The following dances are by Amy Kahn. Amy lived for many years in Syracuse. She was very active in the contra dance community here, as a dancer and a caller. She also served on the board of our local dance organization. Because of the great simularity of names, Amy is often confused with Amy Cann (another caller as well as a wonderful fiddler and composer of such tunes as Catharsis). Well, even if CDSS can't always keep them straight, we can! Our Amy's dance, Sweet Music has achieved considerable popularity.
If you'd like to see dances by other authors, return to David's Dance Caller's Home Page.
| A1 | Balance and swing neighbor |
| A2 |
Long lines forward and back Two ladies do-si-do 1-1/2 |
| B1 |
Gypsy partner And swing |
| B2 |
Promenade 3/4 Say "goodbye" to neighbors, California twirl to face next |
The 3/4 promenade in B2 leaves you facing up and down the set with your partner. You are in progressed place at that point, but need to turn as a couple to face the next (and so you do in the final 4 counts). The "goodbye" can be a balance. I borrowed this figure from Dan Pearl's Punxsutawney Promenade. The combination of the romantic gypsy/swing with your favorite partner, and the opportunity to say farewell to all the lovely people you have danced with all evening make CJ's Delight a very effective last-dance-before-the-waltz. It was composed to celebrate the birth of my sister's first child.
| A1 |
Gents allemande left 1-1/2 Scoop up your partner, continue back to gent's home, turn out with a butterfly whirl |
| A2 | Hey-for-4 (start with ladies passing right shoulders) |
| B1 | Balance and swing partner |
| B2 |
1/2 right and left through Roll away with a half sashay and right-hand star 3/4 |
Gents are in charge of finding the next gent on their diagonal left in the transition from B2 to A1. The beginning of this dance is borrowed from Bob Dalsemer's Pedal Pusher, and the ending is another nod to Dan Pearl's Punxsutawney Promenade. The roll-away and butterfly whirl come from square dance tradition. The ever popular hey-for-4 has been so thoroughly incorporated into contra dance that it no longer feels like an English country dance figure to us, and so this dance may not strike contra dancers as quite the hybrid that it is. I love the way these figures click together.
This page last updated 7-24-05