Dancers are Ryan Holman and Steven Roth.
Carry on Dancing,
Contra Syncretist |
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This flourish is a way to smooth out an edge in some contras -- the one where you go from a ladies' chain to a move -- like long lines forward and back, or a circle -- that requires the follow's left hand to be in the lead's right. (It's also handy for times when the lead is having shoulder issues, or just wants to do something a bit different.) Cautions are the same as for a normal ladies' chain twirl; be aware of shoulder issues/people who don't want to be twirled/etc. You too can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line!
Dancers are Ryan Holman and Steven Roth. Carry on Dancing, When I spoke with Dennis Gagaoin (a.k.a. DJ Gaga) of Spokane, WA in late 2011, he mentioned the idea that techno contra might be a decent vector for outreach from the contra community: "I believe it can even help people who aren't comfortable dancing since it provides a structure. All you have to do is know how to follow instructions!" Dennis himself came to the contra scene through the "Deca-dance" gig he called in 2011 which was organized by Terra Price and called by Ray Polhemus. Terra and her fellow organizers did such an effective job of marketing the event to newcomers that, as Terra mentioned, "I actually had to do lessons on three separate times [in addition to the planned lesson before the dance] because we had so many new dancers." How might others replicate this success? Marketing is mostly making sure that you've answered five questions:
Other ideas or suggestions? Think I'm crazy for even suggesting that a techno contra might appeal to folks outside the established contra scene? Let me know in the comments....
Mark your calendars! (And if you have more to add, leave them in the comments and/or drop me a line!) California PALO ALTO: March 23, 2013: Eric Black calls and dJ improper spins a techno contra. More information available here. Massachusetts AMHERST: April 3, 2013: Julie Vallimont & Ed Howe playing, Lisa Greenleaf calling. More information available here. May 22, 2013: Firecloud playing, Will Mentor calling. More information available here. CAMBRIDGE (SPARK IN THE DARK): March 22, 2013: Julie Vallimont & Jon Cannon playing, Rachel Shapiro calling. More information available here. May 11, 2013: Firecloud playing. More information available here. JAMAICA PLAIN: April 6, 2013: Chris Ricciotti calling a techno contra. More information available here. Maryland GLEN ECHO (CONTRA SONIC EVENT): May 2, 2013: dJ improper + brass playing, Will Mentor calling. More information here. Oregon Virginia ROANOKE: March 23, 2013: Brian Hamshar (a.k.a. DJ B-Ham) calls and spins a techno contra. More information available here. Update, 3/18/2013: Deleted Louisville, KY contra on 3/29 after confirmation that my source was in error (and has since been corrected).
This week's flourish is a ladies' chain flourish where you actually end up doing a blind twirl that can get a lot of speed (clearly for nights when there is room on the dance floor!). Take a look: What makes a dancer a good contra follow/lady/person-who-ends-up-on-the-right-after-a-swing?3/6/2013
We ended up talking the other week in a comment thread about what makes a good lead -- [Update, 3/13/13: and this works tangentially into the conversation about whether those designations should happen at all] but the other side of that seems to rarely be discussed. What makes for a good contra follow? (Or, to phrase it differently, what can a dancer do while dancing in the role that ends up on the right in a swing -- however you choose to designate it -- that will improve the experience for all?)
To my mind it depends a bit on one's partner and the ability to respond to their leads, but in some ways that's kind of the point. I remember something North Carolina dancer (and electrotrad maven) Eileen Thorsos said on the matter when I interviewed her in 2011 that I remember really liking: "....There's a lot of following -- understanding what's going on with your partner -- that's built into leading." Do you agree? Is there something else that makes for a good follower/lady/right-hand-role in contra? For those who answer, I'm also curious -- which role do you usually dance, and do you dance switch (i.e., dancing where you and your partner agree to trade roles through the iterations of the dance)? This week's flourish comes to us from Aimee Steussy of the Glen Echo dance community. This adds an extra twirl into a mid-swing release by grabbing your partner's elbow and sending the spin back the other way. Be sure you have enough space for this flourish and that your partner does not have arm, elbow, or shoulder issues. Dancers, as usual, are Ryan Holman & Steven Roth.
You, too, can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line! Carry on Dancing, CS I was talking to another contra dancer early this week and they mentioned that there seemed to be some moves that were easier to finesse with flourishes than others. In particular, the dancer referred to this flourish on a square-through (that is, taking hands with your partner next to you on the side of the set and forming an arch for the person across from you to duck under). Another dancer remarked that frequently the dancers are concentrating on their own steps through it and sometimes don't respond to the offer of a hand to make an arch (or don't duck under the arch for similar reasons).
I certainly advocate dancers paying attention to the basics before they add the flourishes, but I'm still curious: to other flourishy dancers -- what makes a flourish easier or harder for you to lead? Is it the partner you attempt to pull the flourish on? Is it the other folks in the minor set? Is it the frequency of the call you're trying to pull a flourish on (e.g., most modern dances have partner swings; some have square-throughs, but I know at Glen Echo they're not done as often)? Is it something else? A combination? I'd love to hear your thoughts! As promised last week, when we talked about larger weekends, here's a list of things about smaller weekends and what makes them different experiences altogether from the larger ones:
This week's flourish is one we were reminded of at the Flurry this year -- caller Ron Buchanan has frequently taught this variant on getting into a swing when he has called at Glen Echo, among (several) other places. It's a fairly simple flourish, but it can be a lot of fun -- just, leads, when you drop your follow's hand behind your head, make sure her hand doesn't inadvertantly land directly on the back of your neck...that can be really uncomfortable for everyone involved if it's a few dances in and everybody's been working up a bit of a sweat.... Steve and I have been talking lately about the differences between the experiences of larger dance weekends and smaller ones. While we've had lots of fun at small weekends and big ones alike, a lot of the conversation has been about how they really are different experiences. Sure, they both include lots of contra dancing and seeing old friends and making new one and having new stories to tell, and both can be lots of fun. But there are also differences that make the two experiences different. For instance, at larger weekends:
Anyone else have something to add to that list? (We'll be talking about smaller weekends on Monday.) |
This project has concluded as of mid-2013 (with an epilogue posted mid-2016) but we hope to see you soon on a contra dance floor! Meanwhile, head over to our Facebook page for upcoming techno contra events and other items of interest.
The 100+ Friday Flourish videos can still be found on YouTube. AuthorI dance with abandon. I play with glowsticks. I look for music that is conducive to one or both. I play behind cameras. I write about all of the above. I'm based in Glen Echo's contra dance community outside of Washington, D.C., but I'm happy to go dance afield when I can. Lather, rinse, repeat. Always repeat. Archives
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