20230122 Stone Lake Practice

user: Allison Jonjak

Anderson Ferry Reel

by: Eric Conrad

introduces moves: up the hall, down the hall, do si do, slide along set, swing, custom, long lines

formation: proper mixer

all face up, inside hands joined

A1 4
up the hall 4 steps forward
4
down the hall backward 4 steps back
4
up the hall 4 steps forward
4
down the hall backward 4 steps back
A2 6
partners do si do once
2
slide left along set ⁋
8
partners swing (new partner)
B1 16
"lonesome one, ride the ferry" ⁋
B2 8
long lines forward & back (adjust)
8
partners swing

Start teaching dance at the "slide left along the set". Most of you are facing a new partner, but at the top and the bottom are 'lonesome ones'. Lonesome ones will 'ride the ferry (weave your own line to the top or bottom)

notice which side you're on.

5-7 couples, 6 ideal
learned from Lynn at Breaking Up Thanksgiving 2022, an ideal dance for letting barn dancers practice swings ending on correct side, because there is lots of practice but no harm if it goes wrong.

Coconut Cream Pie

by: Lynn Ackerson

introduces moves: custom, allemande, circle, balance the ring, California twirl

formation: four face four

Have dancers note their "trail buddies" and who their corners are. The two dancers in the middle of the line of 4 are corners and the dancers at the ends have their corners in front of them.

A1 8
long lines forward & back
8
middle 4 star right 4 places
A2 8
partners allemande left 1½
8
other 4 star right 4 places
B1 16
partners balance & swing
B2 8
circle left 4 places
4
balance the ring
4
partners California twirl ⁋

In this case there are 8 places in the circle, so going 4 places is equivalent to half way.

La Guaracha aka Spanish Waltz

by: Companion to the Ballroom

introduces moves: balance, roll away, custom

formation: four couple square

any 32-bar waltz, esp. "My Lodging is on the Cold
Ground

A1 4
____ balance corners
4
gentlespoons roll away ____ corner (left hand ladle to gentlespoon's right hand)
4
balance corners
4
gentlespoons roll away ____ corner
A2 4
balance corners
4
gentlespoons roll away ____ corner
4
balance corners
4
gentlespoons roll away partners
B1 32
waltz the set

Via Alan Winston, as I wanted a dance featuring rollaways, but without choreography inaccessible to a room full of first-time dancers.

Alan notes: you might get to your goal with this dance which barely has choreography (La Guaracha, from "Companion to the Ballroom" 1827, here from the Community Dances Manuals):

That A1 is balance and roll away (with gentlespoon not half-sashaying); four times gets everybody home.

For a barn dance where you can't rely on everybody being able to do a traveling waltz, you can easily adapt this in multiple ways;

first off, sub a promenade for the waltz, or sub a circle left and promenade home.

second, you can just make it duple meter if you prefer, and then make it balance and swing and promenade.

Third, you can change it to be roll away with a half sashay, and it's more important to reach your partner than to get home on the rollaways; the promenade takes care of that.

Fourth, change the figure to
1st time: all balance, ladles roll left to right in front of gentlespoons (start crossing neighbor) 4x
2nd time: all balance, gentlespoons roll left to right in front of ladles
(start partner)
(For ONS you might be fine just repeating those two times, but if you're a little ambitious ... 3rd time: all balance, roll left to right 2x, / all balance, gentlespoons roll left to right 2x, meet partner on other side ...

Anyway, it's barely choreography but it gives you roll away practice in square formation without having to do heads or sides.

United We Dance

by: Bob Isaacs

This dance is not published.

Bowl of Cherries

by: Sue Rosen

introduces moves: promenade, chain, cross trails

formation: improper

A1 8
neighbors do si do once
8
neighbors swing
A2 8
neighbors promenade
8
ladles chain
B1 8
ladles allemande right once
8
partners swing
B2 8
circle left 3 places
4
gentlespoons roll away neighbors with a half sashay
4
cross trails - partners across the set right shoulders, neighbors along the set left shoulders ⁋

With neighbor along the set roll away with half sashay (ladles rolling from left to right)

Delphiniums and Daisies

by: Tanya Rotenberg

introduces moves: hey

formation: improper

A1 8
neighbors allemande left 1½
8
ladles chain
A2 16
ladles start a full hey - rights in center, lefts on ends
B1 16
partners long swing
B2 8
circle left 3 places
8
neighbors allemande right 1½ ⁋

Written in 1985 for the 20th anniversary of her parents' wedding, these being their wedding flowers.

The Wild Woman From North Carolina

by: Bill Olson

introduces moves: pass through

formation: improper

A1 16
neighbors balance & swing
A2 4
circle left 3 places
4
gentlespoons roll away partners with a half sashay (along the set)
4
circle left 2 places
4
gentlespoons roll away neighbors with a half sashay (across the set)
B1 16
partners balance & swing
B2 8
circle left 3 places
4
balance the ring (not part of original choreography)
4
pass through (to new neighbors) ⁋

http://www.billolsondance.com/wwnc.html
B1: roll away directly into a swing (no balance) is very satisfying
Original choreography has a new neighbor do-si-do after the pass thru in B2. I removed the do-si-do and added a balance the ring prior to the pass thru. Dancers seem to want to associate the B2 do-si-do with the A1 bal&sw and occasionally drift off the phrasing because of it.

Penicillin

by: Nicholas Rockstroh

introduces moves: gyre, petronella

formation: improper

A1 8
neighbors do si do once
8
neighbors swing
A2 4
long lines forward
4
ladles roll away neighbors with a half sashay
8
ladles allemande left 1½
B1 8
partners gyre once meltdown to
8
partners swing -end in ring of 4
B2 8
balance & petronella spin right one place
4
balance the ring
4
pass through ⁋

Notes: Written to medley with Steve Zakon-Anderson and Louis Cromartie’s dance Salmonella Evening. Preserves the progression from that dance while doing some different stuff beforehand. Perfectly enjoyable on its own, but the name only makes sense in the context of the medley. Inspired by a conversation I had with Josiah Roberts.

Salmonella Evening

by: Steve Zakon-Anderson

formation: improper

A1 8
neighbors allemande right 1¾
8
gentlespoons allemande left 1½
A2 16
partners balance & swing
B1 8
balance & petronella
8
balance & petronella
B2 8
balance & petronella
4
balance the ring
2
pass through ⁋

Rod's Grits

by: Bill Olson

introduces moves: box the gnat, star, right left through

formation: improper

A1 8
neighbors right hand balance & box the gnat
8
star right - wrist grip - 4 places
A2 8
right left through
8
ladles do si do 1½
B1 16
partners balance & swing
B2 8
partners promenade
6
circle left 3 places
2
pass through ⁋

Airpants, Bradley Smith pass through

by: Lisa Greenleaf

formation: improper

A1 16
neighbors balance & swing
A2 8
long lines forward & back
8
ladles allemande right 1½
B1 16
partners balance & swing
B2 8
circle left 3 places
4
balance the ring
4
pass through to new neighbors

Bradley Smith Notes: Originally, the last figure of this dance was a neighbor do-si-do 1 1/2, but I usually swap it for the ring balance and pass through to make the progression as simple as possible for inexperienced dancers.

The Gay Gordons (step together/step apart version)

by: Chestnut

introduces moves: custom

formation: circle mixer

Couples in a circle around the room facing anti-clockwise, ladles on the right.

Hold: Right hands joined over ladle's shoulder (gentlespoon's arm behind ladle's back), and left hands joined in front.

A1 8
walk forward
8
pivot to walk backward (still counterclockwise)
A2 8
walk forward
8
pivot to walk backward (still clockwise)
B1 8
step together, step apart
8
pass ladle to the center
B2 8
step together, step apart
8
ladle turn back

If not progressing, ladle twirl back to "outside".