Contra Callers

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4369 discussions

Square dance calling in rural Ontario, as described by Alice Munro

by Richard Hopkins

The present time of Munroe's story would have been about 1945, so this is about a period maybe 20 years before, in rural Ontario. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- …. A strange desperate sort of haste…. a special facility "When my mother was growing up, she and her whole family would go to dances. These would be held in the schoolhouse, or sometimes in a farmhouse with a big enough front room. Young and old would be in attendance. Someone would play the piano – the household piano or the one in the school – and someone would have brought a violin. The square dancing had complicated patterns or steps, which a person known for a special facility would call out at the top of his voice (it was always a man) and in a strange desperate sort of haste which was of no use at all unless you knew the dance already. As everybody did, having learned them all by the time they were ten or twelve years old. " -- Opening paragraph of Voices, autobiographical story by Nobel Prize-winner Alice Munro, in her most recent book Dear Life, published 2012 by Vintage International. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Richard Hopkins Tallahassee, FL 850-894-9212 (home) 850-544-7614 (cell) hopkinsrs(a)comcast.net

11 years, 6 months

Dance in Need of a Name

by Ben Hornstein

Greetings fellow callers, I recently wrote a dance, but can't think of a name. I'm calling it this evening, so I'm hoping something will happen that makes a funny story as to how the dance got its name. Failing that, I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions. ????? (Ben Hornstein) ccw becket wave (starts with partner in right hand, men have left hands in the middle) A1) balance wave, P allemande R 3/4 (to long waves) balance waves, circulate waves A2) balance waves, circulate waves P swing B1) circle L 3/4 zig-zag to new N B2) M see-saw M allemande L 1, P allemande R 1 Any ideas? I'm also open to thoughts about the dance itself. -Ben Hornstein

11 years, 6 months

Watch out? Re: Dance in Need of a Name

by Suzanne Girardot

Yikes, this doesn't look good. Maia, have you been hacked? -----Original Message----- >From: Maia McCormick <maia.mcc(a)gmail.com> >Sent: Nov 14, 2013 8:44 AM >To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> >Subject: Re: [Callers] Dance in Need of a Name > >http://preshing.com/20110811/xkcd-password-generator/ > > >On Wed, Nov 13, 2013 at 7:51 PM, Alan Winston <winston(a)slac.stanford.edu>wrote: > >> You could call the dance "Ziggy and the Waves", or "Zigsaw", or "Second >> Wave", or "Wave Goodbye". >> >> Hope this helps! >> >> -- Alan >> >> >> On Nov 9, 2013, at 11:10 AM, Ben Hornstein <bhornstein5189(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >> Greetings fellow callers, >> >> I recently wrote a dance, but can't think of a name. I'm calling it this >> evening, so I'm hoping something will happen that makes a funny story as to >> how the dance got its name. Failing that, I was wondering if any of you had >> any suggestions. >> >> ????? (Ben Hornstein) >> ccw becket wave (starts with partner in right hand, men have left hands in >> the middle) >> A1) balance wave, P allemande R 3/4 (to long waves) >> balance waves, circulate waves >> A2) balance waves, circulate waves >> P swing >> B1) circle L 3/4 >> zig-zag to new N >> B2) M see-saw >> M allemande L 1, P allemande R 1 >> >> Any ideas? >> I'm also open to thoughts about the dance itself. >> >> -Ben Hornstein >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> Callers(a)sharedweight.net >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >> >> _______________________________________________ >>> Callers mailing list >>> Callers(a)sharedweight.net >>> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> Callers(a)sharedweight.net >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >> >_______________________________________________ >Callers mailing list >Callers(a)sharedweight.net >http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

11 years, 6 months

Peel the Banana

by Ben Hornstein

Dear Callers, I'm writing a dance for 6 couples (in a rectangle, one at the top and bottom, two on each side), and I want to know if one of the moves I wrote already has a name. Bottom couple makes an arch. Top couple splits and walks around the outside of the set, each taking the side couples with them. They then go up through the arch and back to place. If this move doesn't have a proper name, I'm just going to call it "peel the banana" because I feel that's the best way to describe it. Sincerely, Ben Hornstein

11 years, 6 months

What is this dance called?

by Yoyo Zhou

Hi callers, I'd be most surprised if this dance hadn't been written already (it occurred to me because I thought I'd danced part of it somewhere, but I just found that the progression transition is like Amy Kahn's Sweet Music). Does anyone recognize it? improper A1. gents allemande left 1+1/2; P star promenade A2. ladies do si do; P swing B1. circle left 3/4; N swing B2. long lines; right hand star Thanks, Yoyo Zhou

11 years, 6 months

New Dance: DosiWhat?

by John Sweeney

Hi, I have enjoyed studying old moves called "dosido" (or some variant of the spelling that sounds roughly the same!) and thought I would try getting some of them into a contra dance. I know the Rang Tang has been used before in contras , but I haven't seen a Mountain Dosido in a contra before. This is the result: DosiWhat? by John Sweeney Contra; Becket (C) A1: Men Dosido; Ladies Dosido 1 & 1/2 - Men turn to the Left and take Mans' Right Hand to Partner's Left Hand to face a New Couple (progression) A2: Mountain Dosido ("DoSi the Ladies"): Lasso Partner AC around self and along to the other Man; Neighbour Swing* B1: Open Ladies' Chain: Ladies Pull by Right; Partner Allemande Left - continue into a Rang Tang (Dosido): Men pass B-to-B; Neighbour Allemande Right; Men pass B-to-B, weave into a B2: Partner Gypsy Meltdown Notes: Teach the Ladies Dosido as Dosido and Pass Thru, otherwise they will spin and face where they think they are going. Lasso means the man raises his right hand and leads the lady around him - he doesn't move (except to help the ladies avoid any crashes) *"You swing mine and I'll swing yours" I called it for the first time yesterday at Barrie Bullimore's Sunday afternoon contra and it went well. Feedback appreciated if you try it :-) Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

11 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] New Combination

by Tom Hinds

Those are good questions. As far as teaching I'm guessing that it would make sense to identify new men and new women, maybe just before the first half hey. I'm terrible at naming dances. How about The New Combination if it hasn't been taken. Tom

11 years, 7 months

correction

by Tom Hinds

For the dance I just sent, the B2 should be women pass left shoulders and swing partner.

11 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] New Combination

by Ben Hornstein

This looks like a really cool dance. How do you plan on explaining it to people so they can understand it? > Becket > A1 Circle left three-quarters and swing neighbor. > > A2 Long lines forward and back. Half hey, women by right. > > B1 Women ricochet.* > New men ricochet** > Half hey, new women by the left. > > B2 Gypsy and swing partner > > *In the B1 the women move from right to left while they ricochet. > They keep moving right to left behind a new man the then start the > second hey. > > **While the women ricochet, the men move left to right behind their > current neighbor. They keep moving to the right in order to ricochet > with a new man (moving in front of a new neighbor). > > > > >

11 years, 7 months

Notice Summer Contra in New Zealand

by Bill Baritompa

Hi All, Jan/Feb 2014 will have some special summer dancing. http://contra.baritompa.com/weekend.shtml https://www.facebook.com/events/1422654004614312 Hope to see some of you :-) Cheers, Bill

11 years, 7 months

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