> In that vein, what 'no walk thru' squares do people have? I realize that > the list of 'NWT' squares is proscribed by the fact that in some > communities dancers avoid squares and are not conversant with certain > figures, transitions, traditions. On the other hand, the number of standard > and regularly used contra figures grows. A lot of the simple visiting couple figures can be done with little or no walk-through, and experienced dancers are often astonished how much fun they are having as long as the music is REALLY fast. Rip 'n Snort is a good one. Another possibility for a no walkthough main figure might be 'Push Ma, Shove Pa,' which I've seen/danced several times but never actually collected. I suspect someone else on the list has it up their sleeve. Most folks replying to this were mentioning main figures -- I thought I'd throw in some breaks that could be done with very limited walkthroughs: 1. Ladies in the middle back to back and gents go 'round the railroad track - Ladies stand in ctr and gents walk counterclockwise around. Left elbow turn ptnr, Regular sw w/ next lady in direction gents were heading. Repeat 3 more times with gents elbow turning the one they just swung [via Beth Molaro] 2. Gents LH star, pick up ptnr for star promenade, ladies roll back and swing gent behind them. Repeat 3 more times with gents picking up lady they just swung. Can also be done with ladies leading figure (RH star) or even going back and forth btw gents and ladies. [by Gene Hubert, probably reinventing something that already existed elsewhere] 3. All L corner, ptnr box gnat, ladies LH star, ptnr box gnat, gents LH star, ptnr box gnat, all L corner, sw ptnr (or grand R&L) (possible without any walkthrough for somewhat more experienced crowds) 4. Allemande L corner, dosido ptnr, allemande left ptnr, dosido "2 people" (for gents, that would mean pass right shoulder w/ptnr, going back to back with RH lady, then backing up to place). That does sort of have to be walked, but it's very quick. Then make sure you call at least four breaks -- do it straight the first time, then the next time do "2 people" followed by "3 people", then the next time 2, 3, & 4, and the last time 2, 3, 4, & 5! [via Larry Edelman] 5. And if you don't have it yet, get Cis Hinkle to teach you the break she uses which has everyone chanting 1-2-3-unh! on a series of allemandes. It doesn't fit your criteria because it's got to be taught, but it's the kind of sequence where people have so much fun that all the folks on the sidelines are just kicking themselves that they sat that one out. Another approach might be to carefully study exactly how the heck Ron Buchanan manages to teach all of his complicated dances while the music is playing and somehow persuade people that they've actually been dancing all that time and not taking part in a 15-minute teach of a square dance. (If you ever figure it out, let me know.) P.S. I called a contra dance last week with a Petronella figure in it and heard not a single clap. Decorah, IA, has apparently been bypassed by this bit of cultural imperialism -- for now... David dekirchner@gmail.com The J. Appleseed Society E-Mail Discussion Lists to nurture the growth of participatory art and cultural activities. The Traditional Dance Callers List: For participatory dance callers, teachers, leaders and interested friends. Subscribe by sending a blank e-mail message (no subject, no message) to: trad-dance-callers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trad-dance-callers/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trad-dance-callers/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:trad-dance-callers-digest@yahoogroups.com mailto:trad-dance-callers-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: trad-dance-callers-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/