5/14 Wilmington Wed Contra Dance

user: Casey Caison

Table of Contents

  1. Family Contra by Sherry Nevins
  2. Midwest Folklore by Orace Johnson
  3. Easy Peasy by Diane Silver
  4. Tica Tica Timing by Dean Snipes

  5. Waltz and Swing
  6. Viviana's Chainsaw Massacre by Bob Green
  7. Cranky Ingenuity by Bill Olson


Database

Copy

Validation

toggle validations for common dance entry errors, e.g. typing 'gentlemen' when you're using 'leads'

Family Contra

by: Sherry Nevins

introduces moves: balance, circle, do si do

formation: improper or proper

Begin joined hands four

A1 4
balance the ring
4
balance the ring
8
circle left 4 places
A2 4
balance the ring
4
balance the ring
8
circle right 4 places
B1 8
neighbors do si do once
8
partners do si do once (across the set)
B2 16
neighbors do si do 1½ as couples (holding partner's hand) ⁋

Midwest Folklore

by: Orace Johnson

introduces moves: slide along set, swing

formation: Becket

A1 2
slide left along set ⁋
8
circle left 3 places
8
neighbors do si do once
16
neighbors balance & swing
8
circle left 3 places
8
partners do si do once
16
partners balance & swing

Easy Peasy

by: Diane Silver

introduces moves: long lines, allemande, balance the ring, California twirl

formation: improper

A1 16
neighbors balance & swing
A2 8
long lines forward & back
8
gentlespoons allemande left 1½
B1 16
partners balance & swing
B2 8
circle left 3 places
4
balance the ring
4
partners California twirl ⁋

Tica Tica Timing

by: Dean Snipes

introduces moves: promenade, chain, petronella

formation: Becket

A1 8
circle left 3 places
8
neighbors swing
A2 8
neighbors promenade
8
ladles chain
B1 8
balance & petronella
8
balance & petronella
B2 14
partners balance & swing
2
slide left along set ⁋

Julian Bee notes that swapping the promenade for a R+L Thru is Linda Leslie's "Old Time Elixir #2", written in 1998. It's unclear when Dean wrote TTT, so both deserve a cross-reference. https://contradb.com/dances/474

Waltz and Swing

Viviana's Chainsaw Massacre

by: Bob Green

introduces moves: see saw

formation: Becket

A1 8
ladles chain
8
neighbors see saw once
A2 16
neighbors balance & swing
B1 8
ladles chain
8
partners see saw once
B2 14
partners swing
2
slide left along set ⁋

Viviana, a blind dancer, exclaimed to Bob after a dance where you had to watch for your partner to return in the long oval: "That was a chainsaw massacre!"

Bob wrote a new Chainsaw Massacre that was more accommodating to dancers without sight: a ladles' chain into a seesaw. Call it as "chainsaw to neighbor" and "chainsaw to partner".

Video available: http://dancevideos.childgrove.org/contra/contra-modern/506-viviana-s-chainsaw-massacre-by-bob-green-becket

Cranky Ingenuity

by: Bill Olson

formation: improper

A1 8
circle left 4 places
8
neighbors do si do once as couples
A2 8
neighbors do si do once
8
neighbors swing
B1 8
gentlespoons allemande left 1½
8
partners swing
B2 8
circle left 3 places
4
balance the ring
4
partners California twirl ⁋

B2 Circle L 3/4 (8), Balance the ring (4), Calif Twir
Bill Olson notes: The A part of this dance came from Vermont fiddler, Amy Cann. The rest kind of came together before a Concord (MA) Scouthouse gig on Feb 23, 2004. I used this easy dance to start off the evening that night. It is dedicated to my good friends from the venerable Boston area band, Yankee Ingenuity: Peter Barnes (who always enjoys a good pun), Mary Lea, Jack O'Conner and Cal Howard.

~ ~ ~