I wrote this up as a blog post <https://chromamine.com/2024/11/set-and-link-contras/>, but I also thought this list would appreciate it and have interesting thoughts to share.
It occurred to me recently that I don’t think there are any contra dances that feature a set and link figure. This is a figure from Scottish Country Dancing which follows this sequence (assuming becket formation for this write up):
1. Couples face the other couple across the set, taking convenient hands with their partner along the side
2. All balance right and left (4 beats)
3. All turn over their right shoulder as they trade places along the side of the set with the robins going through the middle and larks going round the outside (4 beats)
It could be thought of as a petronella twirl for two or, perhaps, as a mad robin halfway with twirling. If none of those descriptions work for you, there’s also a video of the figure in action <https://youtu.be/hI-ebAspZzY?si=gkIDl8WmCzFc5HO4&t=16>. (Note the video is to a leisurely Scottish strathspey, but it can be done to a jig or reel at contra tempo just fine.)
I decided to write a couple:
*Set And Link Contra*
Harris Lapiroff
Becket CCW
A1
Set and link (trading with partner)
Balance the ring
Petronella twirl
A2
Neighbor balance and swing
B1
Set and link (trading with neighbor)
Balance the ring
Petronella twirl
B2
Partner balance and swing
Note A1: Each time through after the first, the set and link should start with a big balance to the right to progress to new neighbors
And a slightly more complex, but still accessible, one:
*Broken Link*
Harris Lapiroff
Duple Improper
A1
Neighbor balance and swing
A2
Set and link (trading with neighbor)
Robins alle L 1½
B1
Partner right shoulder round
Partner swing
B2
Circle left 3
Pass through up and down
Next neighbor DSD
Note: Can also be done in becket by starting with B2, skipping the pass through, and changing to a slide left progression at the end.
I danced these through with a few dancers in a living room and they worked. I was worried the “Set And Link Contra” wasn’t appropriate for any crowd, being too simple and repetitive for an experienced dance but too tricky for beginners. Some of my test dancers agreed, but others thought that it was satisfying enough to dance to work – which I could see maybe working for a late evening brain-off-dance-trance vibe.
A few open questions I have about these dances:
- In “Set And Link Contra,” is the big balance right to progress satisfying or awkward? We didn’t have enough dancers to test the progression. A different option might be to make it Becket CW and slide left, then balance back to the right. (I suspect slide right, balance right would feel too muddy.)
- The balance right and then left sequence isn’t natural to contra dancers. Is there a way to lead into it that makes it more natural? (Notably: a couple of my test dancers had done at least a little Scottish and they both liked it, but one dancer who had only done contra found it awkward.)
- Alternatively is there a different way of doing that balances that would be more at home in a contra? I think balancing together and away wouldn’t give good momentum into turning over the right shoulder, but perhaps balancing in and out in a ring would work?
- In “Broken Link,” I’m still not sure if the set and link into a robins left hand allemande sequence feels good. When I tested it myself it felt flowy in a weaving sort of way, but some of my test dancers reported it was awkward. We didn’t take time to workshop it to see if the flow felt better once the set and link was more familiar.
Hello all,
Oftentimes at One Night Gigs, I'll do a mix of circle and longways set
dances. With scatter mixers and specialty dances, I can fill an evening.
But sometimes I get a group that "wants contras" or is looking to grow
their familiarity with the dance form.
I think Becket dances without lark/robin distinctions and no neighbor swing
are AN easy option into "hands-four" contras. There are other ways in, but
I'm looking for more Beckets that match that description. For a while I've
had "Pluck It" in my box as a friendly option:
Pluck It
Contra/Becket-CW
A1 -----------
(8) Circle Left
(8) Circle Right
A2 -----------
(8) Left hand Star
(8) Right hand Star
B1 -----------
(8) Partner Do-si-do
(8) Partner swing
B2 -----------
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do across set
(8) Long lines, yearn left
This is, in my opinion, pretty close to the traditional mixer Scatter Shot
but done as a keeper in Becket. (It does have a DSD across the set, which
in a recent thread was listed as a no-no for some callers. While I wouldn't
use that move at a dance weekend, for One Night gigs I think it's
accessible and acceptable). You don't have to teach ballroom swing, and if
folks want to elbow swing and swap roles with their partner it doesn't
really impact the dance (this is a small advantage of Becket over improper
for this type of dance; different position on the side is less disorienting
than different side of the set).
What other Becket dances do folks have that don't rely on roles? No larks
allemande or robins chain, etc.
On the drive home from my gig last night I came up with this one (which may
already exist), written for Naomi who organizes the community dance I was
at:
A Pillar of Weathersfield
Contra/Becket-CW
A1 -----------
(8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
(8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
A2 -----------
(16) Partner balance and swing, end facing down the hall
B1 -----------
(8) Down the hall, four in line (turn as couples)
(8) Return and face across
B2 -----------
(8) Long lines, forward and back
(8) Promenade across the Set, turn as a couple and progress
(Go between the ones you danced with, passing by left shoulder, and the new
couple on your right, turn to take hands with new couple)
I'd be curious what else folks have that they use for entry-level contras
when you don't have a critical mass of experience for improper dances with
neighbor swings.
Thanks!
Luke Donforth
Burlington, VT
Hi all,
David Christian is a long-time dancer and stalwart event producer here in
Moscow, Idaho. If you've ever worked here he undoubtedly ran the sound for
your gig. He has been trying his hand at writing some contras. This one
struck me as fun when we workshopped it, and worthy of trying out at a
dance, but I'd like to hear your thoughts before I plunge ahead.
"Going Dutch" by David Christian
Becket CW
A1. Slice left
Right & Left Through
A2. Robins Chain to neighbor
Long Lines Forward & Back - *Robins roll left and Larks step right on
the way back*
B1. Larks right hand chain to partner
Larks allemande right 1x
B2. Partners Balance & Swing
small question: Do you suppose the position swap at the end of A2 would
work better with Larks roll right and Robins step left?
large question: what do you think of the dance overall?
Thanks,
Joseph Erhard-Hudson
Moscow, Idaho
Hi All,
This one follows the path of “Summer of 84” and “Summer of 94”. We’ve skipped a couple of decades.
It must be similar to an existing dance, but here it is.
Summer of '24 – Rich Goss (11/01/24) Improper
A1: LLFB,
Robins pull by left, Partner alle Right 1.5
(wave of 4 across, Larks left in center)
A2: Bal Wave, walk fwd to new wave
(Larks left in center)
Bal Wave, 1/2 Hey (st pass rt on side)
B1: Partner Balance and Swing
B2: Circle Left 3/4, Neighbor Swing
Hi All,
I'm having trouble accessing the Caller's Box. I keep getting the message
that the site can't be reached, and I should check for a typo in
www.ibiblio.org. Anybody know what's up?
-Amy
A while back, my wife made us aware of a holiday she'd just heard of,
"World Toilet Day". Our daughter Raeden then immediately challenged me to
write a dance to commemorate it. ;-)
I got a chance to try it out recently and folks enjoyed it, so here it is:
Unflushable - Becket RT/REVERSE PROG*. - Don Veino 20241006
For World Toilet Day, November 19 2024
A1 GNT/LRK pass LT Full Hey *but they only* ricochet second time
[ALT: instead of ricochet, LRKs only MR swirl 1x after 1/2 Hey as RBNs
continue to hey]
A2 NBR Right Shoulder Around, Swing
B1 LT Diag. LDY/RBN RH Chain to shadow;
LDY/RBN pass RT Half Hey straight across, Look for partner along to
B2 PNR Balance and Swing
*(for the theme, I wanted it to "back up" - but it's otherwise = Becket
LT/CW regular progression)
The title was inspired by a scene from the first episode of the ~Y2K era
BBC sitcom "Coupling" (if you know, you know).
Happy World Toilet Day!
-Don
Hi All,
I wrote this a week ago. It is a fairly simple dance, and checking Caller's
Box and ContraDB did not find it. However, given the simplicity of concept,
I am surprised it has not been previously created. Anyone else know of its
prior existence? Perhaps recut from A2 - A1?
Half Day's Work
Becket, cw/left progression, 1x
A1: Long Lines Forward and Back, Larks Allemande Left 1 1/2;
A2: Neighbors Balance and Swing;
B1: Long Lines Forward and Back, Next Robins (across the set and to left of
partner) Allemande Left 1 1/2 (to partner);
B2: Half Hey (PR, LL, NR, RL), Partners swing.
I called this twice and both times, the dancers automatically realigned for
the progression, which was my largest concern.
If it appeals, enjoy!
Greg
Hi all-- Here is the lovely remembrance written by Bob's family. Bob
survived a serious car accident in September, but, despite early hopeful
signs, his injuries were too much to conquer. He lived a full and wonderful
life, and the contra and ECD communities will miss him greatly.
Robert D. Green
March 4, 1950 - November 11, 2024
Robert Douglas Green, known as Bob to his friends, was born on March 4th,
1950 in Pasadena, California. Always one to make an entrance, Bob surprised
his parents with his arrival, being much younger than older siblings Don
and Peggy. Bob was known throughout his life for both his exuberant
mischievous energy and his care and compassion for others. Growing up, he
was a Boy Scout who loved to tinker and mend things and who loved to be in
community with other people as much as possible. As a proud Pasadena
native, he liked to brag that he played in the Rose Bowl because his high
school football team used the Rose Bowl as their home stadium.
Bob moved to Missouri in the 1970s to study spiritual practice at the Unity
Village in Kansas City, and would make his life in Missouri from then on.
Bob spent his entire career working in mental health and was a fierce
advocate for those with mental illness, taking his first job at an ad hoc
community drug rescue organization called The Ecstatic Umbrella. From
there, he worked at Western Missouri Mental Health Center (where he met his
first wife), Rockhill Manor Residential Care Facility, and then Scarritt
Place, a care facility for people with mental illness that he owned and
operated. Bob’s career took a brief detour through nursing home
administration while he went back to school to receive his bachelor’s
degree from Park University (from which he graduated cum laude at the
timely age of 59). He finished out his long career working for the State of
Missouri as a mental health case management supervisor.
Bob was especially proud of the three daughters—Sarah, Leah, and Emily—whom
he raised with his first wife, Carol Bahmueller, in Blue Springs, Missouri.
Bob was a proud “Girl Dad” before there was a term for it. He was a regular
fixture at community theater plays, Science Olympiads, softball
tournaments, choir performances, speech tournaments, and gymnastics meets
through the years. He bragged endlessly about the accomplishments of his
three girls to anyone within earshot.
Bob danced through life in every way he could. He first became interested
in dance thanks to his brother Don’s involvement in folk dancing in
California. Once his children were grown, Bob poured every bit of his
exuberant energy into the St. Louis contra dance community, where he was an
enduring presence. He met his beloved wife Martha through contra, and they
spent 30 years as dance partners. Alongside Martha, Bob could be found
nearly seven days a week dancing, calling, choreographing, running sound,
and otherwise devoting himself to the joyous pursuit of all things Contra
(and Morris and English and Waltz…), frequently traveling to dances across
the country. When he wasn't dancing, Bob was an avid cook, the proud author
of the recipe book *COVID Dishes: A Pundemic Cooking Experience* (available
on Amazon). Always an activist, Bob also spent time in his retirement
volunteering for local progressive political campaigns.
Bob was a man who never knew a stranger, who was quick to pun and quick to
laugh (often laughing at his own jokes before he could finish them) and
quick to lend a hand when he saw a need. Over the years he took in many
strays—be they cats, dogs, rabbits, chipmunks, or people needing a place to
shelter for a while—and touched a truly enormous network of lives with his
energy.
Bob’s life was taken from him too early, but he passed peacefully with
Martha and his three daughters at his side, listening to a waltz by
Stringdancer, Martha’s contra band. He was laid to rest in a “Green Burial”
(*ba-dum-tss*) service at the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis,
Missouri. He is survived by his wife, Martha Edwards, his brother, Donald
Green, his three daughters: Sarah Spencer, Leah Baruch, and Emily Green,
and three grandchildren.
He leaves behind a legacy of joy, caring, compassion, humor, and light. He
can be honored with donations to the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS),
the St. Louis Childgrove Country Dancers, or the National Alliance on
Mental Illness (NAMI).
A celebration of Bob's life is being planned in St Louis for early 2025.
I'll post that.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield IL
Hi All,
I wrote this a week ago. It is a fairly simple dance, and checking Caller's
Box and ContraDB did not find it. However, given the simplicity of concept,
I am surprised it has not been previously created. Anyone else know of its
prior existence? Perhaps recut from A2 - A1?
Half Day's Work
Becket, cw/left progression, 1x
A1: Long Lines Forward and Back, Larks Allemande Left 1 1/2;
A2: Neighbors Balance and Swing;
B1: Long Lines Forward and Back, Next Robins (across the set and to left of
partner) Allemande Left 1 1/2 (to partner);
B2: Half Hey (PR, LL, NR, RL), Partners swing.
I called this twice and both times, the dancers automatically realigned for
the progression, which was my largest concern.
If it appeals, enjoy!
Greg
On Monday evening, STL caller/dancer/dance writer Bob Green's daughter
Sarah posted:
It is with a very sad heart that I report that Bob Green has passed on to
his eternal dance. He was surrounded by Martha and his 3 daughters and
listening to a recording by Stringdancer. We know that he was loved by many.
Stringdancer was a band Martha played in for many years... I know there
will be no visitation. But a burial and graveside service will be held
Thursday or Friday at Belle Fontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield IL
