Let's write an Xmarks dance

[londonpiper]

Gosh, what a marvellous response from you all!

MartinGrenoble
Thanks for the words of warning , fortunately it looks as if we're going down a different route! Perhaps you might care to draw on your expertise to make a wee contribution of a dance.

Panache

Well done for being first out of the blocks, a valiant first attempt. I'm very much looking forward to hearing how your try-out goes. I'm slightly wondering how starting the diamond pousette halfway through an eight bar phrase will go but I expect that you'll be able to work that through on the floor, as it were.

Andrewson

Very much like yours, has it got a name? Also, as the university have now gone down, I'm hoping to come over to dance with your lot tomorrow if your all meeting up, so will I perhaps be able to have a go at yours there?

The F-H.C.A.G.

You are, of course, quite right about double triangles! I originally suggested the balance in line thingy as I had the Reel of the 51st in my head at the time!
Looking forward to your dance with the double tris in.

georgeblack7

How about a tune (or tunes) indeed!!
Perhaps, once we've decided on a dance or dances, we could take that question over to the Dunsire forum and see what they can do with it?

McMurdo
There is, of course, no good reason that I can see why you couldn't write an Xmarks dance with Dolphin reels in it. I think they're great fun to do, dear old Pelorus Jack,

Keep up the good work one and all and I'll post my little contribution once my brain cell's had a chance to have a good run up to the idea.

[MartinGrenoble]

Well, since you asked, o Piper (and to show I am not against the idea, even if my previous post was rather negative) ...

The X reel, for 4 couples in a longway set.

1-8 : All take hands on sides (of the saltire) and set, then 2nd & 3rd cps cross over and cast to nearer ends in 4 steps to form lines across (ends of the saltire), and all set facing up/down.

9-16 : All advance and retire, then 2nd & 3rd cps dance Right Hands across.

17-24 : Keeping RH joined in the centre, 2nd & 3rd cps join LH with corner persons, and all set (X), turn corners halfway with LH, all set (X) again, then turn corners once round in two steps.

25-28 : 2nd & 3rd cps dance half way round anti-clockwise to own sides, while 1st & 4th cps dance 4 hands round in the centre (the Spot?).
29-32 : 1st cp, turn inward to dance up and cast off into 2nd place, while 4th cp turn inward to dance down and cast up inyo 3rd place.

Repeat from new positions.

How about that to add to the list?
Martin

[londonpiper]

Well, since you asked, o Piper (and to show I am not against the idea, even if my previous post was rather negative) ...

The X reel, for 4 couples in a longway set.

1-8 : All take hands on sides (of the saltire) and set, then 2nd & 3rd cps cross over and cast to nearer ends in 4 steps to form lines across (ends of the saltire), and all set facing up/down.

9-16 : All advance and retire, then 2nd & 3rd cps dance Right Hands across.

17-24 : Keeping RH joined in the centre, 2nd & 3rd cps join LH with corner persons, and all set (X), turn corners halfway with LH, all set (X) again, then turn corners once round in two steps.

25-28 : 2nd & 3rd cps dance half way round anti-clockwise to own sides, while 1st & 4th cps dance 4 hands round in the centre (the Spot?).
29-32 : 1st cp, turn inward to dance up and cast off into 2nd place, while 4th cp turn inward to dance down and cast up inyo 3rd place.

Repeat from new positions.

How about that to add to the list?
Martin

Martin, this sounds great. I'd hoped to try out at least some of the other dances on this post on Wednesday with the Uni group but we spent most of the evening working on a highland demo for our ball next year so didn't have time or energy. I'm hoping to be able to give it a go before Xmas though.

[MartinGrenoble]

I'd hoped to try out at least some ... but we spent most of the evening...

How nice it would be to plan an evening's program!
But, no, something always happens to stop one from doing the dances one intended to do. My usual problem at this time of year, when the dance hall is too cold for comfort, is finding dances that keep everyone moving, not just 4-couple sets. Can't have half a dozen people sitting out. In fact, as we are never either 8 nor 16, we have to improvise and adapt quite a lot, and the 4-couple dances are pushed aside in favour of 5-, 6-, and 7-couple arrangements.
My other problem is teaching a group whose former teacher still attends and "suggests" this dance or that, never mind whether I know it or not!

Back to the dance I submitted: it has been tried, and it works.

Martin

[Andrewson]

Gosh, what a marvellous response from you all!

...

Andrewson

Very much like yours, has it got a name? Also, as the university have now gone down, I'm hoping to come over to dance with your lot tomorrow if your all meeting up, so will I perhaps be able to have a go at yours there?

...

Thanks. I did name it the "XS Reel" which can certainly be pronounced as "excess". My tongue was in my cheek when I wrote that. Although I greatly enjoy devising dances I have to recognise that with over 13,000 published dances already the world is not exactly in need of any more.

We'll be pleased to see you tomorrow night but I am not sure we will get to try out the dance. We danced Burnieboozle tonight. That's another with the "dance to corner and set" figure and it caused quite a bit of confusion and chaos. I was dancing with a very inexperienced dancer and she gave up after a few walk-throughs. It was certainly not her fault because others in the set were hesitating and forgetting to set for 2 bars and thereby making it very difficult to dance properly. But it did make me wonder if I am brave enough to teach it to a group with a similar mix of experienced and inexperienced dancers tomorrow.