Apologies, I should have put that in there. I wrote Pluck It a while ago,
but I wouldn't be surprised if it already existed. It's almost the same
moves, in slightly different order, as Will's Festival Reel #2. (I'll
admit, I'm not a fan of the double forward and back of LL and then slice,
hence the DSD across.)

On Sun, Sep 8, 2024 at 2:35 PM Amy Wimmer <[email protected]> wrote:

> Luke, who wrote "Pluck It"?
>
> -Amy Wimmer
> Seattle
>
> On Sun, Sep 8, 2024, 9:50 AM Luke Donforth via Contra Callers <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> Oftentimes at One Night Gigs, I'll do a mix of circle and longways set
>> dances. With scatter mixers and specialty dances, I can fill an evening.
>> But sometimes I get a group that "wants contras" or is looking to grow
>> their familiarity with the dance form.
>>
>> I think Becket dances without lark/robin distinctions and no neighbor
>> swing are AN easy option into "hands-four" contras. There are other ways
>> in, but I'm looking for more Beckets that match that description. For a
>> while I've had "Pluck It" in my box as a friendly option:
>>
>> Pluck It
>> Contra/Becket-CW
>>
>> A1 -----------
>> (8) Circle Left
>> (8) Circle Right
>> A2 -----------
>> (8) Left hand Star
>> (8) Right hand Star
>> B1 -----------
>> (8) Partner Do-si-do
>> (8) Partner swing
>> B2 -----------
>> (8) Neighbor Do-si-do across set
>> (8) Long lines, yearn left
>>
>> This is, in my opinion, pretty close to the traditional mixer Scatter
>> Shot but done as a keeper in Becket. (It does have a DSD across the set,
>> which in a recent thread was listed as a no-no for some callers. While I
>> wouldn't use that move at a dance weekend, for One Night gigs I think it's
>> accessible and acceptable). You don't have to teach ballroom swing, and if
>> folks want to elbow swing and swap roles with their partner it doesn't
>> really impact the dance (this is a small advantage of Becket over improper
>> for this type of dance; different position on the side is less disorienting
>> than different side of the set).
>>
>> What other Becket dances do folks have that don't rely on roles? No larks
>> allemande or robins chain, etc.
>>
>> On the drive home from my gig last night I came up with this one (which
>> may already exist), written for Naomi who organizes the community dance I
>> was at:
>>
>> A Pillar of Weathersfield
>> Contra/Becket-CW
>>
>> A1 -----------
>> (8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
>> (8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella)
>> A2 -----------
>> (16) Partner balance and swing, end facing down the hall
>> B1 -----------
>> (8) Down the hall, four in line (turn as couples)
>> (8) Return and face across
>> B2 -----------
>> (8) Long lines, forward and back
>> (8) Promenade across the Set, turn as a couple and progress
>> (Go between the ones you danced with, passing by left shoulder, and the
>> new couple on your right, turn to take hands with new couple)
>>
>> I'd be curious what else folks have that they use for entry-level contras
>> when you don't have a critical mass of experience for improper dances with
>> neighbor swings.
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Luke Donforth
>> Burlington, VT
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>

-- 
Luke Donforth
[email protected] <[email protected]>
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