Gang --

I was calling a contra dance Saturday night where there were about 30 people,
about 2-1 men.  And despite this being laid-back California, I couldn't get the
men to dance together, so we had a line of 10 couples and 10 guys sitting out,
which was ridiculous.

(Q: Any suggestions on getting guys to dance together in these situations?)

After the fourth dance with a bunch of guys sitting out, I announced

"Women: Go ask two guys to dance" and set them up for three-face-three.  I
don't really have three-face-three contras in my repertoire, so I made up a
couple on the spot.  I wanted to be sure everybody got to swing, and I was
worried that the guys who wouldn't dance with each other would freak if they
had to swing each other, so each of these includes the women swinging two
people.

First was a variation on "Three Meet" from the community dance manuals.

Threesomes with women in the center

A1: threesomes f&B, threesomes promenade past each other by left shoulder and
    face in.

A2: Repeat to home.

B1: Right diagonals (women and right-hand opposite) swing 
    Left diagonals  (women and left-hand opposite) swing
    women go home

B2: F&B & pass through .


[With a bright jig, the A is more fun than it looks on paper.]


I had more time to think about the second one, and I came up with something
that I quite like.

If the name "Imbalance & Swing" isn't taken, I think I'd call this sequence
that.  Maybe this will prove useful to somebody.


IMBALANCE AND SWING
Alan Winston, 9/27/2008
Jigs or clearly-phrased reels
Threesomes with women in the middle.

A1:Opposites dosido individually (8)
   Women pass right (4), right allemande right diagonal (4)
A2: Left diagonal (same line) Left Allemande (8)
    Women Allemande Right 1.5 (8)
B1: Swing a partner (8)
    Swing the other partner (8)
B2: pass straight through (4)  and
     threesomes basket swing, open facing new neighbors. (12)


These got and kept the guys out of their seats and gave us two dances before
the break with everybody dancing.  (I'll admit that half of the 'extra' guys
went home at the break anyway.)


I think there are intriguing choreographic possibilities in this form, and it
would actually be fun some time to make up a threesome Sicilian Circle medley.

(I've got the back of my brain working on something that crosses the guys over
each time, so if women swing right-hand-partner and right-hand-neighbor  she'll
alternate which partner she swings between rounds of the dance- a bit more
sociable, maybe.)

-- Alan


-- 
===============================================================================
 Alan Winston --- WINSTON@SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
 Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL   Phone:  650/926-3056
 Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA   94025
===============================================================================