Now and again
by Erik B. Erhardt, 2010.03.04
Indecent (inactives cross)
[Pulses Call]
A1:
4 (Old neighbors) Left-hand star 1/2
6 (New, current neighbors) Right-hand Star 3/4
6 Neighbor Swing (quick)
A2:
8 Balance ring, Petrunella turn (to the right)
4 Circle Right 1/2
4 (with Gents in lead) couples (with partner) weave Right around neighbors, then Left to connect with next neighbors
B1:
8 (Next neighbors) Circle Left 3/4
8 Pass the ocean wave (ladies turn 1/2 by left, gents cross set to connect right hands with partner to form a wavy line), Balance the wave
B2:
8 Ladies left-hand turn 1 time around, while Gents orbit 1/2
8 Pass up and down the line to Mad Robin (with current neighbors, ladies in first)
Dance Notes:
- This dance starts with old neighbors, moves to current neighbors, previews next neighbors, and ends with current neighbors. Can call them the “old guard”, “current crop”, “up-and-comers”.
- No partner swing, one quick neighbor swing, so make the mad robin count!
- Jig about 110bpm would be fine slow and smooth tempo.
- This dance is for Laurel Wilson.
- Not yet danced.
dance
Two inches off the ground
by Erik B. Erhardt, 2010.03.03
Proper
[Pulses Call]
A1:
8 Symmetric Do-si-do, Actives together, then Inactives
8 Actives Figure-8 down
A2:
8 (Left shoulder) Pass through (to maintain eye-contact), hands-off Courtesy turn (as in Money Musk)
8 Mad robin, Gents in first
B1:
8 Gents begin Right-shoulder Hay 1/2
2 Gents cross by Left shoulder
6 Left-shoulder (partner) Gypsy 1 time
B2:
8 Single-file Promenade 3/4, Gents in lead (to Left) [Gents, draw the Lady to you with your eyes]
8 Actives Swing, face down (stay connected for do-si-do), while Inactives 2-hand turn 1/2 (left)
Dance Notes:
- This dance is eyes-strong and you don’t get to touch anyone until B2.2, and then, only your partner.
- This dance is for Karina Wilson.
- Not yet danced.
dance
Catch and Release and Catch
by Erik B. Erhardt, 2010.02.18
Becket, double progression to the right (reverse Becket progression)
Music: slow tempo, flowing through B1, can have punctuation on beat 4 in four measures in B2
[Pulses Call]
A1:
4 (with Neighbors across,) Box the Gnat
6 (into) Right-hand (wrist-grip) Star 3/4
6 (Gents turn over right shoulder,) Neighbor swing
A2: (catch)
8 (with Partner across, Ladies pass left shoulder taking right hand with Partner)
Gents Lasso Ladies [Partner], high then low (Ladies walk around twice, letting hands go behind the Gent’s back on second time around)
8 (into) Partner gypsy 1-1/2 (lades end on left, facing in)
B1: (release and catch)
8 1/2 Poussette (Ladies join both hands with Neighbor Gent, then push and pull the Gents as the Ladies move as a do-si-do relative to each other)
8 (while Ladies are backing up, gents catch partner with right hand and) Partner Swing
B2:
16 Zipper (across right-hand pull-by (no courtesy turn), turn (or hop) alone to right and with same-gender diagonal one person left pull-by, face in and repeat; end effect is to not pull by if no one on is on diagonal)
Dance Notes:
- Many dancers may be unfamiliar with a Lasso (Richard Wilson), Poussette (English country dance), and Zipper. Therefore, this dance may take a while to teach.
- Teaching Zipper: It is a series of pull-bys with four people. The person straight across is #1, to their immediate right is #2, and #3 and #4 are the next two to the right. Now pull-by across and use the held hand as a pivot, turn (or hop) to right and look on the close left diagonal for that next person with the left hand.
- The first three quarters of the dance turns to the right, so the zipper is a welcome relief to stop turning.
- I wrote this dance in the car driving to Stellar Days and Nights, 2010 talking about dance with Richard Wilson who mentioned Lasso and Poussette as rare moves. I called the dance there two days later and I thank Mary Devlin for providing calling feedback.
- This dance is for Tara Schneider who I befriended at Berea Christmas Country Dance School, Dec 2009.
dance
The Calamitous Milkcrate Caper
by Erik B. Erhardt, 2003.05.27
Duple Improper Contra Dance
[Pulses Call]
A1:
4 Circle Left 1/2
4 Gent Roll Partner [Lady] Left into (no sashay, Gents are anchored in place)
4 Gents Chain across by the Right [hand] (the Gents are doing a Ladies chain)
4 Ladies Courtesy turn Gents (give Left hands, wheel around)
A2:
4 Circle Right 1/2
4 Lady Roll Partner [Gent] Right into (no sashay, Ladies are anchored in place)
8 Ladies Left shoulder 1/2 Hay
B1: (the tease)
6 Gypsy Partner 3/4 around (until the gents are facing in)
2 Gents cross set (by right shoulders) into
8 Swing Neighbor on Lady’s side
B2:
4 Ring Balance
4 Active Lady California twirl Partner/Gent (Lady lift right hand, gent turn under, and pull into a swing)
8 Actives Swing
while Inactives cast alone over outside shoulder
[can alternate actives and inactives role in B2 if long sets and very sharp dancers, caller may need to cue actives/inactives for swing throughout]
Dance Notes:
- This dance was written with gender role reversal in mind. It’s about time the guys get the dance action! Also, if the gypsy is done meaningfully, it can be a real tease.
- It’s probably worth a little extra instruction to get the Gents Chain across correct. Most people only dance one gender role. As such, they have difficulty when called upon to reverse roles. I suggest two walk-thrus of the Gents chain across. The first one suggest the traditional courtesy turn with the right hands on the waist/lower back. The second one suggest an underarm twirl. This will give the dancers a wider vocabulary of moves.
- Also, I would suggest that if the man is much taller than the lady, that they resort to the traditional courtesy turn rather than the underarm twirl to avoid injury. In this case there is a nice “whip” twirl where, if they take hands in front for the turn, at the end the lady can whip the guy for an unspotted spin (guy spins counter-clockwise) at the end. More advanced dancers will find this on their own.
- 12/30/09 - Made two corrections (B1 gypsy 1/2, B2 Actives only Cali turn) and expanded explanations.
- 2008: I’m starting to dance again, after developing (2004ish) and having surgery (Dec 2006) to remove a Morton’s Neuroma in my left foot from dancing in beautiful shoes that were too narrow; it’s hard to find dance shoes in a 11-4E. To celebrate, here’s a contra I wrote some years ago, which I first called at CCDS 2009.
dance