23 March 2015 - New Haven Friends Meeting
Scottish Reform - (32 J 2) - Bk 3/1
On the Quarter-Deck - (32 H 2) - I. Boyd
Castle Douglas - (32 S 3) - Goldring
Bow Fiddle Rock - (32 J 3) - Drewry
Miss Florence Adams - (32 S 3) - Bk 38/7 (Drewry)
The Flying Spur - (32 J 3) - Drewry (Canadian Bk)
Gentle Lady - (40 S 3 set) - Bethray (unpublished)
**********
This week no new beginners to hold Emma back. I had a full set and I threw her in off the deep end - No Big Deal, for her. All the dances are from the upcoming Kilts and Ghillies Tea Dance program.
All are Invited.
Scottish Reform - as published by the RSCDS has an awkward moment. After 12 bars 1C have 4 bars to turn halfway moving back up to place and then in to meet partner RHJ for lead down the middle and up. I have never seen it done neatly.
Then I found an English (bad despicable me) version of the dance (Pins and Needles) also collected in the Borders not from too far from where the Scots collected theirs.
The rhythm set up in the Scottish version of the dance is: half turn moving down, balance ; half turn, balance :: half turn, balance ; then two bars to half turn moving up and out to places and two bars to dance in to meet partner.
The rhythm for the English version is: half turn, balance ; half turn, balance :: half turn, balance ; half turn moving up, balance (RH joined still in center). This is in keeping with the first 12 bars - it is all of a piece and holds together. The Scot's version breaks the symmetry. Sorry.
And it doesn't matter which you do. All you need is agreement with your partner which way it will be done. It doesn't become a different dance. In a performance or demonstration situation you all agree to do what the leader says. In a social dance it doesn't really matter - My (not so) Humble Opinion!
On the Quarter-Deck:- a nice simple hornpipe for everyone.
Castle Douglas:- ooh-la-la! when covering with partner what a nice flirt of a dance! Eye contact necessary.
Bow Fiddle Rock:- a very accessible dance for a Drewy. If you start the first 'corner turn' from the sidelines you will be late for the "kilt flip" moment that is the raison d'être of the dance. So, finish the half figure eight heading toward your second corner so you have the time to make it back to your own sidelines and make that 'flip to face your first corner. This is a Recommended! dance.
Miss Florence Adams:- oh my - do I ever remember the grief I got when this dance first was published and I taught it. Corners Pass and Turn and Set and Link were both new figures and nobody knew them. Too Difficult! Terrible Dance! and so on and so forth was all I heard. Today it got a Golden Ghillie Award from the class for "gee we really want to keep doing this dance". Go figure.
10 years more experience, many more dances with set and link and corners pass & turn in them =s Familiarity! (vindicated - I was just ahead of the times).
The Flying Spur:- every time we dance this it is a YES! I urge you to take the time to learn it - the reward is greater than the effort involved. It is FUN! Note: the music I use is Marian Anderson set of jigs with the lead tune The Famous Baravan. The only recording I have with the "name tune" (Captain White) is pathetic - no way does it make me want to dance.
Gentle Lady:- by Sandra Bethray who is currently teaching the Wilton (Kilts and Ghillies) class. Nice dance. Has one moment where you have to be thinking. To get a copy of the dance go to the New Haven Branch web site for her contact information.
19 March 2015 - NY Branch Basics
Autumn Leaves - (32 J 3) - J. Lataille
New Abbey - (32 J 3) - Goldring
12 March 2015 - NY Branch Basics
Combined class - small turnout and only 2 beginners showed up. Sue Ronald taught.
The Round Reel of Eight - (88 R 4 square) - Bk 27/7
The Complete Gardener - (32 J 3) - 3rd Graded Bk
Anna's Wedding Cake - (32 S 3 set) - Janssen (Boston 50th)
More for Four - (32 R 4some - square) - J. Lataille
The Highland Rambler - (40 R 3) - Goldring
5 March 2015 - NY Branch Basics
Canceled for bad weather.
26 February 2015 - NY Branch Basics
The Wind in the Willows - (32 J 2) - I. Boyd
Troubled Water - (32 S 3) - B. Skelton
26 February 2015 - NY Branch Basics
The Wind in the Willows - (32 J 2) - I. Boyd
Troubled Water - (32 S 3) - B. Skelton
26 February 2015 - NY Branch Basics
The Wind in the Willows - (32 J 2) - I. Boyd
Troubled Water - (32 S 3) - B. Skelton
23 February 2015 - New Haven Friends Meeting
The Highland Rambler - (40 R 3) - Goldring
The White Cockade - (32 R 3) - Bk 5/11
Gentle Lady - (40 S 3 set) - S. Bethray (unpublished)
*********
Emma brought both her father and a brother. So very little dancing and way too much teaching.
This early brought to a head that I have not been meeting Emma's needs. I ended up calling her mother and discussing this. Result: Emma comes alone for now. We will try to get the home-schooling network to a "try it you'll like it" session. With enough interest I will start a children's class at the Meeting House.
17 February 2015 - Brooklyn (New Haven Ball Brunch Dance Workshop)
Tine's Jig - (32 J 3) - E. Brunken
Die Zwillinge - (3x32S+3x32R - 3 set) - Rbt Gregg.
Charter Oak Reel - (32 R 3) - A. Wolf
Tony and Judith of Formby (Take 2) - 32 S 3) - Nutmeg (K. Way)
Mrs Ellen McRanor (of Parish) - (32 R 3) - Price (unpublished)
Charles Cyril Hendrickson - (32 S 4) - Price (unpublished)
Mary-Kate's Super Symmetric Symmetry Breaking Strathsspey
- (32 S 2) - C. Anagnostakis (unpublished)
**********
All from the New Haven Highland Ball Brunch Program - an interesting idea, great for a workshop, not so good for a ball brunch. Everyone tired, minds and bodies both. And so many unfamiliar and unpublished dances - Oh joy! A midterm exam! Just what we need!
It went very well, to my surprise and delight. The dancers in the room were all very strong. The weaker dancers... stayed away.
Please note that Tine's Jig was not on the brunch program but used as a warmup dance on this evening.
12 February 2015 - NY Branch (Basics)
Mamie's Jig - (32 J 4) - Mary S. Brandon
Birkinside - (32 S 2) - Goldring
It is an issue. A very volatile basics class. New people can walk in at any time. You can not count on anything except this: it will never be same two weeks in a row. Yikes.
8 December 2014 - Scotia
Deborah - 1st hour.
The White Cockade - (32 R 3) - Bk 5/11
General Stuart's Reel - (32 R 3) - Bk 10/3
The Auld Grey Cat - (32 R 3) - I. Boyd
Driving Through Eutaw - (32 J 3) - D. Leary (unpublished)
Peter - 2nd hour.
Duke of Atholl's Reel - (32 J 2) - 16/3
Glasgow Highlanders - (32 S 2 - becket) - Bk 2/3
Mrs Ellen McRanor (of Parish) - (32 R 3) - Price (unpublished)
Mairi's Wedding - (40 R 3) - Cosh
1 December 2014 - Scotia
Deborah - 1st hour
EH3 7AF - (32 J 3) - 40/6 (Goldring)
Adieu Mon Ami - (32 S 3) - Bk 24/11
Shiftin' Bobbins - (32 R 3) - R. Clowes
Peter - 2nd hour
The White Rabbit - (32 J 2) - I. Boyd
MacLeod's Fancy - (32 J 4) - Bk 33/3 (Drewry)
Bewitched in Salem - (32 S 3 set) - Holly Boyd
Crossing the Line - (32 R 3set) - Drewry
Bratach Bana - (32 R 3) - Drewry
**********
Again a lot of prep for Brooklyn's John Drewry Night.
The White Rabbit was the 1st dance in the second hour and therefore "for everyone".
Bewitched in Salem is by a friend, Holly Boyd of Montréal. Nice dance, not great but reasonably fun.
Holly has a talent for this. She writes very nice dances.
24 November 2014 - New Haven Friends Meeting
The Mad Hatter - (32 J 3) - I. Boyd
Back to Basics - (32 R 3) - B. Skelton
The Blithest Lass that ever was seen
(32 S 3) - Miss Milligan's Miscellany 2
Mrs Ellen McRanor (of Parish) - (32 R 3) - P. Price (unpublished)
Kiloran Bay - (32 S 4) - John A. Johnston (unpublished)
***********
The first half of the evening Emma was present with friends.That meant everything had to be pretty basic. And that meant that Emma didn't get what she needed which was a lot of dancing with dancers at a high level. The rest of the evening, with an incomplete set was a guinea pig session.
The Blithest Lass that ever was seen:-I had analyzed this for the Candidate class (part 5) and wanted to see how it danced. And I was correct - it is a little stinker! (Thank you Ralph Page for 'inventing' that category.)
Kiloran Bay:- Nice one! And not really hard. It just needs a clear explanation. It is going on my short list for 2016 K&G tea dance program. It is that good. Now all I need is a preferred tune to go with the dance. Anyone?
Mrs Ellen McRanor is one of my dances. I was sending her a card, had just sealed it when a good tune came up in the background - Muriel Johnstone's The Dissapointment) - and the dance wrote its self on the back of the envelope. I could see that there was a major issue (end effect) after the repeat when 4th couple needs to become the new third couple. The dance has them headed the wrong way and the transition has been described by a friend as "the transition from hell". I never publlished it. I also send copies of my dancers to three friends for safe keeping and, somehow, it ended up on the brunch program for this years New Haven Ball.
Keep in mind that at this point I had never danced it. The end effect was so obvious I did not think it reasonable and certainly not publishable.
Now it is on a program - published? - and I needed to know, for myself, if it really was worthy of being on a program.
Yes. It is good enough. i dealt with the end effect very simply - I said "you are dancers, deal with it because I don't know how to do it." Got a laugh and they coped, nicely.
Kiloran Bay - I saw it on video and fell in love yet again. i saw it about six months ago and this is the first time opening I could find to try it. Worth it. As I said above - NICE! Look it up and do it!
17 November 2014 - Scotia
Deborah - 1st hourThe Ferryboat - (5x32R circle) - warmup
Lady Wynd - (32 J 3) - Goldring - Graded&Social 2
Strathglass House - (32 S 3) - Bk 13/9
The Highland Rambler - (40 R 3) - Goldring
Peter - 2nd hour
On the Quarter-Deck - (32 H 2) - Iain Boyd
Bees of Maggieknockater - (32 J 4) - Drewry
Twixt Don and Dee - (32 S 4) - Drewry
The Fireworks Reel - (32 R 3) - Bk 48/11 (A. Lingnau)
No comments:
Post a Comment