Type: Set Dance
Status: Proven
Due to the 2020 COVID-19 health issue, April’s New England Folk Festival (NEFFA) was canceled. As a scheduled performer I was invited to submit material for a “Virtual NEFFA” to be presented on-line via video. This inspired me to write an early “virtual” dance that could be offered asynchronously and in people’s social isolation situations (nobody had come up with the “Zoom dance” phenomenon yet). I was very lucky to partner up with Julie Metcalf (fiddle) and Max Newman (guitar) whom are wonderful and I knew could play the tune I wanted for this dance, La Sansonette by Dominique Forges. This sequence is a riff off of an English Country Dance (ECD) composition I have been working on to the same tune. We also partnered on a “Family Dance” submittal which was a riff on my existing dance “Clap Happy”.
This dance is what started me thinking about writing specific socially distanced “Zoom dance” compositions, which are now mostly classified as “Singlet” dances in online databases like The Caller’s Box.
The dance name is influenced by Julie Metcalf and my wife Sage – way back when, I discovered the tune and asked Julie about it by its proper name. That didn’t strike a bell but I hummed a bit and she lit up and told me that when she was in music school they’d played it and always called it “Spanish Latte”. Sage had observed to me that ECD dances seem to require titles in the form of article – person/noun – verb/noun. So… those blended together and yielded this name.
This sequence works for ECD or Contra dancers with slight adjustments. Starts facing your partner or in a ring of 3 to 4 dancers. Adapt styling to ECD or contra as needed.
A1
Set to PNR (or Ring Balance), Twirl Right 1 place (a la Petronella);
Set to PNR (or Ring Balance), Twirl Right 1 place
A2
(4) Facing PNR, Fall Back separately then (4) Forward into a Hole-in-the-Wall Style Cross (into PNR spot);
(4) Facing PNR, Fall Back then (4) Forward into a Hole-in-the-Wall Style Cross (into PNR spot)
[if more than 2 dancers, adapt the HitW crosses so everyone passes on tangent in center and ends on opposite side facing in]
B1
Left Shoulder Siding with Partner
[3-4 dancers ALT: forward on right diag into NBR’s spot & back];
Right Shoulder ‘Round PNR 1+1/2x (to face away/out on opposite side)
[3-4 dancers ALT: Right Hand Star to fill the phrase, 1+x around]
B2
Large Loop/Turn Single Left back to face PNR;
Partner CW Two-Hand Turn 1+1/2x (sneak in Swing?)
[3-4 dancers ALT: Circle Left instead of 2H Turn to fill the phrase]
End effects: N/A, there are no ends and no progression
Tune suggestions: La Sansonette by Dominique Forges, played in driving style
Video: Our Virtual NEFFA 2020 offering is also on YouTube as well.
See also: my unpublished draft original ECD on this theme
First called by me at Virtual NEFFA 2020