23 October 2018_New Haven

We have a beginner. A 3 weeks of experience beginner. She is planning on going to the Nutmeg Workshop and Evening Social. I received a list of formations she has been taught and I decided, given the reports, that she could handle some heavy duty dances. Wipe my brow and sigh (in relief). She could and did.
She is, simply put, magnificent.

The dances (and there were only four):-

The Findlays' Jig  -  (32 J 3)  -  Goldring
The Chicago Loop  -  (32 R 3)  -  Kent Smith
Miss Florence Adams  -  (32 S 3)  -  Bk 38 (Drewry)
The Scallywag  -  (40 J 3)  -  Bk 52 (Kelly)

The Findlays' Jig:- Nice, simple, good warm up, and a good way to assess basic timing.

The Chicago Loop:- Another simple dance, one where dancers have opportunities to take unauthorized trips to Paris.

Miss Florence Adams:- I like it. I always have. And with Set & Link, with variations, and a variant Corners Pass & Turn - a great dance for a superbly competent beginner and for me because I got to reteach the standard figures, with variations, from bar 1, and the know-it-alls (and we all have some) couldn't complain and got the necessary review.

I taught standard S&L with neighbor on the sides. I then taught Set & cross Link (change of orientation). Then S&L all facing up; all facing down; and again - this time all start facing up, end the link facing down and cross link to end on the sides. And finally, after revealing that they had all learned 2C's and 3C's parts, as in the dance- 2C facing down, 3C facing up and 1C facing up, then down, and ending facing 2nd corners. It worked.

Similarly I taught a standard corners pass & turn with 1st corners, then 2nd corners. Then posed the question: What changes if we start the formation facing 2nd corners? 1C has to turn RH to face 1st corners.

Threw them into the dance. They did it. All of them. Well.

The Scallywag:- Except for the setting piece it is more or less a straight forward dance. They got it, and called for an encore.