A light night - only four other dancers showed. So once again I delved into that category of dances that I call "n-somes". These are dances for three, four or five dancers (not couples) and they reside in my card file under their very own separator so when I need them I not only have them I can find them.
Last night's dances were:
Ducks in a Row (32 J 5 dancers) Martha Veranth
The Gay Goshawk (32 J 2) B. Priddey
Dragonflies (32 S 5-some) J. Lataille
Cactus Flower (32 J 5-some) J. Lataille
The Four Poster (32 S 4-some) T. Glasspool
Four of Diamonds (32 J 4-some) T. Glasspool
Gypsy Dreams (32 S 2) T. Glasspool
**********
Ducks in a Row - The first time ever teaching this dance. I was not impressed. My fault I am sure. The music was not an inspired choice on my part. Better music might have made all the difference.
The last formation, which we ended up calling it 'single-triangles', was what caught everyones attention and was the highlight of the dance. Nice pattern. The dance needs redoing to better music.
The Gay Goshawk - This was the second time I have taught this dance and it will never earn a Dancer's Choice award I fear. Don't get me wrong, it is by Barry Priddey, and I like his dances. This is a solid and respectable dance but it is missing the "Oh Wow" factor that the really special dances have. The first time I taught it I used The Weaver and His Wife (Andrew Rankine). That tune fits the nature of the dance but the Jimmy Blair recording is just too fast and I am not able to slow it down because my software combination (Winamp + Pacemaker) is just too volatile. I used Anne Munro of Portree instead. It is a delightful, slower tempo jig that I often use when 'any good jig' is called for. It did not work well with this dance. Just gotta keep on lookin' I guess.
Dragonflies - Dancer's Choice award winner from Jane Lataille. I have now taught this dance 16 times over the last 5 years and I have always had a positive response from the dancers. I just checked my Top 50 list and this one is missing and I must rectify that omission.
Cactus Flower - Another good solid dance from Jane Lataille. But not an award winner. But don't let that stop you.
The Four Poster - Terry Glasspool. *Magnificent* Interlocking Back-to-Backs. Back-to-Back Half Reels of Four. Wow! He is the most innovative dance choreographer I have ever run across. And I found music that fits the dance: Pasadena Prom, by Muriel Johnstone & her Band from the CD "Dances with a Difference."
Four of Diamonds - Another Terry Glasspool dance. This one is another winner in MHO. Not as original as The Four Poster but still a fun one.
Gypsy Dreams - Dancer's Choice award winner a hundred times over. Simply one of the prettiest dances ever devised. And not just my opinion either. It is a gem and it belongs in the standard repertoire. Another Terry Glasspool creation!
Showing posts with label Gypsy Dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gypsy Dreams. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
New Haven Summer Social - 7 September 2010
Four couples turned out. For the day after the long weekend I thought that was pretty good. The temperature was cool, the humidity was high, and two fans dealt with that.
Summer is over and when my class in Wilton resumes I will be teaching there on Tuesdays and only rarely making it to the New Haven class and only as a dancer, not as a teacher. My teaching in New Haven will once again be restricted to the Second Monday of the month class on the Heights.
Bad news - but not completely unexpected: Mary Kate Adami (nee Sampson), who has been quite sick for some time, has died. A memorial service was held this past weekend.
Summer is over and when my class in Wilton resumes I will be teaching there on Tuesdays and only rarely making it to the New Haven class and only as a dancer, not as a teacher. My teaching in New Haven will once again be restricted to the Second Monday of the month class on the Heights.
Bad news - but not completely unexpected: Mary Kate Adami (nee Sampson), who has been quite sick for some time, has died. A memorial service was held this past weekend.
Tonight's dances were:
Knights' Heys (32 H 3) T. Glasspool
Gypsy Dreams (32 S 2) T. Glasspool
Miss Muriel Johnstone's Jig (32 J 3) G. Dale Birdsall – A Cup of Kindness
Auchindrain (32 R 3) P. Price
Through A Glass Darkly (32 S 4) B. Skelton – Kiwi Book
Un-Named Dance (32 S 2) C. Anagnostakis
Lang May Your Lum Reek (32 J 2) B. Priddey
**********
Knights' Heys - Teacher's Check Mark award winner in 2003 and about to make its first encore appearance since that ball - and about time too.
Gypsy Dreams - What a delight! The Tournee is becoming a good looking formation. Finally. Due to sheer repetition. I hope the teachers in New Haven continue with this. Oh and by the way - reappearing on the 2011 K&G ball program for the first time since it premiered in '04.
Miss Muriel Johnstone's Jig - A fairly simple wee dance, heavily weighted toward first couple. Second and third couples are very much supporting couples in the dance - theirs is a choppy role with lots of stop and go four bar phrases. I would like to dance it some time and see for myself - but no Dancer's Check Mark Award for it tonight.
Through a Glass Darkly - No dancers award for this one either, but I would give it a Teacher's award. Why? To justify the amount of head banging I had to do to get a couple of very simple concept across. Set advancing men, that means moving forward on bar 1! Right? Got it? Not.
Un-Named dance by C. Anagnostakis - Sorry. You will just have to wait, but I think it will be worth it.
Lang May Your Lum Reek - I just love that stealth progression (bars 29-32). Worth all the angst and sturm und drang of the third figure. As for that - try practicing it with both hands joined and you may find the key to the whole dance. Note well: I am programming this one as the premier dance on the 2011 K&G ball program.
Knights' Heys - Teacher's Check Mark award winner in 2003 and about to make its first encore appearance since that ball - and about time too.
Gypsy Dreams - What a delight! The Tournee is becoming a good looking formation. Finally. Due to sheer repetition. I hope the teachers in New Haven continue with this. Oh and by the way - reappearing on the 2011 K&G ball program for the first time since it premiered in '04.
Miss Muriel Johnstone's Jig - A fairly simple wee dance, heavily weighted toward first couple. Second and third couples are very much supporting couples in the dance - theirs is a choppy role with lots of stop and go four bar phrases. I would like to dance it some time and see for myself - but no Dancer's Check Mark Award for it tonight.
Through a Glass Darkly - No dancers award for this one either, but I would give it a Teacher's award. Why? To justify the amount of head banging I had to do to get a couple of very simple concept across. Set advancing men, that means moving forward on bar 1! Right? Got it? Not.
Un-Named dance by C. Anagnostakis - Sorry. You will just have to wait, but I think it will be worth it.
Lang May Your Lum Reek - I just love that stealth progression (bars 29-32). Worth all the angst and sturm und drang of the third figure. As for that - try practicing it with both hands joined and you may find the key to the whole dance. Note well: I am programming this one as the premier dance on the 2011 K&G ball program.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
New Haven Summer Social - 24 August 2010
The evening's dances were:
Greyfriars Bobby (32 S 3 set) B. Priddey
Hooper's Jig (32 J 3) Miscellany 2
Five Penny Ness (32 J 5) J. Attwood
Castle Douglas (32 S 3) R. Goldring
Miss Norah Kindness (32 R 3) D. Birdsall
Gypsy Dreams (32 S 2) T. Glasspool
**********
Greyfriars Bobby - As I taught this dance for the first time a sense of deja vue crept over me. I now remember being taught this dance in the late 1970's or early 80s by Bob Frew, one of the founding fathers of Scottish dancing in New Haven. Or at least I think I remember this.
The dancer's gave this one an up tick at the end saying it was well worth doing again and worth adding to the local repertoire. It has the potential to being very beautiful, but it is a demanding dance. Not physically but it definitely needs precise phrasing and proper timing throughout as well as control of steps, stretching and retarding as necessary.
Hooper's Jig - A standard that I don't teach often enough. I finally figured out that the dance is not about the Ones, but rather ALL about the 2nd couple - they step up, step down and step up again - forget - and the dance will crash and burn. Second couple make or break the dance.
Five Penny Ness - Another first time dance and it was a very good thing that I had the original direction in my bag as I really screwed up reading my note card. This one also received a dancers "gotta do it again" award. Personally I found it more interesting then most of Roy Goldring's 5C, once-and-to-the-bottom, dances. I don't think it is much harder either. The opening promenade reels take some effort to do well but the rest of the dance is really neat and sweet. My third thumbs up for the evening.
Castle Douglas - I have finally found dance-able music for this one. Muriel Johnstone finally included the tune (Mr and Mrs Little of Castle Douglas) in the set for another strathspey and that set works just fine here.
The dance is asymmetrical, similar movements happen at different places in the music, and I find that part of it's charm. It is also one of the most intensely social dances I have done. (I am tempted to say intensely intimate dances). It is not such a great dance for the 2s and the 3s who merely support but it is just fabulous for the 1s. A thorough gem it belongs in the world standard repertoire.
Miss Norah Kindness - Bob Gregg taught this one. And this one too received applause at the end.
Written (or as Hugh Foss said "choreographed") by Dale Birdsall there is a faint whiff of technique about it.
The charm of it all are the mirror reels of three across followed by reels of three on the sides. There was one part that was not clear - after the second reel first couple passes each other into right hand casts to own sides - I seem to recall Bob saying pass by left shoulders and I found myself passing partner by right shoulders.
Gypsy Dreams - As always it is the unspeakable, bloody tournee. And the rest of the dance is so pretty several dancers called for it to be done on another ball, in fact to be programed on the Kilts and Ghillies Ball on a regular basis. I am willing, but there are so many pretty dances that need to be done...
Greyfriars Bobby (32 S 3 set) B. Priddey
Hooper's Jig (32 J 3) Miscellany 2
Five Penny Ness (32 J 5) J. Attwood
Castle Douglas (32 S 3) R. Goldring
Miss Norah Kindness (32 R 3) D. Birdsall
Gypsy Dreams (32 S 2) T. Glasspool
**********
Greyfriars Bobby - As I taught this dance for the first time a sense of deja vue crept over me. I now remember being taught this dance in the late 1970's or early 80s by Bob Frew, one of the founding fathers of Scottish dancing in New Haven. Or at least I think I remember this.
The dancer's gave this one an up tick at the end saying it was well worth doing again and worth adding to the local repertoire. It has the potential to being very beautiful, but it is a demanding dance. Not physically but it definitely needs precise phrasing and proper timing throughout as well as control of steps, stretching and retarding as necessary.
Hooper's Jig - A standard that I don't teach often enough. I finally figured out that the dance is not about the Ones, but rather ALL about the 2nd couple - they step up, step down and step up again - forget - and the dance will crash and burn. Second couple make or break the dance.
Five Penny Ness - Another first time dance and it was a very good thing that I had the original direction in my bag as I really screwed up reading my note card. This one also received a dancers "gotta do it again" award. Personally I found it more interesting then most of Roy Goldring's 5C, once-and-to-the-bottom, dances. I don't think it is much harder either. The opening promenade reels take some effort to do well but the rest of the dance is really neat and sweet. My third thumbs up for the evening.
Castle Douglas - I have finally found dance-able music for this one. Muriel Johnstone finally included the tune (Mr and Mrs Little of Castle Douglas) in the set for another strathspey and that set works just fine here.
The dance is asymmetrical, similar movements happen at different places in the music, and I find that part of it's charm. It is also one of the most intensely social dances I have done. (I am tempted to say intensely intimate dances). It is not such a great dance for the 2s and the 3s who merely support but it is just fabulous for the 1s. A thorough gem it belongs in the world standard repertoire.
Miss Norah Kindness - Bob Gregg taught this one. And this one too received applause at the end.
Written (or as Hugh Foss said "choreographed") by Dale Birdsall there is a faint whiff of technique about it.
The charm of it all are the mirror reels of three across followed by reels of three on the sides. There was one part that was not clear - after the second reel first couple passes each other into right hand casts to own sides - I seem to recall Bob saying pass by left shoulders and I found myself passing partner by right shoulders.
Gypsy Dreams - As always it is the unspeakable, bloody tournee. And the rest of the dance is so pretty several dancers called for it to be done on another ball, in fact to be programed on the Kilts and Ghillies Ball on a regular basis. I am willing, but there are so many pretty dances that need to be done...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Dancing on the Heights - 9 August 2010
The weather turned hot and muggy again and only four dancers showed up. That gave me the space to do some individual coaching. And, Hooray for me, I had prepared a number of 2C dances so I wasn't scrambling for material.
One dance was completely new, one was a favourite from the Kilts and Ghillies Ball circa 2005 and the other two were recent finds of mine that have been given the top accolade of applause from the floor. Mind you there are two possible reasons for applause - either the dancers really liked the dance or they are really happy it is done and over with.
And regarding that favourite dance, Terry Glasspool's Gypsy Dreams - before tonight I have taught it only once in the last five years, and that was in April of this year. And it bothers me that when we find real gems, and Gypsy Dreams is definitely a gem, we don't make sure, by repetition, that the dance becomes part of our repertoire. And I know how difficult the initial teaching was, and tonight I was astonished at how inherently easy the dance really is. So why?
Susan Leff offered a solution - build up a repertoire of dances linked to the Kilts and Ghillies ball. This is what the Brooklyn, NY class does with their Drewry Night. They program the neat but difficult dances every other year or so. Worth considering.
Tonight's dances were:
Cubbie Roo (32 J 2) J. Attwood
The Burn of Sorrow (32 S 2) B. Priddey
Lang May Your Lum Reek (32 J 2) B. Priddey
Gypsy Dreams (32 S 2) T. Glasspool
Elixabeth Adair (32 J 2) Hugh Foss
**********
Cubbie Roo - Jean Attwood. Worth a second take, mainly because I think different music would be a huge improvement. It was the first dance of the evening and that was probably a mistake. The dance requires mental clarity and precision. With neither minds nor legs warm precision was out of the question. A relentless dance, a proper set would have been a great relief.
The Burn of Sorrow - Dancers like this one (two trials and two positive responses). Me too. What I like is the contrast between the strong turn and loop that follows the initial right hands across and the much slower no turn and loop (in four) out of the left hands across. Too, I simply adore the tourbillon progression and was tickled pink when one of the dancers wanted to work on the timing. It is so lovely when done right.
The key to the tourbillon, IMHO, is the timing of the handing. The turn with partner is only a half turn - that puts 1M into position to dance down the Ladies' side into 2L's position and by dropping his left (partner's right) hand after just one step he gets to 'draw' her back to her place, where they then set on the sides with near hands joined. They turn again, again only half way, and that puts 1L in position to dance across to 2M's place. By dropping her left hand (partner's right) after just one step she gets to 'draw' 1M back to 2L's place. And here is the but - But the only way they can be in 2nd place on the sides across from one another is if they drop both hands. And here is the big but - BUT don't drop them at the same time! She should drop her left hand first and a moment later, after setting up the illusion of the draw, she should drop her right hand and dance across the set as 1M dances back into 2L's place. Couples now cross to own sides.
Another consideration - the nature of the figure is inherently curvy. From lines to turns (think 2 person circles) to lines and set. From lines to turns (again think circles) to the side lines and cross. Think covering too.
I am SO tempted to put this on the K&G ball.
Lang May Your Lum Reek - We have another Winnah! With sixteen bars of lullaby to get you to lower your guard, and then... Wham! Eight bars of Rotating Ptolemaic Epicyclic Hello Goodbye setting no less. ( no lie - that is the name we came up with tonight - and not me, it was Bob Cole!) And the progression is one the simplest and most satisfying I have ever danced.
And, gulp, I did succumb to temptation and I have put it on the K&G program for April.
Gypsy Dreams - So beautiful! I have no other words. You have to dance this one at least once in your life. And once you have, once won't be enough. This is my #1 strathspey despite of the tournee.
Susan, you are absolutely right. So I promise, I will teach and program Gypsy Dreams more often.
One dance was completely new, one was a favourite from the Kilts and Ghillies Ball circa 2005 and the other two were recent finds of mine that have been given the top accolade of applause from the floor. Mind you there are two possible reasons for applause - either the dancers really liked the dance or they are really happy it is done and over with.
And regarding that favourite dance, Terry Glasspool's Gypsy Dreams - before tonight I have taught it only once in the last five years, and that was in April of this year. And it bothers me that when we find real gems, and Gypsy Dreams is definitely a gem, we don't make sure, by repetition, that the dance becomes part of our repertoire. And I know how difficult the initial teaching was, and tonight I was astonished at how inherently easy the dance really is. So why?
Susan Leff offered a solution - build up a repertoire of dances linked to the Kilts and Ghillies ball. This is what the Brooklyn, NY class does with their Drewry Night. They program the neat but difficult dances every other year or so. Worth considering.
Tonight's dances were:
Cubbie Roo (32 J 2) J. Attwood
The Burn of Sorrow (32 S 2) B. Priddey
Lang May Your Lum Reek (32 J 2) B. Priddey
Gypsy Dreams (32 S 2) T. Glasspool
Elixabeth Adair (32 J 2) Hugh Foss
**********
Cubbie Roo - Jean Attwood. Worth a second take, mainly because I think different music would be a huge improvement. It was the first dance of the evening and that was probably a mistake. The dance requires mental clarity and precision. With neither minds nor legs warm precision was out of the question. A relentless dance, a proper set would have been a great relief.
The Burn of Sorrow - Dancers like this one (two trials and two positive responses). Me too. What I like is the contrast between the strong turn and loop that follows the initial right hands across and the much slower no turn and loop (in four) out of the left hands across. Too, I simply adore the tourbillon progression and was tickled pink when one of the dancers wanted to work on the timing. It is so lovely when done right.
The key to the tourbillon, IMHO, is the timing of the handing. The turn with partner is only a half turn - that puts 1M into position to dance down the Ladies' side into 2L's position and by dropping his left (partner's right) hand after just one step he gets to 'draw' her back to her place, where they then set on the sides with near hands joined. They turn again, again only half way, and that puts 1L in position to dance across to 2M's place. By dropping her left hand (partner's right) after just one step she gets to 'draw' 1M back to 2L's place. And here is the but - But the only way they can be in 2nd place on the sides across from one another is if they drop both hands. And here is the big but - BUT don't drop them at the same time! She should drop her left hand first and a moment later, after setting up the illusion of the draw, she should drop her right hand and dance across the set as 1M dances back into 2L's place. Couples now cross to own sides.
Another consideration - the nature of the figure is inherently curvy. From lines to turns (think 2 person circles) to lines and set. From lines to turns (again think circles) to the side lines and cross. Think covering too.
I am SO tempted to put this on the K&G ball.
Lang May Your Lum Reek - We have another Winnah! With sixteen bars of lullaby to get you to lower your guard, and then... Wham! Eight bars of Rotating Ptolemaic Epicyclic Hello Goodbye setting no less. ( no lie - that is the name we came up with tonight - and not me, it was Bob Cole!) And the progression is one the simplest and most satisfying I have ever danced.
And, gulp, I did succumb to temptation and I have put it on the K&G program for April.
Gypsy Dreams - So beautiful! I have no other words. You have to dance this one at least once in your life. And once you have, once won't be enough. This is my #1 strathspey despite of the tournee.
Susan, you are absolutely right. So I promise, I will teach and program Gypsy Dreams more often.
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