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: