A proper duple contra written by Don Armstrong
Unfamiliar with dance cue terminology? Learn more here.
Record: LS E-28
Note: Anytime during this dance when hands are joined, hands
should be at shoulder height, elbows down.
Counts
1-8 ACTIVES IN, DOWN FOUR IN LINE AND TURN
ALONE
With actives in center, the actives and the couple below go
down the set in lines of four with 7 short steps and turn
alone on counts 7 and 8 to return.
9-16 LINES COME UP TO PLACE, AND CAST OFF
The line dances up the set to place in 4 normal steps and the
actives cast off in 4 steps to end with the actives down one
place in the line. Progression has occurred.
17-32 IN THE SAME FOUR, ACTIVES START RIGHT A
"HANDED HEY FOR FOUR"
Actives start by passing with R hands momentarily joined
in the center. The same four dances dance a "reel of four"
across and back to end in an ocean wave line of four
(actives in the center with R hands joined, men facing up,
women facing down; inactives on the outside, men facing
down, women facing up). During the entire "reel of four"
each dancer pulls by or around the dancer he/she meets by
the obvious hand, all hands held at shoulder height with
elbows down and close to the body, "assisting" each other
throughout. Note that, on the outside of the set, dancers will
be using their left hands twice, so they cannot hang on too
long at any time. This "handed hey" is simply a "reel of
four" with hand contact. It's different and it's fun,
especially when it ends in an ocean wave balance. (Purists
may dance a "reel of four" conventionally to the same
timing of course).
33-40 BALANCE THE FOURS AND ACTIVES TURN RIGHT
HALF WAY
The lines balance for 4 counts and actives turn with R
hands past each other in 4 steps to face the opposite person
across the set.
41-48 GYPSY FULL AROUND
Utilizing 8 steps the dancers move around each other CW
in a small circle while facing each other throughout the
entire action (might also be described as a "circular, facing,
do sa do"). Dancers end the gypsy in closed swing position.
49-56 SWING
These same dancers swing for 8 counts, ending facing
across the set, each lady on that gentleman's right hand
side.
57-64 ACTIVES AND THE COUPLE ABOVE DANCE A
HALF FIGURE OF EIGHT
Active lady leads as actives cross through the center of the
set above and around the couple above, ending in the
progressed position they were in following the cast off.
To prompt this dance:
Prepare the actives by telling them they must be in the
center between the inactives below them when the dancing begins.
Intro: Down in fours,
1-8 , Turn alone come back to place,
9-16 Cast off, Actives take right handed hey,
17-24 , All the way over and back,
25-32 , Actives center balance the fours,
33-40 Actives turn right half-way, Gypsy round those you meet,
41-48 , All the way round and then you swing,
49-56 , Half figure with those above,
57-64 , Down in fours,
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