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ins_orcas_rising

Orcas Rising

Chris Sackett and Brooke Friendly 2006
Longways for Four Couples, Four Couples Active
4×32 Reel

1-4 Ends (actives) set and cast to the middle (middles step out on bars 3-4)
5-8 Actives R-hand turn partner once and a half to face on 1st corner diagonal with R-
    file dancer in front at the top and L-file dancer in front at the bottom
9-24 Four diagonal half tandem reels of 'four’ (active couples each dance as a unit,
     alternating as leader and follower and passing the other active couple in the
     middle by L-shoulder to get to next corner; actives end improper, others end
     where began the figure)
25-28 Actives set and R-hands across halfway round
29-32 Top and bottom foursomes L-hands across once round
End2,4,1,3
Repeat the dance from new positions

Teaching points:
At end of Bar 8, #1R faces #2L with partner behind and #4L faces #3R with partner behind (see diagram on page 58).
Tandem reels: Actives do a series of loops around each corner in turn moving to next corner CCW around set (see diagrams on page 58).
Chris spent 1997-98 at University of British Columbia getting his MFA in theatrical lighting and sound design. While he was there, waiching orcas in the Straits of Georgia, he conceived the ‘dolphin’ or tandem reel portion of this dance. It is unusual in that it is a reel of ‘four’ with two couples dancing in tandem; all other tandem reels that we know of are for ‘three’ with one couple dancing in tandem.

ins_orcas_rising.txt · Last modified: 2024/04/28 02:51 by mar4uscha