Re: [Callers] Grid Contra: Contra Bias (as in, on the diagonal)

Hello all, Thank you for the (off-list) feedback on the previous grid contra. I wrote another grid contra; and actually walked it through at a dance camp I was calling at (thank you Echo Summit). We didn't dance it (the musicians were on break). But the patterns worked. I've incorporated their

[Callers] Checking on a new composition - glossary dance

I wrote out a glossary dance; not a first in the evening, but maybe second. Anyone know of a prior version? Spend Some Time Together by Luke Donforth Contra/Improper/Easy A1 --- (8) Long lines, forward and back (8) Neighbor swing A2 --- (8) Men allemande Left 1-1/2 (8) Partner

Re: [Callers] Transgressive contras

I should note, I've never actually tried calling "Luke's Options are Limited" it was mostly a theoretical exercise for me. To my knowledge it's never been danced. If you have only two sets, it's not clear to me how a transgressive contras are functionally different than 4 face 4 dances or their

Re: [Callers] Lost a posting, please help

I just forwarded three of the e-mails from the beginning of May. Let me know if those aren't the ones you were looking for. On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 1:28 PM, jean francis via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I thought I'd saved a fairly recent discussion on 'transgressive >

[Callers] Having settled the geography debate, lets move on to entomology

The recent discussion about California versus Nevada twirls and all the related variants suddenly flashed through my mind when I was writing this dance: Whipped Butter by Luke Donforth Contra/Becket-CW A1 --- (8) Men allemande Left 1-1/2 (8) Neighbor allemande Right 1-1/2 A2 ---

Re: [Callers] content of introductory lesson

Dave, thank you for the new thread with a bigger focus. I don't think that there needs to be universal set mandate for beginner lessons. Heck, there's debate about what the best name for it is (orientation, lesson, workshop, etc). It's going to depend on crowd, size, timing, and a huge host of

[Callers] Six Facing Six contra

Hello all, For more than a year, I've been kicking around compositions for 6 facing 6 contra dances (you can see my backlog at http://www.madrobincallers.org/2014/02/26/6-facing-6-contra-dances/). This past weekend, dancers at an afternoon challenging contra session successfully danced and

[Callers] A new(?) dance, written with a gyre

Hello all, Linda Leslie's suggestion of gyre as a replacement for gypsy bubbled around in my brain and a new (I think) dance percolated up. It has a twist that isn't the gyre (which I consider just new nomenclature); women casting out of the swing to travel from one minor set to another (similar

Re: [Callers] Gypsy Synopsis

Hello all, I had the pleasure of calling last night, to a mostly experienced crowd of dancers (although I didn't recognize everyone in their costumes). The third dance of the evening was the first one with a gypsy; and I took 30 seconds to explain I was deliberately replacing the word gypsy with

[Callers] 4 person do-si-do?

It's 5 am, and I find myself awake and writing dances; specifically 4x4s. Unfortunately, I don't have 8 dancers waiting on my insomnia to test things, so I figured I'd send them to shared weight... Possibly this is a choreographic question already answered in square dancing, but I'm not familiar

Re: [Callers] 4 person do-si-do?

Thanks all for the feedback. I appreciate having this list to kick ideas around. While it would be possible for the do-si-dos to happen in two groups of 2; in my opinion that would make this a particularly non-interacting 4x4; as the only whole group of 8 interaction at that point is the circle

Re: [Callers] Simple Revolving door dances?

I interpreted that as a move that goes from one circle with neighbors to another circle with other neighbors, such as David Kaynor's "Open Doors" (Sourced from: http://www.davidkaynor.com/Compositions.html ) *Open Doors* Duple Improper A1 Circle Left 3/4; Swing Partner A2 Down Hall 4 - in -

Re: [Callers] Simple Revolving door dances?

and spin to the right (petronella) turn away from > these N to new N > > > Notes: Original A2 Men allemande L 1.5 to P swing > > On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 8:56 AM, Maia McCormick via Callers < > callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> Hmm. Alex, correct me if I'm wrong,

Re: [Callers] Challenging Contras

One thing you can do for variety is simple dances as no-walkthroughs. Line 'em up and getting them dancing. Even when they say they want advanced dances, they still want the joy of successfully dancing to music. It's easier to write a challenging dance than it is to write a good simple dance; and

[Callers] New (?) dance, with hey and no neighbor swing

Hello all, I was flying home after some fun gigs in DC, and wrote out a dance sequence that I didn't recognize. It's fairly straightforward, so I wanted to see if it was already out there: Improper A1 (8) Neighbor Do-si-do 1x (8) Women allemande Left 1.5x A2 (16) Partner pass by Right for whole

[Callers] New (?) dance, B1 balance, B2 balance and partner swing

Hello all, I was trying to write a nice end-of-evening dance that had a balance at the top of B1, and ended with a partner swing (that wasn't Old Time Elixir #2 or Tica Tica timing...) and came up with this. I think it's new, and it worked well in Montreal recently; but I'd like to know if it

Re: [Callers] New (?) dance, B1 balance, B2 balance and partner swing

Wolfgang von Goethe > > On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 12:46 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers < > callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> Hello all, >> >> I was trying to write a nice end-of-evening dance that had a balance at >> the top of B1, and ended with a

Re: [Callers] New (?) dance, B1 balance, B2 balance and partner swing

gt;> desire for the balance at the top of the B sections? >> >> --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 mag

Re: [Callers] New (?) dance, B1 balance, B2 balance and partner swing

Two corrections: The Bob Isaacs composition that I accidentally duplicated is "Return 2 Sender". "Return to Sender" is a different Bob Isaacs dance with a double progression. I'm now proposing Vallimont's Silver Hammer be the following dance instead: Becket A1 Circle Left Neighbor Swing A2

[Callers] Dolphin Heys in contra dances

Hello all, I'm sharing a link to a pod of dances I recently wrote: http://www.madrobincallers.org/2016/06/13/dolphinheys/ rather than putting all 5 and the descriptions up here. I'll put one at the bottom. I was at the English Country Dance in Brattleboro before the Dawn Dance, and Nikki Herbst

Re: [Callers] Dolphin Heys in contra dances

Looks like I'm late to the party. Glad to hear other folks are having fun with it :-) I didn't know it came via Scottish, but that makes sense. It's called tandem or alternating tandem reels there? It's not clear to me how it ended up being called a dolphin hey instead of a falcon hey; but I'm

Re: [Callers] Reverse R/L thru?

I'm not familiar with option a or b dances. Are you looking for something with that? As for the option c, older dances that have right and left through (and back) in proper lines have the 1s and 2s doing the reverse of each other; and some of them are doing what you're describing. That's the

Re: [Callers] Dolphin Heys in contra dances

AM, Luke Donforth via Callers < > callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> Looks like I'm late to the party. Glad to hear other folks are having fun >> with it :-) >> >> I didn't know it came via Scottish, but that makes sense. It's called >> tandem o

[Callers] Culture Club "Erlanger Tanzhaus"; spear phishing, or legit?

Hello all, Just got a request from Axel Roehborn of the Erlanger Tanzhaus in Germany asking for dances to be submit for a workbook. Anyone have any familiarity with Axel or the group? http://www.erlanger-tanzhaus.de/ As an academic, I get all sorts of requests for papers with publication fees.

[Callers] Grand Square in a contra?

Hi Folks, Several years ago (2013?) while at the fabulous DEFFA festival in Maine, I danced a contra that had a grand square. I think it was on the diagonal. But that's about all I remember about it. Anyone know the dance? Or can give me more of a lead like the caller or such? I don't think it

Re: [Callers] Grand Square in a contra?

Thanks all for your help! It seems probably that it was Bases Loaded (based on the write up at http://www.dancerhapsody.com/calling/dances.html); but it's even more likely that it was Bill Olsen calling, so I'd like to hear him weigh in on both probabilities ;-) I found write ups of some of the

Re: [Callers] Grand Square in a contra?

Thanks John, that does seem like a fun bit to incorporate. I ran the Fox Hollow Foibles dance with the Grand Square happening on the diagonal at IndepenDance in Wisconsin. Folks seemed to have fun with it, but it was certainly challenging (my sense is that community doesn't do many squares; Grand

Re: [Callers] Grand Square in a contra?

lady), as a middle or inside or > outside. I know when I'm a head or a side. I know where to find my corner > wherever I am at the moment. But I don't recall dancing a four-facing-four > where the right couples did something different from the left couples. > > My two cents in th

[Callers] Surely this already exists?

Hello all, I was trying to find an easy and accessible dance, a real glossary basic contra. I feel like this must already exist, but I'm not finding it in my notes. Someone got a prior? Type: Contra Formation: Duple-Improper A1 --- (8) Neighbor Do-si-do (8) Neighbor swing, end facing

Re: [Callers] Surely this already exists?

Excuse me, that B1 is Partner Swing, not Partner Neighbor. (Thank you David Harding for catching my copy/paste error) A1 --- (8) Neighbor Do-si-do (8) Neighbor swing, end facing down the hall A2 --- (8) Down the hall, four in line (turn as couples) (8) Return and Bend the line B1

Re: [Callers] Surely this already exists?

Loose, by Chris >> Ricciotti. The only difference in Chris’ dance is that the final move is a >> ladies chain. >> Beth Parkes also wrote a dance that is mostly the same: Forgotten >> treasure. She begins the dance with a N B, and ends it with a chain as >> well. >

[Callers] Favorite dance to teach a ladies chain?

Hello all, I've been thinking about glossary dances, and building vocabulary for new dancers. I'm curious what your favorite dance is for teaching a ladies chain for a crowd of mostly new dancers? Or if you don't have a specific dance, what do you look for in a dance to make the chain as

Re: [Callers] Favorite dance to teach a ladies chain?

Interesting approach John. I'd personally hesitate to introduce both chain and a hey in the same dance for mostly new dancers. Do you draw an extensive parallel of the motion on the floor for the ladies? As for apostrophes; well, contra I'm willing to teach. English, I've just about given up on

[Callers] new (?) dance - with a shadow swing

Hello all, I know the list has had big debates about shadow swings in the past. If you don't like 'em, you can pitch this. This dance was written for someone who wanted a shadow swing, and is something I might call at a shadow-themed festival session. As shadow swings go, I like the idea of

Re: [Callers] new (?) dance - with a shadow swing

ed perpendicularly to it, which takes up less space up and down > the hall. Not sure you could teach that. It requires precision. > > Rich > > On Sep 20, 2016 1:49 PM, "Luke Donforth via Callers" < > callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> Hello all, &g

[Callers] Pre-existing dance?

Hello all, I was thinking about what I do at the "welcome to our contra dance" introduction, and what dance would easily move in to that. Noodling around with moves, I thought of a sequence with glossary moves, but I didn't have it in my box. Anyone recognize it? Improper A1 --- (8)

Re: [Callers] Pre-existing dance?

t; habits. > > Michael Barraclough > www.michaelbarraclough.com > > > -- > > On Mon, 2016-10-17 at 22:45 -0400, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote: > > Hello all, > > I was thinking about what I do at the "welcome to our contra dance" > introduction, and w

Re: [Callers] Pre-existing dance?

nce between those two is a significant >> matter in the question of how folklore is created and who owns it. >> Personally, I feel our cultural tendency to accord authorial rights has >> misled us. >> >> So please...if you came up with a dance put your name on it

[Callers] Caller Directory - in development

Hello all, When I get an inquiry about calling for a gig that I can't do, I often refer them to the same handful of local callers that I know. But it's not always the most useful if the inquiry came from far away. I've been thinking about trying to create a caller database; with geographic

Re: [Callers] Caller Directory - in development

Thanks to everyone who's already signed up. Looks like there's some willingness to try this, and I appreciate it. I've already tweaked it slightly based on feedback (Gender Free, levels of MWSD). Feel free to resubmit your name if you didn't keep the link to edit your response (and a note to that

Re: [Callers] Caller Directory - in development

e all my previous data > or will it recognize me and just take the new/changed stuff? > > Michael Barraclough > www.michaelbarraclough.com > > -- > > On Sat, 2016-10-22 at 20:01 -0400, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote: > > Thanks to everyone who's already signed up. Look

Re: [Callers] Square dance calling book - What would you like to see?

Thanks for putting this out there. A couple thoughts from someone who only occasionally puts a square in a program. I often wonder about pairing breaks with figures. So some quick index system of this figure goes well with these breaks, avoid these breaks, etc. There are some things I think

Re: [Callers] Positive values on the mic

I don't remember who coined it, but I like the line "how about some lively applause for these live musicians" as a gentle reminder to appreciate the musicians if the applause is a little lackluster. On Mon, Oct 31, 2016 at 10:28 AM, Ron Blechner via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net>

Re: [Callers] Post election day dances?

There's a dance, I think by a choreographer in Chicago, called "Swing States". I was in a hall when it was announced, but don't have more than that. Sorry I didn't get it to the list in time. I've been distracted lately... Here's one, from after the fact. "You can't always get what you want"

Re: [Callers] Post election day dances?

the go left/ go right > motion in the dance. > Meg > > On Mon, Nov 14, 2016 at 9:24 AM Luke Donforth via Callers < > callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> There's a dance, I think by a choreographer in Chicago, called "Swing >> States". I was in a hall w

[Callers] Thank you

Hello Shared Weight, Just feeling particularly grateful to the community of callers and organizers out there. Thank you to all of you for the work that you do. I believe it helps build stronger, more connected communities, and a better world. I personally lose sight of that sometimes, especially

Re: [Callers] Catapult 2017 looking for callers

> > >> How many of you out there have participated in this? What did you think > of it? I'm curious, but not sure whether I'm what they're looking for, or > vice versa. And it's a long way to travel for a short gig. > > Kalia > > I'll weigh in as someone who called there in 2013. - I had a

Re: [Callers] Circle Shuffle- author?

I have to apologize Claire; that is a dance I wrote... jeesh, I can't even remember my own dances anymore. I posted it to Shared Weight in February of 2014. :"*For 20 couples, with many dancers still working on the walking thing, it went fine (1 1/2 phrases seemed to be the right amount of time

[Callers] Four face fours

Hello all. It's been a while since I've had enough folks at a house party to really walk through a 4x4 dance, so I'm sending this out for comment: I'm trying to increase my repertoire of accessible and entertaining 4x4s (my double reverse progression 4x4, etc, not qualifying) This one is in the

Re: [Callers] Four face fours

wrong > way (out) if they power turn (interpreted as a courtesy turn 1+1/4). > > -Don > > On Sat, Jan 7, 2017 at 10:01 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers < > callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> B1 --- >> (8) Women's Chain up and down to pa

Re: [Callers] Four face fours

Andrea kindly pointed out that half hey where you're about to pass by the left into a swing isn't the smoothest transition (without a balance); something I missed. I see a couple ways of shifting that, like replacing the chain with a women allemande left 1.5; which is unfortunately their

[Callers] Totals for taxes

Hello all, 2016 is done, which for me means I can total up my calling for taxes and such. It doesn't come up here very often; but payment and mileage and whatnot is the unglamorous logistics side of calling. I figure it's worth sharing that type of information as well, so folks can be informed

Re: [Callers] Totals for taxes

I've already had two inquires, so I should specify, the $8000 was income paid not counting airplane tickets. It didn't remove mileage reimbursement, CDSS membership and insurance, etc. Net comes to about $5000. On Mon, Jan 16, 2017 at 11:25 PM, Luke Donforth wrote: >

[Callers] Increased number of community dance requests?

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing a bump in requests for community/family dances? I feel like the last month or so, there's been an uptick in schools and community centers requesting them. Could be a local fluctuation, or something bigger. Anyone else getting that impression?

[Callers] Lindy move in a Contra Dance

Hello folks, There was a recent call for new dances, but I can't find the thread, so here's a fresh post. Continuing what I think of as a long-standing tradition of contra dance choreography stealing moves from other dances; I've written a few with the mini-dip, a move from swing dancing.

Re: [Callers] Lindy move in a Contra Dance

, Apr 4, 2017 at 11:44 PM, Jack Mitchell <jmitchell...@gmail.com> wrote: > Indeed, the dance with the box the gnat in place of the mini-dip is > written - Becky's Brouhaha by Rhiannon Giddens. > On Mon, Apr 3, 2017 at 3:34 PM Luke Donforth via Callers < > callers@lists.sh

Re: [Callers] If You Can Walk...

I wrote a couple different ones, playing with that title. They're all similar, and mostly designed to go after my beginner walk through (which teaches the progression with balance the ring -> pass through) It's highly probable that other folks have also used riffs on that title, and that these

[Callers] Grid Contra: Contra Bias (as in, on the diagonal)

Hello all, I had a three hour drive to a gig the other day, and ruminated (again) on grid contras. I think I've come up with a potentially dancable one. This is advanced-dance stuff, not to be deployed lightly. And while I hope it won't take 3 hours to digest this e-mail, I'm going to get into

[Callers] We tried Ports & Starboards

Hello all, Last week, at our regular monthly dance for the Mad Robin Callers Collective, we tried Ports and Starboards instead of Gents and Ladies (the usual language for our dance). The MRCC dance is called by a collection of callers who work together ahead of time on a program for the evening.

[Callers] Timing on a zig and zag

Hello folks, Thanks for all the insight on Grand Marches. It was a very fruitful discussion for me, so I'm going to toss another question out there. What timing do you like for zig and zag the set? The (uncommon) move where you and someone else (usually partner) move out to one side and slip

Re: [Callers] Giant dance database?

Last I heard, Nils Fredland was the person at CDSS associated with the project. There are non-online versions that allow searching in various ways. You might take a look at Caller's Companion http://callerscompanion.com to see something already out there. On Jul 28, 2014 10:46 AM, "Maia McCormick

Re: [Callers] California- looking for Lost Coast dances, Humboldt county?

Hi Alison, I'm sorry I can't point you towards dances in your neck of the woods (I'm on the other coast), but what jumped out at me from your message was "often no room for a do si-do (much less spinning) because the lines are so full." To me, it sounds like you've got an opportunity. I can

[Callers] Grand Marches

Hello all, Just yesterday, I was part of a Grand March that Chris Ricciotti led that was such fun, it made me want to up my game for Grand Marches. I'd be curious to hear folks suggestions for: - moves that work well, and how to prompt them - how to gauge space and timing - how to best

Re: [Callers] Etiquette of refusing an offer to dance

At the dances I've seen/called in and around VT, we don't address this directly (with signs or such). I've heard of the practice of sitting after declining, but I don't think it's a common practice for most folks these days. I'd say it's mostly fallen by the wayside. The one time I've seen it

Re: [Callers] Publishing dances on the web

Oh! I hadn't seen that. That's neat. Thanks for sharing Michael. And Mary, don't feel bad. Lots of folks have told me my dances are a pain to find. On Sun, Nov 5, 2017 at 9:14 AM, Michael Dyck via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > On 2017-11-04 11:26 PM, Luke Don

[Callers] Publishing dances on the web

Hi Folks, I currently have a terrible system for publishing dances I've written on the web (blog-esque thing in wordpress; really hard to search through). There's been talk on and off of a big database of dances, but that doesn't seem to be happening so I thought I should do something for mine.

Re: [Callers] Vallimont's Silver Hammer

Hello all, Vallimont's Silver Hammer came out in May of 2016. The dance came out of a conversation with the talented musician Julie Vallimont about closing sets; and how callers like dances that end with swings but bands often have something that builds to a big hit at the A to B transition in

Re: [Callers] Put Your Red Hand In

Thanks for sharing! I wonder about getting a bulk order of red hair-scrunchies that could be used as loose bracelets. On Mon, Nov 6, 2017 at 7:19 PM, Rich Sbardella via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I had a Girl Scout Dance coming up Sunday and I was thinking how I would >

Re: [Callers] pre-school dances?

Thanks for the suggestions! I've gotten lots of fun ideas on and off list; and resources I should go and check out. (I'll admit, I've picked up some of the CDSS pamphlet/books in the past, and been underwhelmed by their utility; but it sounds like there are some other ones to pick up). Part of my

Re: [Callers] Looking for a square caller 9/22 Colorado

Dereck, in addition to pinging folks on this list about it, I'd also encourage you (or anyone else trying to refer outside their own geographic base) to check out the caller directory: http://tinyurl.com/hnb72wv Looking at that, I'd say Tine Fields, Peter Johnson, and Wendy Graham Settle are the

Re: [Callers] New dance composition, star to next neighbor hey

to consider them separate. On Mon, Jun 25, 2018 at 4:31 PM, Michael Dyck via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > On 2018-06-25 04:03 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote: > >> Hi folks, >> >> I ran this at a monthly dance, and it was well recei

Re: [Callers] New dance composition, star to next neighbor hey

Gents face out, Ladies in > B1 NEXT Ns Full Hey (Ladies pass LEFT in center) > B2 Ladies Cross, Partner Swing > > Dan's original is "modified DI" starting with the hey and has a Circle > Left in place of the Long Lines. Page 94 of Give and Take. > > -Don > &

[Callers] New dance composition, star to next neighbor hey

Hi folks, I ran this at a monthly dance, and it was well received; so I figured I'd share it around. To my knowledge it's new. Please correct me if you know of a prior. The interesting/odd bit is the transition from B2 to A1, where the ladies role comes out of a left hand star with old neighbors

Re: [Callers] Nerdy dances

Thank you for the shout out to Entangled in Monte Carlo :-) Two others to add to your list: Angela DeCarlis: Dr Whiting's Delight https://www.angeladecarlis.com/original-choreography (written and named for one of the astrophysicists involved in confirming gravitational waves) Mike Richardson's

Re: [Callers] The loss of one of our own

Chris eloquently addressed this tragic loss. I remember the encouragement and advise she provided me after my guest slot calling at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, when I was still new and nervous. I will miss her incredible warmth and support. On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 1:50 PM, Seth Seeger

[Callers] New 4x4 composition with a tunnel, and related questions

Hello all, I've had an idea for a 4 facing 4 dance rattling around, and it seems unlikely I'll have enough dancers to house-party it anytime soon, so I'd appreciate feedback on an untested dance. 4 facing 4 contra A1 (4) Lines of 4 go forward, take right hand with the one in front of you (4) box

Re: [Callers] Looking to DANCE!

Definitely worth dancing with the fine folks in Maine if you get a chance. From: https://deffa.org/events/2018-08/ Looks like your best bets in Maine would be Otis (1 hr) or Bangor (1.5 hr) on Friday; and Bowdoinham or Norway (each ~1 hr) on Saturday. Not sure about Sunday on the road back to

Re: [Callers] New 4x4 composition with a tunnel, and related questions

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] Barn Weddings are a thing now

This is tangentially related to calling, but apparently the percentage of weddings hosted in barns has grown from 2% to 15% in the last decade ( https://tinyurl.com/ycbm9god). While the article doesn't specific that called dancing has increased as well, I'd be surprised if it hadn't. A decade ago

Re: [Callers] Luke's Tunnel

Thanks for sharing John. This seems a hair's breadth away from being a square dance. Is there a reason to run it as a "contra" rather than a "square"? Or do you find the distinction doesn't really matter? On Thu, Aug 23, 2018 at 8:19 AM John Sweeney via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net>

Re: [Callers] Demolition Derby, a 4 Face 4 of dubious do-ability?

The sense I have of the A2 bit is that you've combined a mad robin with a hey, right? I'd start with that as the description. It's just a hey passing the one you swung by right shoulder, but you're facing your partner in the other line of four as you go. And if it's not a hey, but in fact

Re: [Callers] dances for Halloween

Well, there's what the kids go for: "All You Can Eat"; possibly of something tasty for the season, like "Apples and Chocolate". If you're not on the food part, there's "Black Cat Mixer", "Dancing In My Bones", or "Witches Star". Having danced at themed dancing where the theme overran programmatic

Re: [Callers] New contra dance database

Congratulations on getting the database up! And thank you for the massive effort you've put into it! I'd write a dance to celebrate it, but I think you probably don't want a dance with over ten thousand figures... heck at this point it'd be understandable if you wanted us to stop writing dances

Re: [Callers] Circles, Crazy Circles

Lots of great dances already suggested. Talking about the bigger picture programming thing, I hear wanting to change the feel and not have circles in every dance. While Give and Take might feel like a cheat to you, it will feel different for the dancers, and it's probably not egregious. You can

[Callers] Does a 1/2 figure 8 and cast off exist in ECD? In Contra?

Hello all, I've been thinking about half figure eights, and variations on them. Is anyone familiar (in ECD, contra, or other traditions), where instead of the 1s or 2s half figure eight, having the gents or ladies do the move from improper formation? As soon as you have something like the ladies

Re: [Callers] Does a 1/2 figure 8 and cast off exist in ECD? In Contra?

, 2018 at 10:53 AM, Michael Dyck via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > On 2018-07-10 08:18 AM, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote: > >> Hello all, >> >> I've been thinking about half figure eights, and variations on them. Is >> anyone familiar (in ECD,

Re: [Callers] Does a 1/2 figure 8 and cast off exist in ECD? In Contra?

Hi John, While there isn't a person there for the ladies to go around, I'd envisioned them looping around as if they were, and using the space and time to make the move flow. So they'd trace the path of what they'd do with a half figure eight, without a physical presence of the standard post.

Re: [Callers] New (?) 4x4 contra

Hi Dugan, Thanks for the feedback! I liked the gents roll partner away (from R to L) when it went into a DSD (it feeds the common twirl direct); but I can see your concern when it's running right into the swing. Would ladies roll their partner (L to R) work better in your opinion? The gents

Re: [Callers] New (?) 4x4 contra

Thanks all for the feedback! I'll reach out to Erik and Nils. As Rick pointed out, the dance could work from standard 4x4 lines; and I certainly wouldn't object to folks dancing it that way. In my head, the half grand hey precludes this from many dance events, so I figured dancers I could toss

Re: [Callers] New (?) 4x4 contra

Last night I ran a version of Tamlin's Cross at the local monthly dance. Many dancers found it challenging, but folks seemed to enjoy it. The version I ran: Tamlin's Cross (variation) 4x4 A1 (4) All 8 go into the middle (4) Ladies roll partners away on the way out (8) Corner Swing, square set

[Callers] New (?) simple dance without a neighbor swing

Hi folks, This is a pretty simple dance without a neighbor swing. Anyone recognize it as already existing? A1 Neighbor Allemande Right 1 1/2 Gents Allemande Left 1 1/2 A2 Partner Balance and Swing B1 Long Lines forward and back Promenade across set with partner B2 Ladies chain back to neighbor

Re: [Callers] Playing With Butterflies

> > > Butterfly DRAFT 20180410.2 - DI - Don Veino > A1 N Balance & Swing > A2 Gents Allemande Left 1+1/2x (Ladies left arm over P’s right as picked > up), > P Star Promenade 1/2x, Butterfly Whirl CCW along set to next Ns*, stay > connected with P > B1 Ladies Catch RH, Star Promenade P 1/2x CW,

[Callers] Star 1/2 -> Star 1/2?

I was recently thinking about star to star transitions. There are lots of great dances that go star 1x to opposite hand star 1x (such as Lisa Greenleaf's "Poetry in Motion", Robert Cromartie's "Al's Safeway Produce", Linda Leslie's "Burlington Spirit"...); and then there are the star -> same hand

Re: [Callers] New (?) simple dance without a neighbor swing

escriptions of many of the older dances aren't > available on-line. > And I don't happen to have access to them. > > "Heritage Reel" by Tony Parkes is a permutation of your dance, > but it starts off with Neighbor Balance and Swing, > doesn't have a Left hand star or

Re: [Callers] New (?) 4x4 contra

Thanks all, for the factors you eloquently put into words :-) Read, I think you're right that contra dancers are more familiar with it; and that will help too. The proof is in the pudding though; or the dancing as the case may be. I'd say get three friends and see what the two stars feel like;

Re: [Callers] New (?) simple dance without a neighbor swing

Not having heard from anyone as already having it in their box, I'll add it to my box as "Calliope's Promenade". Hope it's useful for others out there as well. Thanks all, On Wed, Apr 18, 2018 at 7:35 AM, Luke Donforth wrote: > Hi folks, > > This is a pretty simple dance

[Callers] New (?) 4x4 contra

Hello all, I was playing around with a new (?) composition; and since it's a 4x4, it's unlikely I'll get a house-party together to test it any time soon. I'd appreciate feedback on flow (would it work), timing (is it too much?) and how you'd teach it. I'm especially curious if something similar

Re: [Callers] Transgressions

In addition to Pong, the grid contra I've tried at two dance weekends, there's also some six face six dances I wrote; only "two out of three ain't bad" has actually been field tested. I've had it succeed and be enjoyed, I've also had it degenerate into a circle mixer.

[Callers] Becket in a Basket

Following up on Rick's request for dances for a monthly group of teenagers, I was trying to put a basket swing in a becket dance; and I'd appreciate folks thoughts and suggestions on flow and timing. Basket swings are not something I'd run in a regular dance, but this sounds like the same group

Re: [Callers] Barn dances for teens

Hi Rick, On the "longways dances" front, I've written a couple that I use regularly, and few that I wrote, but seem too challenging for the regular longways crowds of weddings and fall festivals. Possibly these would suit your teens. If you do give them a try, please let me know how they go and

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