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Some of my better dances. With time and testing, I'll add more -- see the what's new page. Or hazard my other dance sequences.
The virtues of this page rests upon many thanks. (The flaws are all mine.) Thanks go to all the previous composers who helped create our tradition, and upon whose shoulders I stand. Also to Bob Isaacs, a friend and mentor with whom to discuss choreography and check my most bizarre sequences. And to the dance communities of San Diego and Philadelphia and elsewhere that have put up with being research subjects. And all the other callers who have helped shape my understanding of contra dance, as well as Mary Dart, who organized a lot of this discussion in her thesis.
I would also very much like to thank Lynn Ackerson and John Nance, for going over the original versions of these pages in detail, and catching many mistakes and unclear bits.
For a list of my notational peculiarities, see here.
Scatter mixers are a fairly unexplored area of choreographic space. They're worth investigating as they can't accidentally break down, because they intentionally and repeatedly do so. Individual scatter mixers have a bonus bonus -- you don't need a partner in case of gender imbalance. If you're left out one time through the dance, you just jump in again. The matching weakness is that bored couples can conveniently leave mid-dance.
However, their lack of structure may make it harder for dancers to keep to the phrase. In a contra dance, the actual framework / lattice of the formation helps regulate when moves start. If it takes 8 counts to circle left, most people will know when to start the next move. The late people will see the visual clue of neighboring circles out of the side of their eyes. Any offsets in timing are quickly noticed when it's time to progress.
But in a scatter mixer, the only references for starting a move are the music and the caller. So you may find yourself single-word prompting for a much longer period of time. Or you could treat it more like a western square, prompting throughout the dance and being flexible with the phrasing and when moves begin.
One last warning. Unless you're on the safety of a raised stage, there's a good chance some assertive dancer will sweep you into the mixer melee. So watch out.
Accretion ReelA1 Balance ring [1] Turn away individually [2] Scatter promenade individually A2 Gypsy someone [3] [4] Swing same B1 Scatter promenade as couples [5] B2 In groups of couples, circle left [6] Circle right
[1]
What ring? The circle at the end of B2. The first
time through the dance, skip this part, and begin
straight with the individual scatter promenade.
[2]
When I'm calling for ONS (one-night-stand) groups,
I'll use "say goodbye" here. Then when they gypsy later
on, it's "say hello, and go around them, looking at them."
[3]
Those allergic to gypsies may wish to substitute a do-si-do.
For an ONS group, substitute the swing with a two-hand turn,
or "whatever you think a swing should be."
[4]
For more advanced groups, the gypsy can be with more than one
other person. And the swing can be a basket swing.
[5]
Last time through the dance, I like to have everyone promenade
in one giant circle. Ditto for the final circles.
[6]
Here each couple needs to find a few other couples to circle
with. Lone couples could always two-hand turn each other.
The dance I consider my best. Usable both for non-dancing crowds, and with regular contra groups.
I wrote it after attending a contra dance with a number of beginners that kept breaking down over and over and over. On the way back, I thought what would have worked, and came up with a dance that I kept refining and simplifying down to this. Partly also inspired by Ted Sannella's "Ted's Solo Mixer" and the scatter mixer "Set a' Crochet."
Basket ChaseA1 Scatter promenade individually, then start picking up other people and scatter promenade as lines [1] A2 Circle left Basket swing [2] B1 Circle left Balance ring Petronella turn B2 Balance ring Petronella turn Balance ring Petronella turn 1 & 1/2, face out
[1]
As people start scatter promenading individually, they should
pick up people and scatter promenade as small lines of about
3-6 people. Lines should close up into circles by very
early in the A2.
[2]
Circles come in closer, putting hands on each other's backs, and
everyone does a buzz-step. At the top of the B1, the swing balloons
back into a circle.
Here, not only are people scattering, but so are lines.
This dance is completely gender independent.
Star StuffA1 Scatter promenade individually Swing someone A2 Scatter promenade as couples [1] [2] B1 With some (1-4) other couples, men star left, while still promenading partner (8) [3] Counterclockwise butterfly whirl N+1/2 times (Men backup, women forward) (8) [4] B2 Women star promenade right with partner (8) Clockwise butterfly whirl (Women backup, men forward) (7ish) Men go forward, women turn over right shoulder (1)
[1]
The promenade should be done in star-promenade style -- i.e., arms
on each other's backs.
[2]
There's a tendency for the stars to start
forming early in the A2. I may rewrite the dance at some point to
take account of this, or just leave things as they are. Stay tuned.
[3]
Too many people in the star will make the
butterfly whirls unpleasant or dangerous, so this is a good point
to stress during the walkthrough. The star could just be an allemande
with one other couple.
[4]
The couple needs to go around halfway, or one and a half times, or
two and a half. The key points are the women finish in the center, and
nobody is pulled off their feet.
The next evolutionary step after "Accretion Reel."
Since writing this, I've learned of callers who finish the square "Texas Star" by turning it into a scatter mixer. Which just proves the wheel keeps getting re-invented.
These are dances that would not exist without another's particular dance sequence to tweak. While they're more than just replacing "Nice Combination's" balance-and-swing with do-si-do-and-swing, they still rest squarely on specific earlier compositions.
A1 Neighbor do-si-do Neighbor swing A2 Long lines forward and back Ladies chain B1 Balance ring Men roll away neighbor (across) Partner swing (on other side) B2 Partner promenade Circle left 3/4 Pass through
Obviously, an adaptation of "Roll Eleven" by Sue Rosen and Larry Jennings. I saw "Roll Eleven" as a schizophrenic dance -- the A2 and B1 sequence was a gentle and forgiving entry into the distinctive roll-away to swing transition. But the B2 and A1 sequence had a very tight timing, making the dance not work well with beginners. After seeing one too many beginner couples crash on the circle left 3/4 -- california twirl -- circle left 1/2 transition, I ripped out the B2 and A1 and replaced them with something more forgiving.
(There's an interesting bit of folk process in the name. "Roll Eleven" was based on an earlier dance, "Number 11" by Mike Richardson. To create "Roll Eleven", the authors kept the pieces they really liked (B2 and A1), and replaced the original A2 and B1, which included a down-the-hall and a third circle left, with a sequence they liked. Then I came around and then destroyed the B2 and A1, removing any bit of the original "Number 11." Yet remnants of the title still live on.)
Sanders' Swing
1A1 Shift left
Circle left 3/4 with next neighbors
Neighbor swing
1A2 Ladies chain
Star left
1B1 Star right
Swinging star [1]
1B2 Women swing, men drop out on original side [2]
Partner swing
2A1 Shift left [3]
Circle left 3/4 with next neighbors
Neighbor swing
2A2 Ladies chain
Star left
2B1 Star right
Swinging star
2B2 Men swing, women drop out on original side
Partner swing
[1]
At this point, dancers keep the right-hand wrist-grip star,
and form a left hands-across star above that. Clockwise motion
of the star continues with a buzz-step swing to the speed of
the slowest dancer.
[2]
Men drop out on their original side. Women maintain the left-hand
connection, and join right hands for a cross-armed swing. Men
get ready to catch their partner for a swing.
[3]
The only difference between odd and even times through the dance
is who does the same-sex swing.
I was really impressed with a dance written by Jeff Kaufman, "Good Morning Mr. Sanders," but kept tweaking and poking at it. The most significant change was making the same-gender swings alternate, but there are a few other bits and pieces.
This is a fairly non-threatening same-gender swing for the men, as the choreography forces it to be a cross-armed swing at arm's length.
Take Some of the CreditA1 Long lines forward and back [1] Circle left 3/4 to short wave of four [2] A2 Balance wave Half hey (PR, WL, NR, ML) [3] Balance wave of four [4] B1 Half hey (PR, WL, NR, ML) Partner swing B2 Men allemande left 1 & 1/2 Neighbor swing
[1]
At this point, you may need to remind the dancers that they're
progressed, and that they need to identify a new couple to circle
with.
[2]
The wave has men in the center holding left hands, and right
hands with partner.
[3]
The half hey starts by pulling past partner with the right hand. When
men meet, they can join left hands as they pass to get into the wave.
[4]
The wave has men in the center holding left hands, and right
hands with partner.
A variant of "Take All of the Credit and None of the Blame" by Larry Edelman and Nancy Donahue. I was unhappy with the A1, which had a wave of four and then a quarter hey, potentially being confused with the full half heys in the main figure. And I patched in a neighbor swing.
Trip to Lambertville VariantA1 Women walk forward to long wave in center Balance wave Women back out while men walk forward to long wave Balance wave A2 Men allemande left 3/4 to short wave of four Balance wave Neighbor swing B1 Circle left 3/4 Partner swing B2 Long lines forward and back Ladies chain
As the title indicates, a variant of Steve Zakon-Anderson's dance, but more generally a dance of the "Snake River Reel" lineage. While I love "Trip to Lambertville", coming out of the swing immediately to a right-and-left through is tough for new dancers. Which is a shame, since the distinctive A1 is very nice for beginners. So I've simplified it slightly, while keeping the essentials. On the plus side, in this variant men only once allemande left in the center. On the minus, the dance has been infected with a circle left 3/4.
A1 (new) Men allemande left 1 & 1/2 [1] Partner star promenade Counterclockwise (normal) butterfly whirl A2 Women gypsy (right) 1 Partner swing B1 Right and left through Women allemande right 1 & 1/2 B2 Neighbor star promenade [2] Clockwise butterfly whirl [3] [4] Neighbor swing
[1]
At this point, men may need to be alerted to look for a new
man on their left diagonal.
[2]
The woman's left arm should be above the man's right, to assist
the transition into the swing.
[3]
This sort of melts into a swing.
[4]
I've noticed the folk process dropping this whirl and heading
straight for the swing. Just be aware it was in the original
composition. And that it's ultimately your dance, to adapt as
you wish.
My most popular dance so far, and one of my co-authored dances.
Bound States
A1 Circle left 3/4
Neighbor swing
A2 (New) women on right diagonal allemande right 1 & 1/2
Shadow allemande left 1 & 7/8, give right hand to partner to
form long waves, men face out, women face in
B1 Balance long waves
Slide right (as in Rory o' More) to long waves,
left hand to partner
Balance long waves
Slide left (as in Rory o' More)
B2 Partner swing, end facing new neighbors
(women should recognize the other woman
across from them) [1]
[1]
Catch right hands with your partner and pull into a
swing. Or insert a balance here.
A basic partner "Rory o' More" on the sides dance. The name's a bad one, but it's too late now. The idea was from atomic theory, and vibrating around the other person, and, well, the only thing I can console myself with is that dances with far worse names have been written.
While I think I like the slide to swing transition without a balance, feel free to try B2 with a regular balance and swing.
Double Cat BounceA1 Neighbor balance Neighbor swing A2 Half ricochet hey (ML, PR, W push-back) [1] Partner swing [2] B1 Ladies chain Half ricochet hey (WR, NL, M push-back) [3] B2 Circle right 3/4 Neighbor allemande left 1 & 1/2
[1]
Women push-back: Women, when they reach the center, extend both hands
to each other and push off each other, going backwards and to their
right. (Instead of crossing the set, they stay on their original side.)
What they're doing is walking a small clockwise circle on their side,
while always facing the same direction. After looping around, men
assist their partners into a swing.
[2]
While it's possible and nifty for the man to scoop up his partner with
his right arm into
the swing, the woman needs to be aware of her left elbow and arm,
specifically the location of her elbow relative to her partner's jawbone.
[3]
Men push-back: Men, when they reach the center, extend both hands
to each other and push off each other, going backwards and to their
left. (Instead of crossing the set, they stay on their original side.)
What they're doing is walking a small counter-clockwise circle on their side,
while always facing the same direction. After looping around, women
assist their partners into a circle right.
While inspired by the signature transition of Nathaniel Jack's "Dead Cat Bounce," it felt more like a starting point than a simple re-editing.
FountainsA1 Pass through to a wave [1] Neighbor allemande right 1/2 Women allemande left 1/2 Partner swing [2] A2 Pass through to a wave [3] Partner allemande right 1/2 Men allemande left 1/2 Neighbor swing B1 Right and left through Star left 1 B2 Next neighbor do-si-do Circle left 1 [4]
[1]
Pass through to a wave: pass your partner by the right shoulder.
As men pass each other in the center, they take left hands, and
then take right hands with their neighbor. Everyone has travelled
to the other side, and is now in a wave of four, with the men in
the center.
Pass through to a wave is typically started with the man on the left
and the woman on the right -- the configuration in this dance will
throw people just like a circle right would. Also, there is no
balance so the wave is ephemeral. As soon as you take right hands
with neighbor, men let go of left hands and the allemande right
begins.
[2]
It's quite possible to get a 9-beat swing. It's also quite possible
to get a 3-beat swing.
[3]
This is the standard pass through to a wave -- pass your neighbor
by the right shoulder, women take left hands as they pass each other,
and then right hands with their partner on the other side of the set.
There is no balance, so the wave doesn't exist for any length of time.
Women use the left hands to change their orientation into that of a wave,
and let go as soon as they have right hands with their partner, going
directly into the allemande right.
[4]
The circle needs to go all the way around. Once you're across from
your partner, you can use the connection of the circle to tug each other
across the set, into the pass through to a wave.
A1 Neighbor balance Neighbor swing A2 Down the hall in a line of four, face across Ladies chain B1 Women allemande right 1 [1] Partner swing B2 Up the hall in a line of four, face across Circle left 3/4 Pass through
[1]
Typo fixed on 1/28/2009. Original erronious transcription had the
allemande going once and a half.
The first dance I ever wrote on request. One of our local callers, JoAnn Koppany, was planning on calling an all-California-callers program of dance for her Shepherdstown gig. And she was looking to fill a second-slot hole that included a down-the-hall, didn't start with a neighbor balance or do-si-do, was improper, symmetric, didn't have a circle left, couldn't have a full ladies chain, included a neighbor and partner swing, was simple, and also original from all other dances. After two bad attempts, I wrote the above, except starting with a neighbor gypsy, and ending with a partner promenade three-quarters around, facing the next. (That version is called "Shepherdstown Special.") But I think the above version is cleaner.
This dance requires more room below than a standard down-the-hall dance, because after going down the hall you need room to do contra figures. You can't just have the lines pile up in a sandwich against the back wall.
Jess's ReelA1 Circle left 1 Neighbor swing A2 Long lines forward and back Ones gypsy right 1, woman one faces out [1] B1 Ones: Lady around two and the gent cuts through [2] Ones: Gent around two and the lady cuts through B2 Ones balance Ones swing, face next neighbors
[1]
Actually, with experienced dancers, either one can lead the chase.
Just as long as both don't turn away, or neither turn away.
[2]
As in "New Friendship Reel" by Ted Sannella, woman #1 goes outside,
faces up, goes past man #2, faces across the set, goes across
the set to the outside, faces down, and goes past man #2 into
her partner's starting place. Meanwhile man #1 crosses the set
(chasing his partner), goes outside the set, faces up, goes past
man #2, and stops chasing his partner by going down the middle
of the set between the #2s into his partner's starting place.
The second part of the chase figure is the same, except the roles
(man/woman) are reversed. When teaching this, I typically demonstrate
and mention the essential points are:
a) It's a chase figure, so act it out.
b) However you wind up doing it, end where you started.
c) But please do not run down the poor twos in the process.
Typically I alternate this between the ones and the twos, like Jim Kitch's "Alternating Corners."
This was written after watching dancers really enjoy a more complicated dance with the chase figure. So I looked for the simplest expression I could of the figure. It's similar to Melanie Axel-Lute's "Thieves Without Honor" by virtue of convergent evolution.
Named for a cousin who's done some contra dancing in the past.
SerendipityA1 Women allemande right 1 & 1/2 Neighbor swing A2 Circle left 3/4 Partner allemande right 1 & 1/2 to long waves (men face in) B1 Balance long waves (4) Rotate the wave/box circulate (3) [1] Neighbor allemande right 1/4 to short waves of four (women in center) (1) Balance short waves (4) All drop hands, walk forward to next wave (3) New neighbor allemande right 1/4 to long waves (men face in) (1) B2 Balance long waves Rotate the wave/box circulate [2] Partner swing
[1]
Men cross the set to their neighbor's place, women loop right to
their partner's place.
[2]
Men cross the set to their partner's place, women loop right to
their neighbor's place.
Named because this sequence started life as a four-face four, turned into a square, mutated into a keeper square, and briefly flirted with becoming a grid square, until I realized I had a "simple" contra.
Splitting HairsA1 Neighbor do-si-do Neighbor swing A2 Ladies chain Star left 1 B1 Women turn over right shoulder to face partner [1] Partner gypsy right Partner swing B2 Promenade partner 3/4 around, face next [2] As couples, do-si-do new neighbors
[1]
This is just to assist the flow from star to gypsy.
[2]
There is no courtesy turn. Instead of just promenading halfway,
you promenade three-quarters of the way around to your
progressed position, finishing by curving slightly to
face new neighbors.
A1 Circle left 3/4
Neighbor N1 swing
A2 Right diagonal ladies chain to shadow
Star left 1
B1 Square through (right-hand balance partner, pull
right by partner, left by neighbor N2, repeat all that)
B2 Partner balance
Partner swing
This is the end result of thinking about a number of other partner square-through on the side dances. The original, "The Third Time's the Charm" by Roger Diggle, had some parts where I wasn't happy with the timing or the crowding in the center. Then I found a very nice fix-up, "Free the French Four", also by Roger Diggle.
It's a great dance, but I kept thinking about ways to include a neighbor swing. Erik Weberg wrote one called "Stir Crazy." (Dance starts at 4:21, best view at 6:33.) "Square Deal" is my attempt at the same theme.
Wind-up Your NeighborA1 Left diagonal right and left through [1] Circle left 1 A2 Draw pousette neighbor clockwise 3/4 [2] Two-hand turn neighbor 1 & 1/2 [3] B1 1/2 hey (ML, PR, WL) Neighbor swing B2 Women allemande right 1 & 1/2 Partner swing
[1]
For better results, replace the courtesy turn with a California Twirl.
[2]
Draw pousette is a figure from English Country Dancing, so
if you don't understand the rest of this, go ask an ECD
regular to demonstrate.
A pousette is where you give two hands to your partner and
move around as a unit, one person gently pulling/leading the
other. To work well, it requires good connection and frame in the arms.
A draw pousette is a pousette where you rotate as a couple
while you are moving.
As used in this dance, your body is in the same place as it would be
for a circle left 3/4. You face your neighbor the entire
time, so the woman backs up as the man goes forward. To be overly
technical, the imaginary line connecting you and your neighbor is
perpendicular to the line connecting the center of your hands-four
to the midpoint between you and your neighbor.
A demo is advised for this move, as it's worth at least 132 words.
It's really a lot simpler than it sounds.
[3]
Technically it doesn't matter how many times around it goes. Just
use the momentum to launch someone into the center of the set,
passing left shoulders in the center.
This started from an interest in the pousette to two-hand turn transition, and kept building from there. It has a different ECD-like feel.
Other variants include "Wind-up Your Partner," where most of the action is done with your partner; and "The Full Wind-up," where all the action is done with your partner.
I prefer simpler dances to more complex dances, as contra is about being in the moment, not about a mental exercise. But sometimes I come up with a complex idea that can't be expressed simply yet still might deserve treatment. Hence, this section.
A1 Women pass right shoulders
Neighbor (N1) allemande right 1/2 to long wave [1] [2]
(right hand to neighbor N1, women face in,
left hand to neighbor N2)
Balance long wave
Rotate wave/box circulate [3]
(Men loop right, women cross set to long wave)
A2 Balance long wave
Rotate wave (Women loop right, men cross set)
Neighbor swing
B1 Circle left 3/4 to short wave of four
(right to partner, women have left hands in center)
Balance wave of four
Rotate wave on diagonal (Women loop right to partner's
place. Men go forward on right diagonal to other
side of next wave to opposite sex neighbor N2's
place) [4] [5]
B2 Balance wave of four [6]
Rotate wave on diagonal (Men loop right, while women
go forward on right diagonal)
Partner swing [7]
[1]
The 1/2 is approximate, the end position is the key.
[2]
In the wave, neighbor N2 is in your left hand, and will be an important reference later.
[3]
As in Steve Schnur's "The 24th of June." Women walk straight across
the set to their partner's place while men loop right to their neighbor's
place.
[4]
This may be too crowded for compact sets. I have yet
to test this.
[5]
End effects: If there's a couple out at the top,
switch with them. If there is no couple out at the top,
just stay with your partner. More precisely, loop right
into your partner's place instead of going forward on the
right diagonal.
[6]
Your right hand is holding neighbor N2. [2]
[7]
End facing neighbor N3.
First written while trying to go to sleep, imagining the the box circulate from Steve Schnur's "The 24th of June" perpendicular to its normal axis, as in Robert Cromartie's "Mad About Dancing" B2. Followed shortly by realizing it didn't work, then why (It has to be done with neighbors), and figuring out it could work on a sharp diagonal. And after that a few more months gestating while I tried to find the best moves for the top of A1 and B1.
See here for a variant.
Hopscotch Reel
A1 Circle left 3/4 [2]
Neighbor swing
A2 Balance ring
Petronella turn
Balance ring
Petronella turn
B1 Hands-across star left 3/4
Men walk forward to next star while
women allemande left 1/4 [3] [4]
Hands-across star left 1
B2 Partner balance
Partner swing
[1]
At the beginning of the walkthrough, your shadow is on the
far side of your partner.
[2]
This is when you notice you're facing new neighbors.
[3]
Men let go, leave their star, and walk forward to the next star while
women keep turning to complete a full turn of the star. Men will join
the star directly behind their shadow.
(Men stay on their side of the set for the walk forward, and do not cross
the set.)
[4]
End effects: Men go to where their shadow is.
The star-to-star transition is like "Susie's Reel" by David Kaynor, but unlike "Susie's Reel," you don't go into the multi-set interlocking action directly out of a swing. This makes it much more forgiving.
Note the co-authorship of this dance.
Roll ReversalA1 Neighbor gypsy Neighbor swing A2 Circle left 3/4 Shift left with partner to next neighbors [1] Circle left 1 B1 Partner swing B2 Gents chain [2] Women roll away men during courtesy turn [3] Half hey (WL,PR,ML) Face same neighbor
[1]
Note the women lead this shift left.
[2]
Men pull by left, give right to neighbor. Women reach
behind with left hand, and scoop up the men in a clockwise
courtesy turn, men going forward and women going backwards.
[3]
There's a quick hand change between the courtesy turn and
roll-away. Women need to change from the right-to-right and
left-to-left handhold of the courtesy turn into a handhold
of her left hand and his right hand, still standing side-by-side.
This should lead naturally into the women rolling away the men.
This is similar to the hand change men do with the ladies chain
and roll-away transition in other dances.
This dance started with the name, a pun bad enough that I had to come up with a dance to match. What makes this dance hard is the change in gender roles of men leading and women following. In my mind, it's a good thing, but it can push this dance into the difficult level.
There's a lot of unexplored choreographic space with four-face-fours, as you've got twice as many people to work with. You can put in just about any 32-beat-or-less square dance figure in it. And that's just a subset of what you can do.
---First couples--- [1] ---Second couples---
A1 Forward and back Partner swing continues
Partner promenade halfway [2] Forward and back
A2 Give+take to man's side [3] Partner promenade halfway
Neighbor swing Give+take to man's side
B1 Ladies chain Neighbor swing
Ladies chain Ladies chain [4]
B2 Women allemande right 1/2 (4) Ladies chain (8) [5]
Partner swing (4)
Partner swing continues (8) Women allemande right 1/2 (4)
Partner swing (4)
[1]
This dance is seriously weird.
Dancers assume one of two roles: "first couples" or "second
couples," and keep this identity throughout repetitions of the dance. The "second couples" do everything the "first couples" do, but
eight beats later.
The "first couples" essentially only interact with each other. Their
instructions are above in the left-hand column. The "second couples"
instructions are in the right-hand column.
The first time through the dance the "first couples" are those on the
left-hand side of their group of four, facing neighbors on their
right diagonal. The others are the "second couples."
The next time through the sequence dancers have traded sides, but they have not changed roles.
[2]
The promenade is halfway around, counterclockwise,
into each other's spot. They go behind the "second couple" as the "second
couple" does the forward and back. After the promenade, the "first couple"
is in their progressed position.
[3]
This is not a zesty give-and-take. It's four beats forward, taking
two hands with your neighbor, and four beats backward. Women
should offer resistance until the "second couple" has promenaded past.
[4]
An ordinary ladies' grand chain.
[5]
The net effect is Women star right 1/2. "First couples" swing their
partner. "Second couples" courtesy turn their neighbor.
A canon is when everyone is doing the same thing, just not simultaneously. "Contra Canon" is an eight-beat canon, where half the dancers are eight beats behind the other half. It's metaphorically similar to singing a song in rounds.
Pat Shaw wrote several amazing dance canons. "John Tallis's Canon" demonstrated how it could work. "Nibs Goes West" (a partial canon) showed how to get partner interaction. These inspired a 4-beat canon of my own, and then the above 8-beat canon.
In this dance, I call half the dancers "first couples" and the other half "second couples." These labels are arbitrary -- I could have instead used "head couples" and "side couples." If you think up better nomenclature, I'd love to hear from you.
In any starting line of four, one of the couples is "first couple" and the other is the "second couple." They essentially do not interact with each other. (There's some subtle stuff, like joining in the star.) All the action is done with the other same-numbered couple in the other line of four.
At the ends, couples should just turn around and face back in. They should not trade places. That way they do not change roles.
Teaching: This dance introduces some very unfamiliar concepts. It definitely needs walkthroughs with two sets of neighbors, to get through the concept that roles do not change, though locations do. Right now, I'm also first walking it through for just the first couples, as the second couples stand still. Then the same for the second couples, though that part I hope to eventually drop. That's a minimum of three walkthroughs, a very worrying number.
Prompting: It's not easy. Calling this was the first time I've had to read from a card in years. You need to call two dances in the timespace of one. I use beats three through eight of the previous phrase, like "Second couples promenade, first couples give and take." I also recommend calling the second couples' actions before the first. This way you repeat the same instruction twice in a row, which makes memorization less painful.
The roughest patch of prompting is the first half of the B2. Right now my solution is to call "Women star right halfway" in the last four beats of the B1. Then on beats 1-4 of the B2 quickly say "firsts swing, seconds (courtesy) turn," followed by "second women allemande right half" in beats 5-8.
The Dancer's Duty
A1 Lines of four forward and back
Opposite (person across from you) allemande right 1 & 3/4
to position of a wave of eight
A2 Half hey for eight, start by pulling past that person by right
B1 Original opposite swing [1] [2]
B2 Circle left 1/2 in groups of four [3]
Partner swing, face next
[1]
To shorten the swing length, make it a gypsy and swing. Or
if you want the hey to be an exercise in timing, make it a
balance and swing.
[2]
You face your partner coming out of the swing.
[3]
There's other choices for the circle left 1/2 -- for instance balance the
ring and roll away your neighbor.
I really liked the idea of Erik Hoffman's "Major Hey," but wasn't happy with its extra 16-count piece. I then ran across "The Devil's Duty" by Al Olson in the back of Zesty Contras, and realized it was exactly what I was looking for. Except both swings end in the middle of the phrase. The above is a simple fix-up. I also changed the entry into the hey -- in the original dance, you turned away from the neighbor you allemanded in order to start the hey, as in "The Astonished Archaeologist." (ECD dance by Phillipe Callens.) But that requires extra teaching to tell people at the ends which way to loop.
The name has no intended meaning, even though I could pretend it did and people would think deeply while trying to come with a better answer than I could ever imagine. But the truth is I was trying to tweak the original name of "Devil's Duty," narrowed the choices to Angel or Dancer, flipped a coin, and Nevada it was.
Another similar fix for this dance is "Devil's Dervish," written by Linda Leslie.
TerpsicontranteA1 Partner balance Partner swing A2 Right and left through across (with trail-buddies) Right and left through along (with new opposites) [2] (face same opposites) B1 In groups of four, circle left 1/2 (4) [3] Centers serpentine (4) [4] In new groups of four, circle left 1/2 (4) Centers serpentine (4) [5] B2 In new groups of four, circle left 1/2 (4) Centers serpentine (4) In new groups of four, circle left 1/2 (4) Centers serpentine (4)
[1]
Technically this is an indecent 4-face-4, but because of
the A1 no-one ever needs to know that.
[2]
Start this move facing your direction of progression, end
facing against your direction of progression.
[3]
The group of eight breaks into two groups of four to circle left.
Note that the entire B1 and B2 section ends exactly where it starts.
[4]
Serpentine: The signature move from Gary Roodman's English Country
Dance composition "Terpsicourante." If you already know the dance,
the differences are:
a) Women lead it, rather than men.
b) It's done with your neighbor, rather than partner.
c) It's done four times, rather than three, so you end the B's
where you started.
But let's assume you're not familiar with "Terpsicourante."
So, "serpentine" described in all its gory detail:
The four people in the center trade places. It's as if the four
people in the center joined hands in a circle while facing out,
and circled counterclockwise 1/2. Except you only hold on to your
neighbor that you did the circle left 1/2 with, so it's more
like a backwards arc.
[5]
At this point, everyone is where they were swinging their partner
in the A1.
A contrafication version of Gary Roodman's English Country Dance, "Terpsicourante." Given that, there was only one possible name for this dance.
As I've started learning to call squares in a region pretty well unfamiliar with them, I'm looking hard for very simple breaks that a) require almost no teaching time, and b) cover any swing deficit in the main figure of the square. I really doubt any of these are original, but I'm including them in hopes that others might find them useful in their own crusades.
Petronella Swing Break
A1 Balance the ring (all 8)
Petronella turn
Corner swing
A2 Balance the ring (all 8)
Petronella turn
Next corner swing ("someone new")
B1 Balance the ring (all 8)
Petronella turn
Next corner swing
B2 Balance the ring (all 8)
Petronella turn
Partner swing
As long as they know petronella turns and who their corner is, they're set to go. If they're aware of the concept that a corner is a place rather than a face, then there's no need to walk through any of this.
This is a quick way to swing everyone. Men go nowhere, women go around the square.