Modified: Wednesday, 08May2013     Printed: Sunday, 19May2013

Page: http://www.math.ufl.edu/~squash/contradance.jk1.html

Contradance | Calling 2013

At Vernals2012, I'm calling a no-walk-through Three Ceremonies with a flowing tune from Montage.

From Vernals2011, a no walk-through Chainsaw Reel with a high-energy tune from Footloose. (Version on facebook)

Barnstorm is playing a smooth tune, while I call Sweet Music , at UFCC (the Univ. of Florida Contra Club).

The Flying Turtles play while I call The Cure for the Claps [waltz at 2:55] , at O'Leno.

Gigs for 2013 are below. A memorable gig from 2011 was the End of the World dance dance.

For the curious, here is an animation which parodies contra dancers/callers. And the cheerful sequel.

Dance

Contra dancing

Most Boltin/O'Leno photos on this page are from one of Dave Pokorney's Galleries. (Clicking a photo gives a larger and uncropped version.)

Erin and I have been contra dancing a long time, and both our kids danced in the womb. Further down the page is a photo of our son, Isaac, acting as videographer when I was calling.

Here (on left) is a lovely photo (from the 7 Feb, 2010, Boltin contra dance) of daughter Ruth and wife Erin. On right, Ruth is promenading with our good friend Cydney.

Four regular local (Gainesvillish) contradances

• The GODS [Gainesville Oldtime Dance Society] has a dances each month on the: 1^st Sunday (4PM to 7PM), and 3^rd Saturday (8PM to 11PM), and [for every month with five Sundays] an AdvancedDance (no teaching session, fewer walk-thrus, trickier dances) on the 5^th Sunday (4PM to 7PM). These are at the Thelma Boltin Center, 516 NE 2nd Avenue, Gainesville [Tel.: (352) 334-2189]. See the GODS dance calendar for callers, bands, and venue-changes. The Calendar also lists (see below) the Melrose and UF dances. (N.B. The O'Leno dance is no more, due to insect damage to the floor.)

  A video of a GODS dance with Diane-Silver and Perpetural e-Motion Feb. 6, 2011:

• The (Univ. of Florida) UF Contra Club holds dances in the Reitz Union (Rion Ballroom) on the UF campus. [Schedule]. (There is a video of the 27March2011 dance with Ron Buchanon and Moving Violations. )

• The Melrose Shake Rag Contra Dance, 2^nd Fri. 7:30-10 PM.

  Ron Buchanon calling at the Melrose Contradance .

Although dances and tunes are listed cryptically, below, my Dances/Composers page has Composers/videos with links to composers' webpages, and links to videos of dances; for many, the steps are listed. There is also a list of Tunes and Contradance Bands.

2013 Feb 16, Sat., 8PM–11PM: Called the GODS Boltin Center dance, with Dunehoppers: Allen Hood, Kathy Zemanek, Bob Parsons, Mac Benford, and Mike Elias.

My planned program (with steps), is slightly different from...
...what I actually called:
Frederick Contra by Tom Hinds.

[IMPROPER:]
(“New”)Gents dosido(8). Ladies allemand-L 1.5, to change places(8).
Partner bal&swing(4+12).
DTHall line4, ONEs next to TWOs(6), turn as a couple(2). Come back UTHall(6), bend the line(2)...
...Circle left 3-places(8). Nbr swing(8). Gents look for new gent on the left diagonal.

Mad Scatter by Rick Mohr.

[Scatter mixer: Couples in 4-somes or 6-somes or 8-somes]
Circle left(8). Dosido nbr(8).
Allemand-R partner 1.5 [sending ladies in](8). Ladies star-L, while Gents orbit CW(8).
Bal&swing new partner(4+12).
Promenade anywhere with new partner(16) [Find another group to circle with].
Any number of couples can be in the circle left, ditto the star-L.

Snow Dance by Gene Hubert.

[IMPROPER: Shadows.]
Ring-balance(4), then ladies trade places passing R-shoulder(4). Ring-bal(4), with nbr California twirl [to face a new couple].
With new couple circle-left(8) [gents, your shadow is in your L-hand]. L-hand star(8). End effect: Dance with ghost couple. OR, turn alone, wait with Gent on the RIGHT.
With partner bal&swing(4+12).
Rights-and-lefts across(8). Ladies chain(8).
Ruth Pershing.
Darlene Underwood | Hotpoint.

(Irish (or Jig) Potatoes | Across a crowded room)
Labor of Love by Kathy Anderson.

[IMPROPER: Alternating 1s/2s Contra Corners] Note dir-of-progression.
Nbr bal&swing(4+12).
Long-lines(8). ONEs/TWOs R-hand balance across the set, Box-the-Gnat(4+4). [Gnat puts all the Gents on one rail, Ladies on the other]
ONEs/TWOs turn Contra Corners(4+4+4+4).
ONEs/TWOs bal&swing(4+12); End that swing facing original dir-of-progression. [Push apart to step to opposite rails, to face a new nbr].
Adina Gordon | Crowfoot. In Quebec.
Karen Jackson | Playing with Fire.

(Firefly)
Hey on the fritz by Jonathan King.

[IMPROPER: ] [@Hands4, temporarily becketize, hands in long lines, join at ends to make Oval. Partner in one hand, Shadow in the other.] [Walkthru: At star-end, ]
R-star 1¼ (8). Ladies look over L-shoulder to find Shadow. With shadow L-allemand(8).
Partner bal&swing(4+12).
Ladies chain(8). Ladies start half-hey(8). [As Gents finish crossing the set, melt into a...]
...Nbr swing(8). Gents “Left-shoulder Hey” [a half-hey](8). Gents pass L-shoulder, then R-shoulder with partner, then looks right, and sticks out R-arm, ready for the star-R with new nbrs. Each Lady passes R-shoulder w.partner, then does a L-shoulder gypsy with the other lady, till she sees her partner's back; hook on to him and make a R-hand star with New Nbrs.
A modification of: The Ritz by Gene Hubert.

Wizard's Walk by Ruth Ungar.

[IMPROPER: Do the Contra Stretch! Hands4, identify ONEs, and dir-of-prog.]
Circle left halfway, ring-balance(4+4). Circle left halfway, ring-balance(4+4).
In your rings-of-four, starting on the side: Square Through 4 places [R-to-Nbr, L-to-partner, R-to-Nbr, L-to-partner](2+2+2+2) . Gypsy Nbr 1.5(8) on the side, to progress.
Partner bal&swing(4+12) this swing is across the set, so needs extra room. End facing original-dir [facing away from the couple you have been dancing with].
Wizard's walk: Sliding doors. ONEs separate and go down outside TWOs, meet and continue down to split next TWOs;
Reverse. ONEs now separate and back-up outside those TWOs, meet and back-up through previous TWOs, ready to form the circle to start the dance again [TWOs should oscillate in and out to make room] [Lizard walk variant: the TWOs can move up the set and back to share the work with the ONEs.]
ONEs prog. off the bottom, prtnr-swing across the set, end facing UP, becoming TWOs. There'll be TWOs in front of you. Some ONEs will go around them, then split you.
Ted Steele | ?.
At Scout house.

(Star above the garter)
Waltz and Break.

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Second half:
Small Potatoes by Jim Kitch.

[IMPROPER:]
With nbr, Bal&Swing(4+12).
Circle-left 1x (8). Ladies chain(8).
Ladies dosido(8). Partner swing(8).
Circle-left 3-places and pass thru(6+2), next nbr dosido(8).
No walk-through, becoming a hash with other no-walk-throughs.

Major Hey by Erik Hoffman.

[4-FACING-4, Becket. Before becketizing, identify your “Travel Buddies ” in your short line4. Crooked tune, 16×5=80 beats]
Circle left 3-places(6), Face up and down Pass thru and swing the next to a new set(2), to Swing your new nbr(8). [End in BECKET, facing partner, next to nbr, in two groups-of-four.]
[Four] Long lines, fwd&back(8). Gents allemand-L 1.5 into(8)… a long Wavy line of eight folk, your partner in your R-hand.
Rory O'More [wavy-bal, R-L, slide right catch L-hands, bal L-R, slide left, snag R-hands](4+4+4+4).
Partner Pull-by, Hey! Major [or Half] Hey-for-Eight(16). Keep on going till you see your Partner.
Partner bal&swing(4+12); end in Becket formation. Face that other couple!
Cis Hinkle | Band? .

(Texas Gals/Gails)
Friday Night Fever by Tony Parks.

[IMPROPER:]
Nbr Bal&Swing(4+12).
Gents Allemand-left 1.5 (8). Partner swing(8).
With partner, promenade across(8). Ladies chain(8).
[Face partner] Square Through [Across the set: Prtnr R-hand bal and pull-by(4+2); w.nbr L-hand pull-by(2); w.prtnr bal and pull-by(4+2); w.nbr pull-by(2)], to face new NBR. In this Square-Through: Gents always turn right, ladies turn left.
Beth Molaro | Appalachian Storm.

Weave the Line by Kathy Anderson.

[IMPROPER: Double-progression. 3 sets of nbrs]
Lefthand star(8) [sugg.: wrist-grip star]. [Reverse] Circle-left(8).
[Hang on to your partner] Veer left around NBRs#1, veer right around NBRs#2 (4+4). [As individuals] DoSiDo your nbr#3 (8).
[Look behind you] Bal&Swing(4+12) nbr#2.
Long lines(8). Actives swing(8) [“One's swing, Two's frame”.]
[Is this caller Tony Parks?].

    As a medley: (No walkthrough.)
Chainsaw Reel by Don Lennartson.

[BECKET: Huge oval circle]
[Same two] Ladies chain(8). Long lines(8); keep hands, and connect at the ends to make a huge oval.
Oval right(8) [“Ovaltine”]. Oval left(8) [“OvalTang”].
[Original foursomes] Circle-left(8). [C'mon back with a] Left-hand star(8) all the way around.
[Ladies look right and] Allemand-R the new nbr-lady coming toward you(8). Partner-swing(8), on the side.
Jonathan King, Footloose. This was called as a no-walk-through.

---

Three Ceremonies by Adriane Moser.

[BECKET: Slide-left to Ladies chain]
Ladies chain(8), into Mad-Robin(8) [around NBR].
Ladies pass right to start a full hey (8+8).
Ladies cross the set, passing right shoulders, to swing partner(4+12).
Long-lines(8). Circle left all way, then slide-L to new NBRs(8).
Jonathan King (no walk through) | Montage.

Jolaine Jones-Pokorney | Barnstorm.
Posted on the Callers mailing list was: “The published choreography has B1 as pass rt shoulder to gypsy partner, then swing.”

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Then back to Chainsaw Reel.

My Future Calling

2013 June 01, Sat., 8PM–11PM: Will call the Cocoa Beach dance Bardic Rose:

Program (TBA)
Waltz and Break.

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    As a medley: (No walkthrough.)
Frederick contra, then Chainsaw Reel by Don Lennartson.

[BECKET: Huge oval circle]
[Same two] Ladies chain(8). Long lines(8); keep hands, and connect at the ends to make a huge oval.
Oval right(8) [“Ovaltine”]. Oval left(8) [“OvalTang”].
[Original foursomes] Circle-left(8). [C'mon back with a] Left-hand star(8) all the way around.
[Ladies look right and] Allemand-R the new nbr-lady coming toward you(8). Partner-swing(8), on the side.
Jonathan King, Footloose. This was called as a no-walk-through.

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Three Ceremonies by Adriane Moser.

[BECKET: Slide-left to Ladies chain]
Ladies chain(8), into Mad-Robin(8) [around NBR].
Ladies pass right to start a full hey (8+8).
Ladies cross the set, passing right shoulders, to swing partner(4+12).
Long-lines(8). Circle left all way, then slide-L to new NBRs(8).
Jonathan King (no walk through) | Montage.

Jolaine Jones-Pokorney | Barnstorm.
Posted on the Callers mailing list was: “The published choreography has B1 as pass rt shoulder to gypsy partner, then swing.”

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Contra music

From time to time, prospective dancers have asked me, before plunging in to try contra, What is the music like?

Some contra bands provide on-line samples of their music. Rather than list individual websites, below are a few links to music at the Contracopia website [which I found via a websearch; I have no connection to the site]. (N.B: The website Contracopia is one-letter-away from the band yclept Contratopia.)

• Pig's Eye Landing.
• Wild Asparagus, and Wild Asparagus (home).
• Among the albums of Contratopia: Hands Four and Smitten.
• An audio file of Patrick McCullough (from Contracopia) calling.

Dance