Hello all! I was combing through some emails I'd intentionally left unread and found this. Did any of you nerds ever iterate on or test out other choreographic ideas with this figure? I especially liked Harris's idea about Set and Link -> Long Wave.
Ang On Sun, Nov 17, 2024 at 11:22 PM Jerome Grisanti via Contra Callers < [email protected]> wrote: > I could visualize that a set & link followed by a hey could have good > flow, especially if the people who are not the first to cross the set cast > to their original starting place before crossing. > > Jerome Grisanti > > On Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 9:23 PM Julian Blechner via Contra Callers < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Thinking more about this, it cool be better if the next move is walking, >> like, a rollaway doesn't flow as good to, say, a star, than this could. Eh? >> >> Best, >> Julian >> >> On Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 3:07 PM Harris Lapiroff <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Embarrassingly when I wrote these I hadn’t really considered that it has >>> more or less the same effect as a rollaway! (Andrea Nettleton pointed out >>> the same to me.) >>> >>> I do think it having a feeling more like a Petronella is one difference, >>> but I’m musing on what else there is to it besides novelty. One thing I’m >>> wondering is, if the person on the inside track just turns halfway, they >>> can get into long wavy lines. Not sure without testing if that would feel >>> satisfying or not! I’ll have to write another and do another living room >>> test 😅 >>> >>> Best, >>> Harris >>> >>> On Sun, Nov 17, 2024, at 2:07 PM, Julian Blechner wrote: >>> >>> Harris, >>> >>> Thanks for raising this topic. >>> >>> I'm curious the differences in momentum and such that will allow this to >>> have different moves following it, compared to a rollaway with 1/2 sashay. >>> >>> I like your first example, because following it with a balance and >>> Petronella spin may be more cohesive percussively that another way for >>> people to just trade places. >>> >>> Have you other thoughts in mind about this? >>> >>> In dance, >>> Julian Blechner >>> He/him >>> Western Mass >>> >>> >>> On Sat, Nov 16, 2024, 2:45 PM Harris Lapiroff via Contra Callers < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> >>> I think I slightly miswrote the choreo in my description of a set and >>> link. I believe it's actually the *Larks* who go through the middle and >>> *Robins* go around the outside. >>> >>> On Sat, Nov 16, 2024, at 2:32 PM, Harris Lapiroff via Contra Callers >>> wrote: >>> >>> I wrote this up as a blog post >>> <https://chromamine.com/2024/11/set-and-link-contras/>, but I also >>> thought this list would appreciate it and have interesting thoughts to >>> share. >>> >>> It occurred to me recently that I don’t think there are any contra >>> dances that feature a set and link figure. This is a figure from Scottish >>> Country Dancing which follows this sequence (assuming becket formation for >>> this write up): >>> >>> 1. Couples face the other couple across the set, taking convenient hands >>> with their partner along the side >>> 2. All balance right and left (4 beats) >>> 3. All turn over their right shoulder as they trade places along the >>> side of the set with the robins going through the middle and larks going >>> round the outside (4 beats) >>> >>> It could be thought of as a petronella twirl for two or, perhaps, as a >>> mad robin halfway with twirling. If none of those descriptions work for >>> you, there’s also a video of the figure in action >>> <https://youtu.be/hI-ebAspZzY?si=gkIDl8WmCzFc5HO4&t=16>. (Note the >>> video is to a leisurely Scottish strathspey, but it can be done to a jig or >>> reel at contra tempo just fine.) >>> >>> I decided to write a couple: >>> >>> *Set And Link Contra* >>> Harris Lapiroff >>> Becket CCW >>> >>> A1 >>> Set and link (trading with partner) >>> Balance the ring >>> Petronella twirl >>> >>> A2 >>> Neighbor balance and swing >>> >>> B1 >>> Set and link (trading with neighbor) >>> Balance the ring >>> Petronella twirl >>> >>> B2 >>> Partner balance and swing >>> >>> Note A1: Each time through after the first, the set and link should >>> start with a big balance to the right to progress to new neighbors >>> >>> And a slightly more complex, but still accessible, one: >>> >>> *Broken Link* >>> Harris Lapiroff >>> Duple Improper >>> >>> A1 >>> Neighbor balance and swing >>> >>> A2 >>> Set and link (trading with neighbor) >>> Robins alle L 1½ >>> >>> B1 >>> Partner right shoulder round >>> Partner swing >>> >>> B2 >>> Circle left 3 >>> Pass through up and down >>> Next neighbor DSD >>> >>> Note: Can also be done in becket by starting with B2, skipping the pass >>> through, and changing to a slide left progression at the end. >>> >>> I danced these through with a few dancers in a living room and they >>> worked. I was worried the “Set And Link Contra” wasn’t appropriate for any >>> crowd, being too simple and repetitive for an experienced dance but too >>> tricky for beginners. Some of my test dancers agreed, but others thought >>> that it was satisfying enough to dance to work – which I could see maybe >>> working for a late evening brain-off-dance-trance vibe. >>> >>> A few open questions I have about these dances: >>> >>> - In “Set And Link Contra,” is the big balance right to progress >>> satisfying or awkward? We didn’t have enough dancers to test the >>> progression. A different option might be to make it Becket CW and slide >>> left, then balance back to the right. (I suspect slide right, balance right >>> would feel too muddy.) >>> - The balance right and then left sequence isn’t natural to contra >>> dancers. Is there a way to lead into it that makes it more natural? >>> (Notably: a couple of my test dancers had done at least a little Scottish >>> and they both liked it, but one dancer who had only done contra found it >>> awkward.) >>> - Alternatively is there a different way of doing that balances that >>> would be more at home in a contra? I think balancing together and away >>> wouldn’t give good momentum into turning over the right shoulder, but >>> perhaps balancing in and out in a ring would work? >>> - In “Broken Link,” I’m still not sure if the set and link into a robins >>> left hand allemande sequence feels good. When I tested it myself it felt >>> flowy in a weaving sort of way, but some of my test dancers reported it was >>> awkward. We didn’t take time to workshop it to see if the flow felt better >>> once the set and link was more familiar. >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] >>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>> [email protected] >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] >>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>> [email protected] >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe send an email to >> [email protected] >> > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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