Sliding Star (2017)

This dance was inspired by "Solar Nebula" by Cary Ravitz and Janet Bertog, in which dancers in the raven role are active in the revolving door figure.  In the original published version of this dance, the revolving door figure continued from the second half of A1 into the first four beats of A2.  I found so many dancers getting the neighbor swing as early at the top of A2 that I updated the choreography in April 2018.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  New Neighbor Right Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Larks Left Hand Turn .5 (2) - Partner Star Promenade Across (4) - Larks Left Hand Turn .5 (2)

A2  Neighbor Right Shoulder Round and Swing (16)

B1  Larks Pass Left - Partner Pass Right - Ravens Push Off (8) / Partner Swing (8)

B2  Ravens Chain Across to Neighbor (8) / Left Hand Star Once to Face New Neighbor (8)

Saturday Night in Indianapolis (2013)

I wrote this in honor of my friends in Indianapolis. Debuted when I called at Gypsy Moon Ball dance weekend in 2013.

CLOCKWISE BECKET

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  New Ravens Chain Across to Neighbor (8) / Ravens Pass Right to Start Half Hey (8)

A2  Neighbor Balance & Swing (16)

B1  Long Lines Forward & Back (8) / Larks Pull by Left (2) - Partner Pull by Right (2) - Ravens Allemande Left Once (4)

B2  Partner Balance & Swing (16) (New ravens find each other by sliding left with partner on the side)

Ribbons for Shoe Laces (2017)

This dance is essentially a variation of "Wrinkled Ribbon" by Melanie Axel-Lute.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Neighbor Left Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Ravens Pass Right to Start Half Hey (8)

A2  Neighbor Balance and Swing (16)

B1  Give and Take to Raven's Side (8) / Partner Swing (8)

B2  Partner Promenade Across and Shift Right Along the Side (8) / New Couple Circle Right 3 Places (8)

Rad Spice (2016)

B2 and A1 are taken from "Mad Slice" by Rick Mohr.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Ravens Left Hand Allemande Once (5) - Neighbor Swing (11)

A2  Larks Left Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Partner Pass Right to Start Half Hey (8)

B1  Partner Right Shoulder Round and Swing (16)

B2  Circle Left Three Places (6) - Pass Through Up and Down the Set (2) / Mad Robin (Ravens slide right in front of new neighbors) (8)

Punch West (2017)

This dance is essentially a combination of "Fruit Punch" by Diane Silver and "West by Midwest" by Carol Ormand, hence the title.  

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Neighbor Balance & Swing (16)

A2  Ring of Four Balance (4) - Pass Through to the Ocean Wave (4) / Short Wave Across (Ravens in middle by left hand; neighbor right hand) Balance Right then Left (4) - Neighbor Right Hand Turn Half Way (2) - Larks Left Hand Turn Half Way (2)

B1  Partner Balance & Swing (16)

B2  Circle Left Three Places (6) - Pass Through Up and Down the Set (2) / New Neighbor Do-si-do (8)

Peel with Your Teeth (2020)

Inspired by “Sealed with a Keith” by Cary Ravitz. During long lines at the start of the dance, dancers have a partner in one hand and their shadow in the other. Dancers need to pay attention at the ends to navigate end effects. For the half hey, larks look for the lark who is allemanding the neighbor from the chain in A1.

CLOCKWISE BECKET

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Long Lines Forward and Back (8) / Left Diagonal Ravens Chain to New Neighbor (8)

A2  Circle Right 3 Places (8) / Partner (on the Side in Adjacent Minor Set) Right Shoulder Round 1.5 (8)

B1  Shadow (on the Side in Adjacent Minor Set) Left Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Larks Across the Set Pass Right to Start Half Hey Across (8)

B2  With Partner (on the Side in Adjacent Minor) Set Balance and Swing (16)

Patch's Night Out (2017)

Written for a cat by this name.  Also see "Tanner's Night Out."

CLOCKWISE BECKET

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Long Lines Forward and Back (8) / Ravens Chain Across to Neighbor (8)

A2  Ring of Four Balance (4) - Pass the Ocean (4) / Short Wave Across (Ravens left hand in the middle; neighbor right hand) Balance (4) - Dance Forward Up & Down the Set (4)

B1  New Neighbor Right Shoulder Round and Swing (16)

B2  Larks Left Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Partner Swing (8)

Passion Gym (2016)

This dance is a combination of "Passion Breakdown" by Cary Ravitz and "A Swim at the Gym" by me.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  New Neighbor Right Shoulder Round & Swing (16)

A2  Ravens Pass Right to Start Half Hey (8) / Mad Robin (Ravens slide left in front of neighbor) (8)

B1  Ravens Pass Left (4) - Partner Swing (12)

B2  Circle Left 3 Places (8) / Neighbor Pass Right (Side) - Partner Pass Left (Across) - Neighbor Pass Right (Side) (8)

Panacea March (2020)

This dance was inspired by “Panacea” by Frank Buschelmann.

COUNTRT CLOCKWISE BECKET

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Larks Left Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Neighbor Swing (8)

A2  Long Lines Forward and Back (8) / Ravens Chain to Across Partner (8)

B1  Single File March Right 3 Places in Minor Set (8) / In a New Minor Set March Left 3 Places (8)

B2  Partner Right Shoulder Round and Swing (16) 

Once Lost; Now Found (2017)

This dance is terribly similar to "Lost and Found" by Tom Hinds.  I find that the end of the walk through is a good spot to notify the dancers that this dance is double progression and that their new neighbors for the circle are straight across - larks can identify the lerk from the last .75 right hand turn in that couple.

COUNTER CLOCKWISE BECKET

DOUBLE PROGRESSION

A1  Circle Left Three Places (8) / Neighbor Swing (8)

A2  Long Lines Forward and Back (8) / Left Diagonal Ravens Chain to a New Neighbor (8)

B1  Larks Forward into the Middle (4) - Long Wavy Line of Larks Balance (4) / Larks Right Hand Turn .5 (2) - Next Larks Left Hand Turn .5 (2) - Next Larks Right Hand Turn .75 (4)

B2  Partner Balance and Swing (16)

Martin the Martian (2016)

A2 is taken from "Venus & Mars" by Martin Sirk. 

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Neighbor Right Shoulder Round & Swing (16)

A2  Circle Left 3 Places - Larks Roll Partner Away while Larks Half Sashay (8) / Larks Left Hand Allemande 1.5 *while* Ravens Orbit Clockwise Half Way (8)

B1  Partner Right Shoulder Round & Swing (16)

B2  Ravens Chain Across to Neighbor (8) / Ravens Pass Right to Start Half Hey - Turn Away to New Neighbor (8)

Lucky Martha (2020)

This dance is inspired by “Lucky Penny” by Martha Wild.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1 Long Lines Forward and Back (8) / Larks Right Hand Allemande 1.5 (8)

A2  Partner Star Promenade (4) - Partner Butterfly Whirl (4) / Ravens Pass Left to Start Half Hey (8)

B1 Partner Right Shoulder Round and Swing (16)

B2 Larks Pass Left - Neighbor Pass Right - Ravens Push Off (8) / Neighbor Swing (8)

Long Travel, Short Stay (2017)

I wrote this dance for Lisa Greenleaf as a thank-you for donating toward the December 2016 fundraiser for Portland Intown Contra Dance. Lisa prefers to call the ravens pull-by as ravens pass left to make for a better transition into the swing.

CLOCKWISE BECKET

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1 Circle Left 3 Places (8) / Short Wave Across (Ravens left hand in the middle; neighbor in right hand) Balance Right then Left (4) - Neighbor Right Hand Turn Half Way (2) - Larks Left Hand Turn Half Way (2)

A2  Partner Right Hand Balance (4) - Partner Right Hand Pull By (2) - Ravens Left Hand Pull By (2) / Neighbor Swing (8)

B1 Circle Left 3 Places (8) / Short Wave Across (Ravens left hand in the middle; partner in right hand) Balance Right then Left (4) - Partner Right Hand Turn Half Way (2) - Larks Left Hand Turn Half Way (2)

B2 Neighbor Right Hand Balance (4) - Neighbor Right Hand Pull By (2) - Ravens Left Hand Pull By (2) / Partner Swing (8)  (Find a new couple by sliding left)

Legends of the Hidden Temple (2018)

The title comes from a children's game show that was popular in the mid 1990s. A1 is intuitive, but can cause breakdowns if only a few people are not doing it right because the multiple progression occurs so quickly. Dancers have the rest of the dance to catch up if they messed up in A1. On the ends, dancers treat their partner as one of their neighbors during the figures in A1.

DUPLE IMPROPER

QUINTUPLE PROGRESSION

A1 Long Waves on the Sides (Larks face out; Ravens face in; Neighbor 1 in right hand; Neighbor 0 in left hand) Balance Right then Left (4) - Neighbor 1 Right Hand Turn Half Way (2) - Neighbor 2 Left Hand Turn Half Way (2) / Long Waves on the Sides (Larks face out; Ravens face in; Neighbor 3 in right hand; Neighbor 2 in left hand) Balance Right then Left (4) - Neighbor 3 Right Hand Turn Half Way (2) - Neighbor 4 Left Hand Turn Half Way (2)

A2  Neighbor 5 Balance and Swing (16)

B1 Larks Left Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Partner Swing (8)

B2 Ravens Chain Across to Neighbor (8) / Ravens Pass Right to Start Half Hey (8)

Keep it Simple (2017)

This dance was inspired by Ron Blechner’s exploration into choreography including larks chaining across by the right hand.  The dance ended up looking a lot like "Simplicity Swing" by Becky Hill.  At the start of the dance, shadow is on left diagonal.  I find it helpful at the end of the walk through to point out the new larks for the second time around.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Long Lines Forward and Back (8) / Larks Right Hand Chain Across to Partner (Courtesy turn so raven is on right and lark on left) (8)

A2  Left Hand Star Once (8) / Turn Away from Star to Shadow Do-si-do Once and Return to Partner (8)

B1  Partner Balance and Swing (16)

B2  Larks Left Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Neighbor Swing (8)

John's Bees (2017)

This dance is terribly similar to "The Bee Whisperer" by John Coffman.  It is also terribly similar to "Whispering Bees," also written by me.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Neighbor Right Hand Balance (4) - Neighbor Box the Gnat (4) / Right Hand Star Once (8)

A2  Larks Turn Right to Neighbor Right Shoulder Round and Swing (16)

B1  Give and Take to Lark's Side (8) / Partner Swing (8)

B2  Circle Left Three Places (6) - Pass Through Up and Down the Set (2) / New Neighbor Di-si-do (8)

Jim's Chance (2017)

This dance is terribly similar to "Jim's Dance" by Katy Heine.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Neighbor Pass Left (3) - Preview Neighbor Right Shoulder U-Turn (5) / Neighbor Pass Left (3) - Previous Neighbor Right Shoulder U-Turn (5)

A2  Neighbor Balance and Swing (16)

B1  Give and Take to Lark's Side (8) / Partner Swing (8)

B2  Circle Left Three Places (8) / Neighbor Right Hand Allemande 1.5 to Face a New Neighbor (8)

Irritable Inventiveness (2016)

This dance is essentially a variation of "Cranky Ingenuity" by Bill Olson, written to allow for a longer neighbor swing.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Partners Do-si-do as a Couple Once (8) / Neighbor Do-si-do Once (8)

A2  Neighbor Balance & Swing (16)

B1  Larks Left Hand Allemande 1.5 (8) / Partner Swing (8)

B2  Circle Left 3 Places (8) / Balance the Ring (4) - Partner California Twirl to Face New Couple (4)

Hold Fast (2015)

A variation of my dance, "All Hands on Deck," written at about the same time.

DUPLE IMPROPER

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Neighbor Balance & Swing (16)

A2  Pull by Hey: Ravens Pull by Right (2) - Partner Pull by Left (2) - Larks Pull by Right (2) - Neighbor Pull by Left (2) - Ravens Pull by Right (2) - Partner Pull by Left (2) - Larks Right Hand Allemande Once (4)

B1  Partner Balance & Swing (16)

B2  Larks See-Saw (Left shoulder do-si-do) 1.5 (8) / Neighbor Left Shoulder Round Once(ish) and Turn Away to Face New Neighbor (8)

Hiking with Sunny Step (2016)

This dance was written in honor of Anita Gale, who sponsored a dance as part of the December 2016 fundraiser for Portland Intown Contra Dance. In A1, after the ravens chain, it helps to have dancers identify their new neighbor just beyond their current neighbor so they know who to swing after the hey.

COUNTERCLOCKWISE BECKET

SINGLE PROGRESSION

A1  Ravens Chain Across to Neighbor (8) / Ravens Pass Right to Start Half Hey (8)

A2  New Neighbor Balance & Swing (16)

B1  Hands in a Ring, Balance (4) - Move One Place to the Right as in Petronella (4) / Hands in a Ring, Balance (4) - Move Twos Places to the Right (4)

B2  Partner Balance & Swing (16)