Alan, Thanks! I believe your suggestions of keeping the dancers' focus on the senses and not in the head will be very helpful.
On Jan 18, 2008 1:36 AM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing < [email protected]> wrote: > > Hello All, > > > I was considering adding some of the Chestnuts to my calling repertoire, > and > > I was wondering if I could get your best advice on approaching triple > minor > > dances in the Midwest (Lawrence Kansas). I believe most of the contra > > dancers here have never seen such a critter, although a very few will > have > > seen it at an English Country dance. > > > I was considering calling a triplet or a duple minor dance with contra > > corners in the first half to make sure everyone was comfortable with > that > > figure, and then calling "Sackett's Harbor" in the second half, which > turns > > the minor set 90 degrees (or 270 degrees, to be technical) so all the > men > > are all facing the stage and the women are facing down. > > > I want to lay out the rules of triplets very succinctly: Ones remain > ones > > all the way down the hall, while the twos become threes and then twos > again > > as they progress up. Threes also alternate roles, becoming twos and then > > threes again. At the top, the first couple out waits out two iterations > of > > the dance before becoming ones. At the bottom, the threes must trade > places > > with the ones or they will remain out indefinitely. > > > Are these rules accurate as stated? > > No, because triplets are three-couple sets, and the progression is > different; > typically, you'll dance each of the three roles in three times through the > dance. > > Substituting "triple minors" I think these are essentially correct, as > stated. > > I tend to lay out the rules with somewhat different verbiage (when calling > to > English dancers, anyway; I haven't called triple minors for contra > dancers). > > I say to the ones "you can't come in until you have two couples of your > very > own to dance with." > > "Ones have it easy - they do the same thing all the way down. Eventually > you'll only have one other couple - dance with a ghost couple, or at least > trade places with them, or they'll *never* get in." > > "The secret to triple minors", I'll say, "is not to fuss about whether > you're a > two or a three. If you're not a one, you want to look *up* the set to > where > the 1s are, and then do what they need. If somebody's trying to do a > right-hand star with you, do it." [What I'm trying to do here is to get > the > dancers out of their heads and out of counting, and into their senses, > looking > outward and seeing the whole dance. I *think* this is at least marginally > helpful, although some people are still going to spend the whole dance > looking > inward and constantly being surprised when they're supposed to do > something.] > > I think you are correct not to mention the rather peculiar process of > going > from being a 2 to being a 1. You've gotten up near the top, you do the > dance > as a 2, your 1s migrate past you, and you're out one round even though you > have > a couple above you. Then you're in one round, then you're out two rounds > and > come back as 1s. I generally try not to discuss this and just use the > "until > you have two couples of your very own" rule. > > > Any suggestions from New England? Elsewhere in the Midwest? Points > beyond? > > I hope you'll accept California. I'd suggest, as a first-ever triple > minor, > "Young Widow", if your band knows the tune. No swings, but a killer fun > dance > with balancing, etc, and it isn't all solos for the 1s. > > -- Alan > > -- > > =============================================================================== > Alan Winston --- [email protected] > Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: > 650/926-3056 > Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA > 94025 > > =============================================================================== > > -- Jerome Grisanti 660-528-0858 660-528-0714 http://www.jeromegrisanti.com
