This is interesting; because I have gone to walking/teaching Ladies Chain without turning as a couple in just this way...just ladies give right and left to the gent. The gents-side turn her around keeping the lady's-side on your right to stay, or over and back the same way. Walked this last Saturday at a Vermont Grange where the floor was part One Night Stand dancers and part seasoned traditional"eastern" singing call dancers. No problems. Bob LivingstonMiddletown, CT
From: John Sweeney via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> To: callers@lists.sharedweight.net Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2017 6:09 PM Subject: Re: [Callers] Ladies Chain to Allemande Left (Was: Does this dance already exist?) Hi All, Ladies' Chain to Allemande Left is actually the original version of the Ladies' Chain! I believe that the Courtesy Turn was added sometime late in the 19th century, or maybe in the first half of the 20th century. Prior to that the "Chaine des Dames" was always danced as Ladies Pull By Right, Allemande Left the Man You Meet - and always there and back again. It occurs in countless dances over the last few hundred years, going back to the 18th century quadrilles and probably earlier. The Ladies' Chains in Chestnut contras were probably danced that way originally. Of course If the man maintains that Allemande position he will end up facing the wrong way in most dances. So he will usually have to make a quick turn to his left at the end of the Allemande. I find it quite hard to persuade the men NOT to touch the lady with their right arm. Many ECD dances contain this move and I understand that some American ladies hate it when the man guides her with his right arm. So, between the two extremes of the man ending up facing out, and the man putting his right arm around the lady, you have the compromise of starting the Allemande normally, but then the man turning towards the lady as the move ends - this is known in some circles as a Polite Turn. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers@lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net