Depends on what goes into and out of them, I guess. A hey into an allemande is fast. A long lines into an allemande in the center, not so much. I'd like to tip my hat at Bob Isaacs for helping me understand the dynamics a bit of this back when I first started dance writing.
On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 10:31 PM, Erik Hoffman <[email protected]> wrote: > About that "Yes, the allemande is traditionally 6 beats." Where did that > tradition come from? > > When I started dancing in 1980, we learned that an allemande once around > was 8, 6, or 4 beats. To change the timing, simply get closer or farther > from the person with whom you're allemanding i.e. adjust the circumference > of the circle you're navigating, and the weight won't change much. > > In the Tennessee Mixer (which Fred Park says is from Kentucky, and Fried > de Metz Herman seemed to plunder for her waltz dance, the Wood Duck), the > allemandes are 8 beats. > > In Hulls Victory, when the ones come together and go twice around, it's > fast, and they better be 4 beats. > > In modern dances, like Penn Fix's "Settlement Swing," the once around > allemandes are also 4 beats. > > ~erik hoffman > oakland, ca > > > On 10/9/2013 7:01 PM, Ron Blechner wrote: > >> ** Yes, the allemande once around is traditionally 6 beats. Stepping into >> a >> star from a long lines can eat up an extra beat. This dance is intended >> for >> basically two situations: 1. Early in the evening, when newbies will need >> more time, especially with a star. 2. This should work well with faster >> music, like Old Timey, and that slow allemande is going to feel a-ok. Just >> remember to teach it something like: "A nice, easy allemande once around, >> until the ladies face in". Similar timing slow-down can be seen in the >> delightful dance "Joyride", where a gypsy 1x occupies 8 beats, and a >> novice >> caller can easily forget to remind dancers to take it slow. >> >> ______________________________**_________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/**mailman/listinfo/callers<http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers> >
