HI Maia, When doing a ladies chain for the first time, I prefer to call a chain to neighbor, rather than partner, so that new dancers get an opportunity to practice courtesy turns with lots of different people (we've all seen the new couples who can't remember which are the counterclockwise vs. clockwise turns).
(Of course you can't win 'em all, like new dancers who show up halfway through the dance.) Many of Linda's suggestions feature chains to neighbor. Some of my favorite easy dances with such chains are: Forgotten Treasure Beth Parkes A1: N balance, swing A2: down the hall, turn as couples B1: circle left 3/4, P swing B2: long lines forward and back, ladies chain Although this has the ladies chain -> next N balance transition which can even be not easy for experienced dancers, it's generous with recovery time. ??? Susan Petrick? A1: N balance, swing A2: gents allemande left 1+1/2, P swing B1: long lines forward and back, ladies chain B2: balance ring, roll away P lady across; balance ring, roll away N lady up/down I collected this from Susan Petrick who calls it Missing You, but she's not sure where she may have got it from. Note how similar it is to Lavender and Lilac / The Missing Piece. Made Up Tonight (Which is No Longer True) Erik Hoffman A1: N balance, swing A2: ladies chain over and back B1: circle left 3/4, P swing B2: circle left 3/4, balance ring, 2s arch and 1s dive through And there's Trip to Lambertville by Steve Zakon-Anderson, which can be made easier with a B1/B2 variation that's apparently common: A1: ladies walk to long wave, balance; gents walk to long wave, balance A2: gents allemande left 1/2, balance wave; N swing B1: circle left 3/4; P swing B2: long lines forward and back; ladies chain Yoyo Zhou
