Howell’s Break

Formation: Contra lines with 1, 3, 5, etc. active and crossed over
Music: “Merry Oldsmobile” on TNT 148 or “Lamplighting Time” on MacGregor C300

Download RTF file: Howell’s Break

Prompts:
Intro or
57-64   – – – -; – – Corner Dosado;
    1-8   – – – -; Same lady Swing (face down);
  9-16   – – – -; Lines of four walk down;
17-24   – – – -; Wheel Around (or California Twirl), come back;
25-32   – – – -; Bend the Line and Ladies Chain;

33-40   – – – -; – – Chain Back;
41-48   – – – -; Same four Star Left;
49-56   – – – -; – – Star Right;
57-64   – – – -; New corner Dosado;

Neutrals at the ends crossover (exchange places) during every other sequence.

Description:
    1-8   Gents look left and ladies look right to find their corner. Corners Dosado.
  9-16   Same corner Swing ending with the lady on the right of the gent and the couple facing down the hall.
17-22   The line of four walks down the hall about six steps and then begins the Wheel Around or California Twirl.
23-32   Each couple turns around either using a Wheel Around or a California Twirl and comes back up the hall. Wheel Around is a half turn as a couple in counter-clockwise direction. In a California Twirl the couple raises their joined adjacent hands and the lady turns under to her left while the gent walks a semicircle to his right. Both turn half way around and the couple ends up with the lady on the right and facing up the hall.
33-40   The couples in each line turn to face each other across. The two Ladies Chain across.

41-48   The same two ladies Chain back. The couple maintains their left hand hold from the Courtesy Turn and reaches in to make a Left-Hand Star.
49-56   The same group of four dancers Star Left for seven counts then use the eighth count to individually turn to their left half around and put their right hand in ready to make a Right-Hand Star.
57-64   The same group of four dancers Star Right for eight counts back to approximately where the Stars began. They end looking away from the star to find their new corner up or down the line.

Choreography by: Bob Howell, Ohio
Source: Printed in The American Dance Circle, June 2010. Also printed in Dancing for Busy People, page 175.
Usage: This Alternate Duple contra is appropriate for Community Dancers who have mastered Ladies Chain.

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