The Long Road Home

hook: Sawtooth hey-for-3 to active/inactive diagonal hey

by: Isaac Banner

formation: Sawtooth Becket

Dancers start becket, then slide one person to the right, so gentlespoons are standing across from gentlespoons and there is an first ladle out at the top.

A1 6
ladles start a left diagonal(ish) half hey for three with the first gentlespoon - rights in center, lefts on the end
0
ones catch right hands across
2
ones pull by right along the right diagonal to face their current neighbor
8
neighbors start a right diagonal half hey - lefts on ends, rights in center
A2 16
neighbors balance & swing
B1 8
circle left 3 places
4
balance the ring
4
neighbors California twirl ⁋
B2 4
balance the ring
4
twos roll away shadows with a half sashay
8
partners swing - end sawtooth, facing across

Update: I wrote this years ago and, in the interest of archival, I haven’t taken this down but I will note that I as the author make no assurances that this dance is danceable or, uh, good? Call at your own risk.

The first gentlespoon should end the hey for three in the second ladle's spot, the first ladle in the gentlespoon's spot, and the second ladle in the first ladle's place - everyone should end Proper and across from their partner, ones below.

Be sure to have dancers i.d. their current neighbor after the ones pull by - they will be in different couples. After the half hey and swing, dancers should end up directly across from another pair of dancers that includes their shadow.

After the California twirl, ones will be facing their partner, but because of the mechanics of the diagonal hey, twos will be facing a second shadow (hence the unbalanced roll away in B2).

As Lisa Greenleaf says, "there are end effects - enjoy them." At the top of the set after the A2 swing you should end up with a hands 3 containing one second ladle. At the bottom you'll have a couple out with a hands 3 above them following the A2 swing. This hands 3 contains an unpaired first gentlespoon.

A more in-depth explanation of where everyone ends up throughout -
The hey for three at the top starts with ladle 1 and ladle 2 passing right. Similar to Are You 'Most Done the hey squares the set as it happens and the dancers should end up proper and in a hands 4 with ladle 2 above ladle 1.

The ones then pull by right to face their first corner, as though they were starting contra corners, but instead do a half hey for 4 on the right diagonal, with the two twos trading which end of the diagonal they're on. This hey is with the original gentlespoon 2 (we'll call them Bob Isaacs), but the NEXT ladle 2 (let's call them Susan Michaels).

The funky part about the active/inactive diagonal hey is that it splits twos further than it splits the ones, so the gentlespoon ends up swinging their next neighbor (Susan) close-to-across-from where the gentlespoon started the dance and the ladle ends up swinging their original neighbor (Bob) one couple down from their partner (the swing ends with squared sets, improper). The twos, however, end two minor sets away from each other.

The B1 reunites the active couple after the California twirl, but the twos are still one minor set distant, so they're facing a shadow (this is Bob and Susan, Bob below). The roll away resyncs partners, but then the swing offsets the twos from the squared set, since the roll-away would, normally, progress dancers along to a new minor set.

Following the swing, the hey for 3 starts again with the first ladle passing Susan (whom the first gentlespoon just swung), while the first ladle identifies their new neighbor (let's call them Will Mentor) straight(ish) across from their partner.

Database

user: Isaac Banner

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