I call Ellen's Green JIg, by Roy Dommett, to weddings and Catholic girl's schools etc. (usually after doing something like Virginia Reel to get the idea of lines of facing couples)
This dance does not matter if the number one people open up on their side of the set or not when they face their neighbor, and I don't worry about it. People are almost always connected (the circling and the dip and diving) so it's hard to go wrong. The one thing I've seen go wrong is facing across the set for the dip and dive instead of up and down! So I make sure to get them oriented for that. I also do the square dance Birdie in the Cage. I tell each couple to choose who is going to be the Birdie, and who is going to be the Crow. Then when I get to the break figure, I can say "Crows (or Birdies) to the middle with a right hand star" and go from there. Similarly Crows in the middle on the promenade around. I don't worry about whether they stand on the side of the set with the crow on the left or the birdie on the right as they are waiting or after they swing (which is sometimes just a two hand turn or elbow swing for beginnners and children). Doesn't matter. I even do Birdie in the Cage with 5 couples in a circle if I have a couple out. Martha Wild On Jul 23, 2012, at 4:30 PM, callers-requ...@sharedweight.net wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > call...@sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > callers-requ...@sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > callers-ow...@sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Gender Neutral Dance Request (jsph...@aol.com) > 2. Re: Gender Neutral Dance Request (Dave C) > 3. Re: Gender Neutral Dance Request (Dave C) > 4. Re: Gender Neutral Dance Request (Winston, Alan P.) > 5. Re: Gender Neutral Dance Request (Jonathan Sivier) > 6. Re: Gender Neutral Dance Request (Liz and Bill) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:58:07 -0400 (EDT) > From: jsph...@aol.com > To: call...@sharedweight.net > Subject: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > Message-ID: <2fbdb.51334e0f.3d3ef...@aol.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" > > Hi All, > Just checking to see if someone would have a few gender > neutral dances to share with me. I will be calling to a large group of > non-dancers that will mostly be same-sex couples. I was thinking of calling > a > few circle mixers, Sicilian circles, Virginia reel type dances and perhaps > a few contras. > > Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks, > Joe > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:21:32 -0700 (PDT) > From: Dave C <contradancerd...@yahoo.com> > To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > Message-ID: > <1343071292.77627.yahoomailclas...@web161801.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > Hi Joe, > > I would not recommend calling contras if they are not regular contra > dancers.? I would do circles, mixers, and longways set dances, similar to the > VA Reel - dances like Boston Tea Party or anything from Peter Amidon's series > of books (Chimes of Dunkirk, Listen to the Mockingbird,...) - or perhaps some > simple squares.? Contras (and their progression) often confuse new dancers, > and same sex partners can also make things difficult to teach.? You don't > want to spend more time teaching a dance than they actually get to dance it.? > Jefferson and Liberty is the only, repeat only, contra dance I have had good > success with when calling to a group of non-contra dancers.? Also, do not run > the dances as long as a contradance would run - they don't have the stamina > to dance continuously for 8-10 mins, and the hot weather is a definite > factor.? > > Jefferson and Liberty, can be done proper or improper > A1? Circle Left > ?????? Circle Right > A2? Right Hand Star > ?????? Left Hand Star back to place > B1? 1's Go down the outside > ?????? 1's come back up and around their 2's to step between them to form a > line of 4 > B2? Line of 4 go Down the Hall > ?????? Don't turn around - just back up, > ?????? 1's Make Arch in center of line, 2's go thru the arch to new neighbors. > > There are no swings, it is an easy foolproof progression, and the dance can > be done proper or improper.? Remember to explain the concept of 1's and 2's > and that the number changes when they get to the end of the line (waiting out > 1 round of the dance).? I don't know the author - I always announce that it > is a Traditional American Contra Dance.? There are other versions of this > dance where the B1 is changed to something else, but this is my favorite > version. > > Dave Colestock > New Cumberland, PA? > > > --- On Mon, 7/23/12, jsph...@aol.com <jsph...@aol.com> wrote: > > From: jsph...@aol.com <jsph...@aol.com> > Subject: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > To: call...@sharedweight.net > Date: Monday, July 23, 2012, 2:58 PM > > Hi All, > ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Just checking? to see if someone would have a few gender > neutral dances to? share with me.? I will be calling to a large group of > non-dancers that? will mostly be same-sex couples.? I was thinking of calling > a > few? circle mixers, Sicilian circles, Virginia reel type dances and perhaps > a? few contras. > > ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ???Any? feedback would be greatly appreciated. > > ? Thanks, > ? ? ? ? ???Joe? > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > call...@sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:30:30 -0700 (PDT) > From: Dave C <contradancerd...@yahoo.com> > To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > Message-ID: > <1343071830.59312.yahoomailclas...@web161802.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > I should add that Longways Set Dances like the VA Reel and Boston Tea Party > also usually have the top couple in the line doing a figure where they end up > at the end of the line (and there is a new top couple), so there is some > downtime for the dancers who are not yet the top couple in the line.? During > that time the other people in the line will not be "dancing", and will often > clap to the beat (like when the top couple is reeling the line in the VA Reel > - that series of left and right allemandes that take the top couple to the > bottom of the line).? You can encourage the clapping if they don't just do it > themselves. > > Dave Colestock > New Cumberland, PA > > --- On Mon, 7/23/12, Dave C <contradancerd...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > From: Dave C <contradancerd...@yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > To: "Caller's discussion list" <call...@sharedweight.net> > Date: Monday, July 23, 2012, 3:21 PM > > Hi Joe, > > I would not recommend calling contras if they are not regular contra > dancers.? I would do circles, mixers, and longways set dances, similar to the > VA Reel - dances like Boston Tea Party or anything from Peter Amidon's series > of books (Chimes of Dunkirk, Listen to the Mockingbird,...) - or perhaps some > simple squares.? Contras (and their progression) often confuse new dancers, > and same sex partners can also make things difficult to teach.? You don't > want to spend more time teaching a dance than they actually get to dance it.? > Jefferson and Liberty is the only, repeat only, contra dance I have had good > success with when calling to a group of non-contra dancers.? Also, do not run > the dances as long as a contradance would run - they don't have the stamina > to dance continuously for 8-10 mins, and the hot weather is a definite > factor.? > > Jefferson and Liberty, can be done proper or improper > A1? Circle Left > ?????? Circle Right > A2? Right Hand Star > ?????? Left Hand Star back to place > B1? 1's Go down the outside > ?????? 1's come back up and around their 2's to step between them to form a > line of 4 > B2? Line of 4 go Down the Hall > ?????? Don't turn around - just back up, > ?????? 1's Make Arch in center of line, 2's go thru the arch to new neighbors. > > There are no swings, it is an easy foolproof progression, and the dance can > be done proper or improper.? Remember to explain the concept of 1's and 2's > and that the number changes when they get to the end of the line (waiting out > 1 round of the dance).? I don't know the author - I always announce that it > is a Traditional American Contra Dance.? There are other versions of this > dance where the B1 is changed to something else, but this is my favorite > version. > > Dave Colestock > New Cumberland, PA? > > > --- On Mon, 7/23/12, jsph...@aol.com <jsph...@aol.com> wrote: > > From: jsph...@aol.com <jsph...@aol.com> > Subject: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > To: call...@sharedweight.net > Date: Monday, July 23, 2012, 2:58 PM > > Hi All, > ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Just checking? to see if someone would have a few gender > neutral dances to? share with me.? I will be calling to a large group of > non-dancers that? will mostly be same-sex couples.? I was thinking of calling > a > few? circle mixers, Sicilian circles, Virginia reel type dances and perhaps > a? few contras. > > ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ???Any? feedback would be greatly appreciated. > > ? Thanks, > ? ? ? ? ???Joe? > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > call...@sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > call...@sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:25:47 -0700 > From: "Winston, Alan P." <wins...@slac.stanford.edu> > To: "'call...@sharedweight.net'" <call...@sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > Message-ID: > > <4e2de3a1b7a7a94d9538f8a28d424aac41d4bad...@exchcluster1-05.win.slac.stanford.edu> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Joseph -- > > Unless you've had a bunch of experience calling longways duple minors to > non-dancers -- I actually do, but it's in the context of people who wanted > to learn about Jane Austen-era dances and so are up for a party with some > lesson in it, aren't drinking, and won't wander away if they don't get it > instantly; this lets me get away with a somewhat rocky first longways and > then things get better - I would stay away from contras generally. > > Don't know if by "Virginia-reel type dances" you mean "small set dances with > a ones-to-the-bottom progression". If you do, then I think you've got this > covered. > > Even so, some suggestions: > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Orcadian Strip the Willow > (Long line of couples.) > > Top couple right-elbow turn 1.5 and face neighbor in the other line > Left elbow 1x with neighbor > Right elbow 1x with partner > Left elbow 1x with next neighbor > Repeat until end of line, where that couple turns to their own side (or not, > in gender-neutral version) > > Every 16 bars another couple starts the sequence while previous couples are > still going. (So at > the top of A1 and the top of B1 every time through the tune). > > Biggest problem is keeping people from starting too soon. This is probably > even an easier dance gender-neutral than gendered because if people go too > far or not far enough you can still just get them to turn the one they come > to rather than stopping and trying to fix it.) > > ["Orcadian" means "of the Orkney Islands", incidentally.] > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Falling Masonry > Easy, ceilidh > 4-couple longways; 32-bar jigs. > > A1: Hands in lines, forward and back, drop hands, cross over, stay facing out. > (Variants possible here with arching). > > A2: Hands in lines, backward into the set (touching glutes optional), forward, > drop hands, cross backward (same shoulder) into original lines. > > B1: "Falling Masonry" figure (like a collapsing chimney): > Tops gallop down while everyone else moves up (important); > new tops the same, until all four have galloped down. > (A new couple starts every two bars). > > B2: 1s to the bottom again, others move up, all swing when you arrive > in progressed place. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > And since I just got back from the Cumberland Gap dance week, here's two > functionally gender-free > dances named after Cumberland (in England): > > > CUMBERLAND REEL >> From "Barn Dance Book" > Four-couple longways > 32-bar JIGs > > A1: 1s and 2s only, RH*, LH*. > > A2: 1s take two hands, gallop down to the bottom and back again. > > B: > > 1-8:1s cast out to their own sides, lines following, > then make an arch at the bottom; > everyone goes through with their partner. > > 9-16:When the new 1s get to the top, they lead a double cast left and back > up the middle to start the dance again. > > (Funny notation was because the suggested tune in the book had a 16-bar B, > not repeated. > Read that as B1, B2 if you want.) > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > THE SQUARE EIGHT (Cumberland) > CDM1 - Tune is "My love she's but a lassie yet" or any 32-bar reel or jig. > Square set > > A1: Tops galop across and back; men pass back-to-back first time, women > second time. (But you don't have to express it that way. Try "couples > pass > keeping to the right each time, as if you were driving".) > > A2: Sides the same. > > B1: Tops: right hands across, left hands back. > > B2: Sides the same. > > A1: Tops basket. > > A2: Sides the same. > > B1: All eight circle left - polka or skip-change step. > > B2: Change direction and promenade to place. [Left-side partner from square > formation is on > The left (inside) in the promenade; right-side partner is on the outside.] > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > -----Original Message----- > From: callers-boun...@sharedweight.net > [mailto:callers-boun...@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of jsph...@aol.com > Sent: Monday, July 23, 2012 11:58 AM > To: call...@sharedweight.net > Subject: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > > Hi All, > Just checking to see if someone would have a few gender > neutral dances to share with me. I will be calling to a large group of > non-dancers that will mostly be same-sex couples. I was thinking of calling > a > few circle mixers, Sicilian circles, Virginia reel type dances and perhaps > a few contras. > > Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks, > Joe > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > call...@sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:10:00 -0500 > From: Jonathan Sivier <jsiv...@illinois.edu> > To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > Message-ID: <500dcbb8.9020...@illinois.edu> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; format=flowed > > On 7/23/2012 1:58 PM, jsph...@aol.com wrote: >> Just checking to see if someone would have a few gender >> neutral dances to share with me. I will be calling to a large group of >> non-dancers that will mostly be same-sex couples. I was thinking of >> calling a >> few circle mixers, Sicilian circles, Virginia reel type dances and perhaps >> a few contras. > > Many of the dances I do for non-dancer groups of any sort have > little or no distinction between the two members of a couple. Most of > these are proper and whole-set. You interact with your partner and > possibly your neighbor, but there's no need to specify gender roles. > Dances like Cumberland Reel and Galopede are always good for this sort > of event. If the people are doing well you might try an easy contra > such as Jefferson's Reel. The Community Dances Manual is a good source. > Here are a few dances you might like to use. They all work with 32 > bar tunes. > > Jonathan > ----- > Jonathan Sivier > Caller of Contra, English and Early American Dances > jsivier AT illinois DOT edu > Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html > ----- > Q: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? > A: It depends on what dance you call! > > ----- > > Cumberland Reel > Traditional > longways for 4 to 6 couples > Tune: eponymous tune or AST (any square tune) > > A1 top 2 couples right hands across star and then left hands across > star back to place > A2 top couple chasse down the center and back > B1 top couple casts off down their own proper sides leading their > line to the bottom and back to place > B2 all couples, except top couple, make arches, top couple goes to the > bottom of the set under the arches > > Cumberland Square Eight > a quadrille, 4 couples in a square > Tune: My Love She's But A Lassie Yet or AST > > A1 Head couples chasse across the set and back, going CCW around > the other couple > A2 Sides the same > B1 Heads right hands across, left hands back > B2 Sides the same > A1 Heads basket swing in the center > A2 Sides the same > B1 All circle left > B2 Promenade back to place > > Galopede > Traditional > proper longways for 8-12 couples > Tune: eponymous tune or AST > > A1 - all forward and back, > pass through across, taking partners place > A2 - all forward and back, > pass through across, returning to original place > B - do-si-do partner, > two-hand turn with partner > C - top couple sashay down the center to the bottom > of the set, other couples move up one place > > Jefferson's Reel > Dudley Briggs; adapted from Jefferson and Liberty > duple proper > Tune: Jefferson and Liberty or AST > > 1 - circle left > 2 - circle right > 3 - star right > 4 - star left > 5 - actives down the outside > 6 - return to place > 7 - down the hall 4 in line, actives in the center > 8 - actives arch joined hands and back up, > inactives duck through the arch > > Sanita Hill Circle > Ed Durlacher > Sicilian circle > > 1 - circle left > 2 - circle right > 3 - do-si-do neighbor > 4 - do-si-do partner > 5 - star right > 6 - star left > 7 - forward and back > 8 - pass through to next couple > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:30:02 +1200 > From: Liz and Bill <staf...@ext.canterbury.ac.nz> > To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Gender Neutral Dance Request > Message-ID: <500dde7a.9070...@ext.canterbury.ac.nz> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Hi Joe, > > Both of these can be done as Sicilian circles or contras, and the progression > is as straight forward as Jefferson and Liberty and done gender free, it > doesn't > matter if couples swap or not when they come back it. > > Easy Progressive Sicilian Circle > Sicilian Circle of couples 32 bar > A CL(8) CR(8) > A RH turn opp(8) LH turn opp(8) > B RH turn part(8) LH turn part(8) > B Ad(4)Ret(4) Ad(4)Pass(4) > (clockwise couples arch) > > > Easy Progressive Contra 3 Improper or Sicilian Circle > > A1 Circle Left Circle Right > A2 Left Hand Star; Right Hand Star > B1 Left diagonal (i.e. Ladies position) Dosido; Right diagonal (Gents) > Dosido > B2 Neighbor Allemand Right 1x (or 2x if keen and energetic); > Neighbor Right hand Balance (4) > and Right pull by (4) > > Note: when teaching transition A1/A2 I say keep moving but put your left > hands in to make a star. Also helps them learn to move the stars first and > make the grip on the move. > > A very simple dance was mentioned on SW a few years ago. > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [Callers] Utterly Introductory dance input sought > Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:33:09 -0500 > From: Lisa Sieverts <l...@lisasieverts.com> > > Blobs > longways sets, gender doesn't matter > > 1. F&B > 2. F&B > > BEGIN TEACHING HERE (Blobs begin at the top, make circles of 2, 4, or > 6 people -- or more as long as they don't tell you about it!) > 3. Blob Circle LEFT > 4. Blob Circle RIGHT > > 5. Blob RIGHT hand STAR > 6. Blob LEFT hand STAR > > 7&8. Blob sashay down, others move up > > Cheers, Bill > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > call...@sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 95, Issue 2 > **************************************
