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.