We did this one at Reformation Day and I was hopelessly confused, until I watched the video and thought, "Oh, THAT's how it goes... that's easy!" :-) So again... the video is going to be much more helpful than the written directions (which I guess is the case with pretty much all of them... or maybe it's just me).
Notice how the gents don't necessarily wait until the ladies are all back in position before they start going around. This is a fast dance and they just go with the music.
Ladies take hands in line, skip around the men (moving counter-clockwise) and back to place.
Men the same (clockwise).
1st couple (furthest to right) takes hands and moves around 2nd couple (gent moving forward first - "pushing" lady), 2nd couple moves up, 1st couple around 3rd couple, 3rd couple moving up and then back
1st couple back up and around 2nd couple, 2nd couple returns to place.
1st couple cross (switch places) and cast to second
1st couple cross again and cast to third
1st couple lead up the middle of the set and cast to the bottom.
Repeat.
If you have any questions leave a comment! Many thanks to Old Dominion Dance for the instructions and video.
Showing posts with label dancing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dancing. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Postie's Jig | Dance Tutorial
This is another big favorite. :-) This one is really confusing to write out in words so please watch the video! We do usually do this faster than the video version.
4 couples, ladies on one side, gentlemen on the other. The 4 people on the outside are the "posts," except that when you first start the dance the posts cast off and the inside couples become the posts. When you are a post you stay in the same place and basically spin with everyone else.
Posts cast off (inside couples move to outsides) and go around the new posts, lady going first
Ladies join hands, gents make an arch and ladies go under
Spin with posts (*Note that in the video they spin hand in hand - we do it arm-in-arm)
Partners join hands, head couple makes an arch (head couple is the one who started closest to the caller) and the other couple goes under
Spin with posts
Ladies join hands, gents make an arch and ladies go under
Spin with posts
Partners join hands, "other" couple makes an arch and head couple goes under
Spin with posts
Three changes rights and lefts (right hand to your partner, left hand to your neighbor, right hand to your partner)
Two-hand turn twice around so you end up on the right side.
Repeat.
Questions? Leave a comment. :-)
4 couples, ladies on one side, gentlemen on the other. The 4 people on the outside are the "posts," except that when you first start the dance the posts cast off and the inside couples become the posts. When you are a post you stay in the same place and basically spin with everyone else.
Posts cast off (inside couples move to outsides) and go around the new posts, lady going first
Ladies join hands, gents make an arch and ladies go under
Spin with posts (*Note that in the video they spin hand in hand - we do it arm-in-arm)
Partners join hands, head couple makes an arch (head couple is the one who started closest to the caller) and the other couple goes under
Spin with posts
Ladies join hands, gents make an arch and ladies go under
Spin with posts
Partners join hands, "other" couple makes an arch and head couple goes under
Spin with posts
Three changes rights and lefts (right hand to your partner, left hand to your neighbor, right hand to your partner)
Two-hand turn twice around so you end up on the right side.
Repeat.
Questions? Leave a comment. :-)
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Comical Fellow | Dance Tutorial
Every other couple starting with the couple closest to the caller is a 1st couple. Every other couple (starting with the couple next to the first couple) is a 2nd couple.
1st Corners set forward, fall back and turn two hands
2nd corners set forward, fall back and turn two hands
1st couples lead down middle, dance back and cast to second
All clap 4 times and turn two hands with partner half way
Circle Left (8 counts), Circle R (8 counts)
All clap 4 times and turn two hands with partner halfway
If you have any questions leave a comment! Many thanks to Old Dominion Dance for the instructions and video.
Hole in the Wall | Dance Tutorial
This is one of my favorite elegant dances.
Every other couple starting with the couple closest to the caller is a 1st couple. Every other couple (starting with the couple next to the first couple) is a 2nd couple.
1st couples cast down, lead up (back to place)
2nd couples cast up, lead down
1st corners switch places
2nd corners change places
Take hands four, circle Left halfway
1st couples cast to 2nd place while 2nd couples leads up to 1st
If you have any questions leave a comment! Many thanks to Old Dominion Dance for the instructions and video.
Every other couple starting with the couple closest to the caller is a 1st couple. Every other couple (starting with the couple next to the first couple) is a 2nd couple.
1st couples cast down, lead up (back to place)
2nd couples cast up, lead down
1st corners switch places
2nd corners change places
Take hands four, circle Left halfway
1st couples cast to 2nd place while 2nd couples leads up to 1st
If you have any questions leave a comment! Many thanks to Old Dominion Dance for the instructions and video.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Auretti's Dutch Skipper | Dance Tutorial
Here's our first dance instruction post. I hope that all the instructions are clear; it's generally confusing to just read the directions, so watch the video and it will make more sense!
Every other couple starting with the couple closest to the caller is a 1st couple. Every other couple (starting with the couple next to the first couple) is a 2nd couple. Make sense?
1st couples lead down and cast up. Two-hand turn.
2nd couples lead up, cast down. Two-hand turn.
1st corners two-hand turn
2nd corners two-hand turn
Set twice.
Three changes rights and lefts (right hand to your partner, left hand to your neighbor, right hand to your partner).
Repeat.
If you have any questions leave a comment! Many thanks to Old Dominion Dance for the instructions and video.
Every other couple starting with the couple closest to the caller is a 1st couple. Every other couple (starting with the couple next to the first couple) is a 2nd couple. Make sense?
1st couples lead down and cast up. Two-hand turn.
2nd couples lead up, cast down. Two-hand turn.
1st corners two-hand turn
2nd corners two-hand turn
Set twice.
Three changes rights and lefts (right hand to your partner, left hand to your neighbor, right hand to your partner).
Repeat.
If you have any questions leave a comment! Many thanks to Old Dominion Dance for the instructions and video.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Dance Etiquette
We'll go over this briefly at the ball as a refresher, but like the dance tutorials (which we will begin posting starting tomorrow), the more you know ahead of time the better!
The basic overall rule is that men act like gentlemen and women act like ladies. This being rather broad, however, below are a few more particular points of etiquette:
Gentlemen ask a lady to dance by saying, "May I have this dance?" Some feel awkward with being so formal and most of us ladies don't mind it if you would rather phrase it, "Would you like to dance?" :-) Just please don't drawl it out as, "D'ya wanna dance?"
Ladies should accept when a gentleman asks them to dance, unless they are going to sit out for that dance. To decline one gentleman but accept another is rude. Gentlemen should also try to dance with a new partner each dance if possible.
Gentlemen lead the lady to the floor in their right hand. When the dance is over, lead the lady back off the floor and thank her for the dance. It is very rude to just leave her standing in the middle of the ballroom.
This ball is a family event, not a youth event, so we expect the young men to include the moms, and dads to ask the young ladies to dance. Gentlemen should be observant of ladies who have not had a chance to dance or have not danced as much as others. We don't want any unhappy wall-flowers. :-)
I am drawing a blank about any other rules, but I think this is about it! Look for specific dance tutorials coming up!
The basic overall rule is that men act like gentlemen and women act like ladies. This being rather broad, however, below are a few more particular points of etiquette:
Gentlemen ask a lady to dance by saying, "May I have this dance?" Some feel awkward with being so formal and most of us ladies don't mind it if you would rather phrase it, "Would you like to dance?" :-) Just please don't drawl it out as, "D'ya wanna dance?"
Ladies should accept when a gentleman asks them to dance, unless they are going to sit out for that dance. To decline one gentleman but accept another is rude. Gentlemen should also try to dance with a new partner each dance if possible.
Gentlemen lead the lady to the floor in their right hand. When the dance is over, lead the lady back off the floor and thank her for the dance. It is very rude to just leave her standing in the middle of the ballroom.
This ball is a family event, not a youth event, so we expect the young men to include the moms, and dads to ask the young ladies to dance. Gentlemen should be observant of ladies who have not had a chance to dance or have not danced as much as others. We don't want any unhappy wall-flowers. :-)
I am drawing a blank about any other rules, but I think this is about it! Look for specific dance tutorials coming up!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Ball Update!
Due to some altered circumstances, our original callers, Emily & Jennifer Duff from Old Dominion Dance, will no longer be able to join us for our ball. While we will miss them, we are also looking forward to having the talent of Mr. Thomas Senior in calling our ball. Tara and I danced under Mr. Senior's tutelage at a dance back in May and had a marvelous time. He'll be bringing us some new dances which I know everyone will enjoy!
We're still looking for RSVP's from over half of our invitees! Pleeeeeeease (with sugar and a cherry on top) RSVP if you have not already.
Anybody making outfits? We got the fabric for ours, and then fell ill with the flu for over a week so it's all sitting in bags waiting to be transformed...
We're still looking for RSVP's from over half of our invitees! Pleeeeeeease (with sugar and a cherry on top) RSVP if you have not already.
Anybody making outfits? We got the fabric for ours, and then fell ill with the flu for over a week so it's all sitting in bags waiting to be transformed...
Saturday, January 14, 2012
A few more details!
Alright, everyone, some more news concerning the most elegant and enjoyable event of the year. :-)
Most importantly, we have secured our dance caller...s. :-) Misses Emily and Jennifer Duff, of Old Dominion Dance, will be traveling all the way from Omaha for our ball! The Miss Duffs are accomplished dancers and dance callers and we are looking forward to benefiting from their expertise. Of course that does mean we are adding another lady to the number dancing, and so...
...please RSVP! As of this moment we only have 14 people who are RSVP'd (including all of us hosts and hostesses). And that's 9 ladies and 5 gentlemen, and though I'm sure we'd still have fun, we don't really want to shell out tons of $$$ if that's all that shows up. :-) Tomorrow is the official RSVP date, so please send in your RSVP's as soon as possible!
Most importantly, we have secured our dance caller...s. :-) Misses Emily and Jennifer Duff, of Old Dominion Dance, will be traveling all the way from Omaha for our ball! The Miss Duffs are accomplished dancers and dance callers and we are looking forward to benefiting from their expertise. Of course that does mean we are adding another lady to the number dancing, and so...
...please RSVP! As of this moment we only have 14 people who are RSVP'd (including all of us hosts and hostesses). And that's 9 ladies and 5 gentlemen, and though I'm sure we'd still have fun, we don't really want to shell out tons of $$$ if that's all that shows up. :-) Tomorrow is the official RSVP date, so please send in your RSVP's as soon as possible!
Kitty: And Mr. Bingley is to bring six ladies and four gentlemen to the ball.
Lydia: No, it was twelve ladies and seven gentlemen.
Elizabeth: Too many ladies.
A&E Pride & Prejudice
Friday, January 6, 2012
The Dancing
A few people have asked what kind of dancing we will be doing, since it's a 1912 themed ball. Though it may not technically be correct for the period, here we'll be deviating from "authentic as possible" and we will be doing our usual English Country dancing. Just for the record, we're not big fans of the Patty-Cake Polka. :-) We're still figuring out details of the dance caller and what dances we will actually do, but as we get that figured out we'll try to post what dances we'll be doing with some tutorials so you can be prepared ahead of time - and we can spend less time learning the dances at the ball and more time actually DANCING!
*Edit: I just found out from a gentleman we are considering for a dance caller, and he mentioned that with the beginning of the jazz age at this period, and more "jazzy" dancing, English Country dancing was actually revived in response to that! I thought that was interesting!
*Edit: I just found out from a gentleman we are considering for a dance caller, and he mentioned that with the beginning of the jazz age at this period, and more "jazzy" dancing, English Country dancing was actually revived in response to that! I thought that was interesting!
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