Bring Back Money Musk!

Our other version gives you a taste of the classic calling of Ralph Page.

Last year, as a way of celebrating the publication of Cracking Chestnuts, we two Davids proclaimed that March 14 would be the date for the first ever International Money Musk Moment. Callers, musicians and dancers heard the call and celebrated this great old dance in 22 locations, including Switzerland, Denmark, and New Zealand. Granted, not everyone was able to participate on that exact day, so the grand tally (involving 1,376 dancers and 88 musicians--the same number as keys on a piano) included dances held on or about that mid-March date.

Emboldened by the success of that moment, we decided to broaden our horizons, and declared March of 2010 to be International Money Musk Month. Callers everywhere were encouraged to add Money Musk to their program provided that the musicians knew the tune and the dancers were capable of doing the dance. We were especially delighted to see many callers and musicians rise to the challenge and presenting the dance for their first time. There were many successes, and some glorious failures. (See the comments page for descriptions of both.) As a result, this year well over 2,000 dancers experienced this grand old dance, and we are optimistic that Money Musk has a bright future in the repertoire for today's dancers.

Money Musk is a classic in the repertoire and is finding a legion of enthusiastic new fans. However, the dance is not without its challenges. For example:

• Money Musk is a triple minor proper dance. Since these appear rarely on contra dance programs nowadays, many 21st century contra dancers do not understand how they work, and extra instruction is typically required.
• The style of the dance is old-fashioned. It involves a same sex (proper) right and left through, and the number one couple is an active couple, while two thirds of the dancers are in a support role at any given time. This is not difficult, per se, but the style is unfamiliar to many. Again, more instruction or explanation may be required.
• Money Musk has no neighbor swing. It also has no partner swing. That's right--no swings at all! In contemporary contra culture, some dancers complain if they don't feel they get their quota of swings.
• The timing of the center portion of the dance is subtle, and there are many variations. This creates a teaching challenge.
• Many curmudgeonly traditional dancers have developed strong opinions about timing and style, which can create some tension on the floor, or between such dancers and their caller. There are callers who prefer not to walk into this hornet's nest.
• The tune called Money Musk is a challenging one to play. And yet play it they must, as the tune is so closely associated with the dance. The most common versions of the dance also use a 24-bar tune, and most contra dances are done to tunes 32 bars in length, which simply would not fit. (If you are a musician who would like to start practicing the tune, you can click here to download it.)

Videos from the 2010 International Money Musk Month

• Canterbury, New Hampshire with Dudley Laufman, calling and dancing; music by Jane Orzechowski, Neil Orzechowski and Sylvia Miskoe
• Deerfield, New Hampshire -- Tony Parkes taught the dance, but had dropped out calling by the time the video started; music by Burt Feintuch, Emery Hutchins, John Carew and Bill Zecker
• Tunbridge, Vermont -- Money Musk danced at an open house hosted by the Ed Larkin Dancers; calling by Adam Boyce and music by Harold Luce and Donna Weston
• Holstebro, Denmark with John Tuck calling to recorded music
• Toronto, Ontario at the Earth Hour Dance (cutting the power and dancing in the dark!) with Bev Bernbaum calling and music by Anne Lederman, Tom Leighton and Greg Renault

Videos from the 2009 International Money Musk Moment

• Norwich, Vermont with David Millstone and Northern Spy
• Monte Toyon camp, California with Linda Leslie (calling in the AM), Bob Isaacs (calling in the PM) and the Rhythm Rollers
• Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with Donna Hunt and DanceWiz
• Christchurch, New Zealand with Bill Baritompa and music from the New England Chestnuts recording
• Dietlikon, Switzerland with Katja Hunn and Over the Isles

Other sites of potential interest...

• John Michael Seng-Wheeler's "Bring Back Money Musk" video documenting Nils Fredland calling the dance at the Swallowtail 30th anniversary weekend, held at Camp Becket, Massachusetts in the fall of 2008.
• A page from Walter Lenk that documents a Duke Miller dance from 1965. Clicking on the links on this page allows you to listen to a recording of the dance. You will find Money Musk in a common spot on the program: the first dance after the intermission.
• Alan Jabbour's page about his visit to Monymusk, Scotland.