Seth,
The alternative to make the rotation flow into the swing is for the
women to roll their shadow. Then the men are rotating in the correct
direction and the women catch their partner for the swing. The main
problem is that most women are not used to leading this figure and that
few are willing or capable to execute it well. When I first danced this
dance at the Flurry last year, Peter Amidon called it and during the
walk through, asked us to try it both ways (women rolling men and men
rolling women). He then asked us which we liked better. The response was
pretty even between them. He then mentioned that you and your shadow
could work out which one you liked better and do that. The potential was
that you and your partner could both be rolling into each other's arms
or both sashaying into the swing. I thought it was pretty clever of
Peter and the right thing for that crowd of dancers who mostly could
make up their own minds about it.
By the way, if you wanted to change the dance so you swung your other
shadow, you just need to change the flow so the men lead the hey.
A2 Promenade, ladies pull by right, Partner allemande left 1+1/2,
B1 Gents lead 1/2 RS Hey, Gents look left, Ladies look right for Shadow
Swing.
B2 Ladies roll shadow, Gents roll shadow, swing partner
For the introduction of this shadow at the beginning of the walk
through: take hands in long lines, roll your partner away. In one hand
you have your partner, in the other your shadow. This also is a good
opportunity to teach roll away to your dancers.
Chris Weiler
http://www.chrisweiler.ws/
Seth Tepfer wrote:
I've been thinking about Head of the Bed for a while. I like the simplicity
of the dance, the 'ah ha' moment of finding your partner, and the lovely
roll away into your partners arms.
However, I've been watching dancers in that roll away. If you think about
that roll away, the momentum is opposite of a swing. Gents roll the ladies
away in a counter-clockwise spin, from right to left. The ladies land in
their partners arms turning CCW, only to then start moving CW.
I've been watching dancers, but it doesn't seem to be an awkward
transition. So I don't think it is a problem. People certainly aren't
complaining about it.
If the rollaway was left to right - ie, in a completely different dance,
gents rolled a lady on their left to their right and then turned to their
left to swing the next - would that be any smoother?
It's not like you could just change the dance - going to the shadow on the
other side of your partner, for example - doesn't make that situation
happen. You'd have to go your 2nd shadow on the other side of your partner.
Swing them. LL, roll away your 1st shadow on the other side of your
partner, and then swing your partner. I'm trying to put it into a dance,
but it would be pretty complex - involving a ladies chain on the right
diagonal and then a chain on the left diagonal, or something pulling along
the lines or something.
seth
At 01:19 PM 1/5/2006, Seth Tepfer wrote:
At 06:36 PM 1/4/2006, Karen Fontana wrote:
Yes, I recall the previous email conversations about the 1/2 promendade
vs the Rt & Left thru...
So, the introduction is before teaching at the top (A1)? or the one
you've seen...
When I walked it through in my head, here's where I got stuck: when you
teach the B1 "1/2 Hey" W start pass Rt Sh, then "Shadow Swing", don't you
need to explain in which direction to look for their shadow coming out of
the 1/2 Hey? (to the right or to the left?)... or do they know from
recognizing the face from the introduction of introducing the P, N,
Shadow prior to teaching?
Sorry I've been off email. Here is what I got from Nils:
Head of the Bed
becket (have the dancers identify their shadows - next to them in long lines)
A1 cirlcle left 3/4, neighbor swing
A2 promenade, ladies chain
B1 1/2 hey, turn away from partner and swing shadow
B2 long lines forward, gents roll shadow away on the way back...into
partner's arms for a swing
Now, when I called Head of the Bed at Sacramento, I did it as written. The
words I used, when people are in becket formation, are "Take hands in long
lines. One hand you are holding is your partner. The other hand you are
holding is your shadow"
As far as where their shadow is, here's how I think of it: If you
reverse the last move of the dance, the roll away, their shadow is next
to them both before and after. This is the way that Peter Amidon taught
it and I copied him: "Bow to your partner, bow to your neighbor across
the set, bow to your shadow next to you on the side of the set." It sets
up a nice continuous rotation and identifies the three people you are
