I've never heard "millstone" or "mill" before, but it sounds like it has precedence. My guess is that it was (is?) a useful term at dances where hands-across stars are default. Since that isn't generally the case in many places any longer, it makes sense that "hands-across" has become the more useful modifier.
On Oct 10, 2016 11:37 AM, "Jacob or Nancy Bloom via Callers" < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > When I attended the Berea Christmas Dance School forty years ago, and put > my hand on the wrist in front of me during a walk through, someone > complained, saying, "He said a star, not a mill!" > > Is the term "mill", or the term "millstone", commonly used to refer to > wrist stars in areas where hands-across is the default way of doing a star? > > Jacob Bloom > > > On Mon, Oct 10, 2016 at 10:29 AM, Jerome Grisanti via Callers < > callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> I agree with Chet that Louisville's default star is hands-across, >> although weekend festivals in nearby cities tend toward the millstone star. >> I avoid the terms wrist-lock or even wrist-grip star, as I prefer the >> fingers to lay atop the adjoining wrist without using the thumb to "grip" >> in any way. >> >> The Midwest where I dance/call now is pretty solidly wrist-star territory >> (St. Louis, Columbia MO, Kansas City, Lawrence). When I call one-night >> events (parties, weddings), I dictate hands-across stars, but when calling >> for an established contra community I ask for the default. >> >> --Jerome >> >> >> Jerome Grisanti >> 660-528-0858 >> http://www.jeromegrisanti.com >> >> "Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and >> power and magic in it." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe >> >> On Mon, Oct 10, 2016 at 3:31 AM, John Sweeney via Callers < >> callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >> >>> Hi all, >>> I have been to contra dances and festivals all over America and >>> everywhere I have danced everyone automatically uses a wrist-lock star >>> (unless the caller has specified hands-across because of the subsequent >>> choreography). >>> >>> But I am constantly challenged in England by people claiming that >>> wrist-lock stars are not the standard in America. >>> >>> When I go to somewhere like The Flurry and see 600 people from >>> all >>> over the country all doing wrist-locks it seems to me that it must be the >>> standard way of doing things. >>> >>> And obviously it has been common in America for a long time; this >>> video is from 1964 in Northern Vermont and shows wrist-lock stars: >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZubTju7g_s >>> >>> So, are there still significant communities that don't use >>> wrist-locks? >>> >>> Is the wrist-lock the de facto standard? >>> >>> Thanks. >>> >>> Happy dancing, >>> John >>> >>> John Sweeney, Dancer, England j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & >>> 07802 >>> 940 574 >>> http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs >>> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Callers mailing list >>> Callers@lists.sharedweight.net >>> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> Callers@lists.sharedweight.net >> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >> >> > > > -- > jandnbl...@gmail.com > http://jacobbloom.net/ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers@lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > >