Contradance calling, 2013

2013 Feb 16, Sat., 8PM–11PM: Called the GODS Boltin Center dance, with Dunehoppers: Allen Hood, Kathy Zemanek, Bob Parsons, Mac Benford, and Mike Elias.

My planned program (with steps), is slightly different from...
...what I actually called:

Frederick Contra by Tom Hinds.

[IMPROPER:]
(“New”) dosido(8). allemand-L 1.5, to change places(8).
Partner bal&swing(4+12).
DTHall line4, ONEs next to TWOs(6), turn as a couple(2). Come back UTHall(6), bend the line(2)...
...Circle left 3-places(8). Nbr swing(8). look for new on L-diagonal.

Mad Scatter by Rick Mohr.

[Scatter mixer: Couples in 4-somes or 6-somes or 8-somes]
Circle left(8). Dosido nbr(8).
Allemand-R partner 1.5 [sending in](8). star-L, while orbit CW(8).
Bal&swing new partner(4+12).
Promenade anywhere with new partner(16) [Find another group to circle with].
Any number of couples can be in the circle left, ditto the star-L.

Snow Dance by Gene Hubert.

[IMPROPER: Shadows. Teaching: Pass-through one-couple so that folks have a couple to look for. (As usual, put on right.)]
[New nbrs, hand-4] Ring-balance(4), then trade places passing R-shoulder(4). Ring-bal(4), with nbr California twirl [to face a new couple].
With new couple circle-left(8) [, your shadow is in your L-hand]. L-hand star(8). No one there?: Dance with ghost couple. OR, turn alone, wait with on the RIGHT.
With partner bal&swing(4+12).
Rights-and-lefts across(8). chain(8).
Ruth Pershing. Darlene Underwood | Hotpoint.

(Irish (or Jig) Potatoes | Across a crowded room)

Labor of Love by Kathy Anderson.

[IMPROPER: Alternating 1s/2s Contra Corners. Note DIR-PROG.]
Nbr bal&swing(4+12).
Long-lines(8). ONEs/TWOs R-hand balance across the set, Box-the-Gnat(4+4). [Gnat puts all the on one rail, on the other]
ONEs/TWOs turn Contra Corners(4+4+4+4).
ONEs/TWOs bal&swing(4+12); End that swing facing original Dir-Prog. [Push apart to step to opposite rails, to face a new nbr].
Adina Gordon | Crowfoot. In Quebec.
Karen Jackson | Playing with Fire.

(Firefly)

Hey on the fritz by Jonathan King.

[BECKET: [First, memorize DIR-PROG, to find new NBRs, for RH_star. Now Becketize, hands in long lines, join at ends to make a huge Oval. Partner in one hand, Shadow in the other.]

[new] Star-R all-the-way-around (8). look left to find Shadow. Shadow L-allemand(8).
Partner (bal or long) swing(4+12).
chain(8). start half-hey(8). [As finish crossing the set, melt into a...]
...Nbr swing(8). “Left-shoulder Hey” [a half-hey](8). pass L-shoulder, then R-shoulder with partner, then looks right, and sticks out R-arm, ready for the star-R with new nbrs. Each passes R-shoulder w.partner, then does a with the other , till she sees her partner's back; hook on to him and make a R-hand star with New Nbrs.
A modification of: The Ritz by Gene Hubert.

A video of the dance being developed, to recorded music by Groovemongers:
2nd run (JK calling/dancing); taught as Becket dance, 24Aug2014.
1st run; taught as Improper dance, 27July2014.

Wizard's Walk by Ruth Ungar.

[IMPROPER: Do the Contra Stretch! Hands4, identify ONEs, and DIR-PROG.]
Circle left halfway, ring-balance(4+4). Circle left halfway, ring-balance(4+4).
In your rings-of-four, starting on the side: Square-Through 4 places [R-to-Nbr, L-to-partner, R-to-Nbr, L-to-partner](2+2+2+2) . Nbr 1.5(8) on the side, to progress.
Partner bal&swing(4+12) this swing is across the set, so needs extra room. End facing original-dir [facing away from the couple you have been dancing with].
Wizard's walk: Sliding doors. ONEs separate and go down outside TWOs, meet and continue down to split next TWOs;
Reverse. ONEs now separate and back-up outside those TWOs, meet and back-up through previous TWOs, ready to form the circle to start the dance again [TWOs should oscillate in and out to make room] [Lizard walk variant: the TWOs can move up the set and back to share the work with the ONEs.]
ONEs prog. off the bottom, prtnr-swing across the set, end facing UP, becoming TWOs. There'll be TWOs in front of you. Some ONEs will go around them, then split you.
Ted Steele | ?. At Scout house.

(Star above the garter)
Waltz and Break.

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Second half:

Small Potatoes by Jim Kitch.

[IMPROPER:]
With nbr, Bal&Swing(4+12).
R-hands-across--Star 1x (8). chain [to partner](8).
dosido(8). Partner swing(8).
Circle-left 3-places and pass thru(6+2), next nbr dosido(8).

Major Hey by Erik Hoffman.

[4-FACING-4, Becket. (Take hands4 with couple in front of you, turn it one click to the left.) Before becketizing, identify your “Travel Buddies ” in your short line4. Crooked tune, 16×5=80 beats]
Circle left 3-places(6), Face up and down Pass thru and swing the next to a new set(2), to Swing your new nbr(8). [End in BECKET, facing partner, next to nbr, in two groups-of-four.]
[Four] Long lines, fwd&back(8). allemand-L 1.5 into(8)… a long Wavy line of eight folk, your partner in your R-hand.

Rory O'More [wavy-bal, R-L, slide right catch L-hands, bal L-R, slide left, snag R-hands](4+4+4+4).
Partner Pull-by, Hey! Major [or Half] Hey-for-Eight(16). Keep on going till you see your Partner.
Partner bal&swing(4+12); end in Becket formation. Face that other couple!
Cis Hinkle | Band? .

(Texas Gals/Gails)

Friday Night Fever by Tony Parkes.

[IMPROPER:]
Nbr Bal&Swing(4+12).
Allemand-left 1.5 (8). Partner swing(8).
With partner, promenade across(8). chain(8).
[Face partner] Square-Through [Across the set: Prtnr R-hand bal and pull-by(4+2); w.nbr L-hand pull-by(2); w.prtnr bal and pull-by(4+2); w.nbr pull-by(2)], to face new NBR. always turn right, turn left.
Beth Molaro | Appalachian Storm.

Weave the Line by Kathy Anderson.

[IMPROPER: Double-progression. 3 sets of nbrs]
Lefthand star(8) [sugg.: wrist-grip star]. [Reverse] Circle-left(8).
[Hang on to your partner] Veer left around NBRs#1, veer right around NBRs#2 (4+4). [As individuals] DoSiDo your nbr#3 (8).
[Look behind you] Bal&Swing(4+12) nbr#2.
Long lines(8). Actives swing(8) [“One's swing, Two's frame”.]
[Is this caller Tony Parkes?].

    As a medley: (No walkthrough.)

Chainsaw Reel by Don Lennartson.

[BECKET: ID-dir-prog, THEN Becketize! Huge oval circle.]
[Same two] chain(8). Long lines(8); keep hands, and connect at the ends to make a huge oval.
Oval right(8) [“Ovaltine”]. Oval left(8) [“OvalTang”].
[Original foursomes] Circle-left(8). [C'mon back with a] Left-hand star(8) all the way around [ in front of his partner].
[ look right and] Allemand-R the new nbr- coming toward you(8). Partner-swing(8), on the side.
Jonathan King, Footloose. Called as no-walk-through. Caller? | Band?.

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Three Ceremonies by Adriane Moser.

[BECKET: Slide-left to chain.]
[New] chain(8), into Mad-Robin(8) [ slide-L in front of NBR].
pass right to start a full hey (8+8).
cross the set, passing right shoulders, to swing partner(4+12).
Long-lines(8). Circle left all way, then Slide-Left to new NBRs(8).
Jonathan King (no-walk-through) | Montage.
Jolaine Jones-Pokorney | Barnstorm.
Posted on the Callers mailing list was: “The published choreography has B1 as pass rt shoulder to gypsy partner, then swing.”

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Then back to Chainsaw Reel.

2013 June 15, Sat., 7:30PM–10:30PM (teaching@7PM): Called the Venice, FL, dance Bilberry Beau: Sherry Lowe (fiddle), Greg Engelhardt (keyboard), Sarah Mitchell (flute).

There were many enthusiatic beginners and so (Joe had kindly lent me his cordless headset) I danced most of the dances while calling, and my planned program (with steps), differs from...
...what I actually called:

Frederick Contra by Tom Hinds.

[IMPROPER:]
(“New”) dosido(8). allemand-L 1.5, to change places(8).
Partner bal&swing(4+12).
DTHall line4, ONEs next to TWOs(6), turn as a couple(2). Come back UTHall(6), bend the line(2)...
...Circle left 3-places(8). Nbr swing(8). look for new on L-diagonal.

Mad Scatter by Rick Mohr.

[Scatter mixer: Couples in 4-somes or 6-somes or 8-somes]
Circle left(8). Dosido nbr(8).
Allemand-R partner 1.5 [sending in](8). star-L, while orbit CW(8).
Bal&swing new partner(4+12).
Promenade anywhere with new partner(16) [Find another group to circle with].
Any number of couples can be in the circle left, ditto the star-L.

Snow Dance by Gene Hubert.

[IMPROPER: Shadows. Teaching: Pass-through one-couple so that folks have a couple to look for. (As usual, put on right.)]
[New nbrs, hand-4] Ring-balance(4), then trade places passing R-shoulder(4). Ring-bal(4), with nbr California twirl [to face a new couple].
With new couple circle-left(8) [, your shadow is in your L-hand]. L-hand star(8). No one there?: Dance with ghost couple. OR, turn alone, wait with on the RIGHT.
With partner bal&swing(4+12).
Rights-and-lefts across(8). chain(8).
Ruth Pershing. Darlene Underwood | Hotpoint.

(The end-effect was too challenging to the beginners, and so I regretfully subbed this out.)

Chainsaw Reel by Don Lennartson.

[BECKET: ID-dir-prog, THEN Becketize! Huge oval circle.]
[Same two] chain(8). Long lines(8); keep hands, and connect at the ends to make a huge oval.
Oval right(8) [“Ovaltine”]. Oval left(8) [“OvalTang”].
[Original foursomes] Circle-left(8). [C'mon back with a] Left-hand star(8) all the way around [ in front of his partner].
[ look right and] Allemand-R the new nbr- coming toward you(8). Partner-swing(8), on the side.
Jonathan King, Footloose. Called as no-walk-through. Caller? | Band?.

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Waltz and Break.

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Small Potatoes by Jim Kitch.

[IMPROPER:]
With nbr, Bal&Swing(4+12).
R-hands-across--Star 1x (8). chain [to partner](8).
dosido(8). Partner swing(8).
Circle-left 3-places and pass thru(6+2), next nbr dosido(8).

Friday Night Fever by Tony Parkes.

[IMPROPER:]
Nbr Bal&Swing(4+12).
Allemand-left 1.5 (8). Partner swing(8).
With partner, promenade across(8). chain(8).
[Face partner] Square-Through [Across the set: Prtnr R-hand bal and pull-by(4+2); w.nbr L-hand pull-by(2); w.prtnr bal and pull-by(4+2); w.nbr pull-by(2)], to face new NBR. always turn right, turn left.
Beth Molaro | Appalachian Storm.

Lordags Waltz.

[Circle-mixer waltz: Couples start in Varsouvienne psn, in a circle of couples, with the on the inside.]
F:=Fwd. Pattern: FBFF×4.
Danced 0:06.

(Although we only had 5 couples, this went very nicely.)

Jefferson and Lincoln by Seth Tepfer.

[IMPROPER: 1's arch, then backing up]
Circle left(8). Circle right(8).
Star-R(8). Star-L(8).
Long-lines(8). ONEs&swing(8), in the middle.
Line4 DTHall, ONEs in the center(4). ONEs arch(4) [still facing down]. TWOs pop through(4) [facing up the hall]. All go up 2 by 2 [ONEs bkwards](4); ONEs are facing their new NBRs.

(It was late, last dance of the evening, and there were only 7 dancers remaining. So I danced, making 2 foursomes. But this meant that every second time, half the people were out. So I had the #1couple that had flowed off the bottom, scurry up to the top. This worked. But now, all #1s stayed #1s, ditto #2s. So I played with the circle-lefts, sometimes making it halfway, so that we keep switching roles, and everyone got to swing.)