Another class with small numbers - I made the 8th dancer for most of the evening. Then 2 dancers left after the break and we were just six.
The dances were:
Lover's Lane (32 J 3 set) J. Lataille - Still Enough to Dance
On the Quarter-Deck (32 H 2) I. Boyd - The Harbour City
Paidlin' in the Burn (32 J 2) Barry Priddey - SDA #87
Flight to Melbourne (32 R 4 sq.) Book 47
Aging Gracefully (32 S 3) C. Bromann - Book 47
Yet Another Birthday (32 S 3 set) H. Boyd - Montreal Moments
The Lasniks of Arlington (32 S 3) R. Wallace - wip
**********
Lover's Lane: A simple one. Good for warming up as there
are no pas de basques and no circles. Also a good reminder of the differences between figure eights on the sides and fig of eights across. If you have small numbers then the books from her Santa Fe class are must haves.
On the Quarter-Deck: One of my, and my dancer's, perennial
favourites. With the right hornpipes (and some people say there are no bad hornpipes) the feel of the dance is just sublime. Every one stands straighter, dances crisper, and has a smile on their face. And isn't that really the acid test. That the dancers have fun? Smiles say so.
Paidlin' in the Burn: somewhat on the busy side.
I give it about an 85 - the transitions from the corner into the
center turns are awkward. One of the few dances by Barry Priddey that I am not enamored of.
Flight to Melbourne: Taught tonight by Deborah Leary it has,
according to her, similarities to Bobby Brown's Canadian Breakdown without the tediousness. It is simple enough to be sure but I am I do not want to dance it on a regular basis. An 80? Good but not top flight.
Aging Gracefully: Another Book 47 dance, and for
the most part a good one. One dancer has real problems with four bar RH turns in strathspey time. Not as in "difficult" but as in "why bother". But the "set, Turn BH; pass Rshoulder, set" is nice if you can get the timing, flow and control. The reel is just different enough to keep it out of the 'ho hum" category.
Yet Another Birthday: A Holly Boyd dance from Montreal Moments.
She takes the wonderful synchromesh back-to-back movement from the dance Maurice and combines it with a half diamond poussette to make a delightful progression. Two thumbs up from me, and if I could I'd give it three. The music! Oh such good music!
The Lasniks of Arlington: a work in progress by Ron Wallace. This one
is a toughie. The middle figures take work… lots of work! The opening figure - The Rose Progression - is simply stunning and soooo beautiful. Downside- The final 8 bars: They are a let down after everything that came before. Ron, please come up with something better before you carve the dance in stone.
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