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THE FIRST DANCE |
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right and left in the same direction and same manner as they first learned it. It is nothing but the right and left preceded by a little left hook, or complete turn, around the left-hand lady, holding her left hand as you circle each other.
It is so simple that it may seem labored to teach it in two parts in this way. But I have found, especially with a large crowd, that it saves a lot of confusion and innumerable collisions. Starting with the simple Grand right and left gets their directions established and the men get in the habit of always going right and the ladies always going left with a serpentine, touching alternate hands. Once this is established it is easy to add the preliminary left hook of the Allemande, and the trick is done. But try to teach the two maneuvers at the same time to a large crowd and you will have them all running off wildly in all directions, and the stampede will be hard to check.
When you start dancing again, after the explanation, it will be well for the first three or four times through the dance always to use the simpler call swing the left hand lady with your left hand. It helps them get started. Once they are used to the figure, start calling Allemande left with your left hand, and use this more standard form always thereafter.
The Circle Two-Step is simple to learn and fun to do, and when you finally stop them (by simply having the music stop in one of the periods of the two-step) they will probably shout and clap and call for more. To keep their interest up you can then give them some other simple and popular variations.
Variations
After the two-step, instead of calling form a grand circle you may call:
Form a double circle— Ladies on the inside, Gents on the out! Ladies on the inside, Pretty side out!
In this case there will be an outer circle of men only, holding each other by the hands and facing inward in the |
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