Hi Lark,

I concur with Lisa about teaching the blobs.
It would also be a good idea to really emphasize the progression.
>From circles of 4, just pass thru and make a new circle "this will be who you dance with the second time"
then just pass thru and make a new circle "this will be...third time" then back to place.

It will give an opportunity to point out the end effects, too.

I did a dance very similar to the one Lisa proposed (Jefferson's Reel)
at my son's school's Colonial Day, and it was ok. (except for the kids who wouldn't touch another gender:-)


Good Luck!

Bob



Message: 2
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:33:09 -0500
From: Lisa Sieverts <lisa at lisasieverts.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Utterly Introductory dance input sought
To: larkspur at umich.edu, Caller's discussion list
    <callers at sharedweight.net>
Message-ID: <D5F3DA83-EEB4-49D1-B41A-1D8B809E5C40 at lisasieverts.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

These people have never danced? And you have 5 minutes?

I'd recommend nothing harder than Blobs:

Blobs
longways sets, gender doesn't matter

1. F&B
2. F&B

BEGIN TEACHING HERE (Blobs begin at the top, make circles of 2, 4, or  
6 people -- or more as long as they don't tell you about it!)
3. Blob Circle LEFT 
4. Blob Circle RIGHT

5. Blob RIGHT hand STAR
6. Blob LEFT hand STAR

7&8. Blob sashay down, others move up

Note that it would take you 5 minutes to teach "cloverleaf turn  
single away from partner" IMHO.

Good luck!
Lisa

On Feb 11, 2009, at 10:59 PM, Lark-Aeryn Speyer wrote:

> Hi group,
> Weird situation: I am supposed to put together a five-minute  
> presentation on
> myself as a leader for a "Leadership & Organizational Behavior"  
> graduate
> class, and I just think that perhaps the way to go is to create a VERY
> SIMPLE English Country dance set to my favorite song--and teach it  
> to my
> classmates.
>
> Most of you don't know me, but I'll nonetheless spare you with  
> explanations
> as to exactly how weird this is.  And, yes, I realize, too, that it  
> may not
> be an optimal ECD introduction for my classmates, but I hope it  
> will be
> beautiful in some degree, and moving, and indeed an expression of  
> the kind
> of leadership I am trying to develop (yes, I'm a budding caller).
>
> In addition, the favorite song, Carrie Newcomer's "Bare to the Bone"
> (see http://carrienewcomer.com/chords/age_of_possibility_chords.pdf
> <http://carrienewcomer.com/sheet_music/ 
> Bare_to_the_Bone_sheet_music.pdf>
> and
> http://carrienewcomer.com/sheet_music/ 
> Bare_to_the_Bone_sheet_music.pdf)
> expresses everything I want to be as
 a person.
>
> So I'm writing for advice.  Since I am supposed to take 5 minutes  
> for the
> whole dang kit & kaboodle, I will probably only run the dance three  
> times
> through--one verse, one bridge, and one more verse.  I've written  
> moves for
> 8 bars of 4/4, and I do not think I need any additional moves for a
> rank-beginner group:
>
> ***
>
> "Bare to the Bone"
> Lark-Aeryn Speyer, 2009
> DRAFT
>
> 2-couple sets, facing across the hall; or 3-couple circle sets
>
> 1     taking hands in a ring, balance in and out
> 2     cloverleaf turn single away from partner
> 3-4  clockwise, single file circle 1/2 (step-pause step)
>           (If you're in a 3-couple circle set, just circle as far  
> as the
> music suggests)
>
> 5     taking hands in a ring, balance in and out
> 6     taking 2 hands with your partner, balance in and out
> 7-8  2-hand turn partner once
>
> (If in 2-couple sets, you are now on the other side of the set.  
> This passes
> for a progression.)
>
> ***
>
> The music (in case you don't know it) is sweet, soft, simple, and  
> healing.
>  The lyrics (I intend to sing one verse beforehand in lieu of  
> "let's listen
> to the music once through") and the general feel of the tune are a  
> condition
> of complete openness, an approach of utter goodwill.  What I would  
> hope my
> classmates could take away is a feeling of lightness, ideally even of
> spiritual availability.  (Of course, this also depends on my fiddler
> classmate who has offered to learn the tune.)
>
> And I'll bring along a handful of flyers for local English dances,  
> just in
> case. :-)
>
> Thoughts very much welcomed!  I assure you that any other ideas I  
> have for
> this presentation are much scarier to me!
>
> Thanks,
> Lark Speyer
>
>
> -- 
> There is no conceivable beauty of blossom so beautiful as words,-- 
> none so
> graceful, none so perfumed. It is possible to dream of combinations of
> syllables so delicious that all the  dawning and decay of summer  
> cannot
> rival their perfection, nor winter's s
tainless white and azure  
> match their
> purity and their charm.
> --Thomas Wentworth Higginson
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