Take the Hey Train

By Rick Mohr; March 2011

Contra, Becket Caller's Box

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

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):