user: Koren A Wake
mixer
waltz & break
by: Becky Hill
introduces moves: swing, circle, long lines, chain, star, do si do
formation: improper
| A1 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| A2 | 8 | circle left 3 places
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| 8 | partners swing
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| B1 | 8 | long lines forward & back
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| 8 | ladles chain to neighbor
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| B2 | 8 | star left 4 places ⁋
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| 8 | next neighbors do si do once
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by: Chris Page
mixer
introduces moves: balance, turn alone, custom, gyre, promenade
formation: scatter mixer
| A1 | 4 | balance ring [1]
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| 4 | turn alone [2]
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| 4 | individual scatter promenade ⁋
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| 4 | find a new partner
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| A2 | 8 | partners gyre once [3] [4]
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| 8 | partners swing
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| B1 | 8 | partners promenade scatter [5]
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| 8 | join in rings of any number of couples [6]
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| B2 | 8 | circle left 4 places
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| 8 | circle right 4 places
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http://chrispagecontra.awardspace.us/dances/index.htm#accretion-reel
[1] What ring? The circle at the end of B2. The first time through the dance, skip this part, and begin straight with the individual scatter promenade. (John Sweeney came up with a cool alternate beginning, with everyone in one big circle, before breaking it up into individual pieces. If so, you definitely also want the big circle for the final time through.)
David Millstone writes about a nice modification of this for ONS groups: "Chris's dance calls for folks to balance in and out, and even though I demonstrated that to a group, their inclination was to go into the center in four counts with a whoop! and their arms rising up. Who am I to fight the natural tendency of the dancers? I suspect that this feels more satisfying, and it still gives them 12 beats to say goodbye to their circle and to walk alone to find a new partner."
[2] When I'm calling for ONS (one-night-stand) groups, I'll use "say goodbye" here. Then when they gyre later on, it's "say hello, and go around them, looking at them."
[3] Those allergic to gyres may wish to substitute a do-si-do, or skip it altogether and go straight to the swing. For an ONS group, substitute the swing with a two-allemande, elbow swing, or "whatever you think a swing should be."
[4] For more advanced groups, thegypsycan be with more than one other person. And the swing can be a basket swing.
[5] Last time through the dance, I like to have everyone promenade in one giant circle. Ditto for the final circles.
[6] Here each couple needs to find a few other couples to circle with. Lone couples could always two-allemande each other. James Hutson came up with a nice term for these variable-sized circles -- blobs.The dance I consider my best. Usable both for non-dancing crowds, and with regular contra groups.
I wrote it after attending a contra dance with a number of beginners that kept breaking down over and over and over. On the way back, I thought what would have worked (a dance that intentionally broke down each time), and came up with a dance that I kept refining and simplifying down to this. It was partly also inspired by Ted Sannella's "Ted's Solo Mixer" and the scatter mixer "Set a' Crochet."
The dance's name came from ideas of planetary system formation, where larger and larger chunks of matter spiral inwards from gravity, accreting to form planetisemals, and then planets. The analogy goes bad where everybody separates every thirty seconds, but you could just consider that a periodic supernova event.
After having danced this, the A1/A2 feels sort of like the rush of looking for a partner, though here the commitment's only for 20 seconds. Kind of reminiscent of the cabeceo of tango.
by: Yoyo Zhou
introduces moves: allemande, balance the ring, California twirl
formation: improper
| A1 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| A2 | 8 | gentlespoons allemande left 1½
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| 8 | partners do si do once
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| B1 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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| B2 | 8 | circle left 3 places
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| 4 | balance the ring
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| 4 | partners California twirl to progress
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by: Seth Tepfer
introduces moves: Rory O'More, pass through
formation: improper
Starts in short waves, right hand to neighbors
| A1 | 8 | balance & Rory O'More right
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| 8 | balance & Rory O'More left
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| A2 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| B1 | 8 | ladles allemande right 1½
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| 8 | partners swing
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| B2 | 6 | circle left 3 places
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| 2 | pass through ⁋
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| 8 | next neighbors do si do 1¼ to short waves
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Based on Apples and Chocolate by Sue Rosen
by: Chart Guthrie
introduces moves: hey
formation: improper
| A1 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| A2 | 8 | ladles chain
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| 8 | ladles start a half hey - rights in center, lefts on ends
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| B1 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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| B2 | 8 | ladles chain
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| 8 | ladles start a half hey - rights in center, lefts on ends to new neighbor ⁋
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by: Yoyo Zhou
introduces moves: slice, down the hall, up the hall
formation: Becket
| A1 | 8 | slice left and straight back ⁋
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| 8 | ladles chain
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| A2 | 8 | ladles allemande right once
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| 8 | neighbors swing
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| B1 | 8 | down the hall and turn as a couple
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| 8 | up the hall and bend into a ring
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| B2 | 8 | circle left 3 places
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| 8 | partners swing
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waltz & break
by: Don Flaherty
introduces moves: petronella
formation: improper
| A1 | 8 | balance & petronella
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| 8 | balance & petronella
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| A2 | 4 | balance the ring
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| 12 | neighbors swing
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| B1 | 8 | ladles gyre 1½
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| 8 | partners swing
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| B2 | 8 | circle left 3 places
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| 4 | partners balance
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| 4 | partners California twirl ⁋
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by: Maia McCormick
formation: improper
| A1 | 8 | long lines forward & back ⁋
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| 8 | neighbors swing (this is a new neighbor)
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| A2 | 8 | ladles chain
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| 8 | ladles start a half hey - rights in center, lefts on ends
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| B1 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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| B2 | 8 | gentlespoons allemande left 1½
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| 8 | neighbors swing (the one you already swung)
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Written for a workshop at YDW '17 to practice communication with neighbors.
by: Lindsey Dono
introduces moves: box circulate
formation: improper
| A1 | 8 | star right 4 places
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| 8 | neighbors allemande right 1½
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| A2 | 8 | balance & box circulate - gentlespoons cross while ladles loop right
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| 8 | balance & box circulate - ladles cross while gentlespoons loop right
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| B1 | 8 | balance & box circulate - gentlespoons cross while ladles loop right
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| 8 | partners swing
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| B2 | 8 | ladles chain
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| 8 | star left 4 places ⁋
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by: Jacqui Grennan
introduces moves: zig zag
formation: Becket
| A1 | 8 | slice left and straight back ⁋
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| 8 | ladles allemande left 1½
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| A2 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| B1 | 6 | circle left 3 places
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| 6 | neighbors zig left zag right
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| 4 | shadows allemande left once
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| B2 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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The timing is fuzzy in the B1 but it does all fit.