CONTRALAB
CONTRA DANCING DEFINITIONS
Compiled
by Dottie Welch, Nova Scotia, 2016
Allemande
Right (or Left) Two dancers firmly join right (or left)
hands about shoulder high with elbows down and close together for a quick
turn (Pigeon Wing). Pull away from
each other while turning to produce a firm supportive tension. Both walk forward around each other. Once around brings dancers back to starting
location, facing direction determined by the next call. Allemande Left Once and a Half around will
exchange the location of the two dancers. Balance This is a four beat action done on one
spot. The Forward and Back version or
the Step-Swing version is often the prelude to a swing. Forward and Back Balance: Face each other and join both hands. (Men palms up, ladies palms down.) Step towards each other with your right
foot, step away from each other with the left foot. Pull each other gently as you step towards,
push gently as you step away. Step-Swing Balance: Holding both hands, step on the right foot,
swing the left foot across, step on the left, swing the right foot
across. This is sometimes repeated for
a Double Balance. Side-to-Side Balance: This is usually used in a wave of four
or more dancers facing in alternate directions. Step to the right on right foot, touch
beside right with left foot while looking at dancer on the right, step to the
left on left foot, touch beside left with right foot while looking at dancer
on the left. Each Four Balance Double: A group
of four dancers work together in a small circle moving towards the center of
their circle for a forward, touch and away from the center for a back,
touch. Repeat the forward and back to
make it “double”. Box
the Gnat This is a square dance call that begins
from two facing dancers of opposite gender.
The dancers loosely join their right hands, and raise them to make an
arch. Maintaining hand contact the
lady turns left and goes under the arch (back to the gent) while the gent
turns right and walks forward around the lady. Both dancers turn half around and end
facing each other having exchanged positions. (Also see Swat the Flea.) Butterfly
Whirl Usually from a Star Promenade, the two
dancers in the center push off from each other to begin the turn and then the
gent and lady with arms around each other’s waist turn full around with the
center dancer backing up and the outside dancer walking forward. A common sequence is the following:
gentlemen do a left allemande, then "scoop up" their partner by
putting their arm around their lady's waist for a Star Promenade. Next the
gents push off with their left hands and the two couples butterfly whirl back
to long facing lines, or it might lead into a Ladies Chain. California
Twirl A normal couple reverses their facing
direction by having the lady go under their upraised joined hands as both
dancers move forward in a small semi-circle.
(Also see Dixie Twirl which is an
As Couples version of California Twirl.) Cast
Down In a contra line, the designated dancers
face up and turn outwards to move down the outside of the set. From a position in or near the ladies' line
the turn is to the right, and from a position in or near the gents' line the
turn is to the left. The call may be
Cast Down around 1 or 2 or perhaps Cast Down to the foot. Cast
Off Each active dancer and the adjacent
inactive dancer turn side by side three-quarters around, with the active
dancer moving forward and the inactive dancer moving backward, until both dancers
are in line facing in, the active couple ends below the inactives. (At least 4 beats are allowed, sometimes 8
beats.) From a wave or mini-wave, two designated
dancers who are adjacent and facing in opposite directions hold their
adjacent hands and turn three-quarters around pivoting on their handhold. Circle
Left / Circle Right Circles are usually danced with the
other couple in your group of four.
Join hands in a circle. In most
situations when gents and ladies hold hands, men have their palms facing up,
ladies facing down. You should be looking at the back of the person next to
you and walking forward (not facing the centre
of the circle and stepping sideways).
Eight steps are allowed for once completely around the circle. When
fractions are used a Half Circle will exchange the two couples, a 1/4 or 3/4
Circle will move dancers 1 place or 3 places respectively. The ending facing direction is flexible and
will depend on the next call. Contra
Corners (Turn Contra Corners) In a proper contra, or triplet, the two
dancers of each active couple turn each other with the right hand halfway
around, turn their first contra corner (dancer diagonally to their right at
the start) with the left hand once around, turn each other with the right
hand about half around, and turn their second contra corner (dancer
diagonally to their left at the start) with the left hand once around. Each turn is done in about four counts of
music so that the entire figure uses 16 counts. The next call is often Actives Swing. If there is no Swing, use a right turn with
partner to return to the starting place or do as directed. Courtesy
Turn The gent takes the lady’s left hand in
his left hand, and puts his right hand behind her back (usually where her
right hand is resting on her back palm out).
The dancers are side by side as they turn around to their left to end
facing across the set. Dixie
Twirl From a line of four dancers, the center
pair arches and all dancers in the line maintain their hand holds. The right end person (taking the dancer
originally on their left along behind) leads through the arch and on towards
the opposite end of the line.
Meanwhile the two dancers on the left side of the line walk around to
their right in a half circle. The
result is a line now facing in the opposite direction with the dancers in the
same order as when they began. Dixie Twirl can be described as a version of
California Twirl in which each couple is acting like one dancer. Dosado (Dos-à-dos) (Do-si-do) Two
facing dancers, hold arms in a relaxed position down by their sides as they
walk towards each other passing right shoulders. They slide sideways
back-to-back and then back up (walk backwards, don't turn around) passing
each other by the left shoulder to return to they started. Some of the more experienced dancers add
one or more spins to their left as they move around the other dancer. When dancing with beginners it will help
their orientation if spins are kept to a minimum. Left Dosado
is a similar action beginning by passing left shoulders . As Couples Dosado
is a Dosado done by two facing couples who each
work as a unit so the ladies pass right shoulders, the couples slide
back-to-back, and then the couples back up with the gents passing left
shoulders. Down
the Centre Four in Line All dancers face down the hall, away
from the music in short lines of four people. There are usually 6 beats to
walk down, 2 beats to turn around and 4 beats or more to come back. The simplest way to turn around is
"Turn Alone" (drop hands and individually turn half around on the
spot). The recommended turning
direction is to face the other half of your couple as you turn around (that
way everybody has someone to smile at as they turn). There are other ways to turn the line
around – see California Twirl and Wheel Around for some options. Figure
Eight From two couples facing in long lines,
the designated dancers will individually dance the path of a figure eight
beginning by moving between the other two dancers and across the set with the
lady having right of way. For
description purposes suppose the starting point is a standard improper duple
beginning with couple 1 crossed over.
Lady 1 begins by moving down between the 2s and across the set, out
around behind lady 2, into the center and down again between the 2s and
across the set to come up around behind gent 2 and back to her starting
point. Meanwhile, Gent 1 begins immediately
after lady 1 and moves down between the 2s and across the set, out around
behind gent 2, into the center and down again between the 2s and across the
set to come up around behind lady 2 and back to his starting point. Half
Figure Eight From two couples facing in long lines, this
is simply half of a Figure Eight. The designated dancers will each dance one
loop of the figure eight beginning by moving between the other two dancers
and across the set with the lady having right of way. Each dancer continues by going out around
the dancer who was diagonally opposite them to end facing in across the set
from their starting point. Gypsy This is akin to a swing without physical
contact, arms by your sides. Two dancers walk around each other while
maintaining eye contact over their right shoulder. Usually "melts
down" into a swing. Hey
for Four This move has wonderful flowing
motion. There are several variations
in starting formation, but it is typically one couple facing another across
the set or all four dancers lined up somewhere in the Hey pattern. Those facing start first, followed almost
immediately by the rest. Each dancer
walks along a three loop pattern while crossing to the other side of the set,
looping around, re-crossing the set, and looping around back to the starting
point. Sometimes dancers leave out a
small part at the end in order to adjust smoothly into the next call. The fun
part is that everybody does this at the same time, crossing paths in a
weaving motion. Rules of the Road: Pass one shoulder in the centre of the set with the person of the same gender;
pass the other shoulder with the person of the opposite gender on the side of
the set; individually loop in the same direction as the going out pass and
then pass the same shoulder again coming back in. Example from facing couples with ladies
designated as leading: Ladies pass
right; all pass opposite gender left; ladies loop left while gents pass
right; all pass opposite gender left.
That is Half a Hey (8 beats), repeat it all one more time for a Full
Hey (16 beats). Hey
for Three Similar to a Hey for Four but the path
has only two loops. Suppose dancers A
and B are facing with C behind B. The
two facing dancers pass right (A and B), those now facing (A and C) pass left
while B loops right, new facing dancers (B and C) pass right while A loops
left, A and B pass left while C loops right, A and C pass right while B loops
left, B and C pass left while A loops right, C loops left. All are back where they started. Ladies
Chain / Courtesy Turn This call begins from two couples facing
each other across the set with each couple having the gent on the left and
the lady on the right. Ladies extend
right hands to each other and pull by. Meanwhile the gent adjusts to his
right ready to take the coming lady’s left hand in his left hand. Ladies place their right hand behind their
right hip, palm facing out. Gents place their right hand on the lady’s right
hand and wheel (or scoop) her around.
The gent backs up and pivots while the lady continues to walk forward,
until both are facing back across the set as a normal couple. This is an old
call so think about the elegant action as the gent helps the lady turn in her
hoop skirt. Long
Lines Forward and Back Join hands with the people next to you
on your side of the set making long lines running the length of the
hall. One long line faces the other
across the set. The two lines walk
towards each other for a count of four and then back away from each other for
four. Count: "Right, two, three,
touch. Back, two, three, touch."
The challenge is for everyone to do it with the music at exactly the
same time. Mad
Robin (Sashay Round) From two facing couples, the adjacent
dancers do a sideways version of Dosado while each
is facing the person across the set. The caller must specify who goes in
front. Orbit While two dancers are doing something in
the middle, the other two dancers move in a circle around the center dancers.
Pass
Through (Pass Thru) Two couples or two lines of dancers move
forward to meet; each person passes the opposite person by the right shoulder
and awaits the next call. Petronella
Turn Four dancers, equally spaced around a
small ring, each move into the position of the dancer on their right in four
steps while individually turning clockwise.
The name of this call comes from a traditional contra dance that uses
this action. The folk process has
added a “clap-clap” of hands on beats 3.5 and 4 of the 4-beat movement. Usually these turns are preceded by a four
dancer balance. Poussette From facing couples, each dancer joins both
hands with the dancer they are facing.
Hands should be chest high with elbows bent and some muscular
resistance in the arms. As designated
by the caller, one gent pushes forward while the other gent pulls backward
until it is possible for those pushing to slide past each other back-to-back.
Then the gents reverse rolls to pull or push their partner back into the
contra lines. When the two couples
have exchanged places a Half Poussette has
been completed. Continue the same pull
or push motion until the couples can again slide past each other
back-to-back. The gents again reverse
rolls to move their partners back into the original position. This completes a Full Poussette.
Some dances call for a series of alternating direction Half Poussettes to move the top couple down the line in a
weaving action around a new couple each time. Promenade Normal couples (lady on the gent's right
side) move forward in the designated direction (the default is a
counterclockwise direction). Couples
reach across to join right hands like a hand shake and join their left hands
underneath. There are other styling
variations: Varsouvienne
position has both of the lady's hands up in the air near her shoulders, gent
holding her left with his left and reaching behind her shoulders to hold her
right with his right. Also the
Courtesy Turn position is sometimes used.
Promenade Half is called when dancers
are in long facing lines. Use
promenade handholds while gents pass left shoulders and couples move as a
unit across to the other line and turn left to face in. Right
and Left Through From two couples facing each other
across the set, each couple with the gent on the left and the lady on the
right, facing dancers extend right hands to each other, pull by each other,
and place their left hand in the left hand of the dancer who has crossed the
set with them. Complete the action with a Courtesy Turn. From two couples of no specific gender
facing each other across, the facing dancers pass each other with right
shoulders adjacent. Then each couple
wheels half around to their left (dancer on the left backs up while dancer on
the right moves forward). Right
Hand High, Left Hand Low From three dancers holding hands in a
line, the middle dancer raises his/her right hand, the dancer on the left
walks under the raised hand, followed by the middle dancer turning under
his/her own hand, while the dancer on the right walks around behind. The effect is to turn the line around as a
unit preserving the order of the dancers. Rollaway
(or Rollaway with a Half Sashay) From two dancers facing in the same
direction and holding adjacent hands, the designated dancer “rolls” across in
front of the other dancer, turning a full 360 degrees to end on the other
side, as the other dancer steps back and then forward, adjusting sideways as
necessary, to move smoothly into the vacated position. The result of the call is to exchange the
positions of the two dancers. Sashay
A Sashay in contra dancing is done by
two dancers who join both hands and move sideways using a series of quick
“side, close, side, close, …” steps. Star
Left / Star Right
Stars are usually danced by a group of three or four facing in a small
circle or box. For a right hand star,
extend your right arm into the centre of the
circle. This pivots you slightly so
that you are looking at the back of one of the people next to you. Gently grasp that person's wrist. The person behind you will grasp your
wrist. Walk forward, circling around
your joined hands. Eight beats to get
once around and back to where you started.
In some dances, it is more appropriate to use a handshake grip with
the person opposite you to form the star, rather than the wrist grip. In other dances a "finger tips up and
just touching" star is preferred.
This latter minimizes fumbling and makes transitions to and from other
formations easier, but it is not as cohesive a unit. Star
Promenade Star Promeande
usually begins with two gents (or ladies) turning left or right in the center
of the set, then each active dancer reaches out and picks up (or scoops up)
another lady (or gent) by putting their arm around the back of their waist.
Each picked up dancer also puts their arm around the others waist or on their
shoulder. The large star of four
couples continues to move forward pivoting around the center handhold of the
originally active dancers. The caller
must specify the amount of turn or simply give the next call if a specific
distance is not important. Star
Through (Star Thru) Star Thru is a square dance call that
starts from a gent facing a lady. The gent places his right hand against the
lady’s left hand, palm to palm with fingers up, to make an arch. As the dancers move forward the lady does a
one quarter (90 degrees) left face turn under the arch, while the gent does a
one quarter (90 degrees) turn to the right moving around the lady. The dancers end side by side and facing in
the same direction. Swat
the Flea Swat the Flea is a left hand version of
Box the Gnat. Beginning from two
facing dancers of opposite gender, the dancers loosely join their left hands,
and raise them to make an arch. Maintaining hand contact the lady turns right
and going under the arch (back to the gent) while the gent turns left and
walks forward around the lady. Both dancers
turn half around and end facing each other having exchanged positions. Swing Master the swing and you're guaranteed
to have fun at a contra dance.
Partners face each other in "ballroom" position (Gent's
right-hand flat on the woman’s back, lady's left hand on gent's right upper arm
or right shoulder blade, other hands joined and extended out to the
side). Each dancer adjusts sideways to
their left so the two bodies are offset enough to allow forward motion around
each other. Walk forward around each
other in time with the music. In 8
beats dancers should be able to go around twice. End by pointing the joined hands in the
next facing direction and then releasing hands and opening up so that the
lady is on the gent's right side. To use the Buzz Step place right
feet near a central pivot point with the outsides of the right feet
adjacent. Use a scooting motion to
move forward with the right foot moving in a small circle around the pivot
point and the left foot pushing. Avoid
bobbing up and down, it should be a smooth and level motion with both dancers
moving in sync with the music, one scoot per beat (step on the right on the
down beat, and on the left on the up beat). Lean slightly away from and look at your
partner. Turn
Alone Each person turns around in place. It is polite for dancers to turn towards
the person they are currently interacting with. When in a line of four,
center dancers should turn towards the near end dancer and the end dancers
should turn toward the center of the line.
Turn
as a Couple From a couple with hands joined, the
couple turns half around in such a way that the lady remains on the same side
of the gent (normally the lady is on the gent’s right-hand side). The two common options are a California
Twirl or a Wheel Around. Two-Hand
Turn Two dancers join hands with each other
and rotate clockwise as a couple.
Hands are held at chest height with elbows slightly bent. Hold with supporting tension and move with
a smooth walking step. If moving
through restricted space pull elbows in and relax again when space allows. Veer
Left / Veer Right From facing couples, each couple works
as a unit and moves forward and diagonally in the given direction to end in a
two-faced line. From a two-faced line, the given direction
must be toward the center of the line.
Each couple works as a unit and moves forward and diagonally in the
given direction to finish in back-to-back couples. Weathervane
(Across / Full Around) From facing couples the dancers Veer
Right first to make a two-faced line.
Sometimes the call begins in a two-faced line, which could be either
left-handed or right-handed. The
dancers adjacent between the couples link arms (hook elbows or use your
standard arm hold). The couples then
move forward around the link point pivoting like a weathervane swinging in
the wind. Weathervane Across would end
after the couples have exchanged places (equal to a Couples Trade). A Weathervane Full Around would end after a
complete rotation back to the starting point. Wheel
Around A pair of dancers with nearest hands
joined reverse direction by rotating as a unit, with the right hand person moving
forward as the left hand person backs around. This movement is usually done
in four counts of music. Wheelbarrow Wheelbarrow is the description
for pairs of facing dancers with both hands joined. Usually the caller designates one of the
dancers to push forward 4 beats and then pull backwards. (Also see Poussette.) |