2017
2013
1999
1996
1994
1992
1991
1986
Dances, By Year
Newly-published dances are toward the top. (Not always in the current year though, because sometimes it takes a while to decide that a dance is worth publishing.)
2017
2013
1999
1996
1994
1992
1991
1986
A1
| A1: |
(On left diagonal) Right and left through (8) Ladies allemande right 1 1/2 (8) (Join left hands with neighbor to form a wave of four) |
| A2: |
Balance the wave (4) Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (4) Swing next neighbor (8) |
| B1: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) (Join right hands with partner to form a wave of four) Balance the wave (4) Allemande right with partner 3/4 (4) |
| B2: |
Allemande left with shadow (6) Swing partner (10) |
An accessible dance with some nice symmetries and a "two steps forward and one step back" progression.
Dancers are next to their shadows at the beginning of the dance. If you introduce them before the walk-through they might still remember each other in B2.
For Bill Olson, an A1 caller, musician, and human being, in honor of many great times at the A1 Diner in Gardner Maine before the North Whitefield dance. "A1" is also the beginning of a contradance, and if Bill's there it's bound to be great.
Video:
Gaye Fifer & Rumblestrip at Snowball 2010, Gulfport FL (posted by Dave Pokorney):
Anna's Reel
| A1: |
Ladies allemande right 1 1/2 (8) (Join left hands with neighbor to form a wave of four) Balance the wave (4) Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (4) |
| A2: |
Allemande right with next neighbor 1 1/4 (7) Half hey (ladies pass left shoulders to start) (9) |
| B1: |
Ladies balance and swing (16) |
| B2: |
Swing partner (16) |
| A1: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) (Join right hands with neighbor to form a wave of four) Balance the wave (4) Allemande right with neighbor 3/4 (4) |
| A2: |
Allemande left with next neighbor 1 1/4 (7) Half hey (gents pass right shoulders to start) (9) |
| B1: |
Gents balance and swing (16) |
| B2: |
Swing partner (16) |
I love Tom Hinds's dance "Fisher's Jig", where the ladies balance and swing each other in the center and then whirl around for a partner swing. But why just the ladies? This dance uses Tom's idea in a different set of figures so the gents and ladies each get to do the swing, as they alternate leading the sequence in successive rounds of the dance.
Note that after the ladies lead the figure everyone ends on the "wrong" side of the set; then the gents lead the figure and everyone gets back home. Because "home" keeps changing, dancers swinging in the middle should keep track of their partner so as to whirl into the arms of the right person! The transition from swing to swing can be a thrill if the middle people trust their partners, throw their arms in the air and pivot around expectantly. The side people, right on the money, put a left hand on partner's back, wrapping that pivot straight into a "hoop hold" swing.
Because dancers don't necessarily know how to do a same-sex swing it can help to teach it while everyone is still proper. (There's something ironic about that term in this context...) Even so, the gents aren't always as enthusiastic about swinging each other as the ladies are. Probably they just need extra encouragement and a little practice? Or should we just stick with Fisher's Jig?
For Anna Patton, talented and heartful musician, dancer, and singer from Brattleboro VT, who likes interacting with everyone in the set.
Video:
Cis Hinkle & Avant Gardeners at Mendocino American Dance and Music Week 2010, Mendocino CA (posted by Peter Bergonzi):
Balance and Cross
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) Gents cross, passing right shoulders (4) Swing partner (8) |
| A2: |
Down the center, four in line (turn as a couple) (8) Return (bend the line to form a circle) (8) |
| B1: |
Balance the ring (4) Ladies cross, passing right shoulders (4) Swing neighbor (8) |
| B2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Half hey (ladies pass right shoulders to start) (8) |
A straightforward dance with good symmetry and timing.
See also the related dance Green LightGreen Light.
Video:
Cis Hinkle & Elftones at a 2017 Sautee Contra, Sautee Nacoochee, GA (posted by Jim Crawford):
The Barn Mixer
| A1: |
Circle left (8) Right hand star (8) |
| A2: |
Right and left through (8) Dosido neighbor (8) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) (This is your new partner) |
| B2: |
Promenade anywhere with new partner (16) (Find another couple to circle with) |
Summer dances in New Haven Connecticut are held in the beautifully rough-hewn Eli Whitney Barn, which has a long narrow space next to (and about five inches below!) a shorter space. It's perfect for longways sets but dismal for circles, so in need of a mixer I wrote this "scatter promenade" dance. It has turned out to be a reliable crowd pleaser; the chaos factor from the scattering is great for loosening people up early in the evening.
Bill Olson (fine caller from Maine and all-around great guy) points out that doing a Maine-style right and left through (with hands) in the A2 makes for a nice transition out of the right hand star. Thanks, Bill!
Video:
Tara Bolker & Open Band at a 2010 contra in Hamilton ON:
The Birds and the Bees
| A1: |
Heads forward and back (8) All circle left half way around (8) |
| A2: |
Heads circle left 3/4 (6) Heads pass through (2) Heads split sides, separate around one to lines of four (8) |
| B1: |
Lines of four forward and back (8) Opposing ladies allemande left 1 1/2 (8) (Face opposite squarely, lining up across the hall) |
| B2: |
Balance opposite (4) Grand right and left two changes across the hall (4) Balance the one you meet (from another square) (4) Grand right and left two changes across the hall (4) |
| C1: |
Balance and swing the one you meet (from yet another square) (16) |
| C2: |
(Heading toward partner) Into the center and back (8) Swing corner (8) |
| D1: |
Gents star left 3/4 (6) Pull by partner (2) Ladies star left (8) |
| D2: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
|
(Repeat with sides active) |
To set up the grid have each square join hands in a ring, and line up the squares in rows and columns. Make sure they're straight, with no gaps. You need 9 squares minimum, the more the better. If any row has only one square, move a square from a different row—for example, 3+3+2+2 is better than 3+3+3+1.
Pause in the walkthrough after the B1. Everyone is facing an opposite (each lady is in the center facing a gent on the side), and beyond them can see a file of other facing pairs across the hall. Have everyone spot their partner in the other file—ladies look diagonally behind and gents look diagonally ahead.
The grand right and left takes you to a different square. Crucial point—if there's no one to pull by (when you hit the edge of the grid), turn around and stay in the same file. Don't switch to the other file.
The forward and back in C2 will solidify the new squares, but dancers may be disoriented after the swing in C1. The simple solution is to head for your partner (in the same relative diagonal position where you spotted them after the B1). I call "Look for your partner!"
Heads and sides alternate leading the A1-A2. (When sides lead, the grands right and left go up and down the hall instead of across.) In successive changes heads remain heads and sides remain sides, but couples swap roles at the edge of the grid so everyone gets thoroughly mixed around.
Named for a memorable day at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown NC, with a morning bird walk led by Frank Clayton and an afternoon extracting 150 pounds of wildflower honey produced by the school's bees. (So I finally learned about the birds and the bees in my forties...) If you want a visual, B2 is the birds migrating and C2 is the bees swarming.
Video:
Rick Mohr & Latter Day Lizards at Dawn Dance Weekend 2018, Ann Arbor MI (posted by Allison Jones):
Bobsled
| A1: |
Lines of four forward and back (8) Swing corner (8) (End in a square) |
| A2: |
Head couples forward and back (4) Side couples right and left through (4) Head couples left hand star (8) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) (End in lines at the sides) |
| B2: |
Lines of four forward and back (8) California twirl (4) Pass through one line of four to meet the next (4) |
|
(Repeat with sides leading the A2, and lines at the heads in B2) |
A fun grid square with a contra-length sequence, where everyone gets thoroughly mixed around. To set up the grid have dancers line up for a Becket contra and then take hands 8. Make sure the 8's line up across the hall (feel free to walk out there and help), and then form a 4-face-4 up and down the hall.
Make a square in A1 after swinging your corner, who is next to you if you're in the middle of the line and across from you if you're at the end of the line.
Head couples and side couples alternate leading the A2. No one is with their partner at that point, but in successive changes heads remain heads and sides remain sides (until hitting an edge and swapping roles).
The three figures in A2 overlap—sides start a right and left through as the heads back up from the center, and heads then start a left hand star as the sides begin their courtesy turn. I call
(1) (2) (3) (4) Head couples forward and back
(1) Sides, right and left through (5) Heads, left hand star
End the B1 swing in lines of four. In successive changes the lines form alternately at the sides and at the heads, facing the direction of the couple who did the right and left through. To help dancers stay oriented at this point I call "Face across the hall" or "Face up and down the hall" before "Lines go forward and back".
After the California twirl in B2, walk straight ahead to pass through one line of four and meet the next line. If there's nobody there just do another California twirl to face back in (but don't try to trade places with the other couple—it spoils the mixing.)
In the A1 line of four walkthrough it can help the dancers to hear that middles will do the forward and back in A2 and ends will do the right and left through.
For Bob Isaacs, prolific composer of fine dances, grid square innovator, mentor to new callers, and all around nice guy. Until Bob did it I didn't think a good grid square could be shoehorned into 64 beats, inspiring me to write this one for him.
Video:
Rick Mohr & Buddy System at Desert Spring 2018, Mesa AZ (posted by Peter Bergonzi):
California Clover
|
(Join hands in a wave of four—gents left, neighbors right) |
|
| A1: |
Balance the wave (4) Allemande right with neighbor 3/4 (4) Swing next neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Balance the ring (4) California twirl with neighbor (4) |
| B1: |
(Keeping hands, face neighbor and form cloverleaf by reaching
across to join free hand with partner) Balance the cloverleaf (4) (Optional) Nevada twirl with partner (4) Swing partner (8) |
| B2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) |
A nice dance with a different way of forming a "cloverleaf".
For a simpler setup consider starting the walkthrough with the neighbor swing and ending with the A1 balance and allemande. Then start the dance with a long neighbor swing.
The transition from A2 to B1 is novel but not difficult. Keep hands with neighbor after the A2 California twirl and turn to face each other. Then reach free hand over joined hand to take partner's hand and form the cloverleaf.
Partners are now well connected for a swing. Or if you think the dancers can handle an unfamiliar move, teach the "Nevada twirl"— a California twirl with opposite hands. Partners trade places, with gents walking to the outside of the set and ladies inside. That feels unusual to the gents and requires emphasis in the walkthrough, but it's rewarding when they get it.
Some callers use a simpler progression—the first video below omits the A1 balance and allemande right, and the second video omits the B2 forward and back, adding an A1 gypsy. Fine! I still like the original progression because it puts the balance at the top of A1 and adds a bit of surprise to the neighbor swing.
Thanks to Susan Petrick and Nils Fredland for convincing me this dance was a keeper, by calling it after its trial run at the Scout House and bugging me to give it a name!
Video:
Lisa Greenleaf & Mean Lids at Spring Zing Promenade 2017, Flint MI (posted by John Newsome):
Video:
Frannie Marr & Celador at Catapult 2017, Atlanta GA (posted by Jim Crawford):
Centennial Reel
| A1: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Right and left through (chestnut-style) (8) |
| A2: |
First lady and second gent (right-hand person of each pair) cross, passing right shoulders (2) Gypsy and swing partner (14) |
| B1: |
Down the center, four in line (6) Sliding doors (trade places as couples and turn alone) (4) Return (face center, still in line of four) (6) |
| B2: |
3/4 hey (center couple pass right shoulders to start) (12) Other couple push off (forming new long lines in progressed places) (4) |
For the centennial anniversary of the Country Dance and Song Society.
Choreography has evolved hugely in the 100 years CDSS has been promoting contra dancing. This dance includes some figures from 100 years ago, some just hitting the scene, and some from the years in between.
The dance starts proper (gents in one line, ladies in the other) as did most dances 100 years ago. Back then all dancers knew the chestnut-style "right and left through", but these days it will be unfamiliar to many. Same-role neighbors pass through across (without taking hands) and do an arm-around cast on the other side—right-hand person goes forward, left-hand person backs up. If your community does "right and left through" with hands, try calling "pass through" and "arm-around cast" instead.
Down the center four in line is a staple of many old dances. Here it appears with the emerging "sliding doors" figure, where couples dynamically trade ends of the line. Here's one way to teach it: "Go down the hall six steps, and stop. Stay facing down. Right hand couple take a step forward. When I say go, still facing down, as couples move sideways to trade places with the other couple. Go! Now turn alone to face the music."
Some call this figure "tag the line", the name of a related figure in Modern Western square dancing. But "sliding doors" is preferred as the two figures are somewhat different.
After returning in the line of four, dancers face in and the center couple (second lady and first gent) pass right to start the hey. When the other couple (first lady and second gent) meet in the center for the second time they push off with both hands, moving back and left to end proper and progressed.
Heys are everywhere in English and Scottish dancing but weren't used in contras until modern times. According to Tony Parkes the first modern contra with a hey is thought to be Ted Sannella's "Bonny Jean," written in 1975. More recently the hey inspired improvising dancers to invent "push offs".
As the dance begins again with forward and back, dancers should shift focus to their new neighbors, doing the right and left through with a new person.
Video:
Gaye Fifer & The Scarlet Runner String Band at Looking Glass Festival 2015, East Lansing MI (posted by John Newsome):
Chuck the Budgie
| A1: |
Gents allemande left (6) Swing neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B1: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Ladies allemande right 1 1/2 (8) (Join left hands with neighbor to form a wave of four) |
| B2: |
Balance the wave (4) Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (to long wave) (4) Balance the long wave (4) Allemande right with next neighbor 3/4 (4) |
There's a fine fiddle tune called "Pat the Budgie" with sharply punctuated notes in the B2 which cry out for balances. This dance provides the balances in the right spots and otherwise moves along pretty well.
"Budgie" is slang for "Budgerigar" (a type of small parrot) as well as, I'm told, for "logger". Whichever the tune refers to, we're left with the tormenting question of whether it commemorates a notable budgie named Pat or the act of patting some nameless budgie on the head. We may never know; likewise with the dance.
Video:
George Marshall & Great Bear Trio at Dance Flurry 2013, Saratoga NY (posted by Doug Heacock):
Colin's Carnival Ride
| A1: |
Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (6) Allemande right with neighbor 1 1/2 (8) Gents pull across by the left (2) |
| A2: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B1: |
Circle left 7/8 (leaving gents at the sides and ladies in the center) (8) Ladies allemande right 3/4 (4) (Join left hands with neighbor to form a wave of four) Balance the wave (4) |
| B2: |
Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (4) Swing next neighbor (12) |
A good all-moving dance with some nice moments, like the just-in-time balance and swing in A2 and the uncommon swing progression in B2.
This dance is particularly great if the band knows a tune with a balance at the end of the B1. Many rags (such as Beaumont Rag) have a "stop" in just the right place, as does Bowin' the Strings.
Technically this dance doesn't start in the normal "improper" formation, but don't tell the dancers. Begin the first walk-through with a neighbor swing; then when you're ready to start the dance leave everyone next to the neighbor they've just swung rather than backing up to original places.
For Colin Davidson of Georgetown Ontario; commissioned by his wife Sandy Cameron in a Pinewoods auction.
Video:
Nils Fredland & Elixir at The Wizard of Contra 2014, Atlanta GA (posted by Jim Crawford):
Come With Me
| A1: |
Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (8) Right shoulder gypsy with neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (gents lead neighbor) (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B1: |
Half hey (ladies pass right shoulders to start) (8) Left shoulder gypsy with partner (8) |
| B2: |
Broken circle right 1/4 (ladies lead partner) (2) Zig right with partner to pass neighbors (2) Zag left to meet new neighbors (2) Swing new neighbor (10) |
Gypsy-to-circle is a rare and fine transition. This dance offers it with contrasting symmetries—clockwise with neighbor (led by the gents), and counter-clockwise with partner (led by the ladies).
In the walkthrough I suggest stopping after the A1 gypsy with ladies back-to-back in the center facing neighbors. Then neighbors join "side hands"—gents' right and ladies' left—making a nice connection as the gents lead into circle left. Likewise stop after the B1 gypsy, when the gents are back-to-back in the center and partners can join those same side hands. Now have the ladies lead just a few steps right and across the set, stopping with everyone in original positions (across from partner, facing neighbor up and down). From there, walking the zig-zag progression is straightforward. Now everyone is on board for a second walkthrough without stops, with the ladies leading the novel B2 transition smoothly.
Technically this dance doesn't start in "improper" formation, but don't tell the dancers. Begin the first walkthrough with a neighbor swing; then when you're ready to start the dance leave everyone next to the neighbor they've just swung rather than backing up to original places.
Thanks to Kathy Anderson for pointing out how to connect the gypsy-to-circle transition years ago in Jim Kitch's dance "Bees in the Shower". After many attempts to double it up I finally arrived at this satisfying version.
Comfort Deluxe
| A1: |
Ladies allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Swing partner (8) |
| A2: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Half hey (neighbors pass right shoulders to start) (8) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| B2: |
Circle left (8) (With next couple) Circle right (8) |
The transition in B2 can be very satisfying—without losing momentum from the circle left, partners turn and smoothly circle right with the next couple. I stop in the walkthrough after the circle left (making sure everyone is across from their partner) and use Jacqui Grennan's excellent wording: "Switch hands with your partner and open like a book to face new neighbors ... now continue your momentum to circle right with them."
The A1 and A2 "once and a half" allemandes have nice symmetry. But coming out of the B2 circle right the A1 ladies' allemande can feel like it's almost twice around, and slower dancers may not get an 8 count partner swing. One solution is changing the ladies' allemande to 3/4, giving easier timing and a longer partner swing. Let me know which you prefer!
In a dream around 1988 I was calling a dance, and the card in my hand clearly read "Comfort Deluxe". It took ten years to come up with a dance worthy of the name.
Video:
Cis Hinkle & Great Bear Trio at Pickin' in the Pines 2010, Flagstaff AZ:
The Connectrix
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) Swing neighbor (12) |
| A2: |
Down the center, four in line (6) 2s in center turn away from partner (bringing joined hands over heads); 1s join free hands behind them to make a cozy line of four (2) Return (6) 1s make an arch; 2s duck back under to form a "cloverleaf" (2) |
| B1: |
Circle left 3/4 in the cloverleaf (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Balance the ring (4) California twirl (4) |
Once when my foursome improvised the A2 (from Fred Feild's classic modern contra "Symmetrical Force") in a different dance, I noticed the seamless transition from cloverleaf to swing. The result is this pleasing straightforward dance, with the additional quality that hand connection is never broken.
Video:
Beth Molaro & Flying the Tune at a 2013 River Falls Lodge Contra, River Falls, SC (posted by Sean Green):
Crow Flight
|
(Join right hands with neighbor, left hands with previous neighbor to form long waves) |
|
| A1: |
Balance the long wave (4) Slide or spin right, past this neighbor (4) Swing next neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Circle left 7/8 (8) Half hey (partners pass right shoulders to start) (8) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Allemande right with neighbor 1 1/4 (8) (Join left hands with previous neighbor to form long waves) |
A "Rory O'More" spin into a swing can be great fun, and works well here as a progression to the next neighbor.
Even though this progression technically begins the dance I find it simpler to start the walk-through (and the first dance-through) with a long neighbor swing, skipping the initial balance and spin.
The circle left to half hey in A2 (stolen from Sue Rosen's excellent dance "Mood Swings") is not difficult, but some care in the walk-through helps to avoid confusion. Circle almost once until the gents are at the points of a diamond facing across the set, with the ladies facing up and down the set. The ladies then "tuck in" to the center and stand back-to-back facing their partners. When clearly taught, the ladies will easily slip into the center to start the hey smoothly.
For my friends Adam Broome, Jaige Trudel, and Nicholas Williams, and their awesome band Crowfoot.
Video:
Joyce Miller & Lift Ticket at a 2011 Sprung Floor Contradance, Santa Barbara CA (posted by Peter Bergonzi):
Cup of Joe
By Rick Mohr; December 2013
Contra, Duple Improper, Reverse-progression Caller's Box
Level: Easy/Intermediate
|
(Gents stand back to back in center, facing neighbor) |
|
| A1: |
Balance neighbor (4) 3/4 hey (neighbors pass right shoulders to start) (12) |
| A2: |
Balance partner (4) 1/4 hey (partners pass right shoulders to start) (4) Swing neighbor (8) |
| B1: |
Revolving door (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B2: |
Slice left (8) Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) |
A fun and accessible dance, with a punctuated hey and Ron Buchanan's "Revolving Door" figure.
In "Revolving Door", couples start a "wrong side" half promenade where ladies pass right instead of gents passing left. As the ladies meet they catch right hands and allemande right once around. The gents drop out after crossing the set, and partners swing as the ladies come around. It flows easily and feels good. I often do a floor demo, both because it's unfamiliar and because it's pretty cool to watch. Since the promenade only lasts for a beat or two I think the easiest hold is for neighbors to join left hands, with the gent's right arm briefly behind the lady's back.
"Slice left" is a left-diagonal "long lines forward and back"—dancers join hands in long lines, walk forward on the left diagonal to meet the next couple, and retire straight back.
For Joe Rush of Melrose, Florida (via a Pinewoods auction), wholehearted dancer and community builder, known to drive a bus full of Florida dancers to Pinewoods American Week.
Video:
Susan Moffett & Monday Night All-Stars at a 2015 contra, Louisville KY:
Dance All Night
| A1: |
Lines of four forward and back (8) Swing corner (8) (Face the center in a square formation) |
| A2: |
Ladies right hand star (9) Allemande left with corner 1 1/4 (and face partner) (7) |
| B1: |
Grand right and left (10) Dosido partner (6) |
| B2: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
This is a good straightforward "4 face 4" dance, long on movement and short on complexity. As with other such dances, your corner in A1 is next to you if you're in the middle of the line and across from you if you're at the end of the line. And after the swing in B2 dancers should face their original line of direction, having swapped to the other side of their line.
At the 2001 Labor Day Brattleboro Dawn Dance I called the "milkman shift", the 3:30-7:00 AM slot where dancers need a maximum of energy and variety with a minimum of confusion. This dance fit the bill, and after Maia Rutman's enthusiastic endorsement I named it for her and the other inspired dance-all-nighters.
Video:
Sarah Van Norstrand & Perpetual E-motion at a 2011 Cornell contra, Ithaca NY:
Video:
Gaye Fifer & Mean Lids at Contra Swing Shift 2011, Berea KY:
Deborah's Dream
| A1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| A2: |
Right and left through (8) Left hands across star (8) (to momentary diamond, gents in center and ladies at the sides) |
| B1: |
Gents allemande left 3/4 while ladies (optionally) loop right (4) Swing partner (12) |
| B2: |
Circle left (8) (to momentary diamond, ladies in center and gents at the sides) Ladies allemande right 3/4 while gents (optionally) loop left (4) Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (4) |
An accessible dance with smooth flow and symmetrical transitions.
The A2 star and B2 circle go 7/8 around, ending in a momentary "diamond" formation. Dancers at the sides then drop out, while dancers in the middle continue with an allemande. Optionally those side dancers can add seamless flow by walking a medium-sized loop out of the set.
Ladies are the side dancers first, facing up or down after the A2 star left. Dropping hands they continue moving along the set, then bend right and loop out of the set in four steps to smoothly start the partner swing.
Gents are the side dancers next, after the B2 circle left. Dropping hands they continue moving along the set, then bend left and loop out of the set in four steps to smoothly start the neighbor allemande left.
Note that these loops can be omitted with no harm to the dance! Or consider a floor demo, so dancers see how to flow into the loop and how wide to go.
For even more symmetry, try replacing the A2 star left with a circle right or replacing the B2 circle left with a right hands across star.
Commissioned and named by Mary Sexton in honor of Deborah Denenfeld's Dancing Well: The Soldier Project, which "brings the healing power of dance, live music, and community to veterans and families affected by PTSD and brain injury." Go Deborah!
Video:
Kathy Anderson & Great Bear at Fleur-de-Lis Fling 2017, Louisville KY (posted by John Newsome):
Double Mud Pig
| A1: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) (On right diagonal) Ladies chain (to shadow #1) (8) |
| B1: |
Left hand star (with shadow #1) (8) Allemande right with partner 1 1/2 (8) |
| B2: |
Left hand star (with shadow #2) (8) Swing partner (8) |
While enjoying Mike Boerschig's Happy as a Cold Pig in Warm Mud I wondered, could you enjoy flying stars with both shadows instead of just one?
This dance is the result. It's more accessible than you might expect for a dance where you leave the minor set twice, because finding your partner rights the set in both B1 and B2. In B1, watch for your partner in the other star and meet with an allemande; in B2, watch for your partner in the other star and meet with a swing.
I'm not usually a fan of "shadow / partner / other shadow / partner" sequences because you keep repeating the same longish sequence with the same people, and so don't mix enough. But because the stars in this dance involve a changing cast of neighbors, you get the thrill of flying to your partner twice without the tarnish of identical setups.
Video:
Seth Tepfer & The Syncopaths at Charlottesville Fall Festival 2012, Charlottesville VA (posted by Adrian Whitcomb):
Dr. Bluhm's Delight
| A1: |
Shift left to meet next couple (2) Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Left hands across 1/2 (gents drop out) (4) Ladies allemande left 3/4 (4) (Join right hands with neighbor to form wave of four) |
| B1: |
Balance the wave (4) Allemande right with neighbor 5/8 (4) (Gents join left with next gent to form wave on right diagonal) Balance the wave (4) Gents allemande left 3/4 (4) (Partners join right hands to form wave on left diagonal) |
| B2: |
Balance the wave (4) Swing partner (12) |
Diagonal action makes this dance fun and different while staying accessible.
The neighbor allemande right in B1 is slightly more than half way round—gents go just past the opposite gent to join left hands with the next gent, forming a wave on the right diagonal. Then left allemande 3/4 easily forms the left diagonal wave with partner for the balance in B2. Of course the gents would never forget to complete the balance by looking left at each other before diving into the partner swing ... but it couldn't hurt to remind them!
Usually after the swing in B2 dancers are almost across from their new neighbors and don't need to shift left very far to start the circle left in A1.
For my buddy Carey Bluhm of Keene NH, who delights in playing fiddle tunes.
Video:
Lisa Greenleaf & Didgeridoo at Fiddling Frog 2010, Pasadena CA (posted by Dave Foster):
Earth and Sky
| A1: |
Gypsy with neighbor (8) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Allemande right with partner 1 1/2 (8) |
| B1: |
Allemande left with shadow (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B2: |
5/8 hey (gents pass right shoulders to start) (8) Gypsy (left shoulder) with neighbor (8) |
In B2 the gents start the hey by passing right shoulders rather than left shoulders. With the fifth change the gents cross back to their original side, leading in to the left shoulder gypsy with original neighbors, then on to the next with a right shoulder gypsy. This dance has steady movement throughout, with a strongly connected segment ("earth") and a free segment ("sky").
Video:
Rick Mohr with Yankee Ingenuity and David Cantieni at a 2008 Scout House contra, Concord MA:
Ellen's Yarns
| A1: |
Right and left through (8) Left hand star (8) |
| A2: |
(on right diagonal) Ladies chain (8) (straight across to shadow) Ladies chain (8) (Form circle of four) |
| B1: |
Balance the ring (4) "Petronella turn" one place to the right (4) Balance the ring (4) "Petronella turn" one place to the right (4) (to face partner in the adjacent ring) |
| B2: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
Ted Sannella was the first to use "Petronella turn" into "balance and swing" with someone from another ring, in his dance "Fiddleheads". This dance was written (before the craze for such dances!) to provide that experience for everyone rather than just the actives.
When starting the left-hand star in A1 it helps if the ladies take a look at the lady on the right diagonal so they know who to aim for when coming back around into the ladies chain.
When waiting out at the ends dancers should stand as a couple on the ladies' side of the set; in A2 they should participate in the ladies chain.
For Ellen Cohn of New Haven, Connecticut; raconteuse, natural dyer, gifted musician and singer, longtime Fiddlehead, and valued friend.
Video:
Darlene Underwood & Crowfoot at Dance Trance 2010, Lexington KY:
A Fair Wind Home
| A1: |
Ladies allemande right 3/4 (4) (Join left hands with neighbor to form a wave of four) Balance the wave (4) Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (4) (Join right hands with next neighbor to form long waves) Balance the long wave (4) |
| A2: |
Allemande right with next neighbor (6) Swing original neighbor (10) |
| B1: |
Down the center, four in line (turn as a couple) (8) Return (bend the line to form a circle) (8) |
| B2: |
Balance the ring (4) Give and take (2) Swing partner (10) (Face across the set; ladies look on left diagonal for the next lady) |
"Balance the ring" in B2 makes a nice transition to Larry Jennings' "give and take" figure. After the balance, all take a half step back to create some tension in partners' joined arms. Then ladies release the tension, zipping across the set and smoothly into the swing.
After the partner swing in B2 couples will be offset from one another, with each gent more or less across from the next gent to dance with. The new ladies find each other by looking on the left diagonal, and complete the progression with an allemande right halfway (actually about 5/8) to a wave of four.
To help everyone get this progression I start the first walkthrough by saying "Everybody take one step to the right so the gents are across from each other. This is how the dance ends. Ladies, you'll always look on the left diagonal for the next lady to start the dance..."
For the engagement of David and Susie Titus.
Video:
Nils Fredland with Nova at a 2015 Scout House contra, Concord MA:
Firefly Pedicabs
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) Swing neighbor (12) |
| A2: |
(On left diagonal) Right and left through (8) Circle left 3/4 (8) |
| B1: |
With (original) neighbor, weave the line past two couples (8) (zig left past current couple, zag right past next couple, zig left to partner) Swing partner (8) |
| B2: |
Half promenade with partner (wide loop to face new neighbors) (8) Balance the ring (4) Petronella turn (4) |
A fresh all-moving dance offering a weaving reunion with partner and a nice reverse progression.
The figures are straightforward. The end effects are numerous, but intuitive when dancers orient themselves to prepare for the next figure. If out after the A2 right and left through, stand across from partner to prepare for the zig-zag. If out during the B1 zig-zag, California Twirl to face the set. If out during the B2 half promenade, cross the set to prepare for the right and left through. No problem!
Firefly pedicabs brought fanciful pedal-powered magic to Philadelphia's Ben Franklin Parkway at twilight. Somehow this dance reminds me of that merry experience.
Video:
Seth Tepfer with Fyre & Ash at Butterfly Whirl 2018, Clarkston GA (posted by Jim Crawford):
Fluidity
| A1: |
3/4 Hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (12) Ladies allemande left (4) |
| A2: |
Gypsy and swing neighbor (16) |
| B1: |
Right and left through (8) Circle right (8) |
| B2: |
(With next couple) Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing partner (10) |
A nice all-moving dance with smooth transitions.
In B2 it's satisfying to change smoothly from one circle to the next—encourage the gents to turn in (toward partner).
Gaye's Groove
|
(Join hands in a wave of four—neighbors right, ladies left) |
|
| A1: |
Balance the wave, right then left (4) Walk diagonally right (4) (join left hands with neighbor #2 in a new wave) Balance the wave, left then right (4) Walk diagonally left (4) (join right hands with neighbor #3 in a third wave) |
| A2: |
Balance the wave, right then left (4) With neighbor #3 allemande right 3/4 (4) Swing neighbor #2 (8) |
| B1: |
Revolving door (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B2: |
Pass through across (4) California twirl with partner (4) Circle left 3/4 (8) (to a wave of four with current neighbors) |
This dance offers a single-progression version of the travelling wave sequence from Bill Olson's inspired dance Eleanor's Reel, along with Ron Buchanan's "Revolving Door" figure and some satisfying glue.
After the first A1 balance, spot your neighbor #2 in the next wave. Walk diagonally right to join left hands with them, as gents join right hands in the center of a new wave. Then balance left and repeat on the left diagonal, joining right hands in a third wave with your neighbor #3 and ladies in the center.
Some dancers like to spin while moving between the waves—big fun and highly optional.
In "Revolving Door", couples start a "wrong side" half promenade where ladies pass right instead of gents passing left. As the ladies meet they catch right hands and allemande right once around. The gents drop out after crossing the set, and partners swing as the ladies come around. It flows easily and feels good. I often do a floor demo, both because it's unfamiliar and because it's pretty cool to watch. Since the promenade only lasts for a beat or two I think the easiest hold is for neighbors to join left hands, with the gent's right arm briefly behind the lady's back.
For Gaye Fifer, heartful and fun-loving dancer, caller, and connector from Pittsburgh PA. When Gaye's around you're sure to have a good time.
Video:
George Marshall & Wild Asparagus at Fall Ball 2017, Peterborough NH:
Video:
Susan Michaels & Syncopaths + 2 Stringrays at Contra Carnivale 2016, San Luis Obispo CA:
Goody One Shoe
By Rick Mohr; September 2009
Contra, Becket, Double-progression Caller's Box
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
| A1: |
Ladies take four steps to make a long wave of ladies, and balance (8) Ladies spin to the right (as in Rory O'More) and 1/4 more (4) (Form a diamond, not with partner; ladies in center and gents at the sides) Balance the diamond (4) |
| A2: |
"Petronella turn" one place to the right (4) (Gents spin 1/4 more to a long wave of gents) Gents balance the wave (4) Gents spin to the right (as in Rory O'More) and 1/4 more (4) (Form a diamond, with partner; gents in center and ladies at the sides) Balance the diamond (4) |
| B1: |
Gents allemande left 3/4 (4) 3/4 Hey (neighbors pass right shoulders to start) (12) |
| B2: |
Gypsy partner (8) Swing partner (8) |
Micah Smukler invented the cool "waves to diamonds" sequence for his dance Goody Two Shoes; I hope this somewhat simpler dance gives it wider circulation. With a couple relaxed walkthroughs most dancers get it well.
I encourage dancers to form sets with a full circle at the bottom, eliminating end effects throughout this double-progression dance.
You could do a balance and swing in B2 instead of the gypsy and swing, but I thought the dance might have enough balances already.
Video:
George Marshall & Wild Asparagus at a 2011 Guiding Star Grange contra, Greenfield MA:
Grand Picnic
| A1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| A2: |
Ladies chain (8) (Keep left hands with partner, face partner up and down the set) Pull past partner by the left (2) Allemande right with shadow (6) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Allemande right with neighbor 1 1/2 (8) |
This is a straightforward dance with continuous motion for all and lots of swinging; it works well provided that the novel bit in A2 is taught carefully. The key is to face your partner up and down the set after the ladies chain, continuing to hold left hands. During the walk-through this is a good moment to identify shadows by looking past your partner.
For my friends in the great New York City contra band, Grand Picnic.
Video:
Louise Siddons with Oh! Contraire at Looking Glass Festival 2017, Lansing MI (posted by John Newsome):
The Grass Valley Glide
| A1: |
Half hey (gents pass right shoulders to start) (6) Courtesy turn with neighbor (4) Half promenade with neighbor (6) |
| A2: |
(On right diagonal) Left hand star 3/4 (8) Allemande right with partner 1 1/2 (8) |
| B1: |
Half hey (ladies pass left shoulders to start) (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (7) Pass through (2) Allemande left with next neighbor (7) |
This dance has a nice nonstop glide, especially with a true courtesy turn in A1. Its novelties are fairly well-telegraphed, so dancers tend to stay oriented. But the end effects can be unexpected; best to relax and follow George Marshall's advice: "The people coming at you know what you should be doing better than you know what you should be doing."
The A2 transition from half promenade to diagonal star is borrowed from Gene Hubert's dance "Song In the Night". Technically the next couple is on the right diagonal, but it's easier to think of making an extra wide left turn in the half promenade.
For the dancers of Grass Valley California, in appreciation for their warmth, fun, grace, and enthusiasm in hosting me and Nightingale for four splendid days in the summer of 2004.
Video:
Joyce Miller & Lift Ticket at a 2011 Sprung Floor Contradance, Santa Barbara CA (posted by Peter Bergonzi):
Green Light
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) Gents cross, passing right shoulders (4) Swing partner (8) |
| A2: |
Down the center, four in line (6) Thread the needle (see below) (4) Return (bend the line to form a circle) (6) |
| B1: |
Balance the ring (4) Ladies cross, passing right shoulders (4) Swing neighbor (8) |
| B2: |
Hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (16) |
A relative of Balance and CrossBalance and Cross, adding the fun "Thread the Needle" figure and a whole hey.
For "Thread the Needle", keep hands in the line of four facing down the hall. Left-side gent make an arch and walk it across the set; right-side lady lead the line through the arch; center lady duck under your arm. All are now facing up the hall, having reversed the line.
Head Over Heels
| A1: |
Balance partner (4) Square through two (4) Swing next neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
(On left diagonal) Right and left through (8) Left hand star 3/4 (6) Pass shadow by right shoulder (2) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
Half hey (ladies pass right shoulders to start) (8) Ladies chain (8) |
An all-moving dance with balances at the tops of the parts and a nice partner reunion.
In A2 dancers pull by their shadow in the right and left through, then star left and pass by the same shadow.
Technically the formation is "indecent" (2's cross over rather than 1's). But I line people up improper and start with the neighbor swing, teaching the dance as if the balance and square through were the final figure. At that point in the second walkthrough (or the first if there's only one) I say that once we get going this will be the beginning of the dance. Then I start the dance with a long neighbor swing.
The end effects are numerous, but intuitive when dancers orient themselves to prepare for the next figure.
For Joel and Michal Bluestein of Arlington VA, in honor of their 25th wedding anniversary.
Video:
Lisa Greenleaf with Polaris at a 2019 Greenfield dance, Greenfield MA:
Video:
Janine Smith with Rachel Eddy & the Rock Farmers at Chesapeake Dance Weekend 2018, Edgewater MD:
Home in Pasadena
By Rick Mohr; 2005
Singing Square
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
| Figure: | |
| A1: |
Circle left 1/2 (8) Ladies star right (8) |
| A2: |
Allemande left with partner 3/4 (4) Allemande right with corner 3/4 (4) Gents star left while ladies promenade clockwise around ring... (8) |
| B1: |
... continue star and promenade (4) Swing partner (12) |
| B2: |
Promenade partner around the ring (16) (singing "Beneath the palms, in someone's arms, in Pasadena town") |
| Break: | |
| A1, A2: |
Teacup chain (32) |
| B1, B2: |
Beer mug chain (32) |
When I heard "Home in Pasadena" sung by the amazing vocal trio Finest Kind (on their album "Heart's Delight") I thought it would make a killer singing square. Great tune, chords, and swingy feel, with a good singable tag phrase. And best are its cool verses to different melodies that interlock nicely when sung together. But in a singing square the caller has to sing the calls, so how could those great lyrics possibly be included?
My solution is to use an uncallable break figure, and sing the lyrics while the dancers make their way through it. The teacup chain plus beer mug chain makes just the right length, and can't be called since dancers have to do different things at the same time. It works great but takes a while to teach, so is perhaps better in a workshop than an evening dance.
In the A2 of the figure the two 3/4 allemandes are shorter than might be expected. The second propels the gents and ladies in different directions; dancers pass their partner once and on second sighting swing at (roughly) their home place.
Allow enough time to teach the teacup chain. Here's a good description and teaching method from a modern western square dance caller (substitute allemandes for e.g. "star left" or "right arm turn", and end with a quick courtesy turn). The beer mug chain is the same sequence but led by the gents (with left hands) rather than the ladies (with right hands); end with a brief swing.
To get the feel of the song and learn its melodies listen on bandcamp (and buy Heart's Delight!). I include here the words and melody for singing the figure, and below are the words and chords for the song verses. If 3 singers are available, use this sequence:
Intro: Band plays final 8 bars ("Beneath the palms, in someone's arms, in Pasadena town")
Figure: Caller sings calls. Break: Singer 1 sings verse 1
Figure: Caller sings calls. Break: Singer 2 sings verse 2 (singer 1 can sing verse 1 quietly in the background)
Figure: Caller sings calls. Break: Singer 3 sings verse 3 (singer 1 can sing verse 1 quietly in the background)
Figure: Caller sings calls. Break: All three singers sing all three verses together
Ending: Repeat final 8 bars ("Beneath the palms, in someone's arms, in Pasadena town")
Don't stress about perfect singing—the dancers need most of their brains to make it through the teacup chain and only hear you as an interesting backdrop.
(1) Home in Pasadena
Home where grass is "greena"
Where honeybees hum melodies
And orange trees scent the breeze
I want to be a home-sweet-homer
There I'll settle down
Beneath the palms in someone's arms
In Pasadena town
(2) Soon I'll be on my merry way to that dreamland of yesterday
Tell the mailman I long to stay, my California
To be where honey bees
And orange trees they scent the breeze (sweet melodies)
Settle down in that happy town with the mountains there all around
Friendly people there to be found, nuts right by my door
There beneath the palms, somebody's arms
In Pasadena town
(3) Oh there'll be an aggregation waitin' for me at the station, in Pasadena town, Pasadena town
All my life I've been a rover, now it's time to think it over, I want to settle down, want to settle down
Busy little bumblebees, syncopated melodies
Trees are slowly swingin' while the birds are softly singing in the breeze
I want to be a happy home-sweet-homer, never want to be a roamer, from Pasadena town, Pasadena town
There away from all the worry of the city's hurry-scurry, every evening when the sun goes down
Moonin' Junin' honeymoonin' palms, captivatin' fascinatin' arms
P - A - S - A - D - E - N - A T - O - W - N town
A A C#m7 A7 D D F#7 F#7 Bm7 Dm A A G#7 G#7 E7 E7 A A C#m7 A7 D D C#7 C#7 Bm7 Cdim Amaj7 F#7 Bm7 E7 A A
Video:
Nils Fredland & Elixir at Youth Dance Weekend 2008, Plymouth VT:
Icing on the Cake
| A1: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Allemande right with neighbor 1 1/2 (8) (Join left hands with next neighbor to form long waves) |
| A2: |
Balance in long waves (4) Slide or spin right, past neighbor (4) Balance (left) in long waves (4) Slide or spin left, past neighbor (4) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing next neighbor (16) |
| B2: |
Gents cross to partner, half poussette clockwise (8) Swing partner (8) |
An all-moving dance, with a surprise progression after "Rory O'Mohr" balances.
Tip of the hat to Jim Hemphill for the swing/poussette/swing sequence, from his fine dance The Push Me Pull You Two.
Video:
Deb Comly & Latter Day Lizards at FolkMADness 2019, Socorro NM:
In Cahoots
| A1: |
Shift left to meet next couple (2) Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Ladies allemande right 1 1/2 (8) Allemande left with partner 1 1/2 (8) (Gents join right hands to form a wave of four) |
| B1: |
Balance the wave (4) Walk forward (to meet shadow from next wave) (4) (Join hands in a wave of four—shadows join left; gents join right) Balance the wave (4) Allemande left with shadow 3/4 (4) |
| B2: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
A good all-moving dance with strong balances in the B music.
Video:
Open Mic & Community Band at River Falls Contra, River Falls SC (posted by Sean Green):
The Joy of Six
| A1: |
Ladies allemande left (6) Gypsy neighbor (6) |
| A2: |
Swing neighbor (12) |
| B1: |
3/4 hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (12) |
| B2: |
Swing partner (12) |
| C1: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Gents allemande right (6) |
| C2: |
Allemande left with neighbor (6) Allemande right with next neighbor (6) |
Dancing to 6-count phrases is a fun change of pace with this flowy dance—if your band has appropriate music. Here are some tunes that have worked well for me, including a slangpolska, a 3/2 hornpipe, and some 3-part slip jigs, all with 6-count phrases and 72 beats total.
The circle in C1 is really 5/8, and feels to the ladies like just halfway round. They should take a step back afterwards to give the gents more room.
Video:
Seth Tepfer & Crowfoot at Snowball 2011, Gulfport FL (posted by Dave Pokorney):
Juicy Themes
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) California twirl with partner (4) Swing next neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Mad Robin (gents cross in front to start) (6) Gents allemande left (6) 1/4 Hey (neighbors pass right shoulders to start) (4) |
| B1: |
Gypsy and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
Pass through across (4) California twirl with partner (4) Circle left 3/4 (8) |
An all-moving dance with some fresh twists.
Even though the dance technically begins by progressing it's simpler to start the walkthrough with a long neighbor swing, skipping the initial balance and California twirl. I start the dance that way as well.
In the B2 walkthrough I suggest taking a full 4 beats for both the pass thru and California twirl. Otherwise skilled dancers may arrive extra-early for the A1 balance.
As a variant, balance and swing in B1 can work well if the dancers are agile enough to fully complete the A2 in 16 beats.
For the milestone birthday of California dancer Julie Thomas from her husband Ed, who reports that "Juicy Themes" pops up when you spell-check her name. Ed's recipe for what the dance might include: "If it helps, she likes gypsies and long swing w/ partner (me), give and take, mad robin, and some flirting w/ neighbors. I'd like it to include a California twirl (natch) and a gents' left allemande (inside joke, so she knows its from me). These are certainly not requirements, just hints of some of what she likes. Mostly she likes contra dancing."
Video:
Rick Mohr & Coracree at ContraCopia 2013, Philadelphia PA (posted by Doug Heacock):
Kiss the Groom
By Rick Mohr; September 2010
Contra, Becket, Double-progression Caller's Box
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
| A1: |
Long lines forward (4) Gents roll away with partner as lines go back (4) Long lines forward (4) Ladies roll away with partner as lines go back (4) |
| A2: |
Gents allemande left 3/4 (to momentary long wave of gents) (4) New gents allemande right 3/4 (4) Swing new neighbor (on left diagonal) (8) |
| B1: |
Right and left through (8) Ladies allemande right 3/4 (to momentary long wave of ladies) (4) New ladies allemande left 3/4 (4) |
| B2: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
A wedding gift for my friends Ethan Hazzard-Watkins and Anna Patton. (At the end of their excellent self-uniting ceremony, Ethan said to Anna "You may kiss the groom!")
The rollaways in A1 may be the hardest part for newer dancers. The person not rolling must step left (a "half sashay"), and it helps to share an arm tug to start and end each rollaway.
At the start of A2, dancers should spot their next neighbor on the left diagonal so the gents know who to aim for.
Dancers arriving at the top of the set seem to forget there's no waiting out in this double-progression dance. They remember better if I make a point of it during the walkthrough.
Lads of Ohio
| A1: |
Gents cross, passing left shoulders (2) Gypsy (current) neighbor 1/2 (4) Swing next neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Circle left (8) Ladies chain (to partner) (8) |
| B1: |
Ladies chain (8) Left hand star 3/4 (8) |
| B2: |
Allemande right with shadow (6) Swing partner (10) |
While this is technically a Becket dance with the progression in A1 it's simpler to teach it as duple improper starting with the neighbor swing, and to call it that way the first time through.
After the ladies chain in A2 everyone is next to their shadow. Introducing shadows at this point in the walk-through will help them find each other in the B2.
The progression is like 1/4 of a hey, but don't tell the dancers. Instead, have the gents cross and stop in the center facing neighbors. All look right to identify the next neighbor, then gypsy the current neighbor 1/2 and progress to swing the next.
In honor of fine times with my friends Joseph Pimentel and Fred Todt of Columbus Ohio, warm talented fun lads, at whose dining room table this dance was written. I was preparing for a session billed to lure the local gents with fabulous dances and then help them to be less rough with the ladies. I had no fabulous dance with both neighbor and partner courtesy turns, and this was my attempt to provide one. So a secondary nod is to all the lads of Ohio, on their path to becoming everyone's favorite dance partner. (A spot firmly held by Joseph and Fred, I might add.)
Video:
Zoe Madonna & Maivish at Ralph Page Legacy Weekend 2014, Durham NH (posted by Zoe Madonna):
Larry's Listening
| A1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| A2: |
Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (8) (Join hands in a wave of four--neighbors join right; gents join left) Balance the wave (4) Walk forward to next couple (2) Gents allemande left 1/2 (2) (Join right hands with partner to form a wave of four) |
| B1: |
Balance the wave (4) Swing partner (12) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Allemande right with neighbor (5) Allemande left with previous neighbor (5) |
The allemandes in B2 move right along, and their 5-count timing requires some attention in phrasing the calls. I might call it this way (starting with the last phrase of B1):
(1) (2) (3) (4) Face across, circle left
(1) three quarters round; neighbor right allemande go once around
your old neighbor left allemande; new neighbor balance and swing
The progression (at the end of A2) requires some attention from the gents. During "balance the wave" in A2 each gent should locate the gent in the next wave. With two steps forward those new gents meet, allemande left halfway in the remaining two counts, and join right hands with partners to balance the wave. If the gents are prepared there's plenty of time, but they have to focus on the allemande rather than on the walking forward.
Also note that as dancers walk to meet the next couple they are on the opposite side of the set from their usual position during a progression. If couples waiting out at the ends are extra-alert they can cross over to what feels like the wrong side; another option is for the lady waiting out to do the allemande left halfway with the approaching gent.
For Larry Jennings, whose many contributions to the contra dance community include listening carefully to every caller at the Thursday night dance in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Larry once referred (with mixed judgment) to dances where you "balance and swing your neighbor, balance and swing your partner, and do a bunch of things in between which prove the caller is smarter than you are." This is one of those.
Thanks to Larry for improving the title and suggesting re-aligning the parts (I originally started the dance with the current B2).
Laura's Zigzag
| A1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| A2: |
Circle left 1/2 (4) With partner, zig left to pass neighbors; zag right to meet next couple (4) Circle right 1/2 with these new neighbors (4) With partner, zag right to pass current neighbors; zig left to meet original neighbors (4) |
| B1: |
Circle left 3/4 with original neighbors (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Ladies chain (8) |
Dedicated to Laura Johannes, caller and dance organizer from Jamaica Plain MA. Laura crafted the sequence in A2 for her dance "Autumn Breeze", expanding on the zigzag idea in Rockin' Robin, and I was full-circle inspired to write this dance.
The A2 is most satisfying when momentum from circling launches the zigzags and momentum from zigzagging launches the circles. Also note that the 1/2 circle left passes quickly, so the ladies must be alert to lead into the zigzag. Then the gents must be likewise alert to lead into the zag-zig after the 1/2 circle right. Finally, note that keeping some elbow tension can help partners enjoy staying together in the quick sideways motions of the zigzags.
Video:
Mike Schuh & Les Pieds Chaud at a 2008 Fremont Abbey contra, Seattle, WA (posted by Matt Fisher):
Leave the Wine
| A1: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Half hey (partners pass right shoulders to start) (8) |
| A2: |
Gypsy and swing partner (16) |
| B1: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Weave the line—with partner, zig left to pass neighbors, zag right to pass #2 neighbors, zig left to meet #3 neighbors (8) |
| B2: |
Dosido neighbor #3 (6) Swing neighbor #2 (10) |
This updates Kathy Anderson's fine dance "Weave the Line" so that both couples get a partner swing.
It's a single-progression dance—even though you interact with neighbor #3 after the zig-zag-zig, you turn around to swing neighbor #2 to end singly-progressed. Then the gents in those singly-progressed minor sets take left as the dance begins again.
Video:
George Marshall & Wild Asparagus at the 2011 Snow Ball, Peterborough NH:
Video:
Rick Mohr & Groovemongers plus Pokey at Contra Carnivale 2009, San Luis Obispo CA (posted by Phil Curnow):
Love Sting
| A1: |
Down the center, four in line (6) Gent on left end turn alone; ladies trade places as gent between them does "right hand high, left-hand low" (3) Return, bend the line (7) |
| A2: |
Balance the ring (4) Swing neighbor (12) |
| B1: |
Long lines forward and back (8) (On right diagonal) Ladies chain (to shadow) (8) |
| B2: |
Left hand star (8) Swing partner (in adjacent star) (8) |
This "leave the minor set" dance has worked well with newer dancers. You're not long away from home, and the familiar faces of shadow and partner help with orientation.
After going down the hall (A1) dancers should start their turn sooner than usual. Gents between two ladies raise your right arm as the ladies trade places (with the left-hand lady ducking under the arch) and then duck under that arm as all face the music to return up the hall.
After the ladies' diagonal chain (B1) dancers may need to look slightly left to find the correct couple for the star.
For the wedding of Chris Love and Sarah Easterling of Asheville NC, who thought "Love Sting" a fun option when they considered combining their names.
Video:
JoLaine Jones-Pokorney & Dunehoppers at a 2012 GODS Dance, Gainesville FL:
Made in the Shade
| A1: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Balance partner (4) Partners pull by right, ladies pull by left (4) |
| B1: |
Balance neighbor (4) Neighbors pull by right, gents pull by left (4) Swing partner (8) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Balance the ring (4) Ladies roll away (along) with neighbor (4) |
Hand connection throughout makes this a good dance for newcomers, and the uncommon sequence adds fun for experienced dancers.
The simple-but-satisfying progression is borrowed from Mark Widmer's Newlywed's Jig.
Mad Scatter
By Rick Mohr; March 2010
Mixer, Scattered circles of two or more couples Caller's Box
Level: Easy/Intermediate
| A1: |
Circle left (8) Dosido neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Allemande right with partner 1 1/2 (8) Ladies star (or allemande) left while gents orbit clockwise (8) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing new partner (16) |
| B2: |
Promenade anywhere with new partner (16) (Find another group to circle with) |
In this mixer dancers form scattered groups with any number of couples. That makes for fun chaos, less transition panic (compared with 2-couple scatter mixers), and more flavors to enjoy as circle sizes vary.
The A2 allemande ends with ladies in the center facing counterclockwise and gents on the outside facing clockwise. If there are two ladies they allemande left for 8 beats; if there are more than two they star left for 8 beats. Either way, the gents orbit clockwise around the ladies. Then all balance and swing a new partner and promenade to a new group.
I tell the dancers it's a zero-stress dance. "If a couple wants to join your circle, let them in!" And no problem if you happen to keep the same partner now and then.
Video:
Sarah Van Nordstrand & Great Bear Trio at Phoenix Frolic 2017, Phoenix AZ:
Mad Slice
| A1: |
Ladies allemande left (6) Swing neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Double slice left (8) Right hand star 3/4 (with shadow #2) (6) Pass shadow #1 by left shoulder (2) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Pass through up and down (2) Mad Robin around new neighbor (ladies cross in front to start) (8) |
Here's a dance with two figures introduced fairly recently to contra dancing. "Double slice" is Bob Isaacs's term for the move in A2: dancers take hands in long lines and head for the couple on the left diagonal (always containing shadow #1), then continue moving left to back away from that couple and face a third couple (always containing shadow #2). I encourage dancers to move all together as a line.
Star right with that couple 3/4 until you see shadow #1, then pass by to balance and swing your partner.
The second newish figure is the "Mad Robin" which ends the dance; I borrowed this nice transition from an English dance by Jim Kitch. As you pass thru to progress, turn to face your partner and continue momentum smoothly into the Mad Robin (a sideways neighbor dosido keeping partner eye contact).
Then still continuing momentum, the ladies catch left hands to start the dance anew.
Video:
Cis Hinkle & Notorious at Dancing Fool 2010, Seattle WA (posted by Matt Fisher):
Merry Maze Reel
|
(To form initial wave, neighbors allemande left 3/4 and ladies join right) |
|
| A1: |
Balance the wave (4) Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (to long wave) (4) Balance the long wave (4) Allemande right with next neighbor 3/4 (4) |
| A2: |
Balance the wave (forward and back) (4) Walk forward to meet original neighbor (2) Swing neighbor (10) |
| B1: |
Gents allemande left 3/4 (4) New gents allemande right 3/4 while ladies step right (4) Swing partner (8) |
| B2: |
Right and left through (8) Ladies allemande right 1 1/2 (8) |
A fun "balance and turn" dance, whose title and B1 progression were inspired by David Kaynor's classic dance Mary Cay's Reel (where ladies do the allemandes).
In the A2 it's nice to balance forward and back so you can pull forward to head into the neighbor swing.
In the B1 walkthrough it can help to form a center wave of gents after the first allemande (so everyone knows they're in the right place), saying that in the actual dance gents keep moving directly from the first allemande to the second.
Video:
Dancing Fool 2019, Seattle WA:
Video:
Andy Shore & Cloud Ten at Florida Fall Ball 2018, Tampa FL:
Mover and Shaker
| A1: |
Circle left (8) Ladies chain (to neighbor) (8) |
| A2: |
Half hey (ladies pass right shoulders to start) (8) Swing next neighbor (8) |
| B1: |
Pass through to a wave (ladies take left hands, neighbors take right) (4) Balance the wave right (4) "Rory O'Mohr" slide or spin right (4) Balance the wave left (4) |
| B2: |
"Rory O'Mohr" slide or spin left—ladies all the way across to partner (4) (Balance and) swing partner (12) |
A fun all-moving dance, half dynamic "Mover" and half balancey "Shaker".
To help dancers circle far enough in A1 I say in the walkthrough "Circle left, all the way around—further than you think—and ladies chain across to your neighbor."
To help with the A2 hey-to-swing progression, in the walkthrough have dancers spot their next neighbor after the A1 ladies chain (3 people away; gents look right and ladies look left). Then say "You're about to swing that new neighbor, on the other side of the set". Now walk the half hey—3 changes, with gents progressing after passing right in the center and ladies progressing after looping left at the sides.
Hats off to Bob Isaacs for the satisfying "neighbor Rory O'Mohr into partner swing" sequence, from his dance "Leap of Faith". Here, shifting the balance phrasing opens up space for the "mover" sequence and progression.
Bob points out that the B2 balance is optional—partners can add it or not as they choose. Some like grounding themselves with the balance while others like navigating the transition from spin to swing.
(In this video the A1 circle is replaced by long lines forward and back.)
Video:
Susan Petrick & Free Raisins at Corvallis Contradance Weekend 2018, Corvallis OR (posted by Bob Green):
My Marbles Have Many Moods
| A1: |
Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (6) Swing neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Gents cross, passing left shoulders (2) Gypsy partner (6) Swing partner (8) |
| B1: |
Circle left (8) Ladies chain (to neighbor) (8) |
| B2: |
Left hand star (8) Allemande right with next neighbor 1 1/2 (8) |
This dance has continuous motion for all and smooth transitions.
For Jane Hecht, who created the poetic title by her casual comment that "My marbles have many moods" as we drove the twisty coastal roads to English Dance Week in Mendocino CA. Somehow about 25 marbles from a florist had managed to roll into her car's sub-floor heating ducts, and they kept up an entertaining array of sounds as Jane contoured the roads.
Video:
Nicholas Rockstroh & Buzzard Rock String Band at a 2015 contra, Louisville KY:
Night Sail
| A1: |
Ladies chain (8) Circle right (8) |
| A2: |
(With next couple) Circle left (8) Dosido that new neighbor (8) (Join hands in a wave of four--neighbors join right; ladies join left) |
| B1: |
Balance the wave (4) 3/4 Hey (neighbors pull by with right hands to start) (12) |
| B2: |
Gypsy partner (8) Swing partner (8) |
Nightingale plays a galvinizing contra arrangement of the Québecois song Nous Allons à une Fête, with Keith Murphy singing once the pesky caller quiets down. It has a killer steady drive building through the A's culminating in a full stop, which is wildly rewarding when matched with a balance on the B1 as the music zings back in. After an unsuccessful search for the perfect companion dance I wrote this one, and the combination is rather thrilling. Of course one isn't always so fortunate to have Nightingale playing, but the dance can be a decent thrill on its own.
Encourage the ladies to step out strongly and lead the transition from courtesy turn to circle right in the A1. Then encourage the gents to keep eye contact with their partners as (without breaking stride) everyone turns to circle left with new neighbors in the A2. This three-figure sequence is stolen from Gene Hubert's dance "Mama Lou's Reel", though it feels fairly different here.
Dedicated to Keith, Becky, and Jeremiah in honor of many stellar, sailing nights of dance music. You can hear Keith sing the song on his fine album Bound for Canaan.
Thanks to Lisa Sieverts for pointing out that this dance works great for beginners.
Video:
Diane Silver & Mean Lids at a 2012 Scout House contra, Concord MA (posted by Frank Hsieh):
Norcross
| A1: |
Shift left to meet next couple (2) Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Down the center, four in line (6) Sliding doors (trade places as couples and turn alone) (4) Return (still in line, face the center) (6) |
| B1: |
Half hey (1's pass right shoulders to start) (8) 1's, then 2's: push off with partner (8) |
| B2: |
1's, then 2's: gents draw partner back and left (8) Swing partner (12 for 1's, 8 for 2's) |
"Push-offs" were invented by dancers improvising during heys, and have been finding their way into some dances written on purpose. Usually it's either gents or ladies doing the push-offs; here partners get to do push-offs with each other.
After coming up the hall in A2 dancers stay in their line of four and all face the center, so the 1's are face-to-face in the middle.
A floor demo can help everyone get the push-offs and flow of the B parts. I start with the half hey, noting how dancers make a counter-clockwise loop at the ends. Dancers duplicate that loop during the push-offs—approach from the right to meet partner, push off with both hands backing away to the left, and loop to the right to meet partner again. Gents continue the loop by backing away to the left again, this time drawing their partner with both hands for a swing. The 2's are about four beats later in their loop than the 1's, making for a nice alternation.
See Tag and ZagTag and Zag for notes on the "sliding doors" figure.
For Chrissy Fowler, fine caller, community creator, and bundle of positive energy from Belfast Maine. Her great-great-great-grandparents Thomas and Betsy Martin Fowler were the first white settlers of northerly Millinocket Maine, and her family still has a house in the nearby tiny village of Norcross. For decades tens of thousands of logs floated by every spring along the West Branch of the Penobscot River on their hair-raising journey to the sawmills of Bangor.
Video:
Chrissy Fowler & Sassafras Stomp at Downeast Country Dance Festival 2017, Topsham, ME (video by David Andrews):
Oatmeal Creams
|
(To start join left hands with neighbor, and reach back to join right
hands in a long wave; gents face in, ladies face out) |
|
| A1: |
Balance the long wave (4) Allemande left with neighbor 1/2 (3) Ladies chain (9) (Keep left hands with partner, ladies join right hands in center
to form wave of four) |
| A2: |
Balance the wave (4) Walk forward (to meet shadow from next wave) (2) Allemande left with shadow twice around (10) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Ladies cross to neighbor (pass right shoulders) (2) Allemande right with neighbor (6) (Join left hands with next neighbor to form new long waves) |
The ladies chain in A1 has an extra 1/4 courtesy turn, which opens just in time as the ladies join right hands to form the wave. Encourage the dancers to do a "tight courtesy turn" in order to be on time for the balance. (Suggesting that they avoid twirls just gets their dander up.)
In A2 I call "Walk to your shadow" rather than "Walk forward"; the latter is confusing if people are out of place, while the former suggests the solution of heading for a familiar face.
Keebler used to make a fantastic oatmeal cream cookie but they deep-sixed it, probably due to financial tyranny of chocolate lovers.
Orbit the Stars
| A1: |
Lines of four forward and back (8) Swing corner (8) |
| A2: |
All eight into the center and back (8) Swing next corner (this is your "step-corner") (8) |
| B1: |
Allemande left with next corner (6) Pull by step-corner with right hand (2) Allemande left with first corner 1 1/2 (8) |
| B2: |
Balance partner (4) Box the gnat (4) Ladies star left while gents orbit clockwise 1/2 (8) |
| C1: |
Balance step-corner (4) Box the gnat (4) Gents star left while ladies orbit clockwise 1/2 (8) |
| C2: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
A fun all-moving four-face-four.
In B2 after boxing the gnat, gents are facing clockwise and ladies counter-clockwise. All walk forward—ladies to star left once and gents to "orbit" around the outside halfway—and all meet "step-corners" for a balance.
Finding the right person for the balance is the only tricky part of this dance. One strategy is to remember your step-corner from the A2 swing and watch for them. Another is to watch for your partner and balance the second person after them.
In C1 the roles reverse: after boxing the gnat, ladies are facing clockwise and gents counter-clockwise. All walk forward—gents star left once and ladies orbit halfway. This time it's easy to find the right person as partners meet for a balance and swing.
I settled on this long version after trying for many years (!) to shoehorn the figures into a standard-length dance. The strong story line helps dancers remember the longer sequence, and the band gets a rare chance to play three-part tunes.
Video:
Bev Bernbaum & The O'Schraves at Michigan Dance Heritage 2016, Lexington MI (posted by John Newsome):
Pensacola Rollaway
| A1: |
Dosido partner (8) Allemande right with partner 1 1/2 (8) |
| A2: |
Pass #2 by left shoulder (2) Gypsy #3 (6) Circle left (8) |
| B1: |
Ladies roll away with #2 (3) Swing partner (13) |
| B2: |
Promenade partner (15) Ladies turn back (to meet next partner) (1) |
With a little attention to the transitions in A2 and B1 this can be a very pleasing seamless dance, and remind us that circle mixers come in a wide range of moods!
When finishing the gypsy in A2, ladies can place left hands in #3 gent's right as the gents lead smoothly out of the gypsy into the big circle left.
Now each dancer is between their #2 and #3 dancers. As B1 begins, gents continue to walk left as they roll #2 ladies from left to right. Ladies roll right across #2 gents and then continue rolling smoothly into a partner swing. (A "hoop hold" is nice for the swing, allowing the gents to fully support the rolling ladies with their left arm.)
Please encourage the gents to keep walking in several key spots: from gypsy to circle in A2, from circle to roll away in B1, and from promenade to dosido in B2. Many gents tend not to do this, but it makes all the difference.
The title commemorates a memorable trip to Pensacola, which I have not yet taken.
The Phantom Tollbooth
| A1: |
All into the center and back (8) Heads right and left through (4) Sides right and left through (4) |
| A2: |
Heads left hand star (8) Allemande right with corner 1 1/4 (8) |
| B1: |
Allemande left with partner (6) Swing corner (10) |
| B2: |
Allemande left with next corner (6) Pull by with right hand (the one you swung) (2) Allemande left with partner 1 1/4 (8) (Gents join right hand with gent in adjacent square to form a wave
of four—this foursome is now a mini contra set) |
| C1: |
Balance the wave (4) Gents pull by with right hand (2) Pull by neighbor with left hand (2) Ladies chain (8) |
| C2: |
Hey (ladies pass right shoulders to start) (16) |
| D1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| D2: |
Right and left through (8) Balance the ring (4) Pass through (to a new square) (4) |
| A1: |
All into the center and back (8) Swing corner (8) |
| A2: |
All into the center and back (8) Swing next corner (8) |
| B1: |
Gents left hand star (8) Allemande right the one you swung 1 1/2 (8) |
| B2: |
Ladies left hand star 1/2 (4) Swing partner (12) |
Dance a square, then dance a 4-person contra with the couple in the adjacent square, then progress into a new square! It works, and feels magical every time in a Phantom Tollbooth sort of way.
To set it up have each square join hands in a ring, and line up the squares in rows and columns. Make sure they're straight, with no gaps. You need 9 squares minimum, the more the better. If any row has only one square, move a square from a different row&emda;for example, 3+3+2+2 is better than 3+3+3+1.
In the walk-through, after the (staggered) rights and lefts in A1 have everyone turn around to meet the couple behind them in the adjacent square. Then finish the square through to the partner allemande in B2, when those same adjacent couples meet to form a wave. Those foursomes now dance a contra, with couples along the edges of the hall waiting out.
After the partner swing in D1 make sure to teach (and call) "face that couple" as some dancers will tend to face the next square too soon. Then in D2 pass through into the new world of another square.
Call the square + contra sequence twice and then call the break figure. The break rotates the set 1/4 and swaps heads/sides so that everyone now progresses on the other axis. Lather, rinse, repeat; run it as long as a typical contra.
For Carol Ormand, longtime music and dance soulmate and contra/square alchemist, whose mind sparkles up at all the best times.
Propeller Promenade
| A1: |
Gents cross, passing left shoulders (2) Gypsy (current) neighbor 1/2 (4) Swing next neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Left hand star (8) |
| B1: |
Promenade neighbor counter-clockwise around the big oval (turn as a couple) (8) Promenade neighbor back home (8) |
| B2: |
Right hand star 3/4 (ladies lead, gents follow neighbor) (6) Gents turn in, swing partner (10) |
While this is technically a Becket dance with the progression in A1 it's simpler to teach it as duple improper starting with the neighbor swing, and to call it that way the first time through.
In A2 the gents scoop up their neighbor to transition smoothly from the left hand star into the promenade. The next transition, from the promenade into the right hand star in B2, can be just as smooth but requires some attention. Without turning to face across the set, the gents should let the ladies step ahead, while putting right hands (which are conveniently joined from the promenade) into the center to form the star.
The progression is like 1/4 of a hey, but don't tell the dancers. Instead, have the gents cross and stop in the center facing neighbors. All look right to identify the next neighbor, then gypsy the current neighbor 1/2 and progress to swing the next.
Sometimes an idea leads quickly to a satisfying dance, but in this case it took six years and three versions!
Quern of the Century
By Rick Mohr; June 2014
Contra, Duple Improper, Reverse-progression Caller's Box
Level: Intermediate
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) California twirl with partner (4) Swing next neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (face partner) (7) Pass through up and down (2) Dosido shadow (7) |
| B1: |
Balance the ring (with shadow and neighbor) (4) California twirl with neighbor (4) Swing partner (8) |
| B2: |
Down the center, four in line (6) Ladies trade places as gent between them does "right hand high, left-hand low" (3) Return, bend the line (7) |
Surprise swings flow from California twirls, and balances punctuate the tops of the parts.
For a smooth walk-through I start with the neighbor swing (skipping the initial balance and California twirl reverse-progression) so everyone is dancing and progresses in the expected direction. I end the walkthrough with the balance and California twirl (saying "This is actually the beginning of the dance), and start the dance with a long neighbor swing.
In B2, dancers going down the hall should start their turns sooner than usual. Gents between two ladies raise your right arm as the ladies trade places (with the left-hand lady ducking under the arch) and then duck under that arm as all face the music to return up the hall.
For Bill Quern, multi-instrumentalist with a twinkle in his eye, giant heart, and unlimited capacity for playing tunes. ("Quern" sounds like "Kwirn".)
Animation, courtesy of Dance Kaleidescope.
Video:
Rick Mohr with Genticorum at the 2015 Flurry Festival, Saratoga Springs NY:
Rad Robin
| A1: |
Right and left through (8) Ladies chain (8) |
| A2: |
Mad Robin (ladies cross in front to start) (8) Swing next neighbor (8) |
| B1: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Ladies roll away with partner (2) Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (8) |
| B2: |
Gypsy and swing partner (16) |
A good connected dance, with a "rad" progression.
From the A1 ladies chain, ladies continue forward and left to start the Mad Robin. All lock eyes with partner while walking the path of a neighbor dosido, then turn at the last moment for a new-neighbor swing.
To make the most of the B1, encourage partners to use some weight from the roll away to pull into the hey.
Retronella
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) Nevada twirl with partner (4) (Reach across, joining free hand with neighbor to form cloverleaf) Balance the cloverleaf (4) California twirl with neighbor (4) (Join free hand with partner to form ring) |
| A2: |
Balance the ring (4) Swing partner (12) |
| B1: |
Down the center, four in line (turn as a couple) (8) Return (bend the line to face across) (8) |
| B2: |
Right and left through (8) Pass through across (2) (Turn individually right to face single file up or down the set) Walk 2 steps up or down (meet next couple) (2) Circle left 1/2 (with that new couple) (4) |
To get into the "Reverse Becket" formation, start in duple improper formation. Then the ladies trade places, and everyone is next to their partner but backwards from normal Becket formation.
The A1 is easy to do but hard to describe! After "balance the ring" partners are holding hands, gent's left in lady's right. "Nevada twirl" is just a "California twirl" with these opposite hands -- partners raise joined hands and trade places, with the lady ducking under the arch. (As partners pass, gents are to the inside of the set and ladies outside.) Then face partner without letting go of hands, and reach across the set to join free hand with neighbor and form a "cloverleaf". After balancing in this formation, an easy California twirl with neighbor re-forms the original ring (rotated 1/2).
The progression in B2 is satisfying, but dancers will be late unless helped out by attention to timing during the walk-through and precise (early?) calls during the dance. Take just two steps to cross the set, turning right immediately after passing neighbor to face single file up or down the set. Then two more steps to meet the next couple, and four steps to circle halfway.
As to the title "Retronella" -- the dance is loosely similar in structure to Petronella, but is "retro" (backwards) in numerous respects: the reverse Becket formation, progressing on the other side of the set, ladies leading the progression (scandalous...), and gents moving around the ring in the opposite direction as Petronella. And one more -- when waiting out at the ends, dancers should stay as they are, resisting the urge to cross over. Despite all this retrocity I have found the dance to be popular and not disorienting.
Rick's Triplet #1
| A1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) (1's face down, others face up) |
| A2: |
Dip and dive, 6 changes (inside couple arch) (16) |
| B1: |
Top two couples balance in a ring of four (4) Top two ladies roll away with neighbor (4) All balance in a ring of six (4) All ladies roll away (bottom two with neighbor, top with partner) (4) |
| B2: |
All balance in a ring of six (4) Circle left 6 hands round (12) |
Ted Sannella wrote many wonderful triplets and popularized the formation for contra dancers. The best triplets give a short intimate dancing experience with a zesty all-moving contra feel and the added variety of 3-couple figures.
A2's "dip and dive" starts with couples 1 and 2 trading places, couple 1 ducking under couple 2's arch. Then couples 1 and 3 trade places, couple 1 arching over couple 3, while couple 2 does a California twirl at the top. Then couple 3 arches over couple 2 while couple 1 does a California twirl at the bottom. After 6 such changes everyone is back home. (This figure works best if the preceding dance had a California twirl so everyone can do it smoothly!)
In B1, couple 1 moves to the middle during the first roll away and to the bottom during the second roll away. In both rollaways the ladies move to their right while the gents move to their left.
In terms of the original numbering, once through the dance leaves the couples in a 2, 3, 1 sequence.
Video:
Rick Mohr & Crowfoot at Au Contraire 2011, Atlanta GA:
Rick's Triplet #2
| A1: |
1's cross (passing right shoulders), go outside below 2's who move up (6) 1's cross (passing right shoulders), turn right, go outside around two people (ending proper) (10) |
| A2: |
Circle left 6 hands round (12) Allemande right with partner 3/4 (4) (Join left hands with neighbor to form a wave of six) |
| B1: |
Balance the wave (4) Half hey for 6 (neighbors pass left shoulders to start) (12) |
| B2: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
The figures of this dance fit the music phrases exactly, so it can be quite satisfying if dancers are on the ball but somewhat unforgiving if they get confused.
The active couple moves continuously in A1. First they cross around the 2's to the middle position, and then without stopping they cross again and both turn right—the gent loops around the bottom couple while the lady loops around the top couple. As the active dancers return to the middle position (proper) all join hands and match their motion smoothly into a circle left.
The circle left in A2 takes 12 steps, so be aware to call the allemande right in time for its four steps to end the phrase in time to balance the wave at the start of B1. Then 12 weaving hey steps invert the set in time for the partner balance and swing at the start of B2.
In terms of the original numbering, once through the dance leaves the couples in a 3, 1, 2 sequence.
Video:
Gaye Fifer & Turnip the Beat at Trillium Twirl 2019, Dowling MI (posted by John Newsome):
Right Hip Rest
By Rick Mohr, Emily Abell, Eileen Thorsos, Shirley Law, Rob Fetter, David Frantz, & Mari deMoya; April 2017
Contra, Duple Improper Caller's Box
Level: Intermediate
|
(Join left hands with neighbor and reach back to join right hands with previous neighbor
in long waves) |
|
| A1: |
Balance the long wave (4) Allemande left with neighbor (4) Cross-hand reverse swing with neighbor (see below) (8) |
| A2: |
Half promenade with neighbor (8) (On right diagonal) Left hand star 3/4 (8) |
| B1: |
Gypsy and swing partner (from adjacent star) (16) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Allemande right with neighbor 1 1/2 (to new long waves) (8) |
This nice dance was created in a choreography workshop at Spring Dance Romance 2017 in North Carolina. As we were discussing ideas, one woman said she loved dancing but her right hip tended to get sore from so much swinging. She also said the transition from swing to half promenade was often awkward.
We were able to address both issues with a cross-hand reverse swing!
Swinging in the opposite direction (counterclockwise instead of clockwise) can feel awkward at first, but becomes novel and fun as you get used to it. Keep left hands joined from the allemande, reach across to join right hands, and continue to turn—switching to a buzz step with left feet in the center.
Then the transition to half promenade is satisfying, as your hands are already joined conveniently and you can turn smoothly out of the swing.
For the transition from half promenade to star it's easiest to think of making an extra wide left turn to meet the next couple (which includes your shadow).
Rockin' Robin
| A1: |
Circle right (8) Allemande left with neighbor (6) Gents pull across by the right (2) |
| A2: |
Hey (partners pass left shoulders to start) (16) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
Circle left 1 1/4 (to original places) (10) "Zig left": move left with partner out of set (3) "Zag right": move right with partner past neighbors (to meet next couple) (3) |
This is a very fun dance, especially with fast reels.
It helps to alert the gents to pull by at the end of the phrase in A1. Otherwise some will delay until the beginning of A2, making them late for the balance in B1. This can be reinforced during the dance by calling "Gents right hand pull by" early by a beat or two.
The "Zig-Zag" in B2 is most satisfying if dancers emphasize the sideways left/right motion rather than the forward motion which gets them past their neighbors. There's plenty of time, so encourage them to go a good distance out of the set in the Zig. The idea is to let the momentum from the circle left propel into the Zig left, and then let the momentum from the Zag right lead directly into the circle right with the next couple.
For Robin Kynoch, a fine tinwhistle player from Framingham, Massachusetts. You might not think it possible to "rock" on the whistle, but Robin does.
Video:
Beth Molaro & Great Bear Trio at Summer Soiree 2009, Asheville NC (posted by Dave Pokorney):
Video:
Nils Fredland & Elixir at Fall Has Sprung 2010, Grass Valley CA:
Rory Amor
| A1: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Slice left (8) Ladies cross, passing right (4) (form long wave; gents face in, right to shadow) Balance the long wave (4) |
| B1: |
Slide or spin right, past shadow (4) Swing partner (12) |
| B2: |
Half promenade with partner (wide loop to face new neighbors) (8) Pass through across (4) California twirl with partner (4) |
Spin into your partner's arms for a long swing, then enjoy a swoopy progression together.
Shadows meet face to face in the A2 slice left, then join right hands in a long wave after ladies cross the set.
When out (with your shadow) after the slice left it works well to join the long waves (making an oval) and do the balance and spin.
From Mat Clark to his wife Rory Cohen. Thanks for existing, you two!
Rosen at the Wheel
By Rick Mohr; October 2004
Contra, Duple Improper, Reverse-progression Caller's Box
Level: Intermediate
| A1: |
Gypsy neighbor (8) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Allemande right with partner 3/4 (4) Allemande left with shadow (4) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
(On left diagonal) Right and left through (8) Circle left 3/4 (6) (Face new neighbor up and down the set) Pass through to meet next neighbor (2) |
The right and left through in B2 is a double progression, but the subsequent pass through makes for a single progression dance. I got the idea of doing a "fake double progression" starting with a diagonal right and left through from Tori Barone of Wilmington Delaware. Thanks Tori!
This dance progresses in the opposite direction from most duple improper contras, with the 1's moving up the set and the 2's moving down the set.
For my friend Bruce Rosen of Newton MA, fine pianist and champion of maligned instruments like melodeon and banjo uke, who never lets me drive.
Back when I used to name untried dances I wrote another dance with this title, but it just wasn't as great as Bruce. If by some chance you have the old one please bury it.
Shift Happens
| A1: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Slice left (8) Ladies chain (8) |
| B1: |
Half hey (ladies pass right shoulders to start) (8) Swing partner (from adjacent hey) (8) |
| B2: |
Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (8) Gypsy partner (6) Shift left to meet next couple (2) |
A smooth dance with a nice progression, plus a partner swing sandwiched by half heys.
The A2 "slice left" is a left-diagonal "long lines forward and back"—dancers join hands in long lines, walk forward on the left diagonal to meet the next couple, and retire straight back.
After the B2 gypsy, ladies in the center can connect everything by placing left hand in the gent's right as the lark leads into the shift left.
Ever notice how all in-flight annoucements seem to come from some overly-formal script written decades ago? Southwest Airlines is the exception, as I learned one landing when our flight attendant announced "Be careful when removing things from the overhead bins, because ... shift happens!"
Video:
Kalia Kliban & Joyride at FolkMADness 2018 (posted by Ben Werner):
Shoot the Breeze
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) Give and take (2) Swing neighbor (10) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) (keep hands with neighbor) Dosido as couples (8) |
| B1: |
Balance the ring (4) Swing partner (12) |
| B2: |
Half promenade with partner (wide loop to face new neighbors) (8) Right and left through (8) |
An accessible all-moving dance with a distinctive feel, and balances at the tops of the parts.
To set up the A1 "Give and Take", neighbors use the ring balance to create some arm tension. Ladies then release the tension to zip across the set and smoothly start a neighbor swing.
In the A2 couples' dosido, keep some elbow tension to have good sideways communication with your neighbor.
In the B2, couples progress by making an extra wide left turn in the half promenade. Then meet new neighbors with a right and left through.
Video:
Glen Morningstar & Oakland County All Stars at a 2016 Flint MI Contra Dance (posted by John Newsome):
The Shy Gazelle
By Rick Mohr; January 2009
Contra, Duple Improper, Reverse-progression Caller's Box
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
| A1: |
Gypsy neighbor (8) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) 1/4 Hey (ladies pass right shoulders to start) (4) Gents allemande right (4) |
| B1: |
Star promenade partner 1/2 (4) Swing partner ("hoop hold") (12) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Pass through up and down (2) (New) ladies allemande left 3/4 (4) 1/4 Hey (partners pass right shoulders to start) (4) |
In B1 the gents hold on after the allemande right, put their arm around their partner (gent's arm below), and turn halfway more. This star promenade uses different arms than "usual", with the nice consequence that partners are rotating the right direction for a smooth transition into the swing. And since the gent's left and lady's right arms are already connected it's a great chance to use the "hoop hold" (seen sometimes in Scandinavian turning dances) where both partners make a big hoop with their arms, supporting each other equally. It might profit from a quick demo since many dancers don't use it.
In B2 the "wrong side" reverse progression can come as a surprise, but the last two figures give a quick satisfying resolution to get everyone back on the "right" side.
Video:
Kristin Seibert & Uncle Farmer at Catapult 2013, Atlanta GA (posted by Jim Crawford):
Snakes Are On the Move
| A1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Allemande right with partner 1 1/2 (8) |
| B1: |
Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (6) Swing partner (10) |
| B2: |
Gents cross, passing left shoulders (2) Allemande left with neighbor (6) Pull by next neighbor with right hand (2) Allemande left with neighbor #3 (6) (return to neighbor #2 to begin again) |
Continuous movement for all make this a crowd pleaser, especially when the dramatic B2 buildup / A1 release is matched by a killer buildup and release in the music.
The allemande left in B2 may be unexpected. I say "Gents, you're going to do two things by the left—cross the set passing left shoulders, and allemande left with your neighbor."
Before the Fire Ant Frolic one year I enjoyed a memorable camping trip with Crowfoot in the Texas hill country. Pulling into Pedernales Falls State Park (pronounced "PER-duh-NAL-us") we asked the ranger, Dolores Fenton, if there was anything we should watch out for at the campsite. "Well," she said in her fine texas drawl, "SNAKES are ON the MOVE!"
Video:
Steve Zakon-Anderson & Latter Day Lizards at a 2012 Scout House contra, Concord MA (posted by Frank Hsieh):
Spoot the Dog
| A1: |
Balance neighbor (4) Dosido neighbor (6) Allemande right with neighbor (6) (Ladies join left hands to form a wave of four) |
| A2: |
Balance the wave (4) Ladies allemande left 1/2 (3) Swing partner (9) |
| B1: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Ladies chain (8) |
| B2: |
Left hand star (8) Right hand star (8) |
In Michael McKernan's "Daybreak Real" (and descendants), the gents balance each other, then dosido, then allemande right. This combination cries out for more uses, as in this dance where everyone gets to do it with their neighbor.
The rest of the dance isn't too complicated, making it a candidate for that small category of dances which are straightforward for beginners while still interesting for veterans. I often use it successfully as the second dance of the evening for a mixed crowd.
Named for Malcolm Sanders' wonderful dog Spoot, who appeared in Malcolm's life at 1:00 AM after a Froggie on the Carport gig during the time the band was infatuated with Ian Burns' tune Spootiskerry. (One story is that "Spootiskerry" approximates the sound of the ocean splooshing into a rock formation on a particular Scottish island.)
Video:
Bill Olson & Ti Acadie at a 2007 Guiding Star Grange contra, Greenfield MA:
Starshadow
| A1: |
Gents allemande left (5) 3/4 Hey (neighbors pass right shoulders to start) (11) |
| A2: |
Gypsy partner (8) Swing partner (8) |
| B1: |
Long lines forward and back (8) (With shadow and neighbor) Right hand star (8) |
| B2: |
(Original foursome) Left hand star (8) Shift right to meet next couple (2) Circle right 3/4 (6) |
A smooth dance with nice transitions and a fun progression led by the ladies. (Shocking!)
In B1 your shadow is next to you—give their hand a little squeeze during the forward and back to remind everyone to start the right-hand star with shadow rather than partner.
Then come back for a left-hand star with your partner, ending where you finished the swing. Face single file up or down the set, and continue the momentum of the star to walk forward two steps with the ladies leading. Meet the next couple and circle right!
For Nica Faulkner of Jamaica Plain Massachusetts and Stoddard New Hampshire, who appreciates a starry night and a smooth dance.
Steel Anniversary Reel
| A1: |
Long lines forward (4) Ladies roll away with neighbor as lines go back (4) Mad Robin (gents cross in front to start) (8) |
| A2: |
Gents cross, passing left shoulders (2) Gypsy partner (6) Swing partner (8) |
| B1: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Allemande right with neighbor 1 1/2 (8) |
| B2: |
Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (8) Swing neighbor (8) |
The "Mad Robin" figure, borrowed from the English country dance of the same name, has shown up in a number of contra dances; I think it fits particularly nicely in this sequence. Dancers walk the path of a neighbor dosido but face their partner across the set throughout, keeping eye contact. Since the figure is unfamiliar to many dancers it can help to first walk a neighbor dosido and then repeat the same track keeping partner eye contact.
While backing up in long lines in A1, gents roll their new neighbor from left to right. Then neighbors pull sideways into the Mad Robin, with gents passing in front of their neighbor but keeping eye contact with their partner across the set. After one revolution, gents cross the set passing left shoulders to gypsy and swing partner.
For David and Cynthia Simonoff on their 11th anniversary, commissioned by our mutual friend Karen Geer in a Pinewoods auction.
Video:
Jean Gibson-Gorrindo & Floorplay at Catapult 2012, Atlanta GA (posted by Jim Crawford):
Video:
Ziona Brotleit & Rumpus at a 2011 contra in East Hanover, NJ (posted by Doug Heacock):
String of Swings
By Rick Mohr and Bob Isaacs; April 2009
Contra, Duple Improper Caller's Box
Level: Easy/Intermediate
|
(1's step between 2's) |
|
| A1: |
Down the center, four in line (turn alone) (8) Return (8) (face neighbor, 1's back to back in the center) |
| A2: |
Hey (neighbors pass left shoulders to start) (16) |
| B1: |
Allemande left with neighbor 1 1/2 (8) 2's swing (8) |
| B2: |
Swing neighbor (8) 1's swing (8) |
The sequence of swings can be a thrill, especially if dancers end each of them with their back to the person they're going to swing next and then continue momentum to whirl 180° to the right and immediately into the next swing. (The gents in particular need extra encouragement to turn right out of each swing.)
Here's how I do that part of the walk-through: 2's—finish your swing facing each other in the center, with your back to your neighbor. 1's be ready to catch them! 2's whirl right, right into a swing with your neighbor. End that swing facing your neighbor, with the 1's back-to-back in the center. 1's—whirl right, right into a swing with your partner.
The neighbor swing in B2 ends in the middle of the phrase, something I usually avoid because dancers are so used to swinging until the end of the phrase. But this dance has always worked well, maybe because the series of short swings is a clear focus.
Thanks to co-author Bob Isaacs for greatly improving the sequence of surrounding figures for the string of swings.
Video:
Cis Hinkle & Mean Lids at Mountain Madness 2012, Jonesborough TN (posted by David Frantz):
Sue's Cruise
| A1: |
Shift left to meet next couple (2) Circle left (8) Ladies allemande right 1 1/4 (6) |
| A2: |
Half hey (partners pass left shoulders to start) (8) Left shoulder gypsy with partner (8) |
| B1: |
Circle right (8) Gents allemande left 1 1/4 (8) |
| B2: |
Pass neighbor by right shoulder (2) Ladies cross, passing left shoulders (2) Swing partner (12) |
This dance can have a wonderfully steady cruise feeling, with each figure flowing into the next and culminating in the final swing. Things that help are leisurely allemandes, uncrowded sets, and smooth reels with good drive. The timing noted above is not precise; dancers' individual variations can cause the figures to align with the music differently each time through. But it all works out.
The transition from left shoulder gypsy to circle right is unusual. It can be smooth and satisfying, but is initially awkward for some dancers. As the gypsy ends the ladies are in the center looking out at the gents, and everyone is still moving to their own right. Gents should continue moving right to lead into the circle, and ladies can connect everything by placing their right hand in the gent's left and following into the circle. (Thanks to Kathy Anderson for pointing out this lovely connection years ago in the other direction.)
In the transitions from circle to allemande in A1 and B1 it helps to remind the dancers who aren't doing the allemande to make room by taking a step back, particularly the ladies in B1.
For Sue Rosen, good friend and fine caller from Newton MA.
Video:
Sue Rosen & Nightingale at Fiddling Frog 2011, Pasadena CA (posted by Peter Bergonzi):
Summer Of Delight
| A1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) (Join hands in a wave of four—partners join right; ladies join left) Balance the wave (4) Walk forward (to meet shadow from next wave) (4) (Join hands in a wave of four—shadows join right; ladies join left) |
| B1: |
Balance the wave (4) Allemande right with shadow 3/4 (4) Swing partner (8) |
| B2: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Star promenade with neighbor 1/2 (4) Butterfly whirl (4) |
This dance combines the distinctive figures from "Summer of 84" by Gene Hubert and "Marion's Delight" by Carol Kopp. It's an accessible yet interesting dance for a mixed crowd of dancers.
Video:
David Eisenstadter with Dave Langford, Jeremiah McLane, & Larry Unger at a 2014 Montpelier VT contra:
Sunset Limited
| A1: |
Gents allemande left (5) Swing partner (11) |
| A2: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Allemande right with neighbor (5) Ladies allemande left (5) |
| B1: |
Gypsy and swing neighbor (16) |
| B2: |
Step forward to meet partner in the center (4) (Take partner's free hand—gent's left and lady's right) Gents lead partner back and to the right (2) Shift right to meet next couple (2) Circle right (8) |
This is a good "steady groove" dance, with continuous flow and smooth transitions. After the 2008 Dance Flurry I was pleased to hear from a dancer that "In combination with the tune Nightingale played and the partner I was dancing with, [Sunset Limited] was one of the most exquisite dance experiences I've ever had. I don't remember many individual dances in my life, but that one will stay with me."
For some dancers the B2 progression feels odd at first because their partner is on the "wrong" side. I start by teaching the progression—get in Becket formation, trade places with your partner, and shift left to be in front of another couple. Assure the gents it's correct to have their partner in their left hand. Assure the ladies it's correct to have their partner in their right hand. Now shift right and circle right with your original neighbors.
I encourage dancers to do the A2 allemandes more tightly than usual, but it's not crucial since the subsequent gypsy is forgiving.
For my wife Chloe Maryam Mohr (who is the best) in honor of our epic Fall 2007 train trip, and the ride from Houston to New Orleans on Amtrak's Sunset Limited.
Video:
Gaye Fifer & Hot Coffee Breakdown at River Rendezvous 2023 (posted by Kenny Greer):
Video:
Rick Mohr & Crowfoot at Au Contraire 2011, Atlanta GA:
Synchronicity
| A1: |
Gents allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Half hey (partners pass right shoulders to start) (8) |
| A2: |
Gypsy partner (8) Swing partner (8) |
| B1: |
Circle left (8) Ladies chain (to neighbor) (8) |
| B2: |
Left hand star (8) Swing next neighbor (8) |
Smooth transitions, unbroken momentum, and a mid-B2 progression make this a dynamic dance using standard figures.
Technically it doesn't start in the normal "improper" formation, but don't tell the dancers. Begin the first walk-through with a neighbor swing; then when you're ready to start the dance leave everyone next to the neighbor they've just swung rather than backing up to original places.
There's not much extra time, so encourage the dancers (gents especially) to keep the momentum going between figures—particularly the swing to allemande in A1, swing to circle in B1, and chain to star in B2.
Video:
Dugan Murphy & Velocipede at a 2017 Portland Advanced Dance, Portland ME (posted by Dugan Murphy):
Taconic Stars
| A1: |
Shift left to meet next couple (2) Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Right and left through (8) Left hand star (8) |
| B1: |
(With previous neighbors) Right hand star 7/8 (7) Gents (of original foursome) allemande left 3/4 while ladies walk up or down the set to meet partner (3) Allemande right with partner 3/4 (3) Allemande left with shadow (3) |
| B2: |
(... allemande continues) (2) Gypsy partner (6) Swing partner (8) |
It's helpful to meet your shadow before the walkthrough, standing next to you in the Becket formation.
Gents should remember each other during the first star in A2 so they can find each other after the second star in B1. When they meet there is a momentary long wave of gents in the middle of the set, and the ladies are facing up or down the set. While the gents allemande each other the ladies continue along the set a few small steps to meet their partner.
The B1 timing may look rushed, but this is how I've observed it to work in practice.
For Matece Duncan and the crystal-bright stars above the Falcon Ridge folk festival.
Tag and Zag
| A1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| A2: |
Down the center, four in line (6) Sliding doors (trade places as couples and turn alone) (4) Return (bend the line to form a circle) (6) |
| B1: |
Balance the ring (4) Petronella turn (4) Swing partner (8) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Zig left with partner, past neighbors (3) Zag right with partner, almost past next neighbors (3) Gents allemande left 1/2 (2) |
An all-moving dance with fun side-to-side movement, and balances at the tops of the parts.
In the "sliding doors" figure couples dynamically trade ends of a line of four. Careful word choice helps in the walkthrough; for exampe: "Go down the hall six steps, and stop. Stay facing down. Right hand couple take a step forward. When I say go, still facing down, as couples move sideways to trade places with the other couple. Go! Now turn alone to face the music."
In B2, couples zig left to progress and then zag right until the new gents have almost passed each other. But then they catch left hands, turning halfway for a just-in-time balance with new neighbors.
"Tag" in the title is from "tag the line", a Modern Western square dance figure similar to sliding doors. After naming the dance I learned that the two figures are actually somewhat different so it's better to call this one "sliding doors". But never junk a good title!
For an easier related dance see Zag and SnagZag and Snag.
Video:
Sarah VanNordstrand & Triple A+ / Wake up Robin at Epicenter 2017, Mill Valley CA:
Video:
Glen Morningstar & Oakland County All Stars at a Grange dance, Pittsfield MI:
Take the Hey Train
| A1: |
Shift left to meet next couple (2) Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Long lines forward and back (8) Ladies chain (8) |
| B1: |
Ladies allemande right 3/4 (to momentary long wave of ladies) (4) Next ladies (along wave) allemande left 1/2 (2) Next ladies (along wave) allemande right 3/4 (4) Allemande left with shadow 1/2 (2) Gents allemande right 3/4 (to momentary long wave of gents) (4) |
| B2: |
Next gents (along wave) allemande left 1/2 (2) Next gents (along wave) allemande right 3/4 (4) Swing partner (10) |
In several existing dances either the ladies or the gents do a series of allemandes along a central wave. In this dance, everyone gets to do it. Challenging, but rewarding with a focused walkthrough.
After the A2 everyone is next to their partner. This is a good time to introduce shadows (next to you) and describe the "hey train"—first the ladies and then the gents do three allemandes along the middle of the set. That moves each couple one place to the right, a double progression, so the shift left in A1 makes this a single-progression dance.
In B1, the ladies (who just chained) allemande right 3/4. It's good to pause here with a long center wave of ladies so they can visualize moving along the wave with the next two allemandes. After those everyone turns their shadow halfway, launching the gents on their part. It's good to pause again after they allemande right 3/4 so they too can visualize moving along their wave with the next two allemandes.
With apologies to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
Video:
George Marshall & Crowfoot at Gypsy Meltdown 2014, Tega Cay, SC (posted by Michael Mast):
Ted and Lynn
| A1: |
Balance neighbor (4) Pull by neighbor with right hand (2) Pull by neighbor #2 with left hand (2) Swing neighbor #3 (8) |
| A2: |
Cross trail through (6) Swing neighbor #2 (10) |
| B1: |
1/4 Hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (4) Ladies push off (2) Swing partner (10) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Dosido neighbor (8) |
This dance has three swings, each with a slight surprise—first with a neighbor you haven't seen yet, second with a neighbor you thought you were finished with, and finally with your partner in an unexpected way.
Dancers may not be familiar with the cross trail through in A2, but it's easy if you think about who you're passing. Pass right shoulder with your partner to cross the set, then pass left shoulder with the neighbor you just swung (#3) to meet the neighbor you passed earlier (#2).
Then in B1, after the gents pass left and partners pass right, the ladies meet and push off each other with both hands. The next transition is quite fine if the ladies back directly into their partner's extended right arm and smoothly into the swing.
For a simpler B1 without the push-off (as in this video) try:
| B1: |
Gents cross, passing left shoulders (2) Gypsy and swing partner (14) |
For Ted Hodapp and Lynn Baumeister, good friends and exceptional dancers, on the occasion of their wedding.
Video:
Susan Petrick & Notorious at Dance Flurry 2012, Saratoga NY (posted by Doug Heacock):
The Ten Pound Snowflake
| A1: |
Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (4) (Ladies join right hands to form a wave of four) Balance the wave (4) Ladies allemande right (5) Give left to neighbor; courtesy turn (3) |
| A2: |
Ladies allemande right 1/2 (4) Balance and swing partner (12) |
| B1: |
Circle left 3/4 (6) Swing neighbor (10) |
| B2: |
Circle left (8) Gents allemande left (4) Allemande right with neighbor 3/4 (4) |
This is the first dance I ever wrote. Some spots are more challenging than I might prefer nowadays, but it's been enthusiastically danced many times in the Midwest so here it is! It was originally written to match the balances in Brian Humphrey's tune of the same name, but goes fine with other tunes too. Brian wrote the tune after a particularly HEAVY Minnesota snowstorm and a visit to the East Lansing Michigan coffeehouse "The Ten Pound Fiddle".
After the ladies allemande quickly in A1 they should allemande leisurely in A2, taking 4 full beats before the partner balance.
In my exuberant age 25 dancing style, the circles in B1 and B2 were punctuated by double-footed stamps on the last two beats of the phrase! (Somewhere along the line these were dubbed "the snowflakes".) How about we say these are optional?
In B2 (with or without the snowflakes) it's challenging to get all the way around in the circle and do a full gents' allemande in 4 counts. As the gents move into the allemande, giving a little right-hand tug can help their neighbors complete the circle and be well positioned for the final allemande.
Trip to Peterborough
| A1: |
Ladies take four steps to long wave of ladies, and balance (8) Gents take four steps to long wave of gents, and balance (8) |
| A2: |
Gents allemande left 3/4 (4) Pass neighbor by right shoulder (2) Ladies cross, passing left shoulders (2) Swing partner (8) |
| B1: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Allemande right with neighbor 1 1/2 (8) |
| B2: |
Allemande left with next neighbor (6) Swing original neighbor (10) |
For Steve Zakon-Anderson, who has called, organized, and composed many wonderful dances, many of them in Peterborough NH. The dance borrows its A1 from Steve's well-known "Trip to Lambertville" (and Peter Lippincott's "Snake River Reel"), and was premiered in Peterborough at the 2002 Fall Ball.
The middle of the A2 is essentially a 1/4 hey. It works best if the ladies take a half step right to line up across from each other while the gents are in the middle.
After the neighbor swing in B2 the ladies appreciate a firm right hand from the gents to push off from as they head into the center.
Video:
Nils Fredland & Elixir at June Moon 2011, Morgantown WV (posted by Dave Pokorney):
Video:
Steve Zakon-Anderson & Beverwyck at the 2008 Fall Ball, Peterborough NH:
Trip to Troy
| A1: |
Balance the ring (4) Circle left 1/2 (4) Swing neighbor (8) |
| A2: |
Ladies allemande right 1 1/2 (8) Allemande left with partner 1/2 (2) Allemande right with shadow (6) |
| B1: |
Balance and swing partner (16) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Balance the ring (4) California twirl (4) |
Finding the right shadow in A2 is easier if dancers identify their shadow before the walk-through. Look across the set at your partner; your shadow is two places to the right.
The allemande left in A2 is technically 3/4 round but there is less confusion if it is taught as 1/2 round.
Written for a visit to my sister Carol when she lived in Troy, New York.
Video:
Sue Rosen & The Figments at Fiddling Frog 2011, Pasadena CA (posted by Peter Bergonzi):
Walking On Air
| A1: |
Pass through across (4) California twirl with partner (4) Mad Robin (gents cross in front to start) (8) |
| A2: |
Circle left (8) Ladies chain (8) |
| B1: |
Mad Robin (ladies cross in front to start) (8) Circle right (8) |
| B2: |
Zig right with partner, past neighbors (2) Zag left with partner to home side, across from next neighbors (3) Swing partner (10) |
An all-moving dance with good flow and symmetry—gents lead a clockwise Mad Robin (eyes on neighbor) into circle left, then ladies lead a counter-clockwise Mad Robin (eyes on partner) into circle right.
After the A1 California twirl, gents are moving forward and can smoothly step in front to start the Mad Robin. But some gents on autopilot use their left hand instead of their right hand to twirl their partner, making for an awkward transition. To help avoid that mistake I say in the walkthrough "Pass through across and stay facing out. Take your partner's near hand (gents, that's your right) and trade places—gents to the outside and ladies to the inside under the arch."
Gents lead the B2 zig right (partners are on the "wrong" side of each other); ladies then lead the zag left and have a nice opportunity to pull into the partner swing after crossing in front of new neighbors.
For my friend Cindy Visness, college bagpipe buddy and heartful dancer in Chapel Hill, NC.
Warp and Weft
| A1: |
Lines of four forward and back (8) Swing corner (8) |
| A2: |
Allemande left with next corner (8) Dosido the one you swung (8) |
| B1: |
Gents left hand star (8) Allemande right the one you swung 1 1/4 (6) Pull by partner with left hand (2) |
| B2: |
Balance and swing the one you meet (16) |
| C1: |
Heads (or sides) forward and back (8) Heads (or sides) left hand star (face original partner) (8) |
| C2: |
Hey (partners pass right shoulders to start) (16) |
| D1: |
Gypsy partner (8) Swing partner (8) (End in lines at the sides (or heads)) |
| D2: |
Lines of four forward and back (8) Pass through two lines of four (8) |
Depending on which side of bed you got out of this morning, this is either a grid square or a 4-face-4 double-progression contra. Extra fun comes from progressing alternately down the hall and across the hall, so everyone gets thoroughly mixed around.
To get the spacing right, set it up as a grid square. Have each square join hands in a ring so everyone can see to line up the squares in rows and columns. Make sure they're straight, with no gaps. Then have everyone move a bit to their left to form lines of four facing four up and down the hall.
You need 9 squares minimum, the more the better. If any row has only one square, move a square from a different row—for example, 3+3+2+2 is better than 3+3+3+1.
Form a square in A1 after swinging your corner, who is next to you if you're in the middle of the line and across from you if you're at the end of the line.
Head couples and side couples alternate leading the C1. No one is with their partner at that point, but in successive changes heads remain heads and sides remain sides (until hitting an edge and swapping roles). After the left-hand star all face original partners, and you're lined up for a hey with the people in your original line of four.
End the D1 swing in lines of four, facing the couple you did the hey with. The lines form alternately at the sides and at the heads in successive changes. If dancers face their hey mates everything works out, but of course it's best to keep it straight in your own head and call e.g. "Face across the hall, lines go forward and back".
To help with the D2 progression during the walk-through, look past the line facing you to see another line of four and then look past that line to see a third line of four. You'll be dancing with that third line next—pass through the first and second lines to meet them. If there's no second line, do a California twirl and face back into the set.
I wrote this dance after a trip to Lowell Massachusetts to see the Industrial Revolution factory museums. The alternating progressions reminded me of all the warp and weft in those amazing waterpowered looms.
Video:
Diane Silver & Coffee Zombies at Winter WarmUp 2015, Columbus OH:
Video:
Lisa Greenleaf with Daron Douglas, Anna Patton & Karen Axelrod, June 2013:
Zag and Snag
| A1: |
Balance and swing neighbor (16) |
| A2: |
Down the center, four in line (turn as a couple) (8) Return (bend the line to form a circle) (8) |
| B1: |
Balance the ring (4) Ladies cross, passing right shoulders (4) Swing partner (8) |
| B2: |
Circle left 3/4 (8) Zig left with partner, past neighbors (3) Zag right with partner, almost past next neighbors (3) Gents allemande left 1/2 (2) |
An accessible dance with a great progression, and balances at the tops of the parts.
In B2, couples zig left to progress and then zag right until the new gents have almost passed each other. But then they catch left hands (the "snag"), turning halfway for a just-in-time balance with new neighbors.
For an intermediate-level version see Tag and ZagTag and Zag.