Catapult!!

I arrived home from Catapult! Showcase last night exhausted and euphoric!  I worked with six hot bands and 5 smooth callers that were all so kind and supportive.

I'll write more about some of the highlights of the event, but one of the best is that I wrote my first dance!!  (Well, my first dance that actually worked anyway!) Andrew Levin of Waxwing sent a recording of two great jig tunes he wrote last week.  He called them Catapult Jigs and asked if I was inspired to write a dance.

My previous attempts at writing dances had left me frustrated.  I felt that if I wrote a simple dance, then it was probably already out there, and my attempts at writing a more complex dance ended up to not progress correctly (or not at all) or have some other problem.

In fact, it was probably a year or more ago that I tried to call one of my creations at my local dance.  It didn't progress and I ended up having to discard it and pull out another one.  And to add insult to injury, my colleague Jonathan King, then got up and called a lovely dance written by his 10-year-old daughter Ruthie!

Here is Ruthie's dance:

What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander
Ruth King
Improper Duple
A1: Neighbor Do-si-do 1 1/2, Partner Allemande Left 1 1/2
A2: Neighbor Swing, Women Chain
B1: Hey
B2: Partner Swing, "Goose/Gander"

The Goose/Gander is Men Roll Away Partner, and then Women Roll Away Partner across the set and both turn to face the next couple. (The two men end up trading places with each other).

This dance has the unusual trait that both swings end in the middle of the phrase, but my memory of dancing it was that it worked well.  I haven't called it myself yet.

Now to my dance!   And special thanks to Lisa Greenleaf who helped me perfect the progression.

Catapult Jig
JoLaine Jones-Pokorney
Improper Duple
A1: Neighbor Balance and Box the Gnat, pull by Neighbor to former Neighbor, Swat the Flea, pull by former neighbor to Current Neighbor.
A2: Neighbor Balance and Swing
B1: Long Lines Forward, Men take Partner home with a Give and Take, Partner Swing
B2: Balance the Ring, Petronella, Neighbor Allemande left 1 1/2

Catapult Showcase! Here I Come!

This is me all excited because I was selected to be one of the callers at the Catapult! Showcase.
Catapult! Showcase is the brainchild of Rob Harper, Atlanta dancer and organizer who thought the contra dance world needs a way to promote new talent to the national scene. Callers and bands apply to Catapult where a team of reviewers narrows the field to six bands and six callers who will be the talent for this four-day Memorial day weekend event. 
This is the second year for Catapult!  Last year I was one of the reviewers for callers which was a great experience and introduced me to lots of interesting folks all over the country.  This year I told Rob I couldn't be a reviewer because I wanted to try my hand at being one of the callers and was thrilled to get the word last week that I was selected.
I'll be paired with two of the bands for two different calling opportunities - one 2 hour evening slot and one 1.5 hour daytime slot.  I'll also be leading an afternoon workshop.  My plan is to hold a workshop on leading an introductory session and strategies to make your dance community more welcoming to beginners.
If you're looking for fresh new talent for your local dance event, or if you just want to dance to the newest bands and callers out there, register for Catapult!  And then introduce yourself at the event.