>
>> Does anyone have any recommendations, for silly fun called/led
>> dances/figures/games for a family dance that has lots of young kids and
>> perhaps not enough adults joining in the mix?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> T-Claw
>> _______________________________________________
>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>> List Address:  Callers at lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>
> _______________________________________________
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