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.
Showing posts with label Tourbillon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tourbillon. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
New Haven Highland Ball - New Haven Workshop
Done. A success for the books.
Dances covered in this workshop:
Collichur (32 J 3) 30/1
The Talcott Mountain Strathspey (32 S 3) Nutmeg Collection
The Black Leather Jig (32 R 3) Delaware Valley Silver
The Spirit of the Dance (32 S 3) Irene Paterson - leaflet
John of Bon Accord (32 R 3) 33/5
The Valentine (32 S 3) 5 Dances 2009
**********
Collichur – Nothing tricky about this dance - but it is a nice easy warm-up to get blood flowing to both brain and muscles. The rest of the afternoon went smoothly so it must have been the right thing to do.
The Talcott Mountain Strathspey – This one isn't exactly tricky, what it has is a high piece count. By that I mean there are a lot of instructions for each 8 bar phrase. Lots of words for the teacher to say and dancers to process. And that is what makes it a "difficult" dance. It is not the same kind of difficult as a piece of spaghetti choreography, but still difficult.
The Black Leather Jig – What needed teaching here is the variant Set to Corner-Partner. I learned this figure from Ron Wallace when he introduced his new dance Da Rain Dancin' to us at Pinewoods a looong time ago now. He stressed, strongly, that on bars 2 and 6 dancers do NOT move all the way onto the side lines, but just far enough to have right shoulders pointing toward each other. Then the giving of right hands is a simple matter and that 'makes' the turns which 'make' the dance (IMHO). Pretty figure, too.
The Spirit of the Dance – Two reasons to teach this one - the 12 bar 3 couple Rights and Lefts (because it isn't common) and the Tourbillon (because I constantly see it butchered). Hmmm, my language might be a bit strong here. Let me rephrase that.
I found another 'take' on the figure that I thought might land and stick. It did. It really did. Kudos to Irene Patterson (who wrote the dance) for coming up with a wonderful description of the Tourbillon. What she said was:
1-2 1st and 2nd couples turn with two hands, 1M and 2L change places.
3-4 retaining hands on the side, both couples set.
5-6 1st and 2nd couples turn with both hands, 1L and 2M change places.
7-8 both couples cross over giving right hands, 1st couple stay facing out.
The difference in the dancing was remarkable. Never before have I seen so many dancers in so many sets dancing the Tourbillon with such ease, grace, lack of angst or drama. Ahhhh. If only I'd had her directions 10 years ago. Sigh.
John of Bon Accord – I finally got to see if my vision of the last figure really works - I mean with dancers who don't see me on a weekly basis and are not used to my peculiar ways of looking at things. Well the truth is in the dancing and, when done my way, the turns worked. And that is the bottom line. Four sets and ALL looking good, everyone one the sides lines in time to set. Excuse me but… YES!! OK, I'm done gloating now.
(John of Bon Accord was covered in detail in two earlier posts. I see no need to bore everyone to tears again.)
The Valentine – Why? Because the dance is new, the central 'gypsy' figure is unusual enough to warrant coverage, and the misprint in the original publication needed to be corrected. (Correction made in Scottish Country Dancer No. 9, October 2009, page 6). My conclusion (based on today's test): The dance is uncomplicated, pretty and a keeper.
Dances covered in this workshop:
Collichur (32 J 3) 30/1
The Talcott Mountain Strathspey (32 S 3) Nutmeg Collection
The Black Leather Jig (32 R 3) Delaware Valley Silver
The Spirit of the Dance (32 S 3) Irene Paterson - leaflet
John of Bon Accord (32 R 3) 33/5
The Valentine (32 S 3) 5 Dances 2009
**********
Collichur – Nothing tricky about this dance - but it is a nice easy warm-up to get blood flowing to both brain and muscles. The rest of the afternoon went smoothly so it must have been the right thing to do.
The Talcott Mountain Strathspey – This one isn't exactly tricky, what it has is a high piece count. By that I mean there are a lot of instructions for each 8 bar phrase. Lots of words for the teacher to say and dancers to process. And that is what makes it a "difficult" dance. It is not the same kind of difficult as a piece of spaghetti choreography, but still difficult.
The Black Leather Jig – What needed teaching here is the variant Set to Corner-Partner. I learned this figure from Ron Wallace when he introduced his new dance Da Rain Dancin' to us at Pinewoods a looong time ago now. He stressed, strongly, that on bars 2 and 6 dancers do NOT move all the way onto the side lines, but just far enough to have right shoulders pointing toward each other. Then the giving of right hands is a simple matter and that 'makes' the turns which 'make' the dance (IMHO). Pretty figure, too.
The Spirit of the Dance – Two reasons to teach this one - the 12 bar 3 couple Rights and Lefts (because it isn't common) and the Tourbillon (because I constantly see it butchered). Hmmm, my language might be a bit strong here. Let me rephrase that.
I found another 'take' on the figure that I thought might land and stick. It did. It really did. Kudos to Irene Patterson (who wrote the dance) for coming up with a wonderful description of the Tourbillon. What she said was:
1-2 1st and 2nd couples turn with two hands, 1M and 2L change places.
3-4 retaining hands on the side, both couples set.
5-6 1st and 2nd couples turn with both hands, 1L and 2M change places.
7-8 both couples cross over giving right hands, 1st couple stay facing out.
The difference in the dancing was remarkable. Never before have I seen so many dancers in so many sets dancing the Tourbillon with such ease, grace, lack of angst or drama. Ahhhh. If only I'd had her directions 10 years ago. Sigh.
John of Bon Accord – I finally got to see if my vision of the last figure really works - I mean with dancers who don't see me on a weekly basis and are not used to my peculiar ways of looking at things. Well the truth is in the dancing and, when done my way, the turns worked. And that is the bottom line. Four sets and ALL looking good, everyone one the sides lines in time to set. Excuse me but… YES!! OK, I'm done gloating now.
(John of Bon Accord was covered in detail in two earlier posts. I see no need to bore everyone to tears again.)
The Valentine – Why? Because the dance is new, the central 'gypsy' figure is unusual enough to warrant coverage, and the misprint in the original publication needed to be corrected. (Correction made in Scottish Country Dancer No. 9, October 2009, page 6). My conclusion (based on today's test): The dance is uncomplicated, pretty and a keeper.
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