I've sometimes taught this as the loop on the end includes passing a
ghost; e.g., right in the middle, left on the end, right with no one,
left on the end, right in the middle, left on the end, right with no
one, and you're home. It helps people get the timing right, and it
helps the people who are convinced that it just has to be right-left-
right-left-right-left.
--Read Weaver
Jamaica Plain, MA
http://lcfd.org
On Feb 16, 2012, at 12:12 PM, Martha Edwards wrote:
Wonderful method, Dale!
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!
M
E
On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 9:55 PM, Dale Wilson
<[email protected]> wrote:
When I teach a half Hey in an intro workshop I do it right after
the Ladies
Chain. I start by telling the women that they already know this
next move
and have them do the chain with no hands -- including walking
around the
opposite gent. Then I tell the gents that they'll be following
the same
path but not right behind the lady -- poeple will be passing in
between.
Once everybody gets the half hey -- usually pretty quickly -- I
introduce
the full hey -- talking about taking your time on the loop at the
ends
because that's usually a source of problems and confusion when
someone
tries to start back in too soon.
And of course I mention for the full hey, when all else fails,
just get
back to where you started.
Dale
On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 9:14 PM, Hilton Baxter
<[email protected]
wrote:
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
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May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, with
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you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time.
~Constantine Cavafy, "Ithaka" 1911
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