Genre(s)
Set formation
Difficulty
Music
32J/R
Written
| A1 | Neighbour balance and swing, finishing keeping arm around partner (8) |
| A2 | Swerve right: as a couple go out to the right, facing another couple or the end of the set up and down, ricochet off them with the free hand and then go backwards to the other side of the set (4) Men/larks allemande left halfway and pass partner right shoulders for a half hey (4) |
| B1 | Partner right shoulder round and swing (8) |
| B2 | Balance the ring and petronella right (4) Balance the ring and California twirl partner across the set (4) |
"Swerve right" is a hopefully satisfying whirl-type figure. It's best to explain first that you will finish in the opposite couple's place.
- Most couples will go to the right to face another couple from the next foursome, ready to ricochet off that couple with the man/lark's left hand and woman/robin's right hand, and back up onto the other side.
- If at the end of the set, it's important to still go out to the right and face a ghost, and back up onto the other side in the same way.
Keep fairly close to avoid hitting others.
By over-rotating a bit the men/larks should be able to give left hands ready to allemande left and start a normal hey. It's likely to bleed into the next phrase a bit which is fine.
The Swerve figure has some similarity to the wonderfully named "Yearn and Spurn" in Jacob's Steel's (non-contra) dance The Ring Cycle – but I've not used that name here as this is slightly differently executed and "Yearn" in contra has largely become a synonym for "Slice", which doesn't rotate. But it's such a good name that maybe it could do with reusing anyway!