February 11, 2009
Anna's Homecoming 8x32 R
ANNA'S HOMECOMING
32-bar reel for 3 couples in a 4-couple longwise set
1-8 Mirror reels of 3 on the sides, 1st couple dancing in and down to begin, 2nd couple out and up.
9-16 1st couple with nearer hands joined dance down the middle and up, finishing facing out ready for. . .
17-20 Mirror turns 1-1/2 times to change places with the 2nd couple, i.e. 1W and 2W turn RH 1-1/2, 1M and 2M turn LH 1-1/2.
21-24 2nd, 1st, and 3rd couples taking hands on the sides advance and retire
25-32 2nd, 1st, and 3rd couples circle six hands round and back.
Repeat having passed a couple
Music: A frolicsome reel, yet to be determined.
Devised by Lara Friedman-Shedlov (lfriedmanshedlov [at] gmail.com), as a possible entry for the RSCDS "Homecoming Scotland" dance competition, and dedicated in memory of Anna Laino, who left us far too soon. Anna, you'll always be part of the dance.
Anna Laino, 1983-2009, was a member of the RSCDS Twin Cities Branch. A gifted musician, Anna was also fiddler for Duck or Grouse Rapper Sword Dancers. In addition to fiddle, her repertoire of musical instruments included piano, accordion, organ, and trumpet, and she sang like an angel. She completed her Masters in Sacred Music in 2008 and was organist and choirmaster for St. David's Episcopal Church in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
A suggestion has been made to try joining hands in a circle on bar 22 for the retiring on bars 23-24, then retaining hands for the circle on bars 25-32. If you'd like to try it that way, let me know how the dancers like it. / Lara
Posted by: ldfs at February 11, 2009 3:27 PMLara, what a nice tribute to Anna. We heard about her death from Sherry and Shandi. Is she the fiddler in the videos of Duck and Grouse on Youtube?
Posted by: Mike Briggs at February 11, 2009 5:13 PMHaving only been a member of this site for a few weeks, and still finding my way around,I think I am about to blot my copybook so to speak!! Having been bemused by all the comments regarding Ann Thorn's dance The Homecoming, I viewed the demonstration on youtube and thought the dance itself pleasant enough. However my overiding observation was that had the dance been executed with a degree of verve and vitality, the reception may have been a little more kindly. I have never seen such a dead pan set of dancers in all my life!!
Posted by: angela bulteel at February 12, 2009 8:26 AMYes, Mike that's her.
Posted by: ldfs at February 12, 2009 8:48 AMWhen are we going to do it?
Posted by: andy at February 12, 2009 12:40 PMWe experimented a bit with the standard advance retire followed by circle 6 hands round and back vs. advance, retire with hand joined in a circle, followed by circle round and back.
Opinions of the dancers were mixed. Some really liked the "social" feeling of it. Others were less enthusiastic. My observations were that it looked awkward for the dancers on the ends, who don't really have any place to go during the retiring on bars 23-24.