Hi Lark,
I concur with Lisa about teaching the blobs. It would also be a good idea to really emphasize the progression. >From circles of 4, just pass thru and make a new circle "this will be who you >dance with the second time" then just pass thru and make a new circle "this will be...third time" then back to place. It will give an opportunity to point out the end effects, too. I did a dance very similar to the one Lisa proposed (Jefferson's Reel) at my son's school's Colonial Day, and it was ok. (except for the kids who wouldn't touch another gender:-) Good Luck! Bob Message: 2 List-Post: [email protected] Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:33:09 -0500 From: Lisa Sieverts <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Callers] Utterly Introductory dance input sought To: [email protected], Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed These people have never danced? And you have 5 minutes? I'd recommend nothing harder than Blobs: Blobs longways sets, gender doesn't matter 1. F&B 2. F&B BEGIN TEACHING HERE (Blobs begin at the top, make circles of 2, 4, or 6 people -- or more as long as they don't tell you about it!) 3. Blob Circle LEFT 4. Blob Circle RIGHT 5. Blob RIGHT hand STAR 6. Blob LEFT hand STAR 7&8. Blob sashay down, others move up Note that it would take you 5 minutes to teach "cloverleaf turn single away from partner" IMHO. Good luck! Lisa On Feb 11, 2009, at 10:59 PM, Lark-Aeryn Speyer wrote: > Hi group, > Weird situation: I am supposed to put together a five-minute > presentation on > myself as a leader for a "Leadership & Organizational Behavior" > graduate > class, and I just think that perhaps the way to go is to create a VERY > SIMPLE English Country dance set to my favorite song--and teach it > to my > classmates. > > Most of you don't know me, but I'll nonetheless spare you with > explanations > as to exactly how weird this is. And, yes, I realize, too, that it > may not > be an optimal ECD introduction for my classmates, but I hope it > will be > beautiful in some degree, and moving, and indeed an expression of > the kind > of leadership I am trying to develop (yes, I'm a budding caller). > > In addition, the favorite song, Carrie Newcomer's "Bare to the Bone" > (see http://carrienewcomer.com/chords/age_of_possibility_chords.pdf > <http://carrienewcomer.com/sheet_music/ > Bare_to_the_Bone_sheet_music.pdf> > and > http://carrienewcomer.com/sheet_music/ > Bare_to_the_Bone_sheet_music.pdf) > expresses everything I want to be as a person. > > So I'm writing for advice. Since I am supposed to take 5 minutes > for the > whole dang kit & kaboodle, I will probably only run the dance three > times > through--one verse, one bridge, and one more verse. I've written > moves for > 8 bars of 4/4, and I do not think I need any additional moves for a > rank-beginner group: > > *** > > "Bare to the Bone" > Lark-Aeryn Speyer, 2009 > DRAFT > > 2-couple sets, facing across the hall; or 3-couple circle sets > > 1 taking hands in a ring, balance in and out > 2 cloverleaf turn single away from partner > 3-4 clockwise, single file circle 1/2 (step-pause step) > (If you're in a 3-couple circle set, just circle as far > as the > music suggests) > > 5 taking hands in a ring, balance in and out > 6 taking 2 hands with your partner, balance in and out > 7-8 2-hand turn partner once > > (If in 2-couple sets, you are now on the other side of the set. > This passes > for a progression.) > > *** > > The music (in case you don't know it) is sweet, soft, simple, and > healing. > The lyrics (I intend to sing one verse beforehand in lieu of > "let's listen > to the music once through") and the general feel of the tune are a > condition > of complete openness, an approach of utter goodwill. What I would > hope my > classmates could take away is a feeling of lightness, ideally even of > spiritual availability. (Of course, this also depends on my fiddler > classmate who has offered to learn the tune.) > > And I'll bring along a handful of flyers for local English dances, > just in > case. :-) > > Thoughts very much welcomed! I assure you that any other ideas I > have for > this presentation are much scarier to me! > > Thanks, > Lark Speyer > > > -- > There is no conceivable beauty of blossom so beautiful as words,-- > none so > graceful, none so perfumed. It is possible to dream of combinations of > syllables so delicious that all the dawning and decay of summer > cannot > rival their perfection, nor winter's s tainless white and azure > match their > purity and their charm. > --Thomas Wentworth Higginson > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
