Richard, I also recall reading that comment about Page's opinion on Chorus
Jig--I think it was in A Time to Dance, but might have been in Shadrack's
Delight.
I find a ball room swing that ends facing up and casting down the outside
> (one’s own side) a lot of fun - but perhaps you mean if you end the swing
> facing down - that certainly doesn’t flow as well.
> Martha
>
>
I was particularly thinking of an improper cast, yes, but the other depends
on the specific choreography, partner, music, speed, and line spacing.
Sometimes it works just fine, as you say, but the floor pattern isn't as
elegant and the relative speed can be all wrong for the dance narrative.
If you are swinging to improper and then are supposed to cast down,
however, that's simply not possible from a standard ballroom swing; the
best you can do is end the swing facing down and step apart to go down the
outside. Then the dance loses its visual structure because there's no
actual cast.
It also doesn't work well if you are supposed to cross and cast--the timing
changes because you are already close together, plus you need to
disentangle.
I may have a somewhat unusual way of enjoying and assessing the flow of
dances, because I always envision them from above as I dance. I'll
tolerate somewhat non-flowing choreography so long as the visual pattern
created is crisp and elegant. On the other hand, dances that don't create
a distinctive and pretty floor pattern irk me greatly if the sequence isn't
100% natural. (This includes just about every dance that needs the phrase
"ooze" or "shift" to describe the progression. Circling to a slide, or
promenading, or similar things are fine; "oozing" makes me think of
radioactive sludge!)
Neal
Last night at bedtime my 5 year old daughter and I had the following
interaction:
Raeden: "Daddy. I want to write a new dance, Pony Fun."
Me: "OK, how does it go?"
R: "Star, Star, Swing. Swing, Courtesy Turn, Circle 3 places, Pass Through,
repeat."
A little bit of back and forth figuring out the glue resulted in the
following. Has someone else written it first?
Thanks,
Don
Pony Fun - DI - Raeden Veino 20161012
A1
Star Left
Neighbor Allemande Left 1x
Gents start Hands-Across Star Right (1/4x)
A2
Ladies join Star behind N, all Star Right 3/4x
Partner Swing
B1
Give & Take to Gents Side, N Swing
B2
Ladies Chain
Circle Left 3/4, Pass Through
BTW, in case you may call this, Raeden's name is pronounced "RAY-den VEE-no"
Hi Neal,
Just a note: Many of the "chestnuts" have been modified from their
original form (By Ralph Page, Ted Senela and others) to be more
reflective of the modern era. Chorus Jig, Rory-O- More, Hulls Victory,
did not feature swings,
as originally written, and they (actually) dance with their original
tunes, much better than they do today.
Gale Wood
Hi all,
I'm looking to expand the number of contra-friendly Squares in my box.
1. Keepers preferred unless it's a really good mixer.
2. Not too gimmicky.
3. Not really interested currently in Southern style visiting couple
squares (heads and sides fine, but not one couple at a time).
(Got Kimmswick Express, First Night Quadrille, a couple others)
Thanks,
Ron
Hi Neal,
Thanks. But I don't understand what Ralph's smoother style was. To
me, modern contra dancing is beautifully smooth. Larry Jennings defines the
style in Zesty Contras as "zesty, purposeful, extroverted, smooth,
meticulously phrased, strongly connected, vigorous, New England, contra
dancing" and goes on to define "Smooth: Refers both to the way the dancers
carry their bodies and to the flow from one figure into another."
If anything I would say that modern choreography has made much
smoother dances; many of the Chestnuts have disjointed flows.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
Neal Schlein said:
This might shed some light on the subject -
https://www.library.unh.edu/find/archives/collections/ralph-page-dance-legac
y-weekend
Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend
The Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend (RPDLW) is held every January at the
University of New Hampshire in Durham. It takes its name from the man who
was perhaps the single most important figure in the preservation of
traditional dance in New England and was conceived to keep his legacy alive.
Begun in 1988, the RPDLW celebrates the music and dance of New England:
contras, squares, and more. From the beginning, the emphasis has been on
preserving the smoother style of dancing that Ralph Page favored.
This might shed some light on the subject -
https://www.library.unh.edu/find/archives/collections/ralph-page-dance-lega…
Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend
The Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend (RPDLW) is held every January at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. It takes its name from the man who was perhaps the single most important figure in the preservation of traditional dance in New England and was conceived to keep his legacy alive.
Begun in 1988, the RPDLW celebrates the music and dance of New England: contras, squares, and more. From the beginning, the emphasis has been on preserving the smoother style of dancing that Ralph Page favored. A significant portion of the program celebrates the tradition's roots and includes traditional contras and quadrilles, triple minor dances, singing squares, and couple dances as part of the program. The program also includes a retrospective focusing on a particular caller or musician's contribution to the tradition.
The approach is not only one of preservation; there is a deliberate attempt to connect the past with the future of traditional dance. It also features some of the best new choreography and newly-composed tunes.
Over the years the event has become noted for its cultivation of community, for being a gathering of "the ones who have played the music, called the figures, and danced the dances in crowded, joyful halls for decades," and for being a weekend of outstanding dancing.
Ben
---- Neal Schlein via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> I would agree--giving a place to smoother, calmer, and inequal dances that
> give people time to interact, chat, make eye contact, etc, instead of
> forcing a rapidity of constant interaction. It's not so much a matter of
> music speed as choreographic selection.
>
> He was also known to occasionally use patter when calling contras and
> quadrilles. Apparently the tradition historically existed in New England,
> but was much less pronounced than elsewhere and has since virtually
> vanished.
>
> I forget the source from which I got that tidbit, but it very possibly was
> Time to Dance by Richard Neville. Or it could have been a letter in the
> Lloyd Shaw Foundation Archive collection. Not sure.
>
> Neal
>
> Neal Schlein
> Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library
>
>
> Currently reading: *The Different Girl* by Gordon Dahlquist
> Currently learning: How to set up an automated email system.
>
> On Tue, Oct 11, 2016 at 10:11 AM, Jeff Kaufman via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> > I think they're trying to refer to the style of dancing that was
> > popular before Larry Jennings-style "zesty contra".
> >
> > On Mon, Oct 10, 2016 at 4:21 AM, John Sweeney via Callers
> > <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> > > Hi all,
> > > I was at a workshop recently where someone asked me if I liked
> > "the
> > > Ralph Page style" of contra dance. They claimed that they had been told
> > > that he wanted dances to be slower and calmer.
> > >
> > > Is there a "Ralph Page style"? If so what is it?
> > >
> > > If he wanted the music slower, what speed did he want? Did he
> > want
> > > it slower than the 130+bpm that square dancers used to use? Or slower
> > than
> > > the 120bmp that is common now in contra?
> > >
> > > Thanks.
> > >
> > > Happy dancing,
> > > John
> > >
> > > John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
> > > http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Callers mailing list
> > > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> > > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
> > _______________________________________________
> > Callers mailing list
> > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
> >
Hi all,
I have been to contra dances and festivals all over America and
everywhere I have danced everyone automatically uses a wrist-lock star
(unless the caller has specified hands-across because of the subsequent
choreography).
But I am constantly challenged in England by people claiming that
wrist-lock stars are not the standard in America.
When I go to somewhere like The Flurry and see 600 people from all
over the country all doing wrist-locks it seems to me that it must be the
standard way of doing things.
And obviously it has been common in America for a long time; this
video is from 1964 in Northern Vermont and shows wrist-lock stars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZubTju7g_s
So, are there still significant communities that don't use
wrist-locks?
Is the wrist-lock the de facto standard?
Thanks.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
940 574
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
3-33-33 is not a good choice for introducing beginners to extra-4some
expeditions. I've also found that a diagonal chain followed by a
straight-across figure causes confusion.
The Young Adult Rose,and others, have a pass-through to shadow allemande
which is doable.
Does anyone have some reliable key to unlock this mystery for new dancers,
thereby opening up a whole new world!
Thanks
Ken
Please change your address book to use Mark Widmer's new email address:
widmermt98(a)gmail.com
The old email address (mark(a)harbormist.com) will be going away soon.
Hi all,
I was at a workshop recently where someone asked me if I liked "the
Ralph Page style" of contra dance. They claimed that they had been told
that he wanted dances to be slower and calmer.
Is there a "Ralph Page style"? If so what is it?
If he wanted the music slower, what speed did he want? Did he want
it slower than the 130+bpm that square dancers used to use? Or slower than
the 120bmp that is common now in contra?
Thanks.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
