hook: Pass the ocean, *gentlespoons* catch left
by: Isaac Banner
formation: improper
Starts in short waves, right hand to neighbors.
Skip the A1 progression first time through the dance.
| A1 | 2 | pass through to next neighbors ⁋
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| 6 | ladles start a half hey - lefts in center, rights on ends - ladles pull by left to start
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| 8 | neighbors swing
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| A2 | 8 | circle left 3 places
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| 8 | partners swing, end facing down
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| B1 | 8 | down the hall and turn alone
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| 8 | up the hall and bend into a ring
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| B2 | 8 | pass through to an ocean wave & balance - gentlespoons by left in the center, partners by right on the sides
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| 2 | partners allemande right ½
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| 2 | ladles allemande left ½
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| 4 | form an ocean wave & balance - ladles by left hands and neighbors by right hands
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Inspired by Maggie's Hobby by Bob Dalsemer. Having danced Bob's original sequence at NW Folklife this year, we wanted to repair the somewhat unintuitive pass-through-to-circle-left progression and sneak in a neighbor swing, if possible. The caller unintentionally had dancers turn alone before returning up the hall during the first walk-through of Maggie's, but putting the gentlespoons into the center of the ocean wave set things up for a right swing-through in the B2. Happy little accidents!
Went with the A1 half hey because it felt a little like inverting the pass through to an ocean wave, starting from short waves (technically), pulling it apart by the left hand in the center, and having everyone pass through across. It's not quite the exact reverse, but it's close enough to feel sneaky.
After the ladles pull-by, there are only two actual changes of the hey, which is how the A1 timing lines up (ladles pull by left, partner pass right, gentlespoons pass left). I'd still recommend teaching it as a half hey, rather than "ladles pull by, pass your partner to start a quarter hey" because, well, yeah..