Newsletters
PETER AMIDON'S E-MAIL #12
In this edition:
- Dance workshop: Sicilian Vowel Dance
- Announcements: Coming this Summer 2009
- Autumn Workshops listing
- Musings: Younger Next Year
DANCE WORKSHOP
Sicilian Vowel Dance
Sitting at my computer I thought: hmmm, what is simply one of my favorite dances in the world? Of course, the Sicilian Vowel Dance (in our new NEDM collection "Sashay the Donut"). We often do this towards the end of a teacher workshop because we find it gives such, well, adult pleasure (in the highest sense of the concept, please). We love dancing it to the "Golden Keyboard" track on NEDM's "Any Jig or Reel" CD.
The beginning of the dance flows beautifully from the group of four circle and walking the star around, to the neighbor dosido/partner two hand turn.
I tell the dancers to "open like a book" out of the partner two hand turn so that each couple is holding partner's handy (near) hand, facing their opposites (neighbors) and ready to start the penultimate weaving figure of the dance, where everyone gets lovely short visits with three couples before the dance flows perfectly into the opening circle left with the fourth new couple on "U" ("You!").
"Golden Keyboard" is a long cut and has a wonderfully slow and dynamic build in energy throughout. I catch myself feeling ridiculously happy towards the end of the dance.
Here are the instructions from our "Sashay the Donut" collection.
Sicilian Vowel Dance
Andy Davis learned this dance from John Krumm, a dance caller from Audubon, Pennsylvania. This dance can provide an elegant ending to an evening dance.
Music: Any reel or march; we prefer a relaxed tempo.
Formation: Sicilian circle, couple facing couple around the circle.
- A1 (16) Take hands in your groups of four and circle left. (8)
Circle right. (8) - A2 (16) Right hand star. (8)
Left hand star. (8) - B1 (16) Dosido opposite. (8)
Two hand turn (or swing) partner.
Open 'like a book' and face opposite, keeping one hand ('handy hand') with partner. (8) - B2 (16) Weave as couples (like a big grand right and left with no hands):
CW facing couples begin by moving outward (to their own left).
CCW couples begin by moving inward (to their own left).
Each couple weaves past four couples
eventually meeting and circling left with the fifth couple
at the beginning of A1.
Saying the vowels whenever dancers pass by
a couple keeps the everyone with the music:
Saying 'A' on the first beat, pass first couple by the right*. (4)
Saying 'E' on the first beat, pass second couple by the left. (4)
Saying 'I' on the first beat, pass third couple by the right. (4)
Saying 'O' on the first beat, pass fourth couple by the left. (4)
Just as the dancers arrive at the fifth couple, they say 'U' ('you')
just in time to circle left in A1.
Notes: This dance works well at a community dance with the younger children dancing with an adult or an older, more experienced child. The figures are not hard, but the satisfaction of all moving 'in sync' during the grand right and left is memorable.
It is useful, when first teaching the dance, to have each dancer point to their own left. Those pointing to the outside of the circle (the CW facing couples) label themselves 'outsiders' (meaning they move to the outside first in the B2 weaving figure) and those pointing to the inside of the circle (the CCW facing couples) label themselves 'insiders' (they move to the inside first in the B2 weaving figure).
For teaching purposes we sometimes have the dancers say:
"A, 2, 3, 4, E, 2, 3, 4, I, 2, 3, 4, O, 2, 3, 4, You!"
a few more teaching tips:
- Teach "Lucky Seven" (from NEDM's "Chimes of Dunkirk") or another grand right and left dance first, so that the dancers understand the weaving concept.
- I would not do this dance with fewer than 20 dancers (5 groups of four). The smaller the group, the easier it is to get disoriented as couples move around the circle from couple to couple. It is best with at least 28 dancers (7 groups of four).
- This dance works best with an odd number of groups of four; that way each clockwise couple dances with every other counterclockwise
couple. If you have, say, 24 dancers (6 groups of four) then each couple will end up with only three of the available 6 couples. If you
have 32 dancers (8 groups of four) each couple will dance with only
two of the 8 available couples. If you do have an even number of couples, a way to work around this is, every once in a while, have the dancers stop at "O" instead of "U", thus interrupting the pattern. - I find it is best to teach the weaving part of the dance first, and have the dancers do the weaving sequence two or three times before teaching the circling and stars in the first part of the sequence. The circles and stars can be disorienting; teaching a few weaving sequences at the beginning helps the dancers to more firmly establish in their minds and bodies their clockwise or counterclockwise orientation.
- Have fun!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Coming Next Summer
Our Hartt Summerterm session:
This will be our ninth year teaching this week-long 3-credit course in West Hartford, CT:
Rich Traditions and New Creations
Dance, Song, Storytelling and Literature in the Music Classroom
Monday through Friday, July 6 - 10, 2009.
The foundation of this class is the wealth of songs, dances, singing games, and folktales that spring from the Anglo American/African American oral traditions. We will sing and dance through a rich repertoire of old and new songs, dances and singing games that you can take back to the classroom, discuss how to make dance a successful, dynamic, ongoing experience for you and your students, and learn how to organize an evening of dancing for the school community as well as an all-school sing. The Amidons will share their discoveries of the power of connecting music and literature: telling stories, creating songs from poems, introducing songs with stories, creating a performance from a folktale, song writing, and bringing picture books alive with music. Limited to 24 participants
Hartt Summerterm courses will be listed I think around January, 2009.
Meanwhile you can go to: http://harttweb.hartford.edu/summer.php
or e-mail dehansen@hartford.edu for more information.
Adult Village Harmony
9 days: Fri - Sun Aug 7 - 16, 2009
in the beautiful Northeast Kingdom of Vermont
Mary Alice and I are very excited to be leading this with our son Stefan Amidon (who is currently on a UK/European tour with Northern Harmony) and Luke Hoffman. They are both wonderful young musicians in their mid-twenties, both Oberlin grads, both superb percussionists (between them they cleaned up most of the major Vermont All-State percussion awards for years) and equally inspired singers and singing leaders.
The summer 2009 Village Harmony camps are listed on their website:
http://www.villageharmony.org/
Autumn 2008 workshops
Saturday, Oct 18: Long Island AOSA
Creating a Dynamic Learning Community with Traditional Dance, Song and Storytelling
Contact: Heather Olsen, stamos1936@hotmail.com
Friday - Sunday, Oct 31 - Nov 2: KMEK (Kodaly Music Educators of Kansas)
MKMEA Regional Conference: Teaching Traditional Dance and Singing Games to Children
Contact: Kirk Olson KOlson@usd259.net, kodaly@wichita.edu
Wednesday - Saturday, Nov 12 - 15: National AOSA Orff Conference
Charlotte, NC
Various workshops
Contact: orffnc08@westelcom.com
Saturday/Sunday, Nov. 22, 23:Brattleboro, VT
Two-day hospice singing workshop
Led by Hallowell leader and music directors Kathy Leo, Mary Cay Brass and Peter Amidon
Contact: Kathy Leo, kleo@sover.net
MUSINGS
Younger Next Year
Mary Alice and I are both reading this book "Younger Next Year". The subtitle is Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy-Until You're 80 and Beyond.
As you can guess from the subtitle, this is not Jane Austen, not Ian McEwan. It is written in a pretty breezy style. But it does have a powerful message.
Chris Crowley (the breezier one of the two) and Dr. Henry S. Lodge describe the aging process and how you can stay physically young and active by many of the ways that most of us already know: strong social connections, purpose-driven life, healthy eating habits (not too much), and a supportive spouse, partner or friend. Where they break from the usual stuff is over exercise. They recommend 45 - 60 minutes of heart-pumping aerobic exercise every day. Not three days a week, not five days a week, but every day!. OK, then, at least six days a week.
Now you don't have to buy the book. But, actually, as breezy as it is, it is a good read, especially compelling if you are, as we are, in your 50s or beyond.
That's it for now; I gotta go for a fast-walk.
Be bold, be bold, but not too bold.
Best,
Peter (and Mary Alice)