Hello all,
We can't dance right now, but I'm still writing dances :-)
Specifically, when I ran a Kickstarter for the ABCs of Contra Board book,
some folks pledged at a book+choreography tier, and requested family
dances. (I'm also cross-posting this on the growing up trad list.) I'll
have a separate thread about the non-family dances that came out of the
ABCs of Contra.
The first one is called *Rima's Railway Adventure on the Karana Ava Line*.
Written for Rima Dael, her daughter Karana, and her niece Ava.
It's a scatter keeper. So young children get to keep their familiar
partners, but still interact with lots of folks.
In groups of 2~5, make a train (conga line style). The person in the front
is the engine.
All the different trains are dancing around the floor, interacting with
other trains. Trains heading toward each other can make right hand or left
hand stars when they pass. Trains could become tunnels for other trains;
and you can circle in just your train and pick a new engine leader.
Once folks have the moves, you could even do singing-square style patter
calls:
*Here comes a train, on this dark night*
*Charge headlong but pass on the right*
*Reach out your hands and make a star*
*Turn it around but not too far*
*On to the next and look for more*
*pass on the left around the floor*
*With your left hands out star again*
*back around to where you began*
*Now find a tunnel you can go through*
*Make one for them so they're not blue*
*Through the tunnels and don't be slow*
*Find some more as away you go*
*Circle your train in your own group*
*Is your engine starting to droop?*
*Pick a new engine if you need*
*Then set off with a burst of speed*
The second dance was written for Sarah Spence Lee
(of Sarah's Silks: https://www.sarahssilks.com/)
It has variations where you can do it as a mixer or a keeper; and you can
either have partners use silks/hankies, or just take hands. But the hook
part is the Rainbow run:
*You and your partner join hands/silks, and make an arch. Your goal to
runaround the room with your partner, and get as many different people to
gothrough your rainbow, and run through as many different rainbows as you
can.*
And here's some dances using that move:
*Rainbow Stars Keeper*Scatter dance, all start with partner on the floor
A1 -----------
(8) Partner allemande Left
(8) Partner allemande Right
A2 -----------
(16) Rainbow Run
B1 -----------
go half-way through an arch, and make a hands across star
(8) Right Hands across star
(8) Left Hands across star
B2 -----------
(4) Balance Star
(4) Couple with hands below in star pull through to same side, form circle
(8) Circle Left
Or the mixer version, but with silks instead of direct hand-holds. Everyone
can have their silk in their right hand:
*Rainbow Silk Stars Mixer*
A1 -----------
(8) Partner two silk turn
(8) Partner two silk turn other way
A2 -----------
(16) Rainbow Run
B1 -----------
duck halfway through an arch to make a star:
(8) Silks across star (clockwise)
(8) Silks across star the other way
B2 -----------
(8) Circle Left
(8) Neighbor Do-si-do, that’s your new partner
Here's hoping we can dance and call family dances with kids again soon :-)
Luke
Hi all,
I have just put 3.5 hours of dance lessons on YouTube. They
are about a different dance style: One man leading two ladies in Modern
Jive. But there are some sections which you may find of interest. The full
set of videos is at http://modernjive.com/videos-dt.html.
Lead & Follow does not exist in basic Contra Dance (see
http://contrafusion.co.uk/LeadFollow.html) but when you do a flourish or
embellishment then there may be a brief period of Lead & Follow. In
Freestyle Waltz there is, of course, lots of Lead & Follow. These videos
teach some of the skills of leading and following:
https://youtu.be/JmIdEa74K-4 6:43 - 8:22 & 9:32 - 10:37
https://youtu.be/IdsvjxIdnzg 0:00 - 1:14
There is also a useful article at http://modernjive.com/history/tension.html
If you like to add fancy moves to your Contra Dance, or to any style of
partner dance, then you may find this document useful:
"Dips & Drops, Leans & Lunges, Lambadas & Seducers: Safety First!" at
http://modernjive.com/SweeneySafeDrops.pdf
You will also find lots of these types of moves taught throughout the
videos.
I use the skills in these videos to lead two ladies at once in Freestyle
Waltz. If you want to try it, then you may find the techniques and moves in
these videos good for inspiration.
I hope you find some of the material interesting or
entertaining.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
940 574
http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
I've been asked to call a virtual contra dance next month and am looking for some suggestions for good dances that people have used that work well for 1 or 2 dancers. I've participated in just a few virtual dances, but haven't called one before. I've got a few ideas, but could use some more. Are there any repositories of modified contras suitable for virtual dances? I know there is a site with a lot of English dances, but haven't heard of a similar one for contras.
Also, any tips on things to do, or not do, while leading a virtual dance would be welcome.
Let me know if you have come across any modified dances that have gone over well at online dances. Thanks.
Jonathan
-----
Jonathan Sivier
Caller of Contra, Square, English and Early American Dances
jsivier AT illinois DOT edu
Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html
Hi All,
Around 1984, master caller, Larry Edelman lead a calling workshop in Santa Barbara. The first thing he did was to show us a few square dance books he collected at used book stores. One of those books was Advanced Square Dance Figures of the West & Southwest, by Lee Owens and Viola Ruth. Larry told us workshopees that he'd been looking for that book for a time, and found it right under our Santa Barbarians noses. That started me on a now 35 year quest. I frequented Santa Barbara used book stores and, when traveling, looked up the local used book stores in cities I visited, planning my exploration of a town around perusing used book stores in search of square, contra, and some international dance books, as well as folk stories and music books. As you might guess, I now have quite a collection.
And now I'm weeding out my library. In my quest, I've collected quite a number of duplicates. I would love these copies to find homes of people who would love to study the stories of American folk dance and related (or not) folk dances.
Below is a list of these duplicates. I can be convinced to give some away, but I'd like to receive around the price I paid. If you live in the San Francisco area, you can make an arrangement to pick it/them up. If I have to mail it, I'll ask to be remunerated for the cost of shipping.
If a book is not specifically on square dance, these books have a section of square dances or singing games. International, that is, other countries dances, are obvious... If you have any questions about any of them, I'll be glad to give a more complete description. Prices go from $5 to $20.
Cheers,
~Erik Hoffman
Oakland, CA
A Time to Dance
Richard Nevell
1977
Advanced Square Dance Figures of the South West
Lee Owens
1949
American Square Dances of the South West
Lee Owens
1949
And Promenade All
Helen & Larry Eienberg, Bert Lyle, Lib McDonald
1952
Athletic Dances & Simple Clogs
Majorie Hillas, Marian Knighton
1929
Betty White,s Teen-Age Dance Book
Betty White
1952
Cowboy Dances
Lloyd Shaw
1939
Dances of England & Wales
Maud Karpeles & Lois Blake
1951
Dances of Greece
Domini Crosfield
1942
Dances of Our Pioneers
Grace L. Ryan
1926
Dances of The Netherlands
E. Van Der Ven-Ten Bensek
1949
Dances or Early California Days
Lucile K. Czarnowski
1950
Down in the Valley
New England Dancing Masters
2000
Dramatic Dances for Small Children
Mary Severance Shafter
1921
Folk Dances for Boys and Girls
Mary Effie Shambaugh
1929
Folk Dances of Scandinavia
Anne Schley, Jeanette Schlottmann, Abbie Rutledge
1948
Folk Dances of The British Isles
Anne Schley, Jeanette Schlottmann, Abbie Rutledge
1948
Folk Dances of The United States and Mexico
Anne Schley, Jeanette Schlottmann, Abbie Rutledge
1948
Folk Dancing
Grace I. Fox, Kathleen Gruppe Merrill
1944
Folk Dancing
Richard Krauss
1962
Folk Dancing for All
Michael Herman
1947
Folk Dancing in High School & College
Kathleen Guppe Merrill
1944
Folk-Dances and Singing Games
Elizabeth Burchenal
1909
Folk-Dances from Old Homelands
Elizabeth Burchenal
1922
Games & Songs of American Children
William Wells Newell
1963
Good Morning - Fourth Edition
Benjamin B. Lovett
1943
Good Morning -1st Edition
Benjamin B. Lovett
1926
Handy Folk Dance Book
Charles Bower & Cooperative Recreation Service
Perhaps 1955
Handy Square Dance Book
Cooperative Recreation Service
1955
Honor Your Partner
Ed Durlacher
1949
How to Be a Good Dancer - Revised Edition
Aurther Murray
1938
Let's Dance, volume A - 30 Basic Dances
Folk Dance Federation of California
1955
Li'l Abner Official Square Dance Handbook
Fred Leifer
1953
Mexican Folk Dances for American Schools
Gertrude X. Mooney
1957
New Song Plays to Old Tunes
Mary Wollaston Wood
1924
Partners All - Places All
Miriam Kirkell, Irma K. Schaffnit
1949
Piute Pete's Down Home Square Dance Book
Piute Pete
1977
Play Songs (from The Song Series)
Alys E. Bentley
1912
Promenade All - A Compilation of Song-Dances
Janet E. Tobitt
1947
Rhythms and Dances for Elementary Schools
Dorothy La Salle
1926
Sets in Order Year Book Number 4
Bob Osgood
1959
Sets in Order, 5 Years of Square Dancing
Bob Osgood
1954
Square and Folk Dancing, A Cmplete Guide for Students, Teachers and Callers
Hank Greene
1984
Square Dance!
Ralph J. McNair
1951
Square Dances Today and How to Call Them
Richard Krauss
1950
Square Dancing
Clayne R. & Mary Bee Jensen
1966
Swedish Folk Dances
Nils W. Bergquist
1914
The American Square Dance
Margot Mayo
1943, revised 1948
The Complete Book of Square Dancing (and Round Dancing)
Betty Casey
1976
The Country Dance Book
Beth Tolman, Ralph Page
1937
The Festival Book
Janette Emeline Carpenter Lincoln
1920
The Folk Dance Book
C. Ward Crampton, M.D.
1928
The Rhythmic Program for Elementary Schools
Grace Fielder
1952
The Round Dance Book
Lloyd Shaw
1949
The Teaching of Folk Dance
Anne Schley, Jeanette Schlottmann, Abbie Rutledge
1948
West Virginia Square Dances
Robert G. Dalsemer
1982
Carl Dreher sent this to the ECD List, so I'm forwarding it to the Trad Callers and Contra Callers lists.
If you want any more information please contact Carl, not me!
Hello,
The John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown NC is accepting
applications for a full-time Music and Dance director.
The village of Brasstown has a long tradition of community dancing and
music.� It supports four (!) English ritual dance teams, a monthly ECD,
twice-monthly contra dances, weekly free community dances, free
concerts, free tutoring in Appalachian music for youngsters, and happens
to be the "Potluck Capital of the World".
http://www.folkschool.org/index.php?section=articles&article_cat_id=5&artic…
<http://www.folkschool.org/index.php?section=articles&article_cat_id=5&artic…>
Please feel free to pass this on to any group or individual.
Sincerely,
Carl Dreher <focusrsh(a)arn.net>
Dear list,
I am writing to invite you to our next FCSH webinar, With Your Neighbour: What can we learn from contra about sustaining traditional dance?, at 19:00 GMT on 30 January, 2021 (that’s 2pm US Eastern/11am Pacific). Lindsey Kennedy, Lisa Greenleaf (facilitator), Andrew Findlay and Jane Curry will discuss the state of contra now (or up to the pandemic) and what we can learn from each other about building/ strengthening traditional dance communities. The discussion will integrate questions from attendees.
About the panelists:
Lindsey Kennedy has been ECD & ceilidh dancing since before she could walk but departed to contra dance during university where she organised IVFDF in 2010. She now runs Bristol Contra and is also organising IVFDF this year whilst juggling her job of Project Managing eco friendly timber frame buildings.
Coming to us from the US, Lisa Greenleaf calls regularly in the greater New England areas and has been a staff member at dance camps and festivals throughout the country and Europe. Her specialties include traditional and contemporary contras, squares, contra caller's training and English country. She also is the organizer for two contra series in Concord, Massachusetts.
Andrew Findlay started folk dancing while at university in Reading. Jane Curry started a bit earlier, having invaded Bradford University's dance group with some 6th-form friends. They were both involved in running the Berkshire Midsummer Folk Festival, Sidmouth, and the 1982 Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival before taking over London Barndance in 1983. Both are
independent IT consultants, so working from home has been normal for the past 20 years!
About FCSH:
This webinar is sponsored by the Friends of Cecil Sharp House, a UK-based organization committed to the preservation and promotion of English folk dance and music. During the pandemic we have organized a variety of dances, webinars, and workshops on Zoom that have attracted an international audience. More information, including how to become a member, can be found at our website, https://fcsh.org.uk/about.html.
Registration is free but limited; email judith(a)fcsh.org.uk to reserve your place. The webinar will be recorded; live attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of our panelists.
I’m happy to answer questions if you have them.
Louise.
—
Louise Siddons, dance caller
http://www.scissortail.org/siddons/
lesiddons(a)gmail.com
Greetings colleagues and friends,
I am thinking back to the numerous threads on this list about repertoire for family dances and ONS dances (I prefer OSD's: One Shot Deals).
With this in mind, I am writing to let you know about my new resource, Join Up Hands.
This book provides new dance materials for kids, community dances, family dances, and other ODS’s. Included also are new-dancer-specific tips and a few personal essays that illustrate the joy of dancing.
Available on my website: newdayhoedown.com <http://newdayhoedown.com/> or www.suehulsether.com/book--cd <http://www.suehulsether.com/book--cd>
You have time now to add to your callers’ library. It’s only a matter of time before we’ll all be too busy calling to grab new material.
Please feel free to share this info with school teachers you know, as well.
cheers,
sue
Sue Hulsether
New Day Hoedown LLC
www.suehulsether.com
608-632-1267 Cell
P.O. Box 363, Viroqua, WI 54665
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