FESTINA LENTE
Three-couple longways / triple minor option
Tune: Evit Gabriel  (Daniel Thonon)
https://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/~winston/mydances/apw/evit_gabriel.jpg
Em, cut time  (as in Portland Collec tion)

8 April 2019 / Tested 9 April


A1: 1-4: 1s cross right shoulder, 2s move up as 1s 
         continue down the outside to second place,
         1s brisk cross rsh and flip (Well Hall / Hole in the Wall ) to fall back, 
         picking up neighbors ...
    5-8: Lines of three fall back and come forward, 
         1s hanging back a little to make it round

A2: 1-4: brisk slipping or  walking circle six left once round
    5-8: and back to the right

B1: Corner/Partner contra corners (left hand on right diagonal, right to partner,
    left to second corner, right to partner to own side and release to go wide into ...
B2: 1-4: 1s expansive right shoulder round, spiraling in a little bit to 
    5-8: 1s traveling two hand turn or swing down the middle as 3s cast up and come together

[For triple minor, replace B2 with
 1-4: 1s going to their own lefts, half-figure eight 
      (splitting an end couple, going around
      2nd corner) to finish improper in middle place
 5-8: Partners two hand turn until proper [or 1s may choose to alternate roles]


Teaching points:

The circle works either walking or slipping, but helpful if the set agrees.  Zestier slipping.

2nd corner people can be really helpful in facilitating the entry into
the contra corners by holding on to their active person's right hand a
fraction of a second longer and backing up as though starting a gate;
this gets the actives going in the right direction with the correct
(left) hand free.

In the transition from one round to the next, the 3s (becoming 2s) can
have a nice path by casting wide up to 2nd place, arriving just in time
to lead up to 1st place at bar 2 of A1 as the new 1s cast.

Notes:

- Thanks to David Gaves for the title ("make haste slowly").  Despite
the driving urgency of the tune the dance works nicely with a walking
step, no need to rush.

- Heard "Evit Gabriel" (a great contra dance tune) at Epicenter contra
weekend in Mill Valley, then several more times while trying to program
a contra dance.  I'd been asked to call a contra corners dance there and
to have a triplet ready as backup, and this is what my brain poppped
out.  Not at all useful for the contra - wrong kind of contra corners,
no swings, but a pretty nice little dance for English dancers.