user: Nicholas Rockstroh
waltz
by: Don Armstrong
introduces moves: do si do, swing, down the hall, up the hall, circle, star
formation: improper
| A1 | 8 | neighbors do si do once
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| 8 | gentlespoons do si do once
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| A2 | 8 | ladles do si do once
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| 8 | ones swing end facing down to split the twos
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| B1 | 8 | down the hall and turn alone
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| 8 | up the hall and bend into a ring
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| B2 | 8 | circle left 4 places
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| 8 | star left 4 places to a new neighbor couple ⁋
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by: Larry Jennings
introduces moves: promenade, chain
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: Cary Ravitz
introduces moves: hey, pass through
formation: Becket
| A1 | 8 | ladles chain
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| 8 | ladles start a half hey - rights in center, lefts on ends
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| A2 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| B1 | 8 | gentlespoons allemande left 1½
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| 8 | partners swing
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| B2 | 7 | circle left 3 places
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| 2 | pass through ⁋
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| 7 | circle right 3 places
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by: Chris Page
introduces moves: petronella, custom, meltdown swing
formation: triple minor, triad formation
Take a standard proper triple minor. 1s and 2s cross over, and then 2s and 3s circle left 1/4. Chris describes it as 1s improper, 2s and 3s Becket. For more on Triad formation, see "TLC Tempest."
| A1 | 8 | balance & petronella [3]
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| 8 | balance & petronella
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| A2 | 8 | balance & petronella [4]
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| 8 | star left 3 places **3 Gentlespoons** [5]
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| B1 | 16 | grand right & left - partner right, left, right, partner left, right, left [6]
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| B2 | 16 | partners meltdown swing [7] ⁋
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http://chrispagecontra.awardspace.us/dances/index.htm#whirlpool
[1] Starting formation: Take a standard proper triple minor. Ones and twos cross over, and then twos and threes circle left 1/4. I describe it as ones improper, twos and threes Becket. For more on Triad formation, see "TLC Tempest."
[2] Twos and threes progress up, staying with each other, but swapping sides as they travel up. Ones progress down past two couples.
End effects at the top: Every third time through the dance, two couples get spit out at the top. The both wait out improper, one below the other. One will get in the next time, the other will have to wait until the time after that.
End effects at the bottom: Couples just wait out on the sides, Becket-like, for a full hands-six to form. Since this is double progression, there shouldn't be any couples at the bottom accidentally trapped there forever.
[3] All six. For the petronella turn, everyone move one position to their right.
[4] Everyone is now progressed. All the remaining moves finish where they started.
[5]Menease out of the star a tiny bit early so everyone's facing their partner around the circle of six.
[6] Within the group of six.
[7] Or balance and swing. After the swing, ones face down. Twos and threes face uppish and across, having swapped sides.There's no need to mention who are twos and threes. Just call them "side couples".
After testing "Because It Was There," I realized a grand right and left was a good thing to put in a regular-length contra. This was the result, which worked surprisingly well. It's also helped by a low piece count.
by: Gene Hubert
introduces moves: slide along set
formation: Becket
| A1 | 2 | slide left along set ⁋
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| 6 | circle left 3 places
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| 8 | neighbors swing
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| A2 | 8 | long lines forward & back
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| 8 | ladles chain
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| B1 | 16 | ladles start a full hey - rights in center, lefts on ends
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| B2 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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waltz
by: Yoyo Zhou and Lindsey Dono
introduces moves: mad robin, zig zag
formation: Becket ccw
| A1 | 8 | circle left 4 places
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| 8 | ladles chain
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| A2 | 8 | mad robin, ladles in front
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| 8 | circle right 4 places
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| B1 | 4 | zig right zag left ⁋
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| 12 | gentlespoons start a hey - lefts in center, rights on ends - until partners meet the second time
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| B2 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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by: Al Olson
formation: improper
| A1 | 16 | neighbors balance & swing
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| A2 | 8 | long lines forward & back
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| 8 | ones do si do 1¼
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| B1 | 8 | star left - hands across - 4 places with nearest neighbors (not with partners)
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| 8 | ones allemande right 1½
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| B2 | 8 | star left - hands across - 4 places with nearest neighbors (not with partners)
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| 8 | ones swing ⁋
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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.
by: Gene Hubert
introduces moves: form an ocean wave, Rory O'More
formation: improper
| A1 | 8 | long lines forward & back
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| 8 | neighbors allemande left 1¾
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| A2 | 0 | form an ocean wave - ladles by right hands and neighbors by left hands
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| 8 | balance & ladles Rory O'More right
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| 8 | partners swing
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| B1 | 6 | ladles start a half hey - rights in center, lefts on ends
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| 10 | partners allemande left twice
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| B2 | 0 | form an ocean wave - gentlespoons by right hands and partners by left hands
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| 8 | balance & gentlespoons Rory O'More right
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| 8 | neighbors swing ⁋
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introduces moves: balance the ring, California twirl, pull by dancers
formation: Becket cw
Shadow 1 is next to you, shadow 2 is past shadow 1
| A1 | 6 | circle left 3 places
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| 10 | neighbors swing
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| A2 | 4 | balance the ring
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| 4 | partners California twirl and face next neighbors ⁋
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| 8 | circle right 3 places with next neighbors
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| B1 | 8 | neighbors zig right zag left zig right around two couples to 2nd shadow
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| 6 | 2nd shadows allemande left once
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| 2 | 1st shadows pull by right
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| B2 | 16 | partners balance & swing
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For those unfamiliar, the California twirl here is a Nevada twirl, which is a California twirl with the opposite hands. The end effects here are doubly screwy. If you're out after the partner swing, the ladles need to go on the left and the gentlespoons on the right. If you're out after the Nevada twirl, you have to immediately switch again to have the ladles on the right and the gentlespoons on the left. Named after The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and a line in Miracle of Sound’s “Sovngarde Song” based on the game.