swinging... ;)

[jay]

Double progression. Balance and swing, Hey-for-4, Star-left, chain through to a courtesy turn, right-through-to-an-ocean-wave... swinging around fast enough to get dizzy. All moves I've learned two weeks ago and today, going to a 3-hour contra dance workshop in SF. Most confusing was the third dance today, when the #1 couples were sent out of the room, the #2's taught the dance by the caller, and then the #1s returned to be taught *only* by the #2s, while actually dancing. I was a #2 lead, blanked and threw my quad into chaos. (blush)

It did get better... I was the only beginner in the room, which surprised me. It was taught by a visiting caller from Boston (Chris Ricciotti) who did a great job of giving tips and suggestions and challenging the experienced dancers there (nearly all had been dancing for years) while giving me enough explanation to allow me to learn the dance moves. The last couple of dances were complex, enough so to give the other dancers some difficulty. But... the transitions were interesting, once it starts moving it's like... a roller coaster, swinging and swirling seamlessly and flowing up and down the two lines. I noticed my pre-planning and eye contact improving, and was praised as a fast learner :).

Afterward.... I went over to Berkeley, and had Ethiopian food at a new restaurant with tenacious_snail, whom I'd met at the dance.

Comments

[inflectionpoint.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a wonderful time! I am glad that you are dancing and look forward to sharing that with you.

I love love love hey for four, and was so happy and excited when I finally got it down. It took me a while, but it makes for fun and a lot of chances for eye contact with folks.

If you are ever in a hall with an upstairs gallery, perhaps sit out one dance and go up into the gallery and watch how things look from above. Seeing the dancers weave in and out and make the patterns is like a human kaleidoscope being shaken. It's very beautiful.

Yay to you for trying new things! And which restaraunt was it?

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

Ethiopia. Telegraph (duh) around Russell. We were looking for Addis, and somehow, I couldn't find it. We both ate amazing and yummy and spicy food.

The dance lessons were way good and challenging. brian1789 and I were the least experienced dancers there, which was NOT what I was expecting. I got to learn lots of stuff, though not necessarily the stuff I was expecting to.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Given that the 1/15 dance was 50% beginners, I'd expected a beginners-welcome workshop to be mostly tyros, likewise. Far from it, it was nearly all advanced dancers looking for pointers from a visiting contra-master. But arguably even better for a beginner like myself. And the flow in the more-advanced dances was swirly and lots of fun.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Yes! You should come with us. :) The hey-for-four *is* fun for making sequential, flirty eye contact.

I'd love to watch the patterns from above, now that I have a better understanding of what is happening. Although neither of the halls in Oakland or SF have balconies.