2017-08-13: CDSS American Week Dance Exchange

when out with partner, cross over and get in with Balance & Box the Gnat
(if you miss that, you'll still be in position to courtesy turn new neighbor)

When waiting out, gentlespoons be in front of your partner prepared to come in on right diagonal hey.

I borrowed the roll away; roll away; roll away; sequence from a square dance, because it's fun. To make it work in a contra, I had to bend it around a corner. 2017

Jim H. complained about the Chain into the right and left through -- pointing out it was awkward for the men's hands, so I reversed them. It now starts with a right and left into a chain.

Pull bys should retain grip for a moment after passing and use the torque to turn back to the direction of travel up or down the set.

Video and Choreography

• Childgrove.org

Related Dance

• Beneficial Tradition

This dance was written for Joe Groceman, a dancer, artist and all around great human.

Sarah Kaiser notes: Swing and slide is a blended move that takes the final twelve together. If I had to break it I'd say 8 swing, 4 slide. I tend to drift swing in those cases but others may not.

for facing star, have dancers keep joined hands as they complete the California Twirl; extend those joined hands into the center. Gentlespoons take right hands across, Ladles left hand across so you are facing your partner.

Written in 2010 as his partner, Laura Stringer, was thinking of moving to England, where Alan lives.
Now they live in England, are married and have twins!

Danced in waltz time, every "8" is actually 12 beats, 4=6, &c.

Written to celebrate the 50th birthday of contra dancer Lisa Lunt, 5/21/16

Dance entry notes: pousette is actually 3/4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkFXRx_wUfo

*March 2015 Dedicated to all the musicians from Brooklyn that I’ve called with over the years. When asked which musicians I wanted to work with for the March 2015 gig in Brooklyn, I said, “Those Brooklyn boys” so they hired Danny, Marco, Jody, Sam, Bob and Michael.
A1 credit to John Coffman

Contributed by Donna Hunt to CDSS American Week dance swap. Possibly A2 star promenade also means "& butterfly whirl" to use all beats?

Written in June 2007 to honor Tom Coles’s 60th Birthday in Bethlehem, Pa

Written in Sept 2012 for Julianne Schieffer’s 50th Birthday

• thread the needle = all four hold hands, gentlespoons on end make arch with neighbor and ladle on the other end go under arch while gentlespoon on end walks around to invert the line (couples change sides of the set)---ladle in the middle twirl under her arm---and face up

This dance is really much simpler than it first appears. Dale calls this combination of heys a "zigzag hey". Dale teaches the heys by having the dancers identify the people they will trade places with, first on the diagonal then across the hall. Most dancers catch on pretty quickly that the two heys should be blended into one. (In other words, the ladle never stops between the two 1/2 heys.)

As in all double progression dances an odd number of couples is preferred. The odd couple stands in the gentlespoons' line

Those who don't like a long 16-count swing may gyre twice.

now take hands in a ring, and look diagonally right to a different ring---this is the neighbor you'll swing in 4 seconds
*take hands in new ring, look diagonally right to a different ring---there's your partner

Henry & Jacqui vs Jacqui & Henry, notes from Scott:
These dances are identical in the Bs. The petronella-to-swing transition is the highlight of each, but the set-up varies dramatically. The original, easy dance (H&J) is a bit repetitive in the As, and is double-progression. It took years of experimentation (many too-bland versions) to devise the latest model (J&H), which is single progression, and more challenging.

For Henry & Jacqui Morgenstein

now take hands in a ring, and look diagonally right to a different ring---this is the neighbor you'll swing in 4 seconds
*take hands in new ring, look diagonally right to a different ring---there's your partner

J&H can break down suddenly in A2 unless the caller is very clear to identify and emphasize 'scooping-up' the correct neighbor for the star promenade. (with the unusual progression, it's not easy to regroup if things go awry)

A1 + A2 are perfectly reasonable, but "outside the box." If you were to take hands 4 with the couple you just completed the last round of the dance with (feels natural), the neighbor directly across in this ring is the neighbor with whom you'll do the star promenade. However, it is NOT the two gentlespoons in the starting 4-some who allemande left -- instead, all gentlespoons look left to the next 4-some, and left-hand turn. Then scoop-up the neighbor directly across for the star promenade. This is the gimmick that enables the single-progression.

Henry & Jacqui vs Jacqui & Henry, notes from Scott:
These dances are identical in the Bs. The petronella-to-swing transition is the highlight of each, but the set-up varies dramatically. The original, easy dance (H&J) is a bit repetitive in the As, and is double-progression. It took years of experimentation (many too-bland versions) to devise the latest model (J&H), which is single progression, and more challenging.

For Henry & Jacqui Morgenstein

Scott Higgs notes: a fun/surprise transition: from Mad Robin eye
contact with partner to sudden swing with new neighbor.

"An all-moving dance with good flow and symmetry—gentlespoons lead a clockwise Mad Robin (eyes on neighbor) into circle left, then ladles lead a counter-clockwise Mad Robin (eyes on partner) into circle right.
After the A1 California twirl, gentlespoons are moving forward and can smoothly step in front to start the Mad Robin. But some gentlespoons on autopilot use their left hand instead of their right hand to twirl their partner, making for an awkward transition. To help avoid that mistake I say in the walkthrough "Pass through across and stay facing out. Take your partner's near hand (gentlespoons, that's your right) and trade places—gentlespoons to the outside and ladles to the inside under the arch."

Gentlespoons lead the B2 zig right (partners are on the "wrong" side of each other); ladles then lead the zag left and have a nice opportunity to pull into the partner swing after crossing in front of new neighbors. For my friend Cindy Visness, college bagpipe buddy and heartful dancer in Chapel Hill, NC."

++ star-thru corners, like contra corners but
(a) actives star through across instead of allemande 5/8 and
(b) allemands with corners are handy-hand.

The corners are on opposite sides of the set. In this dance, the first corner is the opposite gender role, and the second corner is the same gender role.

The next neighbors are the couple you passed on the right and left through

Elisabeth notes: it actually progresses indecent in addition to reverse progression.

Collected in 2017 CDSS American Week Dance Exchange

Notes from Bob Isaacs: In this crossing of two New England greats, Larry improves a dance written in
his honor by adding the give and take.

The very long and good neighbor sequence is allemande left-pull
by right-pull by right-pull by left-pull by left-circle-do si do-pull by right-balance-swing-give and take.
Source: Give and Take, by Larry Jennings.

Notes from Bob Isaacs: Written on August 7, 2012 as a smushing together of the B2/A1 of "A Sure Thing" and A2/B1 of "Trust," to put both transitions in the same dance. Chris learned to dance and call at Glenside before moving to San Diego a decade ago. This dance has it all; a new transition, good flow into both swings, and the beautiful/circle R/pousette progression.

Sliding doors: trade places as couples, turn alone

original at http://www.dance.ravitz.us/#ww2
5-1999