20181123 Stone Lake with Second Wind String Band

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

Linda Leslie notes: Although I don't have the exact time that I wrote this dance, it must predate the first date I called it: 10/22/93 for the Appalachian Mountain Club, Joy Street, Boston. Especially useful for one night stands! Any combination of three. All dancers CAN do this dance, and it really mixes up the dancers. Great for weddings, etc. For these type evenings, I don't talk about #1 or #2 lines of three, or progression: rather I describe "home position". Once we have walked through the dance once, I then point out the couples who have come out at the top and/or bottom, asking them to wait out one time through the dance, turn around, and that this is when "home" changes. Works like a charm.....and the dancers are very happy finding new opposites for each cycle.

Original at http://www.lindalesliecaller.website/very-easy-dances.html

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

• make sure dancers understand 1s and 2s, and how they change when they're out

Mac notes:
I have a very easy dance that progresses but has worked for beginner groups. It was the only contra I got to work at the [] community dance.

It goes like this (I have never bothered to give it a name or check to see if it already exists)

Make sure they understanding being out one time---once I had couples who were out at the bottom run up to dance with the couple at the top.

Linda Leslie notes: timing here is not essential!
2022 03 27 called "Dip" as "under the arch" and "Dive" as "around the outsides so the 1s split and ring the 2s. Twos are alternately arches and posts.

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.

"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

(Take a partner, two hand turn til the gentlespoon's back is in the middle, drop hands with your partner, and take hands with those of the same role)

Source: Dick Witt; published in English Dance & Song, Spring 1968, Volume XXX No. 1 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/EFDS6803-DickWittsCircleMixer.html

original at: http://www.lindalesliecaller.website/very-easy-dances.html

original at http://www.lindalesliecaller.website/very-easy-dances.html