One of my favorites does have arches but I let the dancers know the arches can be drawbridges to accommodate different heights.
Rural Felicity A1 LL F&B, Top pair (Quickly!) sashay to bottom A2 LL F&B, Same pair sashay back to top B1 Partner DSD, Partner 2-Hand Turn, and finish the turn by making an arch. B2 Top pair goes through the tunnel and remains at bottom. Others move up. When I call this at a wedding, I rename it to "The Tunnel of Love", and I ask the Bride and Groom to be the first top pair. Rich Sbardella Stafford Springs, CT On Wed, Oct 11, 2023 at 7:50 AM Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers < [email protected]> wrote: > I like this variant of Mo's. > I think i've sent this suggestion out to the list in a different context, > but I'll repeat it here- > > To add a bit more interest to these simple repetitive ONS dances, I do a > Gallopede very similar to Mo's, but with a mixer element. > > I designate one line as the Larks and one as the Robins (or one as the > Belugas and one as the Reindeer - anything silly and fun, perhaps relevant > to the context of the event). > > I emphasize that if you're an X you must always stay in the X line, and if > you're a Y you must always stay in the Y line. > Then I demo the progression with a small group to make sure they've got it. > > When it's time for the sashaying/galloping down the middle, I say "make > way for the top Reindeer and the bottom Beluga!" > > The top reindeer walks, skips, or does a silly dance down to the bottom of > *their* line, while the bottom beluga comes up from the bottom of their > line doing the same - sometimes they high five when they pass in the middle. > > Once they reach the ends (of their own respective lines - no switching > lines!), everyone adjusts the line till everyone is facing a new partner. > > If you have a long line you can send the two tops and bottoms (walking in > single file) together. > > this obviously adds a dimension of potential confusion, and some people do > forget it's their turn, or try to join the opposite line - but it's a very > forgiving dance and we never stay on the music to begin with - I find the > mistakes produce tons of laughter and the dancers themselves are always > able to sort the confused people out without any intervention from me. > I've done this dance at a whole range of weddings and community events > with great success. > > Sometimes i'll also add a "peel the banana" part between the partner > interactions and the top-bottom switch - with the top couple splitting at > the top, going down the outside, with everyone in their line following > single file, and all joining inside hands to come up the middle and exactly > back to where they started. > > I favour this type of thing over arching/ducking figures because it flows > nicely for everyone - I find the arching/ducking > a) brings ppl quite close - maybe uncomfortably so > b) makes arms tired > c) can be awkward instead of fun and flowy, trying to squeeze people > through > d) gets tricky with ppl of varying heights. > > This is not to say I think arching dances are bad/shouldn't be used - but > I am always trying in my ONS dances to produce the same joyous, > amusement-ride feel of a true contra dance, so I personally like to favour > figures that keep people flowing always. My personal preference :) > > KK > > Oct 11, 2023 5:49:30 AM Mo via Contra Callers < > [email protected]>: > > I usually stat with Galopde as a whole set dance (or 2 long sets side by > side). I dislike asking ONS, wedding guests to make sets of a particular > number (and needing 1 more/less couple) > > When I walk it through it’s > > A1 F&B cross over > > A2 F&B cross back > > B1 swing partner > > B2 1s gallop to bottom, rest move up > > But I warn them that I might tell 2, or more couples to gallop down, then > they need to move up more. > > Thanks for reminding me of the tunnel figure, I used to use that in a big > circle as part of the snake dance > > *From: *frannie via Contra Callers <[email protected]> > *Sent: *10 October 2023 19:38 > *To: *Erik Hoffman <[email protected]> > *Cc: *Shared Weight - Contra Callers > <[email protected]> > *Subject: *[Callers] Re: Favorite One Night Stand Dances > > Notes: If lines are really long do a double toaster with top two couples > each going over one of the lines trading at the bottom and coming back up. > > and > > Double Peel the banana with a 4 person arch at the bottom. > > On Mon, Oct 9, 2023 at 2:39 PM Erik Hoffman via Contra Callers < > [email protected]> wrote: > > I’d love to collect a few more whole set dances for one night stands. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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