25 July 2017 –– Loch Levan

On Saturday the exam for the Dance Achievement Awards were held. We met Sunday, A  Let Your Hair Down session.

The dances we did were:

Tae the Beggin'  -  (32 J 3)  -  McMurtry
Cat Atrophy  -  (32 R 3)  - McMurtry
Gypsy Weaver  -  (32 S 3)  -  Peet
The Turning Point  -  (32 R 2)  -  Thomas
Untitled WIP  -  (4x32S+4x32R)  -  Xiaowen Yu
Topsy Turvy  -  (32 S 3 set)  - Glasspool
Colonel JL Chamberlain  -  (32 J 3 set)  - Price
The Griffin  -  (32 R 3)  -  McMurtry

*  **   ***     ****   *   ****     ***    **  *

Tae the Beggin:-  Simple stuff. Can't comment on the music as I am not a musician. Has a place on a program IMHO in that it basic with just a touch of spice.
Dance: Tae the Beggin' | SCDDB

Cat Atrophy:- A dance with a difference. That piece is in a 2 x 2bar chunk into diagonal half reels of four into Set & Link3. Not bad.
Dance: Cat Atrophy | SCDDB

Gypsy Weaver:- The dance? - Who cares, the music is sublime! Oh right the dance. Nice but it has a couple of spots where the timing takes work. My feeling= thumb up!
Dance: Gypsy Weaver | SCDDB

The Turning Point:- Don't have my notes with me but it is worth taking a look at - if you have the book. I have this impression that maybe I should invest the time in writing up a crib. The short form - it was good enough for catch my eye. And the music, when played by my computer, caught my ear.

Xiaowen's dance:- Wait… wait… wait… coming Real Soon Now and the product of a severely twisted mind.

Topsy Turvy:- A less convoluted example of spaghetti choreography than is usual from Terry. Actually clean and neat and thoroughly enjoyable. Thumbs UP!
Dance: Topsy Turvy | SCDDB

Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain:- One of mine. Devised while playing around with a figure by John Drewry used in his dance The Old Grey Cat. Except that what I originally had didn't work and it had to fix it in the last 8 bars. I think that is what made the dance.

It was published in The Nutmeg Collection as a 32 J for 3 couples in a 4 couple set.
The progression is unusual - it is 3 1 2 4. Both the 1C and the 2C move down in place and 2C gets to repeat as 2nd couple a second time. Weird! but it works presuming proper anticipation.

It works better? as a 3 couple dance in a 3 couple set where 1st couple has to do the anticipation because they end in 2nd place and become 2nd couple and must begin immediately as the new 2nd couple. Also weird.
Dance: Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain | SCDDB

The Griffin:- Guillaume Reels. Fun fun fun 'till my daddie takes my gillies away.
1st couple is in tandem facing men's side. Leader dances a Lsh Reel of 3 on sides (with 2+3 men) following dancer splits right and dance a figure eight in the same space at the same time - timing is everything! Two thumbs up! Shortlisted but couldn't fit it into the program. Sigh.
Dance: The Griffin | SCDDB