It's interesting to see the votes for The Wood Duck, which has always
been a favorite of mine, too.
About 15 years ago I was asked to call a series of dance parties for
a church social group, one a month for 3 months. One night I thought
I'd try a waltz mixer. Knew The Wood Duck would be too much of a
challenge, so I worked up the following substitute figures for the
same tune (Bare Necessities recording):
Formation: Circle of couples with partners facing, gents with backs
to center, ladies facing the center.
Music: 32 bar waltz tune
A1 Right hand balance together and apart, box the gnat to trade
places. Joining left hands as well, do a cross-hand two-hand turn
once around. Now gents are facing the center.
A2 That again. Now everyone is back in the starting place.
B1 With partner, dos-a-dos. On left diagonal, dos-a-dos neighbor
(=next partner).
B2 With neighbor (new partner) waltz promenade (those who can and
wish to may do a turning waltz), end facing this partner and give
right hands to start next round of dance.
Didn't give it a title at the time but came to think of it as The
Wood Phoenix, which incorporates the church name as well as the dance
and tune that were its inspiration. I probably used the recording of
The Wood Duck the first time I called it but have used other tunes,
recorded and live, as well.
The two-hand turns in A1 and A2 could go just half-way, or even once
and a half around, as long as everyone is back in the starting
position at the end of A2.
Mike
At 11:40 PM 10/11/2010, you wrote:
I agree with Alan's choices, and will just add that Circle Waltz (or
Family Waltz) works very nicely to the tune Tombigbee Waltz,
especially at the chassee steps.
Richard
On Oct 11, 2010, at 10:41 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing wrote:
> Chrissy wrote:
>
>> A poll: What's your favorite waltz mixer, and why?
>
> For experienced English dancers:
> "The Wood Duck", because of the trance-inducing match of tune and dance,
> elegant flow, partner and neighbor interaction.
>
> For everybody else:
> "Circle Waltz" (Big circle, balance and roll-away 4x, with this one balance
> in and out, roll in, repeat going out, chassee in, chassee out,
waltz around)
> or some variation, because it's so accessible, connects the whole room
> repeatedly, lets you see most of the opposite-sex people in the
room if only
> for a fleeting moment, and works with many flavors of waltz.)
>
>
>
> -- 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
>
===============================================================================
>
