Dance Notes

Program included all of the following dances. Videos taken at the ball by Rachel Pusey and Dilip Sequeira, to whom I owe great thanks. Click on dance title to see notes and video.

Note on videos: These aren't drilled demo dancers; these are party guests who may have just had one walkthrough of the dance for the first time. Don't expect perfection. No chance for callers to rehearse with the band; Rebecca's waltz is a 32-bar sequence and gets out of sync with 48-bar tune; nobody's fault.

Dance instructions

BONNY AT MORN
Alan Winston
10/27/2005; revised 10/30; 11/05; 11/06.
Tune: "Bonny at Morn" in Barnes couple-dance book, but 32-bar (16-bar A, BB)
Minor-key waltz; moderate/slow

Longways duple improper

A: 1-4: Neighbors right shoulder around 1.5 finishing close to neighbor for
   5-8: neighbor ballroom position waltz halfway round, opening facing in on 
        other side of set with gent on L, ladies on R; keep hold of inside hands.
  9-10: ladies give right hand to each other as in chain and pull by
 11-12: ladies give left hand to partner's RIGHT hand; raise joined hands in
        arch as she goes under and he goes forward to finish in ballroom 
        position, pointy end facing in line of direction.
 13-16: waltz halfway around set; open up facing in, with gent on L.

[GENTS progressed and on original side of the set; LADIES not progressed and 
crossed over.]

B1: 1-2: Holding near hands on the side of the set, Set r&l
    3-4: Petronella turn (traveling turn single) one place to right around
         the minor set.
    5-8: Face NEIGHBOR up and down; three changes of a circular hey,
         no hands.  (In more detail, that's two brisk changes and a leisurely
         one, more like a half right shoulder around.)

B2: 1-2: Gents cross  (first corner places)
    3-4: Ladies cross  (second corner places)
    5-8: Partners turn two hands  all the way around;
         open facing new couple to start again.
 
Teaching notes:

(1) Gents Start the right shoulder around in A1 on LEFT FOOT, ladies on RIGHT FOOT, in order to
be on the correct foot for the waltz round.  Emphasize spiraling
in and taking all the music for the right shoulder around.

(2) Make sure people get the timing on the three changes of R&L (1 bar, 1 bar,
2 bars) so that they're in place to cross at B2.  There's a tendency to either
stand stupefied for a bar and start late or take two bars for each pass.

(3) Some people require to be told that you waltz CCW around your minor set.

HIT THE HAY
Tune: March of St. Timothy
Alan Winston, Jan 6 2013  / heavily revised Jan 8 2013
Longways duple minor

A1: 1-4: Circle left 1x
    5-8: Neighbors turn two hands 1x (not progressive!) and open up facing
         partner, retaining one hand.

A2: 1-2: With neighbor (not long lines) fall back setting
    3-4: Come forward turning single
    5-8: Partners back to back

B1: 1-4: Partners two hand turn 1.5
    5-8: first corner people (now on second diagonal) pass very wide LEFT
         shoulder and loop in toward their sideline spot; take all four bars
    7-8: second corner people cross RIGHT into their spot ready to fall back 
         into

B2: COUNTERclockwise whole poussette, which flows into circle left with next
    couple.  [First corners push]

NOTE on the corner cross: After the turn 1.5 open facing in and keep hold of
near hand.  Second corners can pull a little on that hand to help first corners 
cross by LEFT shoulder.  

(Thanks to John-Michael Seng-Wheeler for tuning suggestions on B2.)

JAN'S WALTZ
Three-couple longways proper.
Woodshed dance, 3/14/2017
Alan Winston

Em, 3/4



A1: 1-2: 1s take crossed hand promenade hold and start down the middle
3-4: turn individually to face up and continue down the middle (possibly very far down)
5-8: Let go partner and cast to come up the outside to middle place 
     (2s moving up to first place)

A2: Contra corners, 1s turning partner right hand, 
    right diagonal left hand, partner right hand, left diagonal left hand and
    finish proper facing up.

B1: 1-4: 1s lead up through 2s and cast down into middle place
    5-8: 1s lead down through 3s and cast up into middle place

B2: 1-4: Circle six to the left halfway [and open out to side lines]
5-8: Partners crossed-hand turn  1.5 to proper side
    (If new 1s (old 3s) turn crossed hands they'll be all set to lead down without a hand change.)

LARRY'S JIG
longways duple minor
Patti Cobb's tune "the jig is up", 120 bpm, 16-bar A, 16-bar B
tune PDF
Karen Shaw's commission, honoring Larry Hohm 
revised 11.24.2013 / 5.28.2014 / 7.8.2014

A:  1-2: Gents set forward to partners (who stand their ground)
    3-4: turn single R back to place
    5-8: Gent 1 in front, Gent 2 following, Gents  chase across the set
        (above lady 1)  and behind the ladies,
         who turn over R Sh and step back to face them on bar 8
   9-12: Ladies set and link [*]
  13-16: Ladies lead through gents and cast around partner (who turns 
         to follow lady around) until couples face each other up and down the set, 
         all improper.


B:  1-2: Couples set forward to meet
    3-4: couples set falling back
    5-8: Cast individually over right shoulder into
         No hands circle left halfway (home)
   9-10: Second corners keep moving into a right-shoulder cross
  11-12: 1st corners cross
  13-16: Crossed-hand turn one and a half to progressed and proper place.
  

[*] Set and link: Ladies are facing across the set, set right and left,
    top lady (#1 lady) turns single over right shoulder down the center
    of the set while bottom lady (#2 lady) casts up the outside to 
    finish in each other's places, now facing partner. 

THE LOWDOWN
Alan Winston, For Gillie Wheesels, SLO Contra, 4/13/19
Larry Unger's Lowdown Hoedown + Beth Cohen's Reel
or suitable bouncy reels
Duple minor improper contra

Form:IC  Figs:BTR,PET,BTR,PET;BTR,RA,NS;CL.75,PS;WC.WRic,MRic:

A1: Balance the ring, slide or spin one place to the right
    repeat

A2:  Balance the ring; gents roll lady (partner) in front and 
     step to the other side
     neighbors brief swing, face across

B1:  Circle left three places, swing partner on the side, face across

B2: Ladies chain over to neighbor;
    ladies ricochet,
    gents ricochet, look for new neighbors.

MARY'S JIG
4/27/08  
Written while helping at SF Scottish Fiddler's concert
For Mary McMurtry

Longways duple minor proper, wideish set

Tune: "The Champion" (trad English, in Community Dances Manuals); could also use "Jump at the Sun"
Not too fast

A1: 1-2: First corners balance forward and back (no hands)
    3-4: same two pass right shoulders (optionally turning single as you go),
         finish facing out 
    5-6: Picking up PARTNER on the side of the set, lead out and
    7-8: Changing hands, lead back.

A2: 1-8: Second corners lead the figure; lead out is with same-role NEIGHBOR
         (all progressed, improper)

B1: 1-2: First corners cross to home
    3-4: Second corners cross to home
    5-8: 1s cast wide WHILE 2s meet and lead up and retire to line; all facing
         partner.


B2: 1-2: SHUTTLE: 1s taking hands, slip up the middle WHILE
                  2s slip down the outside
    3-4:          2s take hands and slip up while 1s slip down
    5-8:          Repeat 1-4.


Optional enhancement: In A1 and A2, the corners who don't cross can still turn
single and finish facing out.

MEETING AND PARTING
Floaty dreamy version of "Air Tune" by Liz Carroll played AB at 108 bpm

D, common time (4 beats per measure)
result of musing on Jenna Simpson's "We Meet Again"
while driving back from Santa Barbara 2/18/2018
and a tune suggestion from Dave Brown
Revised at Woodshed 4/10/2018, 9/11/2018
Longways duple minor


    1-2: Clockwise half poussette (8 steps)
    3-4: First diagonals (Second corner PEOPLE, now in first corner place),  
         right hand turn 1 1/2  to change places, finishing 
         facing opposite role neighbor with forward momentum

    5-6: The people who turned now moving forward:
         Clockwise half poussette
    7-8: The other people (first corners now at home) 
         right hand turn 1 1/2 and ease out a little to face partner

[All are progressed and relatively improper]

      9: partners pass right shoulder and face (close together)
     10: all turn single over left shoulder and face diagonally in
  11-12: left hand star once around, ease out facing partner
     13: Pairs fall back
     14: and set 
   15-16: whoosh forward into Partners two hand turn once round 

and keep hold of those hands ready to poussette round new neighbors.

MOVEMENT AFOOT
Alan Winston - thought of it at AmWeek, Jul 3, 2013
longways duple minor
Tune: "Steciaks" in waltz book II, by Larry Unger

A1: 1-2: Gents set forward to ladies (boureeish, stamping optional)
    3-4: Gents fall back as ladies come forward
    5-6: All turn single R
    7-8: All RH turn halfway

A2: As above, with ladies leading.  Keep right hands ... 

B1: 1-4: ... take left hands as well  for Clockwise half poussette (progressed)
    5-8: contra-style Mad Robin (W1 and M2 through the middle first)

B2: 1-8: 1s acting as a unit, dolphin hey for three
         (Gent 1 turns round coming out of the mad robin to give Left shoulder
         to Gent 2, Lady 1 takes the lead, giving right to Gent 2 on the 
         other side, Gent 1 takes the lead to arrive progressed and proper.)
    

NOTE: Alan is agreeable to couple-dance style variations in the half-poussette,
and in general hopes for a spirit of flirtatious play.

NOTE 2: Named in tribute to the American Week series run by Joyce Cooper and
Judy Rose Dornbush at Mendocino Woodlands under the name "A Movement Afoot".

Rebecca's Waltz
For Ivanhoe Ball, 5-18.2019, written 4/30/2019.
Minor key 32-bar waltz, moderate tempo
Eilean Beag donn a'Chuain (Barnes couple dance book)

Couples in a ring facing CCW, gent on the inside.
Start in open waltz position
(Requires very little leading and the roles are very symmetrical so suitable
for inexperienced leads.)

LOD="Line of Direction"


A1: 1-6: open waltz in LOD
    7-8: turn single individually to face back the way you came

A2: 1-6: open waltz in reverse LOD, gent still on the inside
    7-8: turn single, face partner

B1: 1-4: take crossed hands (right over left) and turn once or twice round;
    5-6: both face in LOD and raise the joined right hands and 
         bring them to ladies right shoulder
         while left hand goes in front of gentleman 
         (shoulder to shoulder in Varsouvienne position)
    7-8: two waltz steps forward, starting to face each other on second step.

B2: 
    1-2: letting go right hand and bringing the left hand up, 
         follow turns back under joined left hands; 
         partners put right arms around each other's waists with left
         arms forming an arch overhead.
    3-7: waltz in lod (or in place)
      8: ease out and and face in LOD holding inside hands.

SISTER JEAN
Alan Winston, May 2009
Tune: Shetland Jig of the same name
Longways duple minor (improper)
brisk walking pace, insistent, insinuating rather than driving

1s are IMPROPER

A1:1-2: 1s (starting outside foot) lead down through 2s for 4 steps,
   3:   1s balance away from partner
   4:   1s California Twirl to face up
   5-6: 1s lead up for 4 steps
   7-8: 1s cloverleaf turn single to finish in partner's place

A2:1-8: As in A1, but 2s start by leading up through 1s.

[All relatively improper]

B1: 1-4: Mirror back-to-back, 1s split 2s first
    5-8: Double half-figure-eight (start 1s cross, 2s cast, per momentum),
         end facing in. (2s can curve their crossing a bit to make this 
         easier.)

[All home, but not for long]

B2: 1-2: Ladies (first corners) cross
    3-4: Gents (second corners) cross [all relatively improper, progressed]
    5-6: partners balance f&b
    7-8: and twirl-to-swap to face new neighbors

[Note: B2: the balance is gent's right hand to lady's left for both couples;
           twirl leaves the couple facing their next neighbors.]

SNOWBOUND 
(For Susan Murrow (now St. Germain), commemorating the big storm of 1/22/2005)
As of 10/13/2015, the official tune is Debbie Jackson's "Brooklyn Yard",
about 110bpm

We think 90ish bpm is beautiful but ends up taking up a ton of space.
110ish is danceable at a reasonably well-attended dance.

A: 1-4: first corners right shoulder round 1.25 into 
         diagonal line across 2nd diagonals;
         take left hand with partner, right with corner
         (Line is L1 G1 L2 G2; Ladies face up, gents face down)
    5-6: all set in waltz time r&l 
    7-8: partners start a half left hand turn and drift out to launch into

   9-12: second corners LEFT shoulder round 1.25 into 
         diagonal line across 1st diagonals
         and take RIGHT hand with partner, LEFT with corner
           WHILE
         first corners walk CCW (the way they're facing) past home and CURVE
         BACK back to present right hand into the  line; 
  13-14: all set in waltz time r&l
  15-16: partners turn by RIGHT hand a bit and ease out to IMPROPER place.

B: (As in A1 of "Cold and Raw", pretty much)
    1-4: 1s keeping hold of right hand, lady in the lead
         cast below lady 2 (who moves up),
    5-7: 1s (still together) 1/2 figure eight around M2 (who moves up)
      8: ALL RH or two-hand turn halfway to proper, progressed, place);
         1s may keep right hand if they like.

[some prefer this as a no-hands chase; I like the crack-the-whip effect and
the ability of the person behind to avoid collisions if hands are involved. I
am completely open to variations, swapping leads, walking backward, etc, but 
need the 1s to keep the track and timing so 2s know when to move up.]


   9-12: CCW half-poussette (original first corners forward)
         and finish facing same-sex neighbor into
  13-16: left hand turn 1.5 with same-role neighbor, propelling first corners 
         into the next round.

         [Emphasize that this turn is a complete turn, not exiting early;
         leaves 2nd corners facing out and they have to turn around.]


Presentation tips:

Before starting walk-through, get them into the first diagonal line of four;
this makes it much easier to understand the destination.  The
second diagonal line then falls out fairly naturally. (Sometimes.)

If it doesn't, break down the A 7-8 turn.  Partners turn left for one measure
then drift, ending up in partner's home place (all improper, not progressed),
so the 2nd corners enter their shoulder round from closer to first corner place.

The more room the better.  Choose two lines rather than one crowded one.

The Sound Man
Kathrine Gardners's tune

Alan Winston, tweaked January 2018

About 120 bpm -- beat is half note.  
The tune is 3/2 and doesn't really feel like it.  Key F.

A1: all lead up three steps on first bar  then 
    (as in Apley House) 1s cast down, 2s following, 
     to form a line of four facing up.
     Lead up six steps, fall back bending the line.

A2: [Same thing going down] all lead down, 1s cast up, 2s follow,
    line of four leads down a double, fall back bending line to face
    partner.

B1: 1-2: partner right shoulder around, finish close
      3-4: all turn single left to face neighbor
      5-8: Neighbors left shoulder around 1.5, finish facing partner 
           (2nd corners must twiddle to do so)

B2: 1-4: Four changes of a circular hey (3 steps per side), no hands
    5-8: Partners two-hand turn, crossed-hand-turn, or swing; finish facing up.
         Will probably go round twice.

SPARKLING AND STILL
Alan Winston, 1997
CDSS News, Issue 142, May/June 1998.
Music: Fanny Powers (as given in Barnes 'A Little Couple Dance-Musik')
Play AB; tell the musicians "dreamy"
32-bar longways, duple minor proper
For David Graves and Carol Ann Krug upon their engagement

A: 1-2   1s turn by the right halfway
   3-4   cast to the ends of a line of four,
         thus: L1 G2 L2 G1

   5     Line balances back (step and close) 
   6     Line takes 1 waltz step (three little steps) forward

   7-8   1s gate 2s up and around, propelling them into . . . 

  9-12   2s continue moving and 1/2 figure eight up through 1s.

 13-16   1s 1/2 figure eight down through 2s, ending 
                                               
                              G1  L1
                              L2  G2

B:  1-4  Neighbors face, set, and change places turning single (as in 
         'Trip to Paris', except end facing partner)

    5-8  Partners the same, except don't go all the way to partner's place;
         end close to partner ready to 

   9-16  take ballroom position: waltz counterclockwise once around the other 
         couple to progressed place; then open up facing a new couple.  
         1s should take care to finish proper.

WINTER'S GATE
Alan Winston  2005-2017
Originally conceived  in 2005 while not calling the Elm City Assembly,
which was snowed out.
Tried and revised 10/10/2017, set to Mary Tabor's "Dorothea's Waltz"

tune JPEG

3-couple longways

A1: 1-2: As 1s cross down to 3s 
         2s move up the outside to first place
         3s turn single down 1 and 1/4 to face down
    3-4: 1s are improper between the 3s, all facing down.  
         Neighbors take near hand (L3 right hand, G1 left hand;
         L1 right hand, G3 left hand) and with the 1s going out the
         end and the 2s backing up, gate turn halfway until the 1s are
         facing up
    5-6: 1s cross up to between 2s (who turn single up 1 and 1/4 to face up);
         3s continue turning to home place and face up.
    7-8: 1s are proper in the middle of  2s, all facing up.  Neighbors take
         near hands for the 2s to gate the 1s out the top, going 3/4 to  
         finish with 1s in second place, 2s in first place, all facing
         partner.

A2: 1-8: 1s take skater's waltz hold and promenade inside set, acknowledging 
         each other dancer individually (eg, "step-two-three bow-and-swivel
         left" to G2, G3, L3, L2);
         finish facing up, proper, in 2nd place (but close to 1st) 
         [The honored people may choose to set or step and honor]

B1: 1-4: (1s make a big S curve.)
         1s, still in skater's hold, lead up and cast left (around G2 in 1st place,
         enter the set again between G2 and G3.
        
    5-8: 1s continue out between L2 and L3 and go round L3s place
         into 3d place proper facing up; 3s move up after the 1s go out the lady's line.

B2: 1-8: 2s and 3s face down, 1s facing up: Mirror hey, 1s starting between 3s.

Notes: Timing is somewhat elastic on B1.  Also, the mirror hey is
subject to the same problem as most, which is that it's easy to miss out
a pass.

WOODSHED
Tune: Megajig by Larry Unger (Portland Collection), played about 92bpm, bluesy
Longways duple proper.
Tune in Portland collection

Created at Woodshed dance 7/10/2012 
by Lise Dyckman, Jim Saxe, Nancy Meyer and Alan Winston
Tune suggestion by Mary Tabor


A1: 1-4: Circle left 1x
    5-8: Asymmetric gates (1st corners forward)

A2: 1-7: Hey for four across (1st corners pass L to start, while 2nd corners
         drift to neighbor's place to enter the hey on the right shoulder
         pass at bar 2.)
 
      8: Second corners fish-hook back (left shoulder around to come back to
         partner waiting at home on the side) and launch

B1: 1-6: whole CCW poussette (finishes early because it starts offset)
    7-8: balance and open facing in [at home]

B2: 1-2: 1st corners cross
    3-4: 2nd corners cross 
    5-8: partners two-hand balance, then change under hand closer to 
         new neighbors to face new neighbors.

NOTE: This was written as a proper dance, where you'll dance both roles.  You
may find it easier to remain a first corner or a second corner through the
whole dance; you and your partner may cross over at each end of the set to 
accomplish this, or choose not to.