2019-03-03: St. Louis, MO (Hot Coffee Breakdown)

user: Chet Gray

Table of Contents

  1. La String Bean by Julian Blechner
  2. Monday by Jim Hemphill
  3. Chance Dance Scrambled Eggs by Jim Hemphill
  4. Rick's Triplet #1 by Rick Mohr
  5. Rock the Cradle, Joe by Ridge Kennedy

    progression variation
  6. Living in Zen by Cary Ravitz
  7. The Cure for the Claps by Bob Isaacs
  8. Dynamic Appeal by Gene Hubert
  9. Starburst by Cary Ravitz
  10. Whirlpool by Chris Page
  11. Not a Figment of Your Imagination by Lynn Ackerson
  12. Vote With Your Feet (Bob Isaacs variation, experienced B1) by Bob Isaacs


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La String Bean

by: Julian Blechner

introduces moves: custom, turn alone, allemande, do si do, swing, promenade

formation: circle mixer

A1 8
ladles to the center and back
2
gentlespoons to the center
4
gentlespoons turn alone
2
gentlespoons go back
A2 8
partners allemande left 1½ (gentlespoons progress CCW, ladles progress CW) ⁋
8
next neighbors do si do once (now your partner)
B1 16
partners balance & swing
B2 16
partners promenade along the set on the right

Monday

by: Jim Hemphill

introduces moves: meltdown swing, circle, right left through, star

formation: improper

A1 8
neighbors allemande right 1½
8
gentlespoons allemande left 1½
A2 16
partners meltdown swing
B1 8
circle left 3 places
8
neighbors swing
B2 8
right left through
8
star left 4 places ⁋

Chance Dance Scrambled Eggs

by: Jim Hemphill

introduces moves: custom, petronella, balance the ring, California twirl

formation: improper

A1 16
neighbors balance & swing
A2 8
chainsaw promenade left
8
chainsaw promenade back to the right
B1 8
gentlespoons allemande left 1½
8
partners swing, end in a ring
B2 8
balance & petronella
4
balance the ring
4
partners California twirl ⁋

Cooked up with the breakfast crew.

Chance Dance, the All you can Eat Contra Dance Weekend

Rick's Triplet #1

by: Rick Mohr

introduces moves: custom, balance, roll away

formation: triplet

ones improper, twos & threes proper (though it isn't imperative to begin that way, as the A1 resets to this)

A1 16
partners balance & swing - ones face down, others face up
A2 16
dip and dive, 6 changes - inside couple arch, turn as a couple on the ends
B1 0
top two couples form a ring of four
4
balance in a ring of four
4
gentlespoons roll away neighbors with a half sashay - top two ladles from left to right along the set
0
all form a ring of six
4
balance in a ring of six
4
gentlespoons roll away next neighbors (bottom two with neighbor along the set, top with partner across the set)
B2 4
balance in a ring of six
12
circle left 6 places ⁋

http://rickmohr.net/Contra/Dances.asp#RicksTriplet1:

Ted Sannella wrote many wonderful triplets and popularized the formation for contra dancers. The best triplets give a short intimate dancing experience with a zesty all-moving contra feel and the added variety of 3-couple figures.

A2's "dip and dive" starts with couples 1 and 2 trading places, couple 1 ducking under couple 2's arch. Then couples 1 and 3 trade places, couple 1 arching over couple 3, while couple 2 does a California twirl at the top. Then couple 3 arches over couple 2 while couple 1 does a California twirl at the bottom. After 6 such changes everyone is back home. (This figure works best if the preceding dance had a California twirl so everyone can do it smoothly!)

In B1, couple 1 moves to the middle during the first roll away and to the bottom during the second roll away. In both rollaways the ladles move to their right while the gentlespoons move to their left.

In terms of the original numbering, once through the dance leaves the couples in a 2, 3, 1 sequence.

Video: Rick Mohr & Crowfoot at Au Contraire 2011, Atlanta GA

Rock the Cradle, Joe

by: Ridge Kennedy

progression variation

introduces moves: Rory O'More, give & take, pass through, form an ocean wave

formation: improper

Begin in an ocean wave - ladles by left hands and neighbors by right hands

A1 8
balance & Rory O'More right past neighbors
8
balance & Rory O'More left
A2 16
neighbors balance & swing
B1 8
gentlespoons give & take partners
8
partners swing
B2 8
circle left 3 places
4
balance the ring
2
pass through to next neighbors ⁋
2
form an ocean wave - ladles by left hands and neighbors by right hands

Living in Zen

by: Cary Ravitz

introduces moves: gyre, hey

formation: indecent

from proper contra, twos cross - ladles left, gentlespoons right

A1 16
neighbors meltdown swing (or balance and swing)
A2 8
gentlespoons allemande left 1½
8
partners gyre 1½
B1 8
ladles start a half hey - lefts in center, rights on ends
8
partners swing
B2 8
gentlespoons start a half hey - lefts in center, rights on ends - ladles catch left hands
8
star left - hands across - 3 places (gentlespoons are behind partners) - progress to next neighbors ⁋

Suggested alternate B2a: replace half hey with right left through across the set

https://www.dance.ravitz.us/#lz

MRD

The Cure for the Claps

by: Bob Isaacs

This dance is not published.

Dynamic Appeal

by: Gene Hubert

introduces moves: pull by dancers, long lines

formation: improper

A1 6
neighbors balance & pull by right along the set
10
next neighbors swing (neighbor 2)
A2 8
circle left 4 places
8
neighbors do si do once
B1 6
neighbors balance & pull by right
10
neighbors swing (neighbor 1)
B2 8
long lines forward & back
8
ones swing - ones face down, twos face up ⁋

Starburst

by: Cary Ravitz

introduces moves: box the gnat, custom, chain

formation: improper

A1 4
neighbors balance by right hands
4
neighbors box the gnat
8
star right - hands across - 4 places
A2 0
gentlespoons turn out over left shoulder WHILE
8
ladles chain to their partner
8
star left 4 places
B1 2
ladles turn out over right shoulder
14
partners meltdown swing
B2 6
circle left 3 places
2
pass through
8
next neighbors do si do once ⁋

http://www.dance.ravitz.us/#sb:

A nice ladles' choice variation for B1 is ladles turn in and partners gypsy left / partners turn alone clockwise and swing.

YouTube, 2, MRD

Whirlpool

by: Chris Page

introduces moves: custom

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]
8
balance & petronella
A2 8
balance & petronella [4]
8
star left 3 places **3 Gentlespoons** [5]
B1 16
grand right & left - partner right, left, right, partner left, right, left [6]
B2 16
partners meltdown swing [7] ⁋

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] Men ease 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.

Not a Figment of Your Imagination

by: Lynn Ackerson

introduces moves: custom

formation: Becket

Note future neighbors on left diagonal

A1 8
partners promenade in courtesy turn position - loop wide left ⁋
8
star left - hands across - 3 places
A2 0
gentlespoons turn out over right shoulder on home side
16
neighbors meltdown swing
B1 8
gentlespoons allemande left 1½
8
partners swing
B2 8
right left through
4
ladles allemande right once returning to partner
4
partners courtesy turn to face across (hold courtesy turn position)

Written for the band "The Figments" made up of Anna Patton, Ethan Hazzard-Watkins, and Owen Morrison

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