user: Nicholas Rockstroh
waltz
by: Larry Jennings
introduces moves: swing, circle, promenade, chain, star
formation: improper
| A1 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| A2 | 6 | circle left 3 places
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| 10 | partners swing
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| B1 | 8 | partners promenade
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| 8 | ladles chain
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| B2 | 8 | neighbors promenade
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| 8 | star left 4 places to next neighbors
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One of the great glossary dances. Simple figures and gentle timing, but not so comprehensive that it leaves you with no options to make the second dance feel distinctive. Definitely a favorite of mine.
introduces moves: long lines, right left through, allemande
formation: improper
Note the hand in which the next neighbor's hand will be held in the long lines
| A1 | 8 | long lines forward & back
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| 8 | neighbors swing
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| A2 | 8 | right left through
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| 8 | ladles allemande right 1½
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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 and take hands with next neighbors in long lines ⁋
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I was taking a course on gender and sexuality at the time I wrote this. The title is a double pun; "Contra is essential" is one meaning, "against cultural/biological essentialism" is another.
by: Gene Hubert
introduces moves: down the hall, up the hall
formation: Becket
start the walkthrough with partners swing, and then form a line of four facing down
| A1 | 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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| A2 | 8 | circle left 3 places
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| 8 | neighbors swing
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| B1 | 8 | right diagonal ladles chain
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| 8 | star left 4 places ⁋
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| B2 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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One of my favorite dances from Gene. A rare example of a Becket dance with lines of four down and up the hall, and a clever little progression via the right diagonal chain. It's a fantastic dance to inject variety into an event with a mixed crowd, since there's enough unexpected to scintillate experienced folks without overwhelming beginners.
by: Ron Buchanan
introduces moves: form an ocean wave, pull by dancers
formation: Improper
| A1 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| A2 | 8 | pass through to an ocean wave & balance - ladles by left in the center, neighbors by right on the sides
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| 2 | neighbors allemande right ½
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| 2 | gentlespoons pull by left
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| 4 | partners allemande right ¾ and look for shadows
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| B1 | 6 | shadows allemande left once
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| 10 | partners swing
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| B2 | 8 | pass through to an ocean wave & balance - ladles by left in the center, partners by right on the sides
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| 2 | partners allemande right ½
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| 2 | gentlespoons pull by left
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| 4 | neighbors allemande right ¾ and look for next neighbors
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introduces moves: give & take, roll away, turn alone, meltdown swing
formation: Becket ccw
| A1 | 4 | gentlespoons give & take neighbors
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| 12 | neighbors swing
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| A2 | 4 | long lines forward
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| 4 | gentlespoons roll away neighbors with a half sashay
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| 8 | gentlespoons right-hand chain
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| B1 | 7 | circle right 3 places
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| 2 | turn alone to find next neighbors ⁋
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| 7 | circle left 3 places
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| B2 | 16 | partners meltdown swing
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After dancing the original dance, I noticed that I wanted to something at the beginning other than doing two circle lefts in one dance. After skimming my mental inventory of equivalent figures, I realized that I had a tendency towards going forward and back at the beginning of the dance, so a give and take fit into the pattern nicely.
waltz
by: Sarah Kaiser
introduces moves: slide along set
formation: Becket
| A1 | 2 | slide left along set - look across to see your neighbors ⁋
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| 6 | star right 3 places and look back
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| 8 | star left 4 places with prev neighbors
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| A2 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| B1 | 8 | long lines forward & back
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| 8 | ladles allemande right 1½
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| B2 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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by: Cary Ravitz
introduces moves: zig zag, hey
formation: becket
| A1 | 8 | right left through
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| 8 | circle right 3 places
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| A2 | 6 | zig right zag left ⁋
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| 10 | next neighbors swing
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| B1 | 8 | gentlespoons start a half hey - lefts in center, rights on ends
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| 8 | gentlespoons allemande left 1½
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| B2 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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partner DSD and swing in B2 also works quite well
by: Rich Mohr
introduces moves: custom, do si do
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
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| 8 | corners swing
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| A2 | 8 | ladles star right once
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| 8 | corners allemande left 1.25
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| B1 | 10 | partners pull by right for grand right and left until they meet their partner
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| 6 | partners do si do once
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| B2 | 16 | partners balance & swing and end facing new lines of 4 ⁋
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In the grand right and left dancers end up traveling half way around the circle.
by: Bob Green
introduces moves: mad robin, allemande orbit
formation: Improper
| A1 | 8 | mad robin, ladles in front
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| 8 | ladles allemande left 1½ around while the gentlespoons orbit clockwise ½ around
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| A2 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| B1 | 8 | ladles give & take partners
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| 8 | partners swing
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| B2 | 8 | ladles chain
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| 8 | mad robin, ladles in front ⁋
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introduces moves: custom, dolphin hey
formation: Becket cw
| A1 | 2 | slide left along set ⁋
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| 6 | circle left 3 places
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| 8 | neighbors swing, end in a line of four facing down
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| A2 | 8 | down the hall and turn as a couple
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| 0 | Alternate: down the hall and turn alone
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| 8 | up the hall and ones face second ladle
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| B1 | 0 | Alternate: up the hall and twos face first ladle
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| 16 | dolphin hey - start with ones passing second ladle by right shoulders and do one extra pass to home sides
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| B2 | 0 | Alternate: dolphin hey - start with twos passing first ladle by right shoulders and do one extra pass to home sides
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| 16 | partners meltdown swing
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This dance holds a special place in my heart. I wrote it to commemorate my time in Louisville, KY when I realized I would be leaving. This was the last dance I called on a Monday night there before moving to Cincinnati, OH. Named after the famous line from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I spent seven years as a native in the Louisville Contra scene and nine in the Louisville folk dance scene in general. It's the place where I found my love of country dance and learned my craft as a caller and choreographer. It is, undoubtedly, one of the best dance scenes in the country, and I look forward to returning as often as possible.
Update: I moved back to Louisville in 2020, so I guess I get to return to dance there every week now.