In Chris's extensive list, I noted Ted Sannella's dance "Bonny Jean." Named for
Ted's wife, Jean, the dance was composed in 1975, and Ted said that as far as
he knew it was the first modern contra dance to incorporate a hey for four. In
my experience, heys didn't start to enter the contra repertoire very much until
the 1980s, when it could take a very long time indeed to teach the unfamilar figure
to dancers.
Similarly, Ted's "Fiddleheads" incorporated a Petronella twirl decades before
others started to explore that possibility.
I'd recommend to any callers on the list who are not familiar with his two collections--
"Balance and Swing" and "Swing the Next"--that they obtain copies. They're available
from CDSS and are very useful additions to any caller's library.
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
