Hi All,
The dance Jeff noted as "New Friendship Reel" looks like a
conglomeration of Ted's dance, New Freindship Reel and a dance by Penn
Fix, Honor Among Thieves. Penn's dance, along with notes on how it came
to be and the variations it went thru, are in his book, Contradancing in the
Northwest, published in 1991 by CDSS and still available from them
<www.cdss.org>. I have found the book very interesting to read, both for the
dances and the history it contains.
I have used both dances but prefer Penn's dance as it "sets up" the #1
lady to be chased around the #2 couple by her partner. In Ted's dance, the
chase figure begins after the #1 couple dances a Do Si Do and the #1 lady
has to turn around to face out of the set to start the next figure. One of the
nice features about Ted's dance is that it does not contain the now
ubiquitous "circle left 3/4 and swing someone" figure.
Honor Among Thieves By Penn Fix, 1986
Contra, Duple, Improper
A1 Neighbor Do Si Do
Neighbor Almd Right 1 1/2 X
A2 Active Lady around two and the Active Gent cuts thru (Lady round 2
and the Gent cuts thru)
Active Gent around two and the Lady cuts thru (Gent round 2 and the
Lady cuts thru)
B1 Same Four, Circle Left 3/4
Partners Swing
B2 Lines Forward & Back
Ladies Chain Across
The "chase" figure in A2 has the #1 Lady moving up the set clockwise
around the #2 couple followed by her partner who "cuts thru" down the
center between the #2 couple. At that point he is "chased" by his partner
clockwise around the #2 couple and Lady #1 "cuts thru" the #2 couple and
all end where they began at the end of the A1. It is a fun figure with lots of
opportunity for flirting and frivolity.
Enjoy, John McIntire, Unity, ME
