Table of Contents Introduction................................................3 Contras with Don Armstrong.................25 Denmark in July...................................25 Weekend Schedule....................................5 T.G.I.F.................................................25 McQuillen’s Squeezebox .....................25 Welcome Dance Party ..............................6 Rambling Rover....................................26 Classic Contra ........................................6 Kittyhawk Hornpipe...........................26 Orlando Hornpipe..................................6 Lucky Waltz Contra ............................26 Lamplighter's Hornpipe ........................7 Nelly Bly................................................7 Singing Squares with Ralph Sweet ......27 Dip and Dive..........................................8 Lady Be Good......................................27 Golden Slippers......................................8 Louisiana Swing ...................................27 Slapping the Wood.................................9 Hello, Mary Lou..................................28 Money Musk.......................................10 Oh Johnny ...........................................28 Du Quoin Races ...................................10 Marianne..............................................29 Trip to Lambertville.............................11 Jambalaya.............................................29 Gay Gordons........................................11 I Don’t Know Why .............................30 Merry Mix-Up.....................................11 Summer Sounds....................................30 Geezy Peezy........................................12 The Auctioneer ....................................31 Grandma Slid Down the Mountain......12 This Old Riverboat ..............................32 Fairport Harbor....................................13 When My Baby Smiles at Me.............32 Delphiniums and Daisies......................13 Shindig in the Barn...............................33 Swiss Miss...........................................13 Whispering...........................................33 Contras with Ralph Sweet......................14 Discussion with Don Armstrong............34 Chorus Jig.............................................14 Mary Cay’s Reel..................................14 Grand Dance ............................................35 Weave the Line.....................................14 Grand March........................................35 Hull’s Victory ......................................15 Saint Lawrence Jig................................35 The Ritz ...............................................15 Angus Campbell...................................35 Sackett’s Harbor...................................15 Queen Victoria .....................................36 A Different Way Back .........................16 The Magpie and the Seal......................36 Blackbirds of Spring.............................16 Pedal Pushers.......................................36 Jenny’s Star .........................................37 Retrospective ............................................17 If You Knew Susie...............................37 The Dutch Skipper...............................17 Honor Among Thieves.........................38 Connecticut Contra ..............................17 Washington Hey ..................................38 French Four..........................................18 Kittyhawk Hornpipe...........................39 Plain Quadrille......................................18 Calvin Crest Contra .............................39 The Rye Waltz.....................................20 Dancing Sailors.....................................39 Windmill Quadrille ...............................21 Butterscotch Contra.............................40 When You’re Smiling............................22 Rod’s Right and Left............................40 Wednesday’s Dance.............................22 Queen’s Quadrille ................................40 Morning in the Glen............................ 41 Band Arrangements Workshop..............23 -1- Contras with Don Armstrong.................42 Tune: Walpole Cottage ........................ 51 Reichenau Ramble................................42 Partner’s Delight.................................. 51 Really Richard’s...................................42 Frank’s Birthday..................................43 Farewell Dance Party ............................. 52 Tune: Chickadee’s Polka......................43 Alabama Jubilee................................... 52 British Sorrow......................................43 Smoke on the Water............................. 53 Paddy on the Turnpike........................44 With Thanks to the Dean .................... 53 Rachel...................................................44 Little Old Log Cabin............................ 54 Eric’s Beckett ...................................... 54 Fiddle Styles Workshop..........................45 Legacy Reel.......................................... 55 Tune: Belledune’s Quickstep................46 Poetry in Motion................................. 55 Big Circle Dance .................................. 56 Open Microphone Session.....................47 Haste to the Wedding .......................... 56 Grand Slam Chain ................................47 Calvin Crest Contra............................. 57 Three Ladies Chain ..............................48 A Waltz for Terry ............................... 57 MN-NY Happy Returns.....................48 Ted’s Triplet #14.................................48 Indices....................................................... 58 The Turning Point................................49 Index by Title ...................................... 58 La Russe...............................................49 Dance Index by Author ....................... 59 Walpole Cottage...................................50 Dance Index by Dance Type............... 61 -2- Introduction This syllabus is a record of the dancing which took place at the 13th annual New England Dance Legacy Weekend (known up until this year as the “Ralph Page Legacy Weekend”). If you are acquainted with traditional New England style dancing, my hope is that you can probably decipher most of the notation. If you have never seen such dancing, I recommend that you put down this syllabus and go find out about it firsthand. There is probably a dance near you! There are numerous systems for notating dances. The one I have chosen to use, while perhaps not the most efficient, is hopefully among the more readable systems. Much of New England style dancing is phrased, so that figures correspond to the timing of a 32 measure (64 count) tune. Therefore, I usually present a dance in a way that shows clearly how it relates to the tune. Unless other timing is indicated, figures given on one line use 16 counts of time (one entire A- or B-part of music), and figures given on two lines use 8 counts each. Whenever the timing varies from this paradigm, it is provided in parentheses. For example: A1- a 16-count figure A2- an 8-count figure and another 8-count figure B1- a crooked figure (4) that does not divide (8) evenly (4) B2- Balance and swing In the case of B2 above, I could have written, “Balance (4) and swing (12),” but did not do so because the timing is obvious from current dance convention. Or consider the following: A1- Allemande left corner, swing partner Here the allemande can be 4 counts, 6 counts or 8 counts, as long as the allemande and swing together total 16 counts. In some square dancing styles, the caller adjusts the figures depending on the skill of the dancers, the type of tune chosen, etc., and does not adhere to the “tyranny” of the musical phrase. That is why some dances (often squares), are simply presented as a sequence of figures. In general, however, New England style dancers want the same part of the figure to arrive with the same part of the tune each time through. My attempt in each case is to choose notation that suits the style of dance. This year’s weekend included a large number of singing square dance calls. Consequently, I think you will agree, this syllabus is a particularly rich resource for those interested in singing squares. For most of these, I provide lyrics more or less as they are sung, and only include more specific directions about how a figure is done if it does not seem self-evident from the lyric. [Such directions are given in brackets.] Italics are used to indicate spoken words. Another issue related to notation is vocabulary. Some callers prefer to refer to dancers as “men” and “women,” while others prefer the terms “ladies” and “gents.” I personally feel it is important to keep the use of such terms parallel. In other words, I become uneasy when a caller says “men and ladies” (or “women and gents,” for that matter). I generally stick with the slightly more old-fashioned terms “ladies” and “gents,” because they are easy for the dancer’s ear to distinguish in a noisy dance hall. In the syllabus I may revert to “women” and “men” in parenthetical directions such as who begins a hey. This is all purely a matter of style. I say, go ahead and call “girls and boys” or whatever you please, as long as the terms are equivalent. However, there is one place I ignore my own guidelines about language, and that is for the singing squares. Despite my high-falutin’ principles, for the purposes of this syllabus I am uncomfortable about altering song lyrics that are

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