Atlantic City AOSA National Conference 2016
* Amidons’ Thursday Evening Community Dance *
Quartz Mountain Man in the Middle
Composed by music teachers at the Amidons’ course at the Oklahoma Arts Institute in October 2012.
Formation: Circle mixer
Music: any reel medley
A1: Circle left, Circle Right
A2: All forward and back
Gents go forward and clap on beats 5, 6, 7 jumping on beat 7 and turning 180º in air and landing facing new partner
BECAUSE, AT THE SAME TIME
Women stay where they are, clap on beats 5, 6, 7, jump TO THEIR RIGHT one place on Beat 7.
B1: Dosido and elbow swing new partner (or long elbow swing with new partner)
B2: Promenade new partner.
Intersection Reel from Warren Doyle adapted by Peter Amidon
In NEDM’s “Sashay the Donut”
formation: Four (or six; we did six) longways sets laid out like a giant X. The head couples are the ones closest to the corners of the room. The bottom couples are the ones in each set closest to the center of the room. Between the four sets is a space that I will call ‘no man’s land’.
music: lively reels.
A1 (16): Each of the four sets take hands in a ring and circle R (8)
Each of the sets circle L (8)
A2 (16): Dosido partner (8)
Two hand turn partner (8)
B1 (16): Top couples in each set sashay down through their own set, through ‘no man’s land’ and up through the middle of the opposite set till they get to the top of the other set.
B2 (16): Active couples sashay to the bottom of this new set they are in (not back to their original set). (8)
Long lines forward and back. (8)
NOTES:
* A simple way to organizer dancers into the formation is to have four (or six) couple hold hands in a circle in the middle of the room. Then each couple in that circle faces their partners and takes two hands with partner. The other dancers line up on each of the four (or six) couples to create a “star” set of couples.
* When the dancers are circle left at the end of A1 they should be looking for their partners, and walk right from the circle Left into the Partner dosido.
* I have two rules for the sashaying: no collisions, and couples pass side by side (rather than one couple going under another couple’s arch, which I find holds things up too much). As far as which side, negotiating that on the go is what makes the dance fun.
*If the B1 sashays go fairly quickly, the couples may have a few seconds to catch their breath before sashaying back to the bottom at B2.
* The dancers need to keep moving ‘up’ or ‘out’ whenever the outside couples sashay to the bottom of their new sets, in order to keep the ‘no man’s land’ area clear. The dancers should also try to keep their sets oriented so that there is a straight, clear alleyway from one set through its opposite set.
Exploding Star Original name “Accretion Reel” by Chris Page. Adapted by Peter Amidon.
Scatter mixer
Music: Any jig or reel.
A1 Balance ring of four “Hello”
Turn away individually “Goodbye”
Scatter promenade individually
A2 Gypsy someone
Swing same
B1 Scatter promenade as couples
B2 Find another couple and circle left (can be four or six people)
Circle right.
NOTE: The first time through the dance starts with everyone scatter promenade individually, in other words, everyone randomly walking around the hall by themselves.
Willow Tree in NEDM’s “Chimes of Dunkirk”
Music: Use “Willow Tree” from Chimes of Dunkirk if you do the strip the willow figure. If you do the version we did at the Thursday night dance you can dance it to any jig or reel.
Formation: 8 or 10 couples (it also works with 9 or 11, but not quite as well). Let’s say it is 10 couples:
Top five couples are the ‘Ups’ and bottom five couples are the ‘Downs’.
Music: If you are doing the strip the willow figure, then you can use the Willow Tree medley on Chimes of
Dunkirk CD or the music in the book. Otherwise, any jig or reel.
Al: Top couple sashay to bottom. Top gent leave partner at bottom and sashay back up with bottom lady.
A2: Bottom couple sashay up with Top gent’s partner, and sashay back to bottom with own partner.
B1/B2: (Top and bottom couples strip the willow to the middle; Top couple with the ‘Ups’ and bottom couple with the ‘Downs’.) Or, as we did in the Thursday night dance, the outside couples simply sashay to the middle of the set. There, the same two couples make a ‘House’ of four arches: two side arches and two head arches.
C: The remaining ‘Ups’ cast down and the remaining ‘Downs’ cast up. When the meet someone at the side, take their hand and go with them under the side arch. Then, inside the house, take partner’s hand and go out the appropriate ‘Up’ or ‘Down’ arch and back to place.
To repeat the dance, the Arching couples drop their hands and step back to their new places in the middle of hte set. The new top and bottom couples lead the next time through the dance.
Auretti’s Dutch Skipper Historic English country dance
FORMATION: Duple longways proper (In other words, Longways set of couples. Take hands in groups of four from the top of the set. In each group of four the couple closer to the music are the “ones”, the couple further from the music are the “twos”.
MUSIC: Try NEDM’s “On the Danforth” on either “Other Side of the Tracks” of “A. 1st couple lead down the center, separate and dance around 2s back to place; 2-hand turn
A. 2nd lead up the center, separate around 1s, back to place; 2-hand turn
B. 1st corners 2-hand turn; 2nd corners 2-hand turn
B. Set twice to partner: to the right, left, right and left.;
half poussette (progression) with the gents pushing and the ladies pulling; trade
* Setting: Facing partner: a little jump onto the right foot, then feet together, Repeat onto left foot
* Half poussette: two hands with partner. #1 gents start by pushing, #2 gents pulling, trade places with neighbor couple.
First Night Quadrille by Bob Dalsemer
in NEDM’s Listen to the Mockingbird collection
Formation: Square dance
Music: any jig or reel, or use recorded calls on NEDM’s Listen to the Mockingbird CD
Opening
Main figure
A1 (16) Head couples go forward and back. (8)
Same four circle left. ( 8)
A2 (16) Same four circle right. (8)
Same four right hand star. (8)
B1 (16) All allemande left corner. (8)
Give right hand to partner and begin a grand right and left. (8)
B2 (16) When you meet partner do-si-do. (8)
Promenade home. (8)
Repeat main figure for side couples
Middle break
Repeat main figure for four gents, and then for four ladies
Closing
The Opening, Middle Break and Closing can be whatever figures youíd like to do; they often include circle left and right, forward and back with a hoot, promenade, whatever.
Rocky Mountain Revelry original dance by Rocky Mountain Orff Chapter music teachers at Peter & Mary Alice Amidon’s October 8, 2016 workshop.
FORMATION: Circle mixer
MUSIC: Any jig or reel
A1 Circle left
Forward and back
A2 Circle right
Forward and back
B1 Dosido partner
Seesaw neighbor
B2 Starting with partner, grand right and left four changes.
Allemand right the fifth person (who is now your new partner) into the A1 Circle left.
NOTES:
* “Seesaw” means left shoulder (counterclockwise) dosido.
* The B1 dosido partner and seesaw neighbor can be wide and sweeping so that you use all the music and can then start the grand right and left right on the first beat of B2.
* Teaching the B1 partner dosido, neighbor seesaw: – “Dosido your partner looking for your neighbor. Seesaw your neighbor looking for your partner.” In both the dosido and the seesaw the gents start on the inside, ladies start on the outside.
* The final figure: Allemande right that ends the B2 into the opening Circle Left of A1, is the pièce de résistance of this dance. About halfway through the allemande the gent lets go of the lady’s right hand and reaches back to get the lady’s left hand (in the gent’s right hand) and pulls her into the circle left. The lady needs to step back a bit into the circle left. It might feel a little tricky and awkward at first, but once mastered it is a beautiful and satisfying moment in the dance.