Roll Swapping at Fleur de Lis Fling 2024-11-16

Bob Isaacs notes: The give and take figure originated from Larry Jennings, the great caller and writer from Boston. End the neighbor swing in shoulder/waist position, take two steps forward, and the gentlespoons take their partner’s hand and lead her to his side for a swing. Some “hard-to-get” playfulness usually goes along with this. In this dance the figure is a good alternative to circle L ¾, and in other dances can go to either side of the set.

This smooth-flowing dance was written by one top caller for the marriage of two other outstanding callers, Linda Leslie and Bob Golder, all of whom are from eastern Massachusetts.

Gene's Notes: "Any doubts I had about this dance were erased after I had a chance to dance it once. This has got to be one of the smoothest dances I have seen in a long while and which you must experience to fully appreciate. My goal in writing this dance was to create a Becket formation dance with both a partner swing and a neighbor swing. Halliehurst is a splendid old mansion on the grounds of Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia on whose front porch many impromptu contra dances have taken place."

(source: http://www.quiteapair.us/calling/acdol/dance/acd_59.html)

I generally think of a full chain as something to write into a dance as a way to fill time in the absence of a better idea, but Gene proves with this dance that it can serve a purpose. This dance has some of the absolute best momentum I've ever experienced, and it all comes back to the windup from the full chain. Consider shifting the opening of the dance to the B1 so that the partner swing comes at the end of the dance. That way the momentum buildup is uninterrupted middance.

New and experienced dancers seem to like this dance for its wonderful flow
couple do si do this was the first dance to have this figure in it 35 years ago this was probably the first dance with a couple do si do