Contra and Square Dances by Peter Foster

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Last modified 16 Aug 2010

Here are some of my contra dances. Feel free to try them out. See also my sicilian circle dances. Comments are welcome - email pfoster@pcug.org.au

Written for Rob Mahony.

For Rob's birthday, he had a contra dance party on a train. Dancing in a moving train is definitely an interesting experience!

The dance was written during lunch and first danced on the return journey, so perhaps a more accurate title would be "14:30 to Canberra".

The hey is a bit confusing: you balance in line with a couple, but then the hey is with a different couple. And after the final swing, you finish facing yet another new couple (heck, maybe this would be better as a single progression).

This was the first contra I wrote.

Notes

1. "Avenues and alleyways" refers to the two sets of long wavy lines, one up and down the hall (avenues), the other across the hall (alleyways). A single set can still do the dance, but if there are multiple sets then the adjacent sets should join the wavy lines across the hall at the end of B2

2. In B1, the 5/8 hey is a bit unusual: after a normal half hey, the men do one more pass to finish facing their partners (on the man's side). Then the allemande right takes up the rest of the music, to finish in wavy lines across the hall.

3. When doing the allemande right into the wavy lines, it doesn't actually matter if the allemande is 1/2, or 1, or 1+1/2 times around, either way you still end up swinging the correct person. If everyone does it as written then the wavy lines alternate men and women, which is nice but not essential. But telling the dancers that it doesn't really matter will probably only confuse them more.

Al's Safeway Produce by Robert Cromartie is a good dance with one aesthetic flaw: the neighbour swing comes after the partner swing. This dance is basically a slight rearrangement to fix this. I also changed the circle left to a give and take, in order to reduce the clockwise rotation and to increase the partner interaction.

In A2, note that the rights and lefts is with hands all the way. It is NOT right and left over and back, it is more like a mini grand right and left.

The cast of stars

This is a continuous movement for the four dancers. Essentially, there is a right hand star that goes around 4 times, but the dancers are continually dropping out and joining back in. Here is a blow by blow description:

The women always join in the star in *front* of their partner. Note that, in the part where the women cross and then cast left, their path is exactly the same as in a ladies chain.

The original dance, by Rob Mahony, is as follows: A1 Balance and swing neighbour, A2 Ladies chain across and back, B1/B2 Cast of stars

An alternating dance with double contra corners.

• 1st corner is opp-sex, across & right
• 2nd corner is opp-sex, across & left
• 3rd corner is same-sex, immediate left
• 4th corner is same-sex, immediate right

Each time, the active couple turns partner by the right 3/4, then corner by left once around

The alternating makes this dance a bit confusing. Note also that when the 2s are doing the corners, they are doing it from the "wrong" side (at that point, everyone is improper).

Notes

In A2, be careful not to turn the star too far.

This dance is a variation of Enid's Delight by Philippe Callens, to include some swings. I have come up with many versions of this dance over the years. This is the one I like best.

Use as a final dance for the evening: there is good partner interaction and swinging 2 neighbours each time through means that you will likely meet everyone in the set.

The box circulate was used in Steve Schnur's 24th of June, Don Lennartson's 24th of October, and Tom Lehman's 24th of August and The 24th, Once More. Only that last one has 2 swings, but it is a bit difficult. So I put together an easier 2 swing dance.

The dance has gone through a number of versions, none of which were written on the 24th, so I had to come up with another name.

A slight adaption of Another Flirty Attempt by Marian Hepburn (it's also awfully similar to Gypsy Hey, below)

Written in the car while on a short drive to my parents place.

Note that during the long lines, your shadow is opposite. Make sure that this is the case, especially when you get towards the end of the set.

This dance is based on Rendezvous by Dan Pearl.

Couples reaching the end of the set should immediately cross over so they can join in for the second half of A1

In A2, the left hand turn with corner can be either 1 or 1+1/2. If you go 1+1/2 then you will swap places with that person so your single file march will be in the other direction (and with men on the outside, women on the inside).

I walk through the dance twice, first doing the single turn, then the 1+1/2 turn. It is then dancer's choice, each time through, whether to turn once or 1+1/2 (in practice, dancers end up doing a quick right hand turn, then doing the left hand turn several times around).

Based on Larry's Mixer, by Larry Jennings

As in Larry's Other Mixer, the right hand turn in A2 can be either 1 or 1+1/2. This will likely result in meeting some same sex people in the grand right and left.

A variation of Larry's Other Mixer

The hey along the side is done as follows: Pass neighbour left shoulder, gypsy next neighbour by right, pass original neighbour by left, gypsy previous neighbour by right, come back to original neighbour for the third time (dancers wrap around the ends as necessary). Dancers should make a conscious effort to keep level with their partner, who should be directly across the set.

In A2, pick up your partner in a promenade hold and go slightly out to your right (gents passing left shoulder). This should flow easily from A1.

In the promenade around and back, you need to remember your current neighbours so you can come back to them.

Couples waiting out on the end should participate in A1. They will have finished the dance on the "wrong" side (not yet crossed over), but from there they can immediately join in, starting by passing each other left shoulder (while the others are passing their neighbour by the left shoulder).

A1 is from Carol Ormand's dance "Jurassic Redheads". My original version had the hey with your neighbour and 2 next neighbours, but when I saw Carol's dance I thought it was much nicer to do the hey with your next and previous neighbours (it also flows better into A2). Thanks Carol!

P.S. I have since found that Bill Pope has a similar themed dance, "Look, Don't Touch". However, in Bill's dance the "hands off" is limited to your opposite sex neighbour.

Notes (lots of notes - read them all before trying this dance!)

Dance a square and finish by progressing (with partner) into a new square. You will keep your partner, but dance in squares all over the hall.

To set it up have each square join hands in a ring, then line up the squares in rows and columns. Make sure they're straight, with no gaps. Spare couples can also be accommodated: they just stand around the edge somewhere and join in at B2.

Note that the timing in B1 is a bit sloppy. The promenade is less than halfway around, so it doesn't take very long. However, well behaved contra dancers like to take the full 8 steps so that they start the next figure on the beat. For this dance, that doesn't work very well: there is 16 steps to do a short promenade, a ladies chain and an extra half turn. In order to fit, the dancers must be instructed to do the ladies chain as soon as the promenade is done. Emphasise this point.

Each time through, the dancers will finish on the opposite side of the set and progress in that direction, so that they progress either up and down the hall or across the hall. BUT... (here's the good bit) in A2 there is a simple variation to swap the heads and sides: grand right and left to person number 4 (rather than number 3). This results in a slightly longer promenade but a shorter ladies chain (the ladies chain is then only one place around, the call is "ladies chain to partner"). Since this swaps the heads and sides, couples will then progress on the other axis. Note that the timing of B1 will then be slightly different, but again it all fits into a 16 count phrase.

The first few times through the dance, the caller can specify the number of hands in the grand right and left, either 3 or 4 (I suggest the sequence 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 4 etc). After people are comfortable with the dance and no longer need prompting (so the caller can shut up), each individual set can decide for themselves how far they will go (ie someone in each set simply shouts out "third person" or "fourth person"). This gives a nice erratic progression. (Incidentally, if you are feeling courageous, try calling out "second person". This results in a very short promenade and a long ladies chain. It also rotates the set, but in the other direction. The very last time the caller can say "fifth person". Guess what that does).

Ideally, the number of sets should be enough to make a nice solid block (eg 9 sets arranged 3x3 or 12 sets arranged 3x4 or 15 (3x5) or 16 (4x4) etc). Then any additional couples can promenade around the outside and come in at a fairly random location. This, together with each set individually deciding how they will progress, makes for a wonderfully wild progression, truly a "magical mystery tour".

The repeated allemandes and men crossing (starting in B) is called the Georgia Rang Tang. The phrasing is a bit loose, the swing at the end will end up being about 12 counts

A scatter mixer version of Rang Tang Contra. I actually prefer this one over the contra.

Variation (it fits in with the rings and twirls theme, but I'm not sure that the dance needs another balance the ring):

B1	(4)	Balance the ring
	(4)	Petronella turn one place right
	(8)	Swing partner (on ladies original side)

The first half of the dance is from Retronella, by Rick Mohr

This dance tells a bit of a story:

The man goes out with his partner

The man wanders away to check out some other people

He eventually chooses one, after a final once over

His partner decides that enough is enough and drags him home

The dance can be made single progression by doing the initial "half gypsy" (and subsequent star) with the couple across. However, the end effects are much messier.

I was looking for an easy dance to start the evening so I quickly threw this one together. It probably already exists.

Note: after the star left in B1, everyone will be in the middle of the set. Dancers should take their partners in a promenade hold and move slightly out to the right, passing the other couple on their left (this is the natural way to go after the star left). They then continue anticlockwise around the major set, to the next place.

To get from promenade to swing, gents should turn the ladies out under their joined left hands and then pull into a swing.

Do with the heads leading twice, then the sides leading twice (when the sides lead, make side lines rather than head lines).

From the name of the dance, you can probably figure out the date it was written...

Re-enter with the woman on the left.

Make sure that the initial star does not turn too far (call the swing slightly early).

The date inspired me to write a Star Wars themed dance. All I had to do was to come up with an unusual way to use stars. The result certainly fits that description.

Note the left hand star with the adjacent set: if you mess this up, you can cause 2 sets to break down, rather than just one. Think of this as the Death Star.

The interaction between the sets means that the sets need to be fairly close together, so I suggest having one more set than usual.

In A2, note that the circle is to the right and the pass through is by the left shoulder, across the set. Yes, this is not a common move.

Oh, and in case you're wondering what the date has to do with Star Wars: "May the Fourth be with you"

Turn as a threesome

The man with a woman on either side turn as a threesome so that the women swap places: man makes an arch on his right hand side and the women swap over, left hand woman going under the arch. The lone man on the other end simply turns alone. The result is that you go down the hall with your partner and return with your neighbour.

This dance has no difficult moves but it is still a bit tricky: going down the hall, and staying there, is a bit unusual! And when it's the 2s that swing, they need to remember to face up for an up the hall. The constant changing to a new neighbour is also disorienting - note that in the up/down the hall, you are *not* with the neighbour you have just swung (you are actually back with your original neighbour).

End effects:

This is a single progression becket.

First time through, there will be a couple left out when doing the diagonal Right and Left. This couple simply waits at the end of the set (facing up or down, with the woman on the right) and joins in at B1. Note that this is not actually a couple (you are with your shadow at this point). This is correct, you will join back in at B1 and be reunited with your partner.

Second time, the spare couple positions themselves for the diagonal Right and Left.

Note that the diagonal right and left starts with your shadow, i.e. it is always the same person. This makes that part of the dance much easier.

During B1/B2, everyone (including couples who are momentarily at the ends of the set) is dancing all the time: if there is a spare couple at the end they need to balance and swap sides.

"The Well Oiled Machine" refers to the last half of the dance, which is supposed to symbolise the meshing of gears with clockwork precision, resulting in being reunited with your partner. If the dance breaks down, the alternative title is "Piston Broke".

The dance is slightly harder than it looks, due to the change in orientation in B2.

Note the sequence ladies chain/circle/ladies chain on the other axis. This reminded me of Gene Hubert's dance "Boomerang", which has the sequence pass through across/circle/pass through up and down. For this new dance a related name seemed appropriate. "Woman's Boomerang" looks a bit silly, but the similar sounding "Woomera" fits the bill beautifully (a woomera is a hooked stick, used by Australian aborigines to throw spears). A pronunciation note: the oo in woomera is short, as in "look".

(P.S. I have another dance, "called "Throwing Sticks", that includes both sequences, but I haven't yet tried it out yet)