Dances written by Joseph


Contras

  • Blackbird Pie

  • Changeling Intuition

  • Oh, Geez!

  • Ramsay Chase

  • English

  • Westaire Court

  •  

    Key to abbreviations used

    Lots more in the Cardinal Collection!


    Blackbird Pie

    improper contra, Joseph Pimentel
    A1

    lines of four down the hall (1s in the center)
    turn alone, return, fold the line

    A2

    cl L
    star L (hands across)

    B1

    W see saw (L-sh DSD)
    M DSD

    B2

    F&B
    1s sw

    Teaching Notes

    A simple dance easy for everyone but with the uniqueness of the see saw to give some interest to experienced folks.

    The only transition which might be challenging is moving from the men's do- si-do to the long lines forward and back.  New dancers don't find this any more challenging than any other parts of the dance, and experienced dancers can make it feel good.

    Background

    My favorite first dance of an evening is Don Armstrong's "Broken Sixpence," because it is gentle for beginners:  a small number of intuitive figures, not too much swinging, some swinging, neighbor interaction, and community interaction in the lines of four.  I used the dance so much, though, I became concerned that dancers would grow tired of it.  After looking around for other, similar dances and finding none, I wrote this one to provide some variety.

    Fred Todt suggested the title, following the "Sing a Song of Sixpence" nursery rhyme and a recently developed interest in birding.  

    June 2001

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    Changeling Intuition

    improper contra, Joseph Pimentel
    A1

    cl R 1x
    slide R along the side w/N
    cl R 3/4 with the next couple along the line

    A2

    TB al L
    P sw

    B1

    pass to a wave
    P al R 1/2
    M al L 1/2
    N sw

    B2

    M pass L to start a hey for four

    Teaching Notes

    This is a challenging dance, even for very experienced dancers.  

    A1.  The felicitous right-ward flow depends on everyone moving together.  A single dancer deciding to go left at some point disrupts the flow for at least seven others.  

    Dancers slide right with their neighbor, leaving their partner to go in the other direction.  This sometimes causes concern.  After the slide, people have their neighbor in one hand and their trail buddy in the other.  It is useful to point out that the circle right 3/4 brings everyone to the side of the set with their trailbuddy.  

    B1.  The two quick half-allemandes are common in western club squares, where the sequence is called a "swing thru."  I find it useful to teach the sequence in a simpler dance prior to this one.  Carol Ormand's "West by Midwest" is my favorite for this.

    B2.  I like the flow from a swing into a hey beginning with the men passing left.  Carol Kopp first pointed this out to me, and her dance "A Piece of Cake" makes simple and elegant use of such a transition.  Bob Isaacs points out that it can be an added challenge for dancers accustomed to starting a hey with the women passing right.  The later transition from the hey to the first circle is an added zing, especially for the women.

    Background

    Inspired by and dedicated to the incredible Columbus duo "Changeling."  Husband and wife duo Deborah and Karl Clark-Colon on fiddle and guitar set Irish and other tunes on fire, making a sound greater than the sum of its parts.  They have a very cool way of pushing various envelopes while still attending to the needs of the dance.

    At a Columbus Tuesday night dance we did together, I remember calling Roger Diggle's "Rolling in the Hey" and wondering what would happen if the hey and the circles went the other way.  This is the result. 

    March 2004

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    Oh, Geez!

    "indecent" contra (2s crossover), Joseph Pimentel
    A1

    W al R once around
    N sw

    A2

    M pass L to start a hey for four
    instead of the last pass L, W L-sh gypsy

    B1

    P R-sh gypsy
    P sw

    B2

    F&B, M roll P away with half-sashay
    cl R 3/4
    N pass L 

    Teaching Notes

    After the roll-away in B2, knowing just how far 3/4 of the circle R will take you can be a bit challenging, so it is helpful to let dancers know that this circle will bring them right back to where they first started.   

    Notes

    In November 2000, I was lucky enough to do a ten-day tour with the Groovemongers, who are among my favorite musicians and friends.  Jane Knoeck, who plays keyboard and accordian, grew up in Wisconson, giving her a great upper Midwest lilt when she (frequently) exclaims, "oh, geez!"  The expression tickled the linguist in me, and quickly became a theme for the tour -- and sat in my head as a good dance title for several years.

    After percolating for some time, these figures presented themselves.  They are not particularly unusual, but several transitions may prompt dancers to smile with pleasant surprise, and maybe even to say, "oh, geez!"   

    The dance was debuted at the consistently incredible River Rendezvous weekend in July 2003 in Coshocton, Ohio, where I was calling with the Groovemongers.  It is fondly dedicated to them all, with happy memories of that November tour and the other fun we've had together.  

    June 30, 2003

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    Ramsay Chase 

    improper contra, Joseph Pimentel
    A1 W dance into center to form wavy line (4) and bal (4)  
    W back out as M dance in; M don't take hands (4)
    M turn over R sh and dance out to place, facing out (4)
    A2 single file prom CW 3 places (8)
    P gypsy 1 ˝
    B1 W pass L to start a 1/2 hey
     P sw
    B2 cl L 3/4
    N sw

    Teaching Notes

    The story line of this dance is pretty clear:  Woman flirts with partner, man flirts back but gets cold feet and runs away, woman chases, more flirting, woman runs away, man chases, and finally they swing.  I sometimes call neighbors "interlopers" for obvious reasons.

    The dance works well with dreamy jigs, and has been especially wonderful with Daron Douglas' tune, "Winter Oranges."  It also works well -- with quite a different feel -- with old time tunes, with which the phrasing of the dance tends to get loose around the chase, gypsy, and hey.  

    A1.  I tell the women to focus on their partner, which sets things up.  When the men turn around, the women then chase their partners.  It is important they know to end up on the same side as their partner.  After the gypsy, telling the women to end facing into the set looking across at each other helps them get oriented.  People really want to swing their partners by this point, so I often say something about delayed gratification.  

    B2.  The start of the dance comes around quickly, especially if people swing too long with their neighbors. It helps if the men are especially conscious of this so that they can help their neighbor women into the center to start again.

     

    Notes

    I wrote this dance for my partner, Fred Ramsay Todt.  The Ramsays on his mom's side are a big dancing family:  Fred's Uncle John Ramsay is emeritus director of Brasstown Folk School and the dance school at Berea College; he commissioned "Levi Jackson Rag" from Pat Shaw.  

    The flirting and chasing in this dance was inspired by a Scottish country dance Fred and I have done together, which I hope is reflected in the Scottish feel of the title. 

    March 30, 1999

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    Westaire Court 

    English dance, longways duple minor proper, Joseph Pimentel
    Tune, "Westaire Court," by Debbie Jackson
    A1

    Interlocking cross-over Morris heys:
                            1s                                                  2s
    With "new" neighbors:
    1-2                   cross down the center               separate up the outside
    3-4                   cast up the outside                   cross down the center

    With "old' neighbors:
    5-6                   cross up the center                    separate down the outside
    7-8                   cast down the outside               cross up the center

    A2

    1-2          Set to Neighbor
    3-8          Neighbors handy-hand turn 1 1/2  
                   
    (1s inside center, 2s separating up outside; W by L, M by R)

    B1 1-8           Rights and Lefts: 4 changes, starting with Partner (leisurely, 2-bars per change)
    B2

    1-4           Partner 2-hand turn once around, open facing new Neighbors
    5-8           Circle left once around with new Neighbors

    Teaching Notes

    For teaching purposes, the Morris heys in A1 can also be broken up into two larger pieces instead of four, i.e. two double 1/2-figure 8s, the first in the current minor set and the second in the "old" minor set. The 1s can think of their role as a 1/2-figure 8 down through the 2s, followed by a 1/2-figure 8 up through their "old" 2s. The 2s do the inverse of this, as they would in two double 1/2-figure 8s. At the end of all this, dancers are back home, facing their current neighbor.

    Dancers near the top and the bottom of the set will find it helpful to dance with ghost couples. Similarly, those standing out will want to be ready to dance with “old” neighbors as needed. 

    These heys are not actually as difficult as they sound, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how easily dancers learn them. The difficulty comes when 1s become 2s and vice-versa. Somehow, the inverse role is unintuitive. One astute dancer suggested she had trouble in the new role until she figured out the 1s sequence: down-up-up-down. Until they figure it out, new 1s seem to want to go down the center and then continue going down the outside. I have watched very experienced dancers do this with great confidence, even in the face of oncoming traffic. The same likely happens at the bottom for new 2s. 

    Though I do not explicitly mention it, it is useful to realize that the path a dancer traces while doing this hey is simply an oval. If this question arises, I respond with a simple "yes."

    The transition from the hand turn to the rights and lefts at the end of A2 can be very satisfying for the 1s if the 2s help provide some umph as the 1s turn to face across to their partner. 

    I like the tune a tempo just a bit quicker than is recorded on Childgrove's CD, "Wanderlust." Let the setting in B1 guide you as you set the tempo.

    Notes

    The dance was inspired by Debbie Jackson's great tune of the same name and by Marge Cramton and Ray Bantle, for whom both the tune and the dance are dedicated. All three are pillars of the Michigan dance community, and are among the nicest people I know. Their shared generousness of spirit is a role model for me.

    March 2009

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    Key to Abbreviations in Dance Instructions

     

    R = right
    L = left 
    sh = shoulder
    P = partner
    N = neighbor(s)
    W = woman/women
    M = man/men
    1s = number 1 couple
    2s = number 2 couple
    TB = trail buddy

    bal = balance
    sw = swing
    F&B = long lines forward and back
    DSD = do-si-do
    al = allemande
    cl = circle
    prom = promenade

     

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    This page last updated 3/5/11