Virtual Dances I’ve Written

Ever since I started calling virtual contra dances in May 2020, I’ve become a little bit obsessed. It has been fascinating adjusting dances for the solo dancer or single couple environment.

I wrote my first dance ever, out of frustration trying to find a basic/intro dance that would work. Well – I’ve been hooked ever since, and have written quite a few dances and variations over the past several months.

All dances intentionally do not progress (unless an unusual progression within the set is noted.) I have also reduced neighbor swings and other clockwise motion, and keep movement out of the original set to a minimum, to respect restricted dance spaces.

Special thanks to Chris Page (one of the producers of Caller’s Box), who provided valuable, and thorough, feedback on several dances below, as well as Bev Bernbaum, Becky Liddle and Claire Takemori, who have enthusiastically tested new dances.

Virtual Contra Dance

Animal Crossing

This stated as a simple dance with basic figures only, which I left as the “easy” version, as I wanted another option for first dance of the virtual evening. However, a flurry of inspiration hit me and I created the Double Crossed version a couple months later – which I find much more fun. It’s definitely not a beginner dance, however!

Animal Crossing is the name of a video game with animal characters in a customizable world. It was released right when the pandemic hit, and was met with huge success as it became a center for socialization. It seemed to suit the quirky pass through at the end.

The easy variant of this dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – pass through along the set at the end of the B2 to a new neighbour for the dosido.

Easy Variation

A1 – (8) Neighbor Do-si-do; (8) Neighbor swing
A2 – (8) Larks Allemande left 1 & 1/2; (8) Partner swing
B1 – (8) Long lines, forward and back; (8) Robins chain to neighbor
B2 – (4) Balance the Ring; (4) Pass through across (PR); turn alone; (8) Circle Left 1x

(This icon will allow you to view a video of the dance, with walk-through, so you can give it a try!)

Double Crossed Variation

A1 – (8) Neighbor Do-si-do; (8) Neighbor swing
A2 – (6) Revolving Door; (10) Partner swing
B1 – (8) Robins chain to neighbor; (8) Long lines, forward and back
B2 – (4) Pass through across (PR); (4) California twirl; (4) Pass through across (PR); (4) Cloverleaf turn single (Lark Left Shoulder/CCW; Robin Right Shoulder/CW)

Backyard Seesaw

I wanted to create an easy, opening dance that still had something interesting to give it character. I decided to center it around the seesaw figure (a dosido by the left shoulder), and it turned out to be quite fun!

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – pass through at the end of the B2 to new neighbours.

A1 – (8) Neighbour Seesaw 1.5x; (8) Right and Left Through
A2 – (8) Long Lines Forward, Larks Roll Your Neighbour on the way back; (8) Larks Seesaw 1.5x
B1 – (16) Partner Balance & Swing
B2 – (8) Promenade Across; (8) Circle Right Three Places

Breezy Sunday

I wanted to add a smooth, “breezy” dance to my repertoire, and iterated this dance over several weeks. The use of Petit Fours is inspired by Chris Page’s dance “Crossings,” a lovely virtual dance in its own right.

In a moment of creativity, I changed the B2 from an interrupted square through (with a right hand balance) to my preferred version, with the Cloverleaf turn single, which keeps that breezy feeling. Both variations are below.

A1 – Full figure eight around ghosts above
A2 – Modified petit fours: Lead up with partner; face partner; Fall back from partner; face down; Head down the outside; Cloverleaf Turn Single (Larks CW/Right Shoulder, Robins CCW/Left Shoulder)
B1 – Square Through (PR;NL); Cloverleaf Turn Single (Larks CW/Right Shoulder, Robins CCW/Left Shoulder); Square Through (PR;NL); Cloverleaf Turn Single (Larks CW/Right Shoulder, Robins CCW/Left Shoulder)
B2 – Partner balance and swing

Variation with Interrupted Square Through:

A1 – Full figure eight around ghosts above
A2 – Modified petit fours: Lead up with partner; face partner; Fall back from partner; face down; Head down outside; Cloverleaf Turn Single (Larks CW/Right Shoulder, Robins CCW/Left Shoulder)
B1 – Partner right hand balance; Square Through (PR;NL); Partner right hand balance; Square Through (PR;NL)
B2 – Partner balance and swing

Contactless Delivery

I kept hearing about contactless delivery options during the pandemic, and it had me think – what would that look like as a dance? Here it is – no physical contact (even with ghosts!) until the partner balance and swing.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – shift left at the end of the B2 into the Mad Robin in the A1. The lark role, in particular, will need to move with haste!

BECKET FORMATION
A1 – Mad Robin CW (Larks in first); Weave the Ring (Grand Square without Hands – NR,PL,NR,PL)
A2 – Larks Right Shoulder Round 1.5x; Neighbour Right Shoulder Round 1.5x
B1 – Robins Right Shoulder Round 1.5x; Partners pass left for half a hey
B2 – Partner balance and swing

’Git Back Home

This was written early in the pandemic to be the first dance of a program, as I still could not find ways to alter the Baby Roses of the world.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – pass through at the end of the B2 to new neighbours.

A1 – Long Lines Forward and Back (8); Circle Left all the way around (8);
A2 – Neighbor Do-si-do (8); Larks Allemande Left 1.5x (8);
B1 – Partner Balance (4); Partner Swing (12);
B2 – Partners Promenade to the other side of the set (8); Right hand star three places (8)

Going Concern

In experimenting with formations, I decided to write a four facing four; and discovered it could easily be adjusted to work in our dance halls when we safely return, with a minor update.

As such, this dance can be adapted for virtual dances where you’d like to provide an optional progression: just have couples end the swing facing new neighbours.

Otherwise, as a virtual dance, note that the dance progresses from facing up the hall to facing down the hall, on the left side of the line of four.

A1 – With Your Opposite, Right Hand Balance; Box the Gnat; Pull into a Dosido with your Opposite
A2 – Long Lines Forward and on the way back, Larks roll your partner; All Eight Circle Left Halfway (4 Places)
B1 – Partner Allemande Right into Waves of Four at the Heads (Larks facing out, Robins facing in); Balance and Box Circulate (Robins Cross, Larks Loop)
B2 – Balance and Box Circulate (Larks Cross, Robins Face Oncoming Partner); Partner Swing

Hamsterkauf

Hamsterkauf is a delightful descriptive German word for panic buying, made up of “hoarding” (hamstern) and “buy” (kaufen). It trended on social media when all the toilet paper was disappearing!

It seemed appropriate for this dance, which features an unusual progression that swaps the virtual dancers from ones to twos, and back again, so they can enter contra corners from alternating sides. Go grab everything while you can!

Start as couple #1, facing down the hall.
A1 – Long lines go forward and back; Active couple right hand balance; Box the Gnat
A2 – Contra Corners
B1 – Active Couple Balance & Swing; end facing down the hall
B2 – Balance the ring; as in the dance petronella, slide or spin to the right one place; balance the ring; slide or spin to the right. You are now facing up the hall in your set of four, having swapped places with the imaginary couple.

Notes: This dance has an intentional, and unusual virtual progression that will have you alternate between couple number one and couple number two positions, meaning that each time through, you will alternate between facing down the hall, then up the hall, and so forth.

Let’s Stay Home

This was my very first virtual dance. It was written out of desperation – I could not, for the life of me, adjust any of the introductory dances, like Baby Rose, and get the dancers back home without progressing. Finally – I wrote this to fill the gap.

No, you’d never do a Right and Left Through after a Neighbor Allemande Left in a dance hall – but in virtual dancing, the issue with that transition disappears, so I went with it.

A1 – Neighbor Allemande Left 1.5x (8); Momentum into Right & Left Through (8)
A2 – Right Hand Star 1x – you need to move quickly to finish in time (8); Neighbor Do-si-do passing left shoulders (8)
B1 – Larks Allemande Left 1.5x (8); Partner Swing (8)
B2 – Long Lines Forward and Back (8); Circle Left Three Places (8)

Lockdown Lovin’

These are two very liberal variations of Labor of Love by Kathy Anderson – as a medley of two tunes, dancers will end up entering contra corners from both sides, which turns out to be quite fun! Each variation also stands on its own. I tend to call this with “active couple” instead of “ones/twos,” but notated it as ones/twos below so that the A1 is clear in the second variation.

Variation One:
A1 – Circle Left – all the way around (8); Robins slide right in front of your neighbor to start a clockwise Mad Robin
A2 – Long Lines Forward and Back (8); Ones right hand balance (4); Ones Box the Gnat (4)
B1 – Ones Turn Contra Corners: Partner Right Hand Allemande halfway (2); Corner One Left Hand Allemande all the way around (6); Partner Right Hand Allemande halfway (2); Corner Two Left Hand Allemande all the way around (6)
B2 – Ones in the center, Balance and Swing – End Facing Down the Hall (16)

Variation Two:
A1 – In lines of four go down the hall (8); Ones, turn as a couple; Twos, turn single; come back and bend the line (8);
A2 – Neighbor dosido (8); Ones right hand balance (4); Ones Box the Gnat (4)
B1 – Ones Turn Contra Corners: Partner Right Hand Allemande halfway (2); Corner One Left Hand Allemande all the way around (6); Partner Right Hand Allemande halfway (2); Corner Two Left Hand Allemande all the way around (6)
B2 – Ones in the center, Balance and Swing – End Facing Down the Hall (16)

My Triplet Back Home

I really loved writing this triplet, and consider it to be one of my most enjoyable dances – it’s very flowy and uses the living room in different ways that most dances.

And since pandemic trips were basically just a trip home.. I gave it this (cheeky) name.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – have the dancers substitute B2 with three changes (similar to a grand right & left): pull by right, pull by left, pull by right, all partners swing. 1s face down, 2s and 3s face up.

Dance as couple #2 in the triplet.

A1 – Right Hand Star with Couple #1, above; Left Hand Star with Couple #3, below
A2 – Pass right shoulder with Neighbour above for a Hey for Three along the side of the set
B1 – Lead up; Cast back to place, facing Neighbour below; Right hand balance; Box the Gnat and hold on
B2 – Pull by right; Turn in to your partner for a swing. End facing up.

Queen’s Gambit

I love contra corners – and even more so in a virtual dance environment, where I include at least one, and sometimes two dances with contra corners in my set.

However, I wanted a contra corners dance with something other than a partner swing at the end; after lots of exploration I landed on this creation with a diagonal hey. Turns out doing the hey with those second corners actually fits nicely in the living room.

The dance is named after the hit Netflix series that has chess sets flying off the shelves.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – have the dancers do the long lines in the A1 on the left diagonal. You’ll need to clearly call on ones for the figures.

A1 – Long Lines Forward & Back; Partner Right Hand Balance (across the set); Box the Gnat
A2 – Contra Corners
B1 – On left diagonal, Hey (with second contra corners, pass partner right to start)
B2 – Partner Balance & Swing; end facing your partner across the set – doesn’t matter which side, mix it up!

Ready Player One

This is a simplified version of Ready Player Two, below. This version eliminates the unusual, signature progression. The signature sequence is a box circulate, which I find quite pleasing in virtual dancing.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – in the A1, have the dancers promenade across, making a wide arc to travel one place CCW and face new neighbours.

BECKET FORMATION
A1 – Promenade as a couple across the set; Mad Robin CCW (Robins in first, Larks behind);
A2 – Left Hand Star all the way around; Robins pull by left; Neighbors allemande halfway into wavy lines – Larks face out, Robins face in (facing Larks back)
B1 – Balance forward and back; Box circulate – Robins cross while Larks loop right; Balance & box circulate – Larks cross while Robins loop
B2 – Balance & box circulate – Robins cross while Larks loop to face your oncoming partner; Partner swing.

Ready Player Two

This is the most complex dance I’ve written, and it was an adventure – much thanks to the many folks who helped test and iterate the dance with me.

The signature of this dance is that it progresses one place counter-clockwise around the set of four, such that, each time through, you are facing a new direction.

A1 – Promenade as a couple around the set three places – once there, note your new axis (this is the progression); Mad Robin CCW (Robins in first, Larks behind);
A2 – Left Hand Star all the way around; Robins pull by left; Neighbors allemande halfway into wavy lines – Larks face out, Robins face in (facing Larks back)
B1 – Balance forward and back; Box circulate – Robins cross while Larks loop right; Balance & box circulate – Larks cross while Robins loop
B2 – Balance & box circulate – Robins cross while Larks turn to face your oncoming partner; Partner swing.

Note: It’s easiest to start in Becket Formation and then use the geography of up/down the hall to help orient dancers; if you do so, have the dancers start facing down the hall, and then rotate into Becket Formation, so that everyone has their left shoulders facing up the hall – otherwise the geographical references won’t work! I learned this the hard way… 🙂

Roaring Twenties

As talk evolved about us making it to the other side of the pandemic, media started asking – will we have another “roaring twenties?”

I thought – great name for a dance! And I wanted to create a dance that was high-energy and unique, hence the interrupted circle/star which is born of the pandemic.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – just change the pousette to CCW, and you’re good to go!

BECKET FORMATION
A1 – Step forward into long wavy line down the middle (between two ghost neighbours, Robins left in the middle); Balance the wave; Larks step forward to the other side of the set while the Robins allemande halfway; Courtesy turn with your neighbour;
A2 – Circle Right 2 places; Turn single over your right shoulder; Repeat
B1 – Balance the Ring, Petronella Spin; Repeat
B2 – Pousette CW (Lark Fwd/Robin Rev) Halfway and keep going a bit more to your home side; Partner Swing

Alternate A2 – Left Hands-Across Star 2 places; Turn single over your right shoulder; Repeat

Push Your Luck

I was contemplating what other moves might be fun for virtual dances, that have us move in different ways – and both the wheelbarrow and cloverleaf turn single struck me as interesting to work with. With both of those figures I had no choice – the dance had to be named Push Your Luck.

A wheelbarrow is a poussette that doesn’t go around another couple, simply staying in a slot. Everyone stands in front of their current partner, holding two hands. One person goes forward, the other person backs up. The figure then often reverses back to place.

A cloverleaf turn single has dancers on one diagonal within a hands-four turn single one direction. The people on the other diagonal turn single in the other direction, creating a cloverleaf pattern if watched from above.

A1 – Wheelbarrow with your Partner (Lark Forward, Robin Back, then reverse back to place); Circle Left 3 places
A2 – You’ll be on the side with your Partner – Right Shoulder Round into a Swing
B1 – Wheelbarrow with your Neighbor (Lark Forward, Robin Back, then reverse); Larks continue that momentum as a Give and Take, bringing the Robin to your side for a Swing
B2 – Long lines forward and back; Pass Through; Cloverleaf Turn Single (Larks Left/CCW, Robins Right/CW)

Scallion Nation

The pandemic-inspired act of regrowing scallions in one’s kitchen became fashionable — so much so that the New York Times dubbed the frugal lifestyle changes “scallion nation.” It became a meme, and now it’s a dance, too.

The inspiration came from dancing another dance incorrectly (I missed the walkthrough), loving it, and realizing that what I danced didn’t exist. I modified the B section and presto, another virtual dance was born.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – the long lines forward and back can be done on a left diagonal to progress.

BECKET FORMATION

A1 – Partner right hand balance; Square Through (PR;NL); Partner right hand balance; Box the gnat
A2 – Square Through (PR;NL); Partner swing
B1 – In long lines, go forward and back; Robins Chain
B2 – Circle right three places; Pass Through; Cloverleaf Turn Single (Larks Right/CW, Robins Left/CCW)

Unmasked

I really liked a sequence of figures from Don Veino’s Pumpkin Spice Madness (Mad Robin, Larks cross, partner swing.) After trying to adjust it, I ended up with a whole different dance, and in Becket formation, at that – with only the signature move intact. It seems to flow well in living rooms.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – have couples shift left at the beginning of the A1 into the circle figure.

BECKET FORMATION
A1 – Circle left 3 places; Neighbour Swing
A2 – Balance ring; As in the dance Petronella, slide or spin to the right; Balance ring; Petronella
B1 – Neighbour Dosido; Mad Robin Clockwise (Larks in first, Robins behind);
B2 – Larks cross by right; Partner swing

Variations of Concern

I’ll confess, I wrote “Going Concern” just so I could play on words that these are “Variations of Concern.” Like any good Canadian – I’m sorry.

In this four facing four, the couple swaps left vs. right side of the same virtual set, always facing up the hall.

When doing a walkthrough, I found that it’s helpful to identify the wall the dancers are originally facing at the beginning of the dance, and use that for orientation in the B1 (Larks face that wall, Robins have their back to it.)

A1 – All Eight Circle Left Halfway (4 Places); Long Lines Forward and Back
A2 – Inside 4 Right Hand Balance, Square Through 2 while Outside Right Hand Balance with your Opposite, Pull By, Face In (Across to Same Opposite); Inside 4 Right Hand Balance, Square Through 2 while Outside Left Hand Balance with your Opposite, Pull By, Turn ¼ to Face Your Oncoming Partner
B1 – Partner Allemande Right 1¼ into Waves of Four at the Heads (Larks face in, Robins face out); Balance and Box Circulate (Larks Cross, Robins Loop)
B2 – Balance and Box Circulate (Robins Cross, Larks Face Oncoming Partner); Partner Swing

Alternate A2: Inside 4 Right Hand Balance, Square Through 2; Right Hand Balance, Square Through 2; while Outside couples balance and swing, end the swing with Larks rolling away the Robin to face your oncoming partner

When Rory Met Sally

This was another dance where I started by trying to adjust other dances, and ended up with one of my own. After writing it, turned out there were lots of other dances with Rory O’More that work well for virtual dancing; I now have a plethora of them in my caller’s box. But this one works and is fun, so I’ve kept it in my rotation.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – have couples shift left at the beginning of the A1 into the circle figure.

BECKET FORMATION
A1 – (8) Circle left 3 places; (8) Neighbor do-si-do 1 & 1/4; form wave of four (Neighbor R, Robins L)
A2 – (4) Balance the wave; (4) Slide right (past Neighbor – Neighbor L, Larks R); (4) Balance wave of four; (4) Slide left (past Neighbor)
B1 – (8) Robins allemande left 1 & 1/4; (8) Partner swing
B2 – (16) Larks Pass Left to Start a Full Hey

Zoom Shindig

The Interrupted Square Through seems to be a pleasing figure to dance solo in your living room.

As such, I constructed this dance as an exercise to take that figure, a hey, and a long swing, to create a dance that requires little calling and therefore features the musicians as much as possible – especially in the B section.

This dance can progress if you have mixed group sizes – have couples shift *right* at the beginning of the A1 into the Mad Robin.

BECKET FORMATION
A1 – Mad Robin with Partner CCW (Robins in First); Circle Right 1x
A2 – Face neighbor across the set, give right hand to balance, for an Interrupted Square Through (pull by right, pull by left, neighbor right hand balance; pull by right, pull by left)
B1 – Full Hey (Robins Pass Right to Start)
B2 – Partner Balance and Swing

I’m ready when you are.

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