20241109 Stone Lake Old Hat String

If you finish dancing before the music is done, let each couple in turn just sashay down until the music is ready to end.

A variation on the traditional Jefferson And Liberty. Coreographer's notes here: http://www.childgrove.org/index.php/about-dances/dance-writers/bob-green-dances

note in this scatter orientation it doesn't matter where the petro takes you.

Shared in July 2023 in a thread on calling for weddings.

Repeat for side couples, then all four ladles and all four gentlespoons. The transition from star to grand right and left is a challenge for beginning square dancers and provides an opportunity for the "team" to be successful. Introduction and ending are caller's choice.

Barn dance dancers have not been quick enough to star right then left, so we've just gone "one direction." See Barn Dance Variation for simpler version.

Patter:
(1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8)
ladles to the center and back to the bar, gentlespoons to the center for a right hand star
(1 2 3 4) back by the left don't go too far
(1 2) pass your partner pick up the next for a star promenade
(1 2 3 4) now gentlespoons back out & ladles go in
once and a half &you're gone again (5 6 7 8)
(1 2 3 4) now ladles back out, ladles go in
turn & a half & you're gone again (5 6 7 8)
(1 2 3 4) now break that star, everyone swing
(1 2 3 4) promenade til you get back home

from Wade Pearson, who notes "when you have dancers who are sharp, you can call this 1ce with gentlespoons as the first star, then a 2nd time with ladles as the first star for the opposite star promenade

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.


____0_________X___
^___0__^__^__X__^_
|___0___|___|__X__|_
0__ 0__X__0__X__X_


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.

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

"peel the banana" could be helpful language

Sashay til you're out of music

Original at MAXICRIB, Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle: https://www.scottish-country-dancing-dictionary.com/dance-crib/virginia-reel.html

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

alternate B2 is sashay down & back as long lines holding hands (requires more space)

ones allemande right your partner
ones allemande left your corner (same role as you)
ones allemande right your partner
ones allemande left your other corner (same role as you)

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

A waltz-time contra, can be danced and dissolved into a free waltz

Video available: http://dancevideos.childgrove.org/contra/contra-modern/527-allison-wonderland-by-bob-green-duple-improper

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

Variation of https://contradb.com/dances/39 eliminates do-si-do for use outdoors

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