Re: [Callers] Wrist-lock Stars

This message is kinda long, so here's the executive summary: Can any of you identify sources that describe wrist-hold stars in American square or contra dancing before 1949? I'd be particularly interested in sources that date from significantly earlier and in sources that

Re: [Callers] Wrist Lock Stars - Summary

David said, " I would rather have a lump star moving promptly than a beautiful wrist star three steps late". Absolutely! Which is why I always teach the dancers to move their feet first and worry about their hands once they are moving. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England

Re: [Callers] Wrist Lock Stars - Summary

callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Fri, Oct 21, 2016 4:02 am Subject: Re: [Callers] Wrist Lock Stars - Summary Let me echo my thanks, but put in a word of defense for the denigrated Lump Star. I would rather have a lump star moving promptly than a beautiful wrist star three steps late.

Re: [Callers] Wrist Lock Stars - Summary

Let me echo my thanks, but put in a word of defense for the denigrated Lump Star. I would rather have a lump star moving promptly than a beautiful wrist star three steps late. On 10/19/2016 4:40 AM, John Sweeney via Callers wrote: Alternative Star Holds: Hands Across (that term goes

[Callers] Wrist Lock Stars - Summary

Tom Hinds wrote: > I thought it was saddle-pack not that it really matters. Someone (sorry, can't remember who or where) once insisted to me that it was "paddlestack," because it looked like "a stack of paddles." I doubt this very much, as I don't get any Google hits for "paddlestack" in a

Re: [Callers] Wrist Lock Stars - Summary

In refereence to John's comment about hairy, sweaty wrists in MWSD, it has been an unwritten rule, or at least a courtesy, that men wear long sleeve shirts to avoid such hairy, sweaty, contact. Long sleeves are still the norm in MWSD. Rich Sbardella On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 5:40 AM, John Sweeney

Re: [Callers] Wrist Lock Stars - Summary

John, Thanks for summarizing all of this. I thought it was saddle-pack not that it really matters. You can add Washington DC and surrounding areas (probably Baltimore) plus central Virginia as wrist lock. T

[Callers] Wrist Lock Stars - Summary

Thanks to all those who contributed. Here is a summary of the key points that were made. It is clear that the wrist lock star is indeed the standard across the USA, with only a few areas using hands across. Summary Names: Wrist Star, Box Star, Wrist-Grip Star, Wrist-Lock Star, Pack-saddle

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net> Subject: 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 dir

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

On Oct 10, 2016, at 1:34 PM, Read Weaver via Callers wrote, in reference to wrist-hold 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

Re: [Callers] Wrist-lock Stars

Much the same thing happened in the UK with the rant step.  Originally it was never done with crossed feet.  However, after London Folk danced a rant with crossed feet (for theatrical reasons, emulating the NW Morris polka) at the Royal Albert Hall Folk Festival everyone assumed that was

Re: [Callers] Wrist-lock Stars

Sylvia Miskoe, in rec.folk-dancing on March 4, 1999 said: Wrist grip stars became popular after the appearance at New England Folk Festival (NEFFA) of the Lithuanian Dance Group doing their dances and they all used wrist grips.  The square dancers thought it was a neat idea and adopted it. Cheers,

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

t:* Monday, October 10, 2016 9:44 AM > *To:* Tim Klein <mrtimkl...@yahoo.com> > *Cc:* callers@lists.sharedweight.net > *Subject:* Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars > > I tend to consider my home dance, Louisville, KY, and nearby Lexington, as > two of the last bastion

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

On Tue, 11 Oct 2016 00:14:48 -0700, Alan Winston via Callers wrote: > go back far enough (1700s) and you get "moulinet" in French sources, "mill" > in some English sources,f or what I'm > pretty sure are hands-across stars. In the Netherlands it's called "molen" which means "windmill". That's

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

.sharedweight.net> *Sent:* Monday, October 10, 2016 12:45 PM *Subject:* 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 def

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

for their ‘traditional’ hands-across star style. Susan McElroy-Marcus From: Chet Gray via Callers Sent: Monday, October 10, 2016 9:44 AM To: Tim Klein Cc: callers@lists.sharedweight.net Subject: Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars I tend to consider my home dance, Louisville, KY, and nearby Lexington, as two

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

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] Wrist-Lock Stars

llers@lists.sharedweight.net> > *To:* Jacob or Nancy Bloom <jandnbl...@gmail.com> > *Cc:* callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > *Sent:* Monday, October 10, 2016 12:45 PM > > *Subject:* Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars > I've never heard &q

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

t; Sent: Monday, October 10, 2016 12:45 PM Subject: 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

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

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

old neighbors to star with new, ladies start star then >> gents join in) suggest the hands across. In those cases, I'll explicitly >> suggest one version in the walk through. >> >> Tim Klein >> Knoxville, TN >> >> -- >> *From:* Dave Casse

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

> -- > *From:* Dave Casserly via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > *To:* John Sweeney <j...@modernjive.com> > *Cc:* "callers@lists.sharedweight.net" <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > *Sent:* Monday, October 10, 2016 8:37 AM > *Sub

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

hn Sweeney <j...@modernjive.com> > *Cc:* "callers@lists.sharedweight.net" <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > *Sent:* Monday, October 10, 2016 8:37 AM > *Subject:* Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars > > Jeff Kaufman wrote a paper on regional variations in contra dance.

Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

in the walk through. Tim KleinKnoxville, TN From: Dave Casserly via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> To: John Sweeney <j...@modernjive.com> Cc: "callers@lists.sharedweight.net" <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Monday, October 10, 2016 8:37 AM Subje

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