Thanks for the report. It sounds like it went pretty well, and could be a fun trick. The Butter choreography was just an example, so there doesn’t always have to be two circles in a row (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It could be used in place of a full hey and swing in just about any dance (improper or Becket). It could be substituted in Delphiniums and Daisies for example, although that’s maybe not a good idea, since it would destroy the simple and flowing feel of that dance.
Russell > On Jul 1, 2025, at 5:39 AM, Peter Foster via Contra Callers > <[email protected]> wrote: > > I tried this tonight, and it went well, with the dancers really enjoying > themselves. > > Lots of fun variations in the hey, not all of which were intended, but the > final circle > sorted people out nicely. > > Te only negative is from an aesthetic point of view: it has 2 circle lefts, > and it > is not generally desireable to repeat a figure. Although in this case it is > all right, > as the 2 circles are very distinctive, and you will not be confused as to > where > in the dance you are. > > As for a name, the original dance was named Butter. With all the mixing > up in the hey, perhaps name the dance Churning Butter. > > Anyway, a definite thumbs up from the dancers. > > Peter Foster > Canberra, Australia > > > On 30/06/2025 3:45 pm, Russell Frank via Contra Callers wrote: >> Watching dancers play around at a recent dance, I had the following idea for >> a “choose your own adventure” variation. >> >> The idea is that you do a full hey, but any or all crossings can be replaced >> by ricochets, with no pattern or requirements (other than that both people >> have to agree on the choice made at each stage.) They can then straighten >> things out by circling left until every body is on the side where they >> belong. >> >> For example, here is the modification of Gene Hubert’s Butter along these >> lines >> >> Becket >> A1 Progress left to the next couple, circle left 3/4, >> Neighbor swing >> A2 Long lines >> Robins chain >> B1 Robins start a full hey by the right, with ricochets permitted, but not >> required at each of the 4 crossings >> >> B2 Circle left until everyone is on their original side with their partner >> Partner swing >> >> I don’t know whether the variable circle length and resulting shorter or >> longer swing will be a source of fun or an annoyance, but it looks worth >> trying. >> I think if everyone ends up where they started at the end of the hey, they >> probably should do a long swing, rather than requiring a circle left all the >> way, but that’s a detail. >> >> At this point, I am calling dances only occasionally, so I won’t be trying >> it out any time soon. >> >> Please let me know what you think, and how it goes if you try it out. >> >> Thanks, >> Russell Frank >> Monterey, CA >> _______________________________________________ >> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
