Martha wrote: > I would only like to add that I wish all of us would make a bigger deal out > of making a BIG LOOP on the ends. When you think about it, you've got 4 > counts to get across the set, and 4 counts to make the loop. That should > give you an idea of the relative size that the loop should be... > > It's almost counter-intuitive that to make the hey faster (i.e., easier) > you have to make the turnaround bigger, not smaller! >
Actually, it's not "*almost *counter-intuitive." I can understand how bigger loops will make the hey easier...but I'm mystified as to how larger loops can make heys faster. In fact, I have considered doing an advanced workshop where I give tips on how dancers can speed up a hey. Dancers are frequently late for balances after heys, for example, and I would recommend that they make sharper turns during the hey--including at the ends--to tighten up the figure and make it possible to finish it on time. Again, I would consider this in an advanced dancer workshop. I would never teach these details in an open, public contra dance. In fact I generally do not teach figures at such dances. - Greg
