New Haven Summer Social - 31 August 2010

Summer humidity returned with a vengeance. Three couples came to dance -  how I love the true die hards!
Thank you Dick and Jane, Bob Cole (who drives down from Windsor), Ingrid, Paula and Deborah (who drives up from New Jersey).

The evening's dances were:
The Burn of Sorrow (32 S 2) B. Priddey
Kendall's Hornpipe  (32 J 2) Gr. 22
The Dunsmuir Strathspey  (32 S 3 set)  J. Drewry
The Westminster Reel  (32 H 2)  45/1
Greyfriars Bobby  (32 S 3 set)  B. Priddey
Turning Thirty  (32 J 2)  C. Sigg
Lassie wi' the lint white locks  (32 S 2)  B. Priddey

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The Burn of Sorrow - I  have covered this dance before - post of 9 August '10.
What I said then still holds true, and dancers liked it this time too. A relatively simple dance that calls for some good technique, and when the tourbillon is danced properly it is a delight to watch.
One of Barry Priddey's simpler successes. Received a Dancer's Check Mark awared.

Kendall's Hornpipe - Believe it or not (and most people who know me would not) this is one of my most taught dances. I like it, and especially to the music recorded by The Music Makars. Theirs is the definitive recording in my humble opinion.

The Dunsmuir Strathspey - From John Drewry's first Bankhead Book, I have neither seen it nor danced it before but while I have read it over before I just never cottoned on to it, so this was a first timer for us all. And Jane Platt's response was "it deserves a star, not just a check."

 It is in some sense a typical Drewry dance, it dances smoother than it teaches (certainly the first time - now that I know it I can improve my teaching). The dance is simple enough, he uses his "petronella in tandem" and varies the simple circle in a nice way yet again. But it is the opening and closing formations that make the dance.

The opening - lead down, half turn, cross up and cast up; is apparently simple but calls for some subtle touches to bring out the elegance hiding there. I like that kind of dancing. And the final formation, which I first saw in his dance Seagreen, is one of my favourite progressions. I call it a 'stealth' progression because the first time I danced it I found myself at the bottom of the set wondering how I had gotten there. This dance is going on my list of Top 50 Strathspeys.

It was written by John to honor the Dunsmuir Dancers, part of the San Francisco Branch, who recently (2007?) publish a book of dances that include many good ones, several great ones and not one turkey. I will buy a book of dances it there is one (1) dance in it that has become part of the standard repertoire and is being programmed on balls, too any book that has two or more really good dances in it. And here we have a gem, a book of dances with many (more than 7) good dances - Maurice, Miss Jane Muirhead of Dunsmuir, Linnea's Strathspey, Mole's Frolic, Sleeper's Awake and Sunday Afternoon Jig, to name a few off the top of my head. How does one say Very Highly Recommended strongly enough?

The Westminster Reel - devised by Jeremy Hill, published in Book 45. A hit, a palpable hit. The ending of the reel is a piece of genius and I the transition from Set and Rotate into R&L is sweet. A simple dance and on my list of Top 50 Reels.

Greyfriars Bobby - Another recipient of the Check Mark dancer's award. This one is a toughie, not that the choreography resembles spaghetti, but more in the subtleties of the transitions. From left hand turn to a left shoulder reel of three, from a reel where corners dance out to begin but need to dance an allemande next. And finally the last formation, of four 2 bar phases, of rounded chases into straight lines with no posts to align on. These eight bars are the meat of the dance and take the most work to become comfortable with.

Turning Thirty - This dance has intrigued me for years but I have only taught it twice now. It reorients your head. You dance most of the first 16 bars from the improper side, and continue to dance Espagnole from the improper side (yikes) and end with poussette. Definitely worth another trial or two but it did not receive a Check Mark dancer's award this night. Maybe later, maybe never. Oh well.

Lassie wi' the lint white locks - Second trial, second Check Mark award. Hmmm. Non standard opening with men dancing fig. 8 round ladies, followed by top dancers (not partners) dancing fig. 8 round dancers below. Then a form of Back-to-Back that I haven't seen in Scottish before, only in English country dance from Fried de Metz Herman, Chevrons! And they are absolutely lovely in strathspey time especially when covered with the dancers casting. Dance ends with 'The Dreaded Tournee'. Which, by they way, is looking better and better. And teaching it as 'upper' dancers turn with 'upper hands' and 'bottom' dancers turn with 'bottom hands' seems to be working better than anything else I have tried.

What is worth noting is that over the last month or so I have taught a fair number of Barry Priddey's dances and most of them received of "Check Mark" awards from the dancer's on the floor. I mean, I actually put the check mark on the card, but only if the sense of the floor is that the dance is not only worth doing, but worth doing again, and again...

And what is also worth noting is that before I started teaching Barry Priddey's dances I can only remember two (2) instances of another teacher doing the same.  One many many years ago in New Haven, it was Bob Frew, I believe, and Mel Briscoe at a workshop before one of the New Haven Highland Balls.

The List:
Lassie wi' the lint white locks  (32 J 2)
The Burn of Sorrow  (32 S 2)
Greyfriars Bobby  (32 S 3 set)
Lang May Your Lum Reek (32 J 2)
Twelvesome Reel  (32 R 6)
Phyllis' Fancy  (32 S 2)
Rakes of Auld Reekie (32 S 2)
Heather Ale  (32 S 3 set)