Angela, that sounds fantastic! Wish you much success.
You asked for a couple of dances I love, and I'll do that in a minute, but I
wanted to point you to https://barndances.org.uk/ ("A Barn Dance Repertoire")
which has a nice assortment of formations and difficulty, and made me think a
little more about how some ECD I'll call for dance hobbyists can be barn dances.
Dances I love and have used a lot:
Up the Sides and Down the Middle (not to be confused with "Up the Middle and
Down the Sides").
UP THE SIDES AND DOWN THE MIDDLE (CDM, own tune or any bright jig)
[_Serpentiner_ is very, very nice with this.]
Long set for four to six couples.
A1: Step-swing balance in lines twice; cross over with polka step.
A2: Repeat to places
B1: (Reel time) 1s down the middle (walking, 8 bars) while 2s lead a single
cast (polka step) down, then up through the 1s moving arch.
B2: Swing partners.
(Repeat until 1s at top again).
[I disregard the "reel time" which is from the tune it was published with,
which has two different meters, and I ignore the polka step.]
This is actually really fun with old-timey music like "Sandy Boys" - Pig's Eye
Landing had a great medley of Sandy Boys / Kitchen Girl; no need to keep it
British.
--
THE SQUARE EIGHT (Cumberland)
CDM1 - Tune is "My love she's but a lassie yet" or any 32-bar reel or jig -
something bouncy.
Square set
Gender reference not required but it's in these notes. The galop is ideally
accomplished with whooping and hollering.
A1: Tops galop across and back; men pass back-to-back first time, women
second time.
A2: Sides the same.
B1: Tops: right hands across, left hands back.
B2: Sides the same.
A1: Tops basket.
A2: Sides the same.
B1: All eight circle left - polka or skip-change step.
B2: Change direction and promenade to place.
------------------------------
Hope this helps!
-- Alan
________________________________________
From: Angela DeCarlis via Contra Callers <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 5:57 PM
To: Shared Weight Contra Callers
Subject: [Callers] Ceilidhs, Barn Dances and Kitchen Dances, oh my!
BEWARE: This email originated outside of our organization. DO NOT CLICK links
or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Hello everyone!
I've been starting a new dance series in Gainesville, Florida called the All
Y'all. The gist of the series is that each event features a variety of
community social dancing in an effort to attract experienced dancers who want
to try new styles, as well as dancers who are brand new to all of it.
At the first event we had barn dances, some very easy contra dances, a simple
square dance, some urban line dancing, and a demo performance from a local
clogging group. It was a great success, with around 75 folks attending, the
majority of whom were beginners. Here's a link if you want to check out some
videos of the fun.<https://www.instagram.com/p/DO1uvMGkbFm/?img_index=1>
Here's the ask: I need to expand my repertoire of beginner-friendly dances to
include more formations, and also different traditions! In particular, I want
to add more English, Scottish, etc ceilidh dances to my bank for my upcoming
events. Simple squares and anything else you adore is also welcome!
If you have one of two you love, please send them along. Please include what
tradition and/or country the dance originates from when appropriate! I'm not
yet at a point where I can request any special music — so like, some day I'd
love to have balfolk and all that goodness, but it won't happen soon. For now
assume the musicians are playing from the American Oldtime repertoire
(including 3-part tunes!).
Thank you all in advance, especially those reading from across the pond. 🙂
Ang
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