#writtencontradance

[contradances]

Luna in the Library

Luna in the Library Ron T Blechner Duple Improper Contra A1. N Gypsy + Swing (16) A2. Circle L 3/4, Pass Thru Up/Down (6,2)       Shadow DSD 1x, form ring w/Partner (8) B1. Bal Ring, N Rollaway Across w/half sashay (4,4) (Ladies in front, L -> R)        PS (8) B2. Ladies Chain (8) (to N)        1/2 Hey (8) (LR, PL, GR, -) (to next Ns)

By request from a good friend I’ve known for years, who wanted a dance with a “wowee” (MWSD term for the rollaway across and swing on the other side). She reminded me of her longstanding request, and got the idea that it’d be neat to come to the “wowee” from a new angle - like up and down the set. Since I wanted it to be a partner swing, that meant a shadow interaction. The rest wrote itself in 15 minutes!

Called this in Greenfield at the Guiding Star Grange for the first time on August 13, 2016. Called it the following Wednesday at the Downtown Amherst Contradance with the friend dancing. I was worried the timing would be too loose - not so! I’m pretty happy with this one.

[contradances]

Together At Long Last

Together At Long Last Ron T Blechner Duple Improper Contra

(Start: Gents ID each other) A1. Gents Alle L 1.5x (8)        1/2 Hey (8) (PR, LL, NR, GL) A2. P Gypsy + Swing (16) B1. Ladies Chain (8) (to N)       Star L 1x (8) (to next Ns) B2. Next N Gypsy 1x (6)       Orig N Swing (10)

August 2016 - I danced “Here’s to the Gents” and wanted a dance with a star to next-neighbor and back to swing original neighbor - like in Lisa Greenleaf’s “Poetry in Motion”. I still have a more complex dance that - as of writing this - I have not yet called. Then I came up with this simple one. It turned out it was really close to Beau Farmer’s “Together At Last”, hence the name. Beau’s version starts with the B2, as a balance and swing, and the progression is from the star to that balance. My first, the progression happens at the very end, where you leave one neighbor and the gents allemande shifts focus to the new neighbors. The big difference there is that you’re able to do the star-with-the-next, and return to swing the original neighbor. My goal with this was to have a flirty dance. Now, as a caller, I never suggest on the mic that a dance should be flirty - I’m not there to *tell* people how to dance, especially not tell people to be flirty if they don’t want to (for any number of valid reasons). But, I certainly will give dancers opportunity with my choice of dances and suggested music.

[contradances]

Hot Buttered Scones

Hot Buttered Scones Ron T Blechner Becket - CW/Left A1. Slice L, Gents Rollaway P Lady w/half sashay on the way back (4,4)        LLF, Ladies Rollaway P Gent w/half sashay on the way back (4,4) A2. Ladies Alle R 1.5x (8)        NS (8) B1. Gents Alle L 1.5x (8)        1/2 Hey for Four (8) (PR, LL, NR, GL) B2. P B+S (4,12) 2015 April 24, at 7:45pm. Written in 15 minutes before my “No Circle Beckets” contra session at NEFFA. I was planning on calling Cary Ravitz’ “Maliza’s Magical Mystery Motion”, but the first caller had called something like “Welcome to Pinewoods” which was a nearly identical dance. I had to scramble, because I didn’t have a good spare four no-circle becket dance in my box. At first glance, I saw Perry Shafran’s “Hot Buttered Rolls” and thought it was no-circle, then I looked again. I modified it to remove the circle. It was a good fit with my program. I’m unsure why I haven’t published it until now. But here we go.

[contradances]

Mistakes Happen; Have Fun

Mistakes Happen; Have Fun Ron T Blechner Duple Imp.*

A1. Gents DSD 1x (6)       NS (10) A2. Circle L 3/4 (6)       PS (10) B1. LLFB (8)       Ladies Chain (8) (to N) B2. Star L 1x (8) (to Next Ns)       Next N Alle R 1.5x (8) (’til gents face in)

* Technically, this is an Indecent formation dance. You can teach it as Improper, and the neighbor swing will smooth it out. Or, you can start by lining people up improper, and having neighbors swing.

So I started with A Walk In The Park, and it’s a fine dance. Then I managed to alter it so that it had the chain and allemande with neighbors, making it even better for crowds with a mix of experienced and new dancers. I’ve called this a few times, and it works well.

I decided I needed to be very deliberate about the name, so I named it after my philosophy in contra dancing (and calling).

[contradances]

Gent’s Right-hand Chains

I was playing with “Gent’s [left-hand] Chain” dances, and I was unsatisfied with them. For some reason, they were never as easy to teach as were regular right-hand chains during beginner lessons or even just on-the-fly for dances where there’s no lesson but plenty of beginners.

I went in search of right-hand chain dances for gents, and found that they fell into a few categories: 1. Gimmicky. “OH MY GOD! Look! Not only do the ladies chain, but the gents, too!” 2. Complex. “This dance has a gent’s chain, a hey, a left-diagonal chain, a shadow, and confused dancers.” 3. Rare. There were a couple of solid dances with good flow, including one added to my caller’s box: Becky Hill’s “Chain the Swain”.

Left-hand chain dances had similar problems, and though I’d already added several to my box, I really wanted to have some right-hand chain dances for gents. Because really, why should the ladies have all the fun? I wrote a few, and found that, in my experience, it was easier to teach the right-hand chain to gents than teaching them the mirrored left-hand chain.

Catastrophe Averted Ron T Blechner Duple Imp.

A1. N B+S (4,12) A2. Circle L ¾ (6)       PS (10) B1. LLF, Gents Rollaway P w. ½ sashay (4,4) (Ladies R -> L)       Gents RH Chain (8) (to N) B2. Bal Ring, P Cali Twirl (4,4) (face next Ns)*       Next N DSD 1x (8, forgiving)

* alt: Circle L ½, Pass Thru to Next Ns

This was the first one I called, at Bates College, Friday March 11, 2016. It was the debut of the band Catastrophe, who were anything but. The room had lots of new dancers, and I believe I covered the rollaway earlier in the evening. At the last minute, I changed the B2 to the alternate (from an awkward first attempt), and then I settled on the B2 as it is.

Wednesdays at Amherst Ron T Blechner Duple Imp.

A1. Gents RH Chain (8) (to P)       Gents Gypsy R 1x (8)* A2. P Gypsy + Swing (16) B1. Circle L ¾ (6)       NS (10) B2. Pass Thru Across, N Cali Twirl (4,4) (to face back in towards Ps)       LLFB (8)

* or Gents DSD

This is the favorite of my bunch that I wrote, and I saved it for my home dance. I love this progression. Pass through, turn around, and surprise - time to chain again. Called this March 16, 2016.

(needs a name) Ron T Blechner Duple Imp

A1. LLFB (8)       Gents RH Chain (8) (to P) A2. Hey for 4 (16) (GR, NL, LR, PL) B1. P B+S (4,12) B2. Ladies G+T, NS (16)

NOT YET CALLED.

This was the first dance of the lot that I wrote with the gents right-hand chain. Of course, it was fairly close to a Chris Page dance.

(needs a name) Ron T Blechner Indecent (Duple Improper, swing neighbor)

A1. Circle L ¾ (6)       PS (10) A2. LLF, Gents Rollaway P w. ½ sashay (4,4)       Gents RH Chain (8) (to N, form ring) B1. Bal Ring, Spin R (4,4)       Bal Ring, Spin R (4,4) B2. Bal Ring, Pass Thru (4,4) (to next Ns)       Next NS (8)

NOT YET CALLED.

I wanted one with Petronella spins.

(Untitled) Ron T Blechner Duple Imp.

A1. LLFB (8)       Gents RH Chain (8) (to P) A2. Gents Alle R 1x (6)       PS (10) B1. R+L Thru (8)       Ladies Chain (8) (to N) B2. Ladies Alle R (6)       NS (10)

NOT YET CALLED

Here’s an obligatory mirror dance, where everyone gets some moves, partner and neighbor swing. Nothing fancy, but a nice mix. With the Right and Left Thru, it’s a dance with a solid mix of courtesy turns and who does them with whom.

[contradances]

Total Eclipse

Total Eclipse Becket CCW-R Ron T Blechner A1. Circle L 3/4 (6)       NS (10) A2. L-Diag Ladies Chain (8) (to shadow)       LLF, Ladies Rollaway Shadow Gent w. 1/2 sashay. (4,4) (L -> R) B1. w. P Star L 1x (8) (to shadow)       Shadow Bal R, Box Gnat (4,4) B2. Shadow Pull-By R (2)       PS (14)

I wanted a reunion dance that had a bunch of partner interaction. I had this idea that you’d see your shadow twice. The name sort of happened as a joke, but it was too good to pass up. Called March 16, 2016

[contradances]

Captain Tightpants

Captain Tightpants Becket CCW / Right Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced Ron T Blechner A1: LLFB (8)       Ladies R-Diag Chain (8) (to New N) A2: Star L 1x (8) (with N, not with P)*       Single File Along Set, (until across from P)       Single File Across Set (8) (Ladies lead across, N Gent Follows) B1: Ladies Turn Out over R Shoulder,       N Gypsy 1.5x (8)       1/2 Hey (8) (LL, PR, GL, NR) B2: Ladies Pass L (2)       PS (14) * The A2 starts a sequence of moves where the Gents will chase the N Lady (the one they chained with) through the B1, until finally in the B2 the ladies “escape” to reunite with their partner. Wrote this in 2014 sometime, named by a friend of mine. The title is an homage to the show Firefly, which the whole chase sequence is sorta a fun take on the chase sequence off the pilot episode. 

I’ve called this a few times. It’s been requested by name, so it’s got to at least be a little fun. :)

[contradances]

Leaf On The Wind

Leaf On The Wind Ron T Blechner Becket CW Contra written September 12, 2015

A1: Gents Alle L 1.5x (8)       1/2 Hey (8) (NR, LL, PR, GL) A2: Ns Pass + Loop R (2)*       Next N Gypsy + Swing (14) B1: Mad Robin (8)**       1/2 Hey (8) (GL, PR, LL, NR) B2: Gents Pass L (2)       P Gypsy + Swing (14)

* It's like a Gypsy R 1/2 to face next neighbor, but prompting it this way implies staying with your current neighbor, when you want to direct attention to the next neighbor. Pausing after the 1/2 hey may be useful. ** Gents pass in front, sliding R. (like a standard DSD)

You might, at the start of the dance, identify direction of progression (to the left / clockwise).

The dance might be equally as fun as an improper starting at the B1, but the A2 swing sets up the Mad Robin so nicely that it is easier to have it this way for teaching, plus the beloved end-with-partner-swing.

Background: This dance practically wrote itself. I was dabbling with a star-to-gypsy-to-progress-to-next series, and the positions weren't working right. So I changed the star to a hey and it was starting to make sense. The gypsy became just a 1/2 and still left room for a 14 beat gypsy meltdown with the next neighbor. I'd been meaning to write a Mad Robin dance for a while, and this was just too tempting. Walked it through with musician/dancer friends, and that was that. Good feedback after I tried it in Woodstock, NY and Brattleboro, VT.