Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

John, Somewhere south of Asheville and leading west possibly into the lower Midwest, is the land of hands across stars. They are standard in Atlanta, the heart of hands-across-land. Andrea Sent from my external brain > On Oct 10, 2016, at 8:37 AM, Dave Casserly via Callers >

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Just a bit of Louisville dance community history on this subject—when my husband started dancing there in the late 70’s and I came in 1982, the Monday night dance was a mix of English and contra. The default contradance star grip was the “wrist lock” not hands across as in English. We called

Re: [Callers] Good dances for beginners to safely leave/return to minor set.

Cheat or swing in a square. On Oct 10, 2016, at 12:36 PM, K Panton via Callers wrote: 3-33-33 is not a good choice for introducing beginners to extra-4some expeditions. I've also found that a diagonal chain followed by a straight-across figure causes confusion. The Young Adult Rose,and

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Central North Carolina here. In this region, wrist-grip or wagon-wheel stars are the default. Some dances specify hands-across if the choreography asks for it. Joy Greenwolfe Durham, NC > On Oct 10, 2016, at 4:34 PM, Read Weaver via Callers > wrote: > > When

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Whatever you call it (some of the other terms come from square dances of particular names, such as Old Mill Wheel or the Wagonwheel Star), today a wrist star is the US standard for most of the country. That said, the square dance movement uses a palm-in star (which I personally prefer for most

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Here in Oklahoma I call it a wagon-wheel grip, but I think I picked up that term in either Michigan or California when I was starting to dance contra circa 2008. Wagon-wheel stars are the default in OK/TX/KS/MO local dances, and also seem standard in the SF Bay Area. When I teach a star in a

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

When I’m teaching, I make the point that it’s pretty much the only move in contra where you _shouldn’t_ give weight even though you could—human wrists being neither strong nor flexible in that direction. And that if someone behind you is uncomfortably giving weight, you can just let go and turn

[Callers] Mark Widmer's email address is changing

Please change your address book to use Mark Widmer's new email address: widmerm...@gmail.com The old email address (m...@harbormist.com) will be going away soon.

Re: [Callers] Good dances for beginners to safely leave/return to minor set.

I've had issues with the combination of box the gnat and pull by. I'd be hesitant to use that combination for a group with a lot of beginners. Kalia Kliban (who also posted about Another Nice Combination but forgot to sign it) On 10/10/2016 10:30 AM, Meg Dedolph via Callers wrote: I like

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Not sure how I came by it, but I call them "pack saddle" stars when I teach beginners ("wrist-lock", no). "Raise your right hand, put it in the center and now lay it on the wrist of the person in front of you, like a pack saddle on a horse, to make a star. Notice you don't need to clamp on or even

Re: [Callers] Good dances for beginners to safely leave/return to minor set.

Mary Cay's Reel (also by David Kaynor) and Poetry in Motion (Lisa Greenleaf) have expeditions out of your hands-4 to your future neighbor, and Little Green Heron (Joseph Pimentel) to the previous ones. Angel's Flight (Sue Rosen) is a really lovely dance with a jaunt to your future neighbor and

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Checking in from Chicago, where wrist-grip stars are the norm and hands-across stars need to be specified When I started dancing, 14 or 15 years ago, in Michigan, many dancers reached for a hands-across star first, though I don't see that so much anymore. Meg On Mon, Oct 10, 2016 at 12:00 PM

Re: [Callers] Good dances for beginners to safely leave/return to minor set.

I like this one a lot: *Becky's Brouhaha - Rhiannon (Giddens) Laffan *>>* A1N Bal and Box the Gnat, Pull by R, (Previous N) Allemande L *>* A2(Current) N B *>* B1Circle L 3/4, P Sw *>* B2Ladies Chain, Left Hand Star* On Mon, Oct 10, 2016 at 11:36 AM K Panton via Callers <

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Millstone or  "windmill" - term I've seen used in print for older Canadian dances. Bob Livingston From: Angela DeCarlis via Callers To: Jacob or Nancy Bloom Cc: callers Sent: Monday, October 10,

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

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

[Callers] Good dances for beginners to safely leave/return to minor set.

3-33-33 is not a good choice for introducing beginners to extra-4some expeditions. I've also found that a diagonal chain followed by a straight-across figure causes confusion. The Young Adult Rose,and others, have a pass-through to shadow allemande which is doable. Does anyone have some reliable

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

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

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

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.

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Where I've called recently, in the Northeast and in New England, wrist-grip is definitely the default, and I wasn't aware that parts of the south default to hands-across. Neat! Here to comment that Florida, where I'm from originally, holds true to its role as the Exception to the Rule: despite

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

When I was dancing in Michigan, I found it to be a mess, with maybe half doing wrist grip and half hands-across, and everyone just throwing their hands in the middle without doing either. I wish callers would specify for each dance which kind of star they recommend, to avoid this kind of thing.

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

I tend to consider my home dance, Louisville, KY, and nearby Lexington, as two of the last bastions of hands-across-by-default. Wrist-grip seems to be the default (for contra; squares are a different matter) even in relatively nearby cities: Indianapolis, Bloomington, IN, Nashville, Cincinnati.

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

I call for dances in Knoxville, TN and occasionally in the surrounding area (Jonesboro, Chattanooga). I've been dancing here for 30 years. Kaufman was correct. I recall hands across stars in Knoxville, Atlanta, Brasstown, Asheville and points between, but wrist grip stars in Lexington,

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

The wrist lock is the common star formation in the Northwest, with a hands across being the exception. -Amy Seattle On Oct 10, 2016 5:37 AM, "Dave Casserly via Callers" < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Jeff Kaufman wrote a paper on regional variations in contra dance. Here's > what >

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

Jeff Kaufman wrote a paper on regional variations in contra dance. Here's what he found for wrist-grip stars (page 31 of the link). Basically, they're common everywhere in the US except in some

[Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

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

[Callers] Ralph Page Style

Hi all, I was at a workshop recently where someone asked me if I liked "the Ralph Page style" of contra dance. They claimed that they had been told that he wanted dances to be slower and calmer. Is there a "Ralph Page style"? If so what is it? If he wanted the music