[Callers] Re: Teaching Box the Gnat / Swat the Flea

I tend to say "raise the joined hands in an arch; you'll trade places with the robin going under and the lark going around." I don't need a demo in a room with a lot of experienced dancers - the new folks will either see the demos or neighbors will sort them out - but a demo is extremely helpful for people who haven't seen it at all. A thing I picked up from another caller, sometimes usefully, is to tell robins explicitly that in the process of changing places they will be turning their backs on their partner, very briefly, and that it's only polite but necessary. Sometimes the idea that it's rude to turn your back makes them fight against doing it successfully. (If it's just not working you could substitute a right-hand or left-hand turn halfway. [I've tried that more in English-ish environments; allemande right halfway might be crunched up tight enough to be awkward. It's not as zesty in something like box-the-gnat, pull-by, but it gets you there facing more or less the right way.) -- Alan ________________________________________ From: Emily Addison via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Friday, October 17, 2025 11:44 AM To: Shared Weight Contra Callers Subject: [Callers] Teaching Box the Gnat / Swat the Flea BEWARE: This email originated outside of our organization. DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hi Folks! I'm wondering if you have tricks to teach Box the Gnat and Swat the Flea to a whole room of dancers who have not done it before. (In this case, it's happening in an otherwise very simple scatter mixer but I can imagine almost no one will know the figure.) The wording I've figured out is below. I feel like it's wordy but it's also a hard move to pick up because it's kind of weird what's actually happening. :) Ideally, I'd love to be able to teach this without a demo but I feel like I'm stuck with the demo. (If you have talk BtheG to a big room of non-dancers without a demo, I'd love to hear your strategies). Anyway - open to any and all feedback. Thanks! Emily in Ottawa DEMO BoxTGnat from a hands 4 With your P - join R hands in loose handshake hold – no thumbs! Goal is to trad places with your P so you end up in the spot there are right now. BUT Lark/Robin will be doing different things to get there! But little tug to start & raise joined hands. Larks: you walk past your P into your P place. (could feel like behind/outside of the circle) Robins: you WALK under your joined hands, turning in to face ctr of circle & keep turning until face P . You have stepped into THEIR place. Have them drill StF and BtG over and over before starting the rest of the dance.