Blog

During this time of social distancing, I thought it might be helpful to provide some food for thought so that when we all return to the dance floor, we’ll be able to up our game.

Dance historian Allison Thompson and I had been independently researching the “dolphin hey,” a figure that in recent decades migrated from Scottish country dance to English country dance and thence into contras. We combined our articles and came up with what is almost certainly the definitive story, including more than most mortals will care about. …

Dolphin Hey – Everything You Wanted to Know, and Then Some! Read More »

Becoming a Better Dancer (This post is aimed articularly at English country dancers, but contra and square dance enthusiasts may also find food for thought.) One of the challenges that callers face is that of teaching style to dancers. Note: by “style” I’m not talking about the over-the-top mannerisms that some dancers affect. Rather I’m thinking of moving gracefully, with ease …

Becoming a Better Dancer Read More »

Looking for something to put you in a good mood? A contemporary mashup that combines dance scenes from classic movies set to a more recent funk soundtrack? Here you are! It’s called “Movie Stars Dance to Uptown Funk,” brought to you on YouTube. Great dancing, from a diverse cast including short clips of the Nicholas …

Old Movie Stars Dance to Uptown Funk Read More »

Midwinter blues or post-holiday blahs got you feeling down? Here’s a cure that’ll bring you back from the doldrums. This short piece of colorful animation is based on a poem by Federico García Lorca; the images are what might result if Salvador Dali, Joan Miró and Paul Klee collaborated after a wild night of dancing …

The Sleepwalker Read More »

Ralph Page kept a regular column in his Northern Junket magazine in which he shared tidbits that he unearthed in his research into newspapers in the 1800s. I share his fascination with the roots of our contemporary dances, so have borrowed his “It’s Fun To Hunt” title to describe a few of my own forays …

It’s Fun to Hunt: The Enchanted Wood Read More »

Many years ago, our local Revels North mounted a Scandinavian-themed show that featured Norwegian dancing. In one particularly lovely moment, a male dancer led two women, one in each hand, through a Telespringar. I watched, entranced, as the dancers formed a kaleidoscope of motion, whirling, spinning, twirling, weaving in and around and over and under, …

Slängpolska! Read More »

I’ve written elsewhere about the push toward ever-more-complex choreography on the contra and square dance floor. The short story is that the number of figures one might expect to meet today in a few nights of dancing has nearly doubled from the early 1970s when I started. Some of the push comes from those avid …

How Complicated Does This Need to Be? Read More »

This list comes from a group that’s far removed from the country dance world—”bop” is an inclusive term for related couple dances including swing, lindy, jitterbug, and shag—but it’s fascinating how so many of the guidelines offered here apply to contras, squares, or English country dance.

ALL YOU EVER NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS
CAN BE LEARNED IN A DANCE CLASS
Published by American Bop Association in November, 2003 Newsletter

1. Lead her GENTLY and she’ll follow you anywhere. (For every ACTION there is an equal and opposite REACTION.)

2. Never CRITICIZE YOUR DANCE PARTNER. The only person you can even consider fixing is YOU. (The person who is responsible for making the adjustment is the one who knows an adjustment is needed.)

3. A lead is an INDICATION of some desired direction. (It’s a SUGGESTION, not DEMAND.)