Type: Contra Dance, Singlet or Doublet
Progression: None
Status: Proven
Bubbly friends – Robin is an overachiever!
This is the first of my purpose-made remote/virtual dances in a genre that I began referring to as “co-contras.” I had previously composed The Spaniard’s Latte (To Go) for similar purposes in support of the 2020 Virtual New England Folk Festival.
Following NEFFA, the phenomenon of virtual/Zoom dances started to take off. Attending a few of these “Zoom dances” in spring 2020 I was struck by how the use of “standard”/existing contra dances for these events, only mildly or totally unchanged, was complicating the experience for dancers. Having to envision the full set of other dancers in order to follow the pattern (while many were dancing solo or as a pair in their distanced space), plus having to somehow compensate for the (oft retained) progression, wasn’t optimal in the small dance space available.
So I started playing with all-new purpose-built “co-contra” dances in the early spring and quickly developed a set of maxims/guidelines for them. I ended up publishing my ideas and first dances as a Shared Weight Contra Caller’s list post on June 9th, 2020. Chris Page rightfully reclassified these longways-style formation virtual dances as Singlets and Doublets when adding them to The Caller’s Box – akin to how we have had Triplets, etc. historically. As a result, all my dances of this type (including some ECDs) are now labeled as such – or as “Set” dances if they really don’t fit a standard longways setting. This particular dance is optimized as a Singlet but easily done as a Doublet (see A1 adjustment).
Please see this post of general guidelines in interpreting my “virtual” dances.
And yes, I took up sourdough baking during the yeast shortage phase of COVID-19. 😉
A1
Down the Hall 2-in-Line, California Twirl;
Up the Hall 2-in-Line, California Twirl (2s end turning toward PNR to face “up” in Doublet)
A2
Circle Left; Right
B1
Star Right; Left
B2
Loop Single Right (away from PNR & back to face them); PNR Swing (end facing “down”)
End effects: N/A
Tune suggestions: Good ones! 🙂 (almost anything in 32 bars 4/4 works or this one can even be done in waltz time @24 beats/part)
Video:
See also: My overall set of virtual dances.
First called by PERSON at VENUE on DATE (I don’t know – but it’s been called a lot!)