Preparing to Call a Family Dance |
October 7th, 2022 |
| contra, kids |
La Bastringue
Big circle, partnered, keep your partner, doesn't need a walkthrough
| A1 | (8) | Into the middle |
| (8) | Again | |
| A2 | (8) | Circle left |
| (8) | Circle right | |
| B1 | (16) | Partner swing (or dosido and swing) |
| B2 | (16) | Promenade |
When I call this for adults I make it a mixer by having you swing the next person, but for little kids who are often dancing with their parents you don't want to split them up.
This has its own music, though it's not critical:
(youtube)
Sasha
Scatter mixerIn pairs you point at each other saying "Sasha! Sasha! Ras, dva, tri!" Then you (twice) clap right hands, left hands, both hands, and hands on (your own) knees. Around by the right elbow singing "la (x9), hey!", then again with the left. Then you wander around and find someone new to dance with. The timing is:
| A | (8) | Sasha! Sasha! Ras, dva, tri! |
| B1 | (8) | Right x3, Left x3, Both x3, Knees x3 |
| B2 | (8) | Right x3, Left x3, Both x3, Knees x3 |
| C1 | (8) | Right elbow round |
| C2 | (8) | Left elbow round |
| D | (16) | Wander |
If little kids want to stick with their parents a couple can participate in this dance as if they're one person.
It has its own music:
(youtube)
Favors the Rose ("the Fan Dance")
Two lines, temporary partnering
(youtube)
Dancers form two lines. One person out at the top holding a fan or something else. They consider the two top people, give the object to one, and dance down the middle with the other.
Unphrased, works with any music.
I've never danced this one, but reading trad-dance-caller it seems to be a favorite. I'm mildly nervous about doing it when it's totally new to me, but it does seem pretty simple.
Galopede
Two lines, partnered, keep your partner
| A1 | (8) | Long lines |
| (8) | Cross over | |
| A2 | (8) | Long lines |
| (8) | Cross over | |
| B | (16) | Partner swing (or dosido and swing) |
| C | (16) | Top couple sashays down to the bottom, everyone else moves up. Dancers at the sides clap: 1-2-3. |
Even though it's square and 32-bar it has its own music:
The music is worth doing because of how well the C part fits.
(youtube)
I'm probably not going to do this one, but would instead do two other dances, one with an identical A part and one with an identical B part.
Bridge of Athelone (var)
Two lines, partnered, keep your partner| A1 | (8) | Long lines |
| (8) | Cross over | |
| A2 | (8) | Long lines |
| (8) | Cross over | |
| B1 | (16) | Peel the banana: top couple casts to bottom, their line follows |
| B2 | (16) | Top couple makes an arch at the bottom, everyone else goes up through the arch. |
If the lines are too long or short and you get off the music it's not that bad.
This dance normally has a C part with arches, but I think this would be too complicated for the crowd I'm expecting.
Low-backed Car
Two lines, partnered, keep your partner| A1 | (16) | Top person in left line leads their line around the right line and back to place |
| A2 | (16) | Same with right line |
| B1 | (16) | Partner swing |
| B2 | (16) | Top couple sashays down to the bottom, everyone else moves up. Dancers at the sides clap: 1-2-3. |
Probably use the Galopede music, if not dancing Galopede?
Do you have any play party dances
I was at a wedding that did the Favor the Rose dance. It's nice because it doesn't have to stay with the music at all, it's inherently gender neutral, and people can get creative. At one point, someone gave the fan to the next person in line and danced with both people at the top of the lines.
https://amidoncommunitymusic.com/dancing-with-children/
My copies are still packed for the move or I'd be suggesting specifics, but these are great to have if you'll be doing this with any frequency
Heel and toe polka? Remember playing it for Sue Rosen at a family dance in a museum barn, people seemed to enjoy it.
We came to one of these once, and the kids weren't super into it, and I don't have a ton of concrete suggestions, but one vague suggestion is that I recall being somewhat disappointed that most of the dances weren't very contra-like, and I was personally hoping for something that would be more like "contra but super easy".
Josh What Jeff has outlined so far looks very contra-like to me: all but two dances use NE basics and are phrased to the music. Was the program you attended different?
Josh I felt the same way, the dances were more like international folk dancing or English country dancing that I've done in different groups. But when you want to include children who want to stay with their parents and parents who might never h…
Tony Yeah, the dances were more like "top couple leads down to the bottom of the hall down the middle, then back up to the top, then dance through various people's raised arms to the bottom", or circle dances that didn't include any contra figures.
Martha Yeah, we only went that once, so I shouldn't generalize too much. :^ )
Oh, also! I'm lazy and didn't read through all of Jeff's post, but indeed, it looked at a glance like his suggestions did a nice job of including contra elements.
Anything Goes Marian Rose circle - no mixer *FAMILY*…
Sweets of May variation (to the tune) whole set, 6 couples or so, identify 1s on the left, 2s on the right, across from P 1&2. 2s stay put, 1s follow the leader around the 2s 3&4. All the 2s face me, and skip around the 1s 5. right hand turn PARTNER 6. left hand turn PARTNER 7. clap clap clap, stamp stamp stamp ("3 slow claps") 8. 1s sashay to the bottom
If you wanted to add a simple, silly, Polka, The Baby Polka might fit in. Those who don’t know how to Polka can just sashay around the room during the polka section.
Congrats and good luck! Family dances are so important... that's where we start growing the next generation of dancers. Don't forget the "forward and back" at the start of Galopede and Bridge of Athlone.
Tony Sorry, yes, "long lines" is just short for "long lines forward and back" for less writing. I'll need to teach and call with the longer phrase, though if I partially drop out I might cue with "long lines"? Not sure how much dropping out I'…
Jeff Kaufman typically none (dropping out) (down here)
I love Nils Fredland's hello goodbye, and a simplified chase the rabbit chase the squirrel, but we have 2 hours for our family dance and I always call a square first that is just each couple visit/honor the ring.