This week's flourish builds off of a roll-away flourish we did several weeks ago. However, it gets translated into a sideways-slide flourish that can be done as long as there's lots of room between sets (either short lines or long wavy lines). As usual, beware of space issues, or shoulder issues, or dizzy issues. If you try to push this too fast, you can wrench someone's shoulder/arm and you obviously don't want to do that. Also make sure you switch hands at the end so that your partner is facing the proper (read: opposite) direction. This week's flourish is actually an add-on to a previous flourish that we featured on October 26, 2012; it was submitted by viewer Brad Branner (thank you!). As with the regular lean-back balance, be sure to keep your own weight and for this one be mindful of the distance between you and your partner before you start the twirls into the swing -- being too far apart can set you up to wrench your partner's shoulder at a really awkward angle, and that's really no fun at all (says she who spent the an entire summer dancing in an arm sling due to a non-contra-related case of bursitis a couple of years back). Want to join Brad and have your flourish featured? Contact us!
Dancers, as usual, are Ryan Holman and Steven Roth. Happy Friday! Carry on dancing, CS This week's flourish is one that Steve learned from New England dancers Kathleen Fownes and Guillaume Sparrow-Pepin. It's a neat lead into a swing that has a built-in backstop in case the follow isn't in the mood to be twirled -- if the follow gives you noodle arms, this flourish becomes much less fun to execute (and therefore is a strong nonverbal refusal if need be). Special thanks to Betty and Keith Holman for letting us use their foyer.
You, too, can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line! Happy Friday, CS This week's flourish is one that Steve picked up at the Cape Cod Dance Weekend a few weeks ago, from New England dancers Kathleen Fownes and Guillaume Sparrow-Pepin. We originally saw a variant on this trick by Rick DuPuy of the Glen Echo community. The main things to keep in mind are these: 1) Keep your weight on your own feet -- you don't want to knock over your partner, or have your partner send you flying; 2) Please, please, please wear a dryish shirt for this one -- it goes right, left, back, up, not right, left, squish, up; and 3) it works better if both partners don't try to do this at the same time. Dancers are Steven Roth & Ryan Holman. Enjoy! You too can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line!
There are a few techno contras happening this weekend -- check out our Facebook page for links! Happy Friday, CS This week's flourish is a swing flourish with a caveat: this one is very much a collaborative effort. We do not want the follow's shoulder wrenched, so once the lead starts it, the lead MUST keep a loose enough grip that the follow can place your joined hands wherever on her back is comfortable to continue the swing. Do NOT wrench her shoulder or try this on someone with known shoulder issues. In fact, this is one you might want to ask your partner about before you try it out the first few times until you build the muscle memory. Clear? Good. Onward to the flourish! Special thanks this week to April and Jerry Blum, who kindly let us borrow their ballroom (!!!!) for filming.
Dancers are, as usual, Ryan Holman and Steven Roth. You, too, can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line! Happy Friday! CS This week's flourish happens on a down-the-hall and can be easily modified into a switch flourish but can be done and keep the follow on the right -- it also is helpful if the call is for a turn single but you accidentally turn as a couple instead. This was sent to us by dancer and viewer Will Jaynes. You, too, can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line!
Attention Readers near Greenville, SC! There's a techno contra put on by the Technophoria folks in Taylors, SC at Landmark Hallthis weekend! More information can be found on their web site. Carry on Dancing, CS This week's flourish is a flourish for four, on a star -- the easiest way to lead it is to offer the start of the top layer right after you join for the bottom star layer, and hope the other three join in. (As with any flourish, know your fellow partners in the minor set.) There are variants of this where the top layer is a hands-across star, but this one has two wagon-wheel (wrist-grip) stars. The tricky part is making sure that even if you speed up the star, you all end up in the spots you intend at the end since it's easy to end up a bit off on the timing if you aren't careful. Dancers this week are Alex Dennis, Valerie Young, Steven Roth, and Ryan Holman. (Special thanks to Valerie & Alex for helping us out!) You, too, can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line!
Hope to see many of you at Contrastock II, happening this Sunday at Glen Echo! Ten and a half hours of dancing to Wild Asparagus, Perpetual e-Motion, and Elixir's music with George Marshall, Will Mentor, and Nils Fredland calling! (All of those except for George Marshall and Wild Asparagus will also be in NYC this weekend for Contrashock II, a separate event.) Also, for those of you who might make it to the Harrisburg, PA area: this weekend is Frolic in the Fall, which kicks off with a techno contra tonight (Friday)! It will be called by Perry Shafran and spun by Brian Hamshar (B-Ham). Next week we'll hear from Janet Bertog, who organized and helped call the first ever techno contra in Louisville, KY! Carry on dancing, CS This week's flourish is one that Jeremiah Seligman (a.k.a. dJ improper) showed us last weekend at FootFall. It's also filmed at FootFall (just after our workshop, in fact -- apologies for the echoes)! You, too, can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line!
This weekend at Glen Echo is the monthly installment of the Contra Sonic series -- lesson at 7:30, dancing at 8, spun by the very same dJ improper and called by Valerie Young! This week's flourish is a twirly sequence of swings that builds up to a little series that's really neat: it starts with a cuddle-up swing, then into a ripcord twirl, and then a cuddle up/backward swing into a Whipperstomper balance into a double twirl-out. Each time the lead adds a little bit more complexity so the follow will "get" the lead when it gets pulled out. (This strategy is also helpful for other more complex moves -- start small and build your way there, repeating steps as necessary if you have an unfamiliar partner or an unfamiliar flourish.) You, too, can have flourishes featured! Drop us a line!
West Virginia or Bust: Also, attention folks who are dancing at FootFall this weekend -- we are leading a flourish & style workshop from 4:40-5:40 PM tomorrow (Saturday) in the Gym! To FootFall attendees, come on down! (But right now, we need to go finish packing....) This week's flourish is a switch move that can be done while you and a partner are in a star (right- or left-handed). We first saw this one done by Mel Novner (formerly of Glenside, PA's community but now in Boston, MA), but there are a few other dancers we've seen pull this off as well. The important thing is that to do this flourish the way we have pictured, make sure you're in the lead and your partner is behind you (although it is possible to do it the other way, but you have to move to get ahead of your partner). The other heads-up on this is that it tends to confuse brand-new dancers, so use some discretion if you have them in your star. Dancers are Valerie Young, Alex Dennis, Ryan Holman, and Steven Roth (Special thanks to Alex & Valerie!). You, too, can have your flourishes featured! Drop us a line!
Also, for those going to FootFall next weekend (September 7-9): Steve and I will be teaching a flourish workshop from 4:40-5:40 in the Gym on Saturday. We're excited and we hope to see you there! There will also be a techno contra called by Brian Hamshar and spun by dJ improper! Happy Friday, CS |
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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