News from June 2007
A thirty-two bar strathspey for three couples, with pictures!
Written by Darrick Wong for the 100th Annual Portland Rose Festival and premiered June 2nd, 2007.
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Bars 1-8: Mirror reels of 3 on opposite sides. Second and third couples should end the reel slightly closer to the centerline of the dance so that they can make arches in the next figure.
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Bars 9-10: Second and third couples make arches. First couple dance down under the arches until they are below third couple.
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Bars 11-14: First couple turn to the right one and a half times with both hands.
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Bars 15-16: First couple dance up to first place on their own side and face outward.
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Bars 17-18: First man turn second man by the left hand into first place. First lady turn second lady by the right hand into first place.
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Bars 19-20: La Barratte: First couple cross halfway with right hands.
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Bar 21: La Barratte: First lady dances under her right arm to face down the set while first man dances almost all of the way back to his own side.
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Bar 22: La Barratte: First man puts his left hand up and first lady wraps her fingers around the back of his hand. First lady dances under first man's left arm.
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Bars 23-24: La Barratte: First couple cross with the left hands and end facing first corner people.
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Bars 25-26: Hello/Goodbye: First couple set to the right one step and pull right shoulder back to end on opposite sides facing each other. First corner people set to first couple.
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Bars 27-28: Hello/Goodbye: First couple set to each other one step to the right and pull right shoulder back to face second corner people.
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Bars 29-30: Hello/Goodbye: First couple set to the right on step and pull right shoulder back so that first man faces down and first lady faces up the dance. Second corner people set to first couple.
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Bars 31-32: Hello/Goodbye: First couple petronella back to their own sides into second place.
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Note: When first couple is finished, they must step down outside the dance. The couple in fourth place must be ready to make a strong step to get in place for the reel!
This dance is written to mark the occasion of Chandi McCracken finishing
school in Portland, Oregon and moving back to Minnesota. A quick explanation
of the symbolism of the dance: The first 8 bars have the dancers making
figure 8s on the dance floor. Eight is considered a lucky number in Chinese
culture because it sounds like the word "prosper"; though Chandi is not Chinese,
the author of this dance is, and writes the number 8 just like the track that
first couple makes in this figure! The second figure has the first couple
dancing beneath arches made by the other two couples in the dance, alluding
to the many bridges in Portland along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers.
La Barratte was selected for the third figure because Chandi likes it, and
he final figure of the dance is colloquially named "hello-goodbye setting",
the meaning of which should be fairly self-evident.
