Paul Rosen's Contradance Calling

Call me, I'll call for you!

One time events: I've got a program that is fun for a group of people who have never danced before. I've used it at conventions, weddings, and other special events.

Regular contradances: I've been calling since 1990 at many dances around Virginia, including Richmond, Charlottesville, Greenwood, Harrisonburg/Dayton, Staunton, Blacksburg, Floyd, Shepardstown WV, and the old dances in Roanoke and Lexington. I'd be happy to send you references if you want them.

Beginner's Workshop: I enjoy teaching the beginner's workshop. My method stresses a few basic moves, the progression, and the timing. I believe that newcomers can pick up most moves in the regular walk throughs, so the time that would be spent teaching a hey, for instance, is better used teaching giving weight and rhythm.

The workshop generally progresses like this: I line them up, teach them a few terms like "up", "down", "across", "partner", "neighbor", then I have them do-si-do once and half to "progress". I have them take hands four again and explain that this is their new neighbor couple. I do this until everyone has it. Usually people are still joining in at the end of the line while this is going on. Then I show them the swing and have them practice with their neighbor while I go up and down the line helping them give weight. I have them progress a few times to practice with new people. By now, everyone who will be in the workshop has arrived, so I line everyone up again and show them how to circle left three quarters into a partner swing. I then do this while counting to 8 twice. If the band is willing, I have them play while we do it again. I do the same thing with ladies chain over and ladies chain back. I then teach them the first dance I'll be calling that evening and we walk through it a couple of times.

The Dances

I call mostly new dances but I have a few that date back to the '70s. I look for dances with a lot of flow and/or an unusual, but simple figure. Most of the dances I call now are ones that I had a great time dancing to, so I scribbled them down.

I've also written a few dances, too. Here they are:

Simple Dances

These are designed to be the first dance of the evening. They are difficult to get lost in and the drill the beginners in the moves that occur in just about every dance. I often teach the first dance I'm going to call in the beginner's workshop

Dayton -- by Paul Rosen -- Improper (March 2004)

A1: Do-si-do Neighbor
      Swing Neighbor
A2: Ladies Chain;
      Ladies Chain
B1: Circle left 3 places;
      Swing Partner
B2: Circle left 3 places;
      Balance in ring, Pass through

This was written just before a Dayton, Va dance, when I suddenly got dissatisfied with my opening dance. This is designed to be fool-proof, and it was that night. There is some extra time between B2 and A1 that allows newcomers to get reoriented. More experienced dancers can start the do-si-do a little early and get more swing. That does mean that I don't run this dance too long.

Don’t Let Go -- by Paul Rosen -- Improper

A1. Balance & Swing Opposite
A2. Circle Left Once
       Ladies Chain
B1. Balance & Swing Partner
B2. Forward and Back
       Ladies Chain

Just a simple dance to get the night rolling.

Ladies Turn Back -- by Paul Rosen -- circle mixer (July 2005)

A1 Large circle, circle left, and back to the right.
A2 Ladies, 4 steps to the center, shout, return
      Men, 4 steps to the center, shout, turn, return
B1 Do-si-do your partner,
      swing your partner.
B2 Promenade around the ring.
      Ladies turn back, men go forward to meet the next, promenade some more.

This dance was written for a wedding that was expected to have only beginners. I had “La Bastringue” and wanted another circle dance that had many of the same figures. If you use the promenade where the man has his right arm over the woman's shoulder, then the couple can let go of left hands as the woman turns once. By the time she has finished turning, the next guy should be ready to catch her to promenade some more.

Regular Dances

Becket's Butterfly -- by Paul Rosen -- Becket

A1. Men Allemande Left 1.5
       Pick up neighbor, cross set, butterfly twirl
A2. Ladies Allemande Right once
       Swing Neighbor
B1. Circle Left 3 / 4, Ladies lead to next
       Men Do-si-do
B2. Balance and Swing Partner

This dance has the ladies leading her partner for the progression, and a butterfly twirl, which is one of my favorite figures.

Ladies Boomerang -- by Paul Rosen -- improper

A1. Balance & Swing Neighbor
A2. Ladies Chain (briskly!)
       Ladies Balance, box the gnat, pull by to partner
B1. Do si do and Swing partner
B2. Rights and Lefts through
      Circle Left 3/4,  California Twirl

This should be called for a group that has a decent sense of timing. In A2, after the ladies chain, the ladies have to be already headed back into the center to get to the balance in time. This can be playful for the ladies in the center. In the box the gnat, one of the ladies has to decide on the spot who is going to be the leader and the follower.

Swingonella -- by Paul Rosen -- improper (March 2003)

A1: (4) In a ring Balance, (4) Petronella Twirl;
      (8) Partner Swing
A2: (4) In a ring Balance, (4) Petronella Twirl;
      (8) Neighbor Swing
B1: (8) Long lines forward and back;
      (8) Ladies Chain
B2: (8) Circle left 3/4
      (4) In a ring Balance. (4) California Twirl

I had written this in an attempt to get a petronella twirl in a dance where it wasn't natural to clap twice. A while after I wrote this I heard the same figure had been put into a dance called "Cure for the Clap". Unfortunately, there is still time to clap. Some dancers get the idea of the A part better than others. This dance doesn't flow; it has changes of direction, and if you stress that during the walk though it tends to get smooth.
  
Under the Stars at Greenwood #2 -- by Michelle Perry (with help from Paul Rosen and Susan Bunn) -- Improper (2003)

A1: (4) Gypsy neighbor 1/2 (fast!), (4) circle left 1/2;
      (8) Ladies chain
A2: (16) Hey
B1: (16) Balance and Swing Partner;
B2: (8) Petronella (just once!)
      (4) In a ring Balance. (4) California Twirl

Michelle told me she had written a dance just before the Greenwood dance on a night I was calling. I offered to call it that night if we could walk through it. She didn't have a written version with her, so she recreated something similar to the above. It wasn't exactly what she had written down, so we call it #2. Susan and I tweaked it a little.


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