13 August 2013 - New Haven

The second week of my leading the New Haven's class of summer social dancing.

The dances we did were:
    This One's Four Isobel  (32 S foursome )  Terry Glasspool
    As the Worm Turns  (32 J 3)  Priscilla Burrage
    Cruit Mo Chridh  (32 R 3)  John Bowie Dickson
    Sands of Morar  (32 S 3)  Barry Priddey
    Links with St. Petersburg  (32 J 3)  Malcolm Brown
    Culbin Sands  (32 J 3) Barry Priddey

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This One's Four Isobel:  Quite simply one of the best pieces of
                                       choreography I have ever encountered. A beautiful dance and accessible; it is not a 'demonstration team only' piece. When I have small numbers this is one of my standard fall backs. Well worth doing.

As the Worm Turns: With such a name how could I resist. Another
                               dance liked by the class. My impression, on first reading, was "too much - too little down time". I was wrong. It is good, not great. It won't become a standard of mine but it is worth remembering and pulling out occasionally. Yet another dance from the Montreal Moments book. Buy it. Good stuff there.

Cruit Mo Chridh: A John Bowie Dickson dance who also authored
                           Pinewoods Reel.  Fun! The music by the band Les Joueurs de Bon Accord is terrific though not traditional. The combination is Finest Kind! So you should buy both the book and the accompanying CD.

Sands of Morar: A dance by Barry Priddey (quickly becoming one
                        of my favourites). Published  in Book 45 and elsewhere. I love the Tourbillon progression and I try hard to fine tune how it is danced. Bars 5-6: Getting dancers to release hands early enough for the 'lead dancer to make it  across the set so couples can cross over from the side lines is the key and that is hard to get. When it happens it is stunning. Anything else is, unfortunately, mush. If you look on the "top 50" pages you will see more than a few of Barry Priddey's dances listed. I like edgy dances and his dances usually are just that.

Links with St. Petersburg: The performance by the summer school
                                       dem team is not danced as written. And I prefer it as danced not as written. But I understand - getting most dancers to actually DO it that way is near to impossible. So we publish it as it will be done. And we teach those who can (or will) the subtle points that make it dance so nicely. One thing about the video - in the "set to corner partner" I saw a lot of traveling with open pas de basques (i.e. no close in third) which is not what the manual 'recommends'.

Culbin Sands:  A Barry Priddey dance - you're not surprised are you?
                     Not a Dancer's Choice Award dance, at least not yet. But it is close. My Humble Opinion - it is a good one worth doing and redoing.