hook: triple minor, easy grand right & left
by: Chris Page
formation: triple minor, triad formation
Take a standard proper triple minor. 1s and 2s cross over, and then 2s and 3s circle left 1/4. Chris describes it as 1s improper, 2s and 3s Becket. For more on Triad formation, see "TLC Tempest."
| A1 | 8 | balance & petronella [3]
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| 8 | balance & petronella
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| A2 | 8 | balance & petronella [4]
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| 8 | star left 3 places **3 Gentlespoons** [5]
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| B1 | 16 | grand right & left - partner right, left, right, partner left, right, left [6]
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| B2 | 16 | partners meltdown swing [7] ⁋
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http://chrispagecontra.awardspace.us/dances/index.htm#whirlpool
[1] Starting formation: Take a standard proper triple minor. Ones and twos cross over, and then twos and threes circle left 1/4. I describe it as ones improper, twos and threes Becket. For more on Triad formation, see "TLC Tempest."
[2] Twos and threes progress up, staying with each other, but swapping sides as they travel up. Ones progress down past two couples.
End effects at the top: Every third time through the dance, two couples get spit out at the top. The both wait out improper, one below the other. One will get in the next time, the other will have to wait until the time after that.
End effects at the bottom: Couples just wait out on the sides, Becket-like, for a full hands-six to form. Since this is double progression, there shouldn't be any couples at the bottom accidentally trapped there forever.
[3] All six. For the petronella turn, everyone move one position to their right.
[4] Everyone is now progressed. All the remaining moves finish where they started.
[5]Menease out of the star a tiny bit early so everyone's facing their partner around the circle of six.
[6] Within the group of six.
[7] Or balance and swing. After the swing, ones face down. Twos and threes face uppish and across, having swapped sides.There's no need to mention who are twos and threes. Just call them "side couples".
After testing "Because It Was There," I realized a grand right and left was a good thing to put in a regular-length contra. This was the result, which worked surprisingly well. It's also helped by a low piece count.