Adding to Linda's good thoughts - For a full hey I usually point out that people should end up in their starting place, and if there are lots of newer dancers I may add "how you get there is just a detail, as long as you don't crash into anyone else." Folks often chuckle at that point, which I take as a good sign. But how to officially teach it? If most people are new I've done the first walkthrough with hands, as in Grand R & L, then without hands.
One thing that confuses a lot of new folks is how to turn and re-enter on the other side. I've seem many people turn sharply back and collide. It sometimes helps to describe it as a LH U-turn (or RH U-turn as the case may be), or to suggest pretending that they're hooking their arm around an imaginary lamppost. Or pretend they are little airplanes and have to "bank" to turn. Most kids (and some adults) embrace being silly with the airplane idea, which makes the whole figure less intimidating. For a half hey, it helps to point out they'll be diagonally across from their staring place at the end (usually the same gender neighbor's spot). Hilton Baxter > I agree with Tavi that heys don't have to be perceived as a difficult > move. I use them all the time with newer dancers, using the following > guidelines: > A full hey which occurs anywhere but in the B2 is easier, since the > dancers do not have to progress out of the hey > A hey which ends up with a B & S, or gypsy and S (either P or N) will > smooth over any tendency to get a bit lost. Great dances that are > perfect examples are: > The Carousel by Tom Hinds > Flirtation Reel by Tony Parkes > There are many others! > Sometimes using a dance that introduces a half hey is a great way to > get folks ready for a full hey later on in the evening. > These dances add variety. > > One other quick point that I thought about when Emily first posted, > but did not share at the time: I use four in line down the hall quite > a bit with new dancers. I have never found that it caused confusion > about location in space/the dance. Quite the contrary, it gives folks > encouragement to move to the music in a quite natural way, and is > another move that adds variety. I can understand avoiding these dances > because of space constraints. However, four in line down the hall to a > great march makes for wonderful dancing. > > Cheers! Linda
