The following dances are by Bob Nicholson of Syracuse, NY. Bob is a popular caller throughout upstate New York. He is especially well known for his thoughtful approach to beginning dancers. If you'd like to see dances by other authors, return to David's Dance Caller's Home Page.
Bob's J&L
a duple improper contra dance
| A1 |
Circle left And back to the right |
| A2 |
Right-hand star And left-hand back |
| B1 |
Actives sashay down the center And sashay back |
| B2 |
Down the hall 4-in-line (actives in the center) Active couple arch and back up, second couple through the arch |
I always figured Jefferson and Liberty was a foolproof dance that could not break down. After it broke down anyway one night I created this variation for one night stands. It replaces "Actives down the outside and back" with a sashay down the center and back, to keep people connected and less likely to wander off somewhere.
Fancy Passings #1
a duple improper contra dance
| A1 |
Ladies swap places, circle left 1/2 Gents swap places, circle left 1/2 |
| A2 |
Two ladies gypsy 1-1/2 Swing partner |
| B1 |
Half right and left through Half ladies chain |
| B2 | Hey-for-4 (starts with ladies passing right shoulders) |
The version above is a dance that David Smukler and I came up with collaboratively. David now calls a version that starts with a circle left all the way, and then the ladies swap and the gents swap. Yet another alternative is to have gents swap first. Then in A2 it is the gents who gypsy in the center. This requires you to replace the half right and left with lines forward and back in B1.
This is the first of a series of three dances named for our friends the "Passing Fancies," a delightful band from Rochester, NY. It was born on a car ride to Rochester. The band is now long defunct, but we still remember their trademark: the passing around of vintage hats during their gigs.
Fancy Passings #2
a duple improper contra dance
| A1 |
Gents swap places, circle left 1/2 Ladies swap places, circle left 1/2 |
| A2 |
Pass thru across the set, balance neighbor And swing |
| B1 |
Ladies allemande right 1-1/2 Swing partner |
| B2 |
Balance in a ring of 4, pass thru across, and turn individually to the right
Promenade single file 3/4 around the circle of 4 |
This is my second dance dedicated to the all women's band, "Passing Fancies." The B2 part is borrowed from Mary Devlin's Three Sisters. When I first did her dance, I noticed and enjoyed that you can make eye contact with your former neighbor and then your present neighbor on the way to your future neighbor. Mary has since noted that the figure comes from Bob Dalsemer's Pedal Pushers. For this dance to work nicely, dancers need to be prompted to get out of their 8-count swing and into the circle balance on time.
Fancy Passings #3
a duple improper contra dance
| A1 |
Allemande left neighbor 1-1/2 Half hey-for-4 (starts ladies passing right shoulders) |
| A2 | Balance and swing neighbor |
| B1 |
Gents allemande left 1-1/2 Swing partner |
| B2 |
Balance in a ring of 4, pass thru across, and turn individually to the right
Promenade single file 3/4 around the circle of 4 |
This dance is a slightly closer variation on Mary Devlin's Three Sisters. I wanted my favorite figure to appear in a slightly simpler context. As in Fancy Passings #2, it is helpful if dancers are prompted to get out of their 8-count swing and into the circle balance on time.
Hearts Delight
a duple improper contra dance
| A1 |
Neighbors allemande left 1-1/2, and ladies take right hands to form a
wave-of-4 across the set Balance the wave, ladies allemande right once as the gents orbit halfway counterclockwise |
| A2 | Partners balance and swing |
| B1 |
Right and left through across the set Ladies chain back |
| B2 |
Left-hand star Right-hand star |
I wanted to create a dance in honor of the band, "Hearts Delight," a great band that my daughter Eileen plays in. So I combined pieces of two of my favorite dances: Hearts and Flowers by Ted Sannella and Shadrack's Delight by Tony Parkes. The above is the result. Composed earlier the same month, it was first danced on October 28, 2005 with Hearts Delight playing. All the dances I chose that evening had titles related to the band's name. As with many of my dance compositions, David Smukler contributed to the final form.
Oak Hill Quickstep
a duple improper contra dance
| A1 |
Down the hall, 4-in-line (actives in the center), turn alone Return, face neighbor |
| A2 | Balance and swing neighbor |
| B1 |
Ladies chain Over and back |
| B2 |
Long lines forward and back Actives swing |
This dance is an adaptation of Beaux of Oak Hill. It teaches some basic figures and phrasing, and almost never breaks down, even when dancers are very new.
Syracuse Hey
a duple improper contra dance
| A1 |
Down the hall, 4-in-line (actives in the center), turn alone Return, face across (or cast off) |
| A2 |
Ladies chain Over and back |
| B1 | Hey-for-4 (starts with ladies passing right shoulders) |
| B2 |
Do-si-do next neighbor Actives swing |
This dance was created to introduce the hey-for-4 to dancers who had not yet been exposed to it. I started with Ralph Sweet's Washington Hey and tried to simplify elements that seemed troublesome to newcomers. David Smukler suggested a small change which resulted in the current form of the dance.
October's Hornpipe
a triple improper contra dance
| A1 |
Allemande left below, 1-1/2 Do-si-do the next below |
| A2 | Circle left, 6 hands round |
| B1 |
Left-hand star below Swing above |
| B2 |
Long lines forward and back Actives swing |
This is a slight variation on April's Hornpipe, by Ralph Page. It was born during an October car ride to a dance, when David Smukler and I were discussing ways to adapt triple minor dances to modern tastes. The only change to Ralph Page's dance is replacing the right and left four in the B2 part with something which includes a swing. The title is just silly, since the April of April's Hornpipe refers to a person and not a month of the year.
Outnumbered
a longways dance or Sicilian Circle: 3-facing-3, one gent between two ladies
If gents are in really short supply, this dance can be a useful way for the ladies to share them.
| A1 |
Forward and back toward opposites Two ladies chain |
| A2 |
Four ladies do-si-do Gents allemande left partner on left |
| B1 |
Gents gypsy right neighbor on right Back to your partner and swing |
| B2 |
Circle 6, just two places to the left, balance Balance again, RH's high and LH's low to change direction |
In A1 the ladies at the right ends of the lines chain diagonally left. In A2 all four ladies do-si-do straight across with the opposite lady. If the dancers are more accomplished the allemande turn can be done in 4 beats. Then gypsy the neighbor in 4 and start the B2 with a balance and swing. Each gent has two partners. On alternate times through the dance they take turns being the one he swings. When you end the swing the gent has two ladies on his right. Circling left puts him back in the middle of his two partners, but in the other threesome's place. Changing directions completes the progression.
David's Dance Caller's Home Page - top of this page
This page last updated 11-12-05