High Mountain Mixer

Formation: Circle of couples facing the center of the hall, ladies on their partner’s right.

Music: “Lighted Sconce” on Lloyd Shaw with Hammered Dulcimer, or “Fraulein” on Global Music 938

Download RTF file: High Mountain Mixer

Prompts:

Intro or
57-64   – – – -; – – Circle Left;
    1-8   – – – -; Lasso Girl around her partner- ;
  9-16   – – – -; – – Circle Right;
17-24   – – – -; Lasso Girl around partner;
25-32   – – And a bit more; – – Push into center four;

33-40   – – Back out four; – – Dosado;
41-48   – – Move to left; – – Push in four;
49-56   – – Back out four; – same two Circle Left;
57-64   – Put lady on the right; – All Circle Left;

Description:

    1-8   All join hands and Circle Left for eight steps.
  9-16   Partners maintain their handhold while the gents raise their right hand and guide their partner in a counterclockwise circle around the gent.  Ladies will pass in front of their partner and then around behind him to end back where they began.
17-24   All Circle Right for eight steps.
25-32   Girls Lasso around their partner again as in counts 9-16, and the ladies continue a bit farther to end with the lady in front of the gent with her back to the center.

33-40   Partners join both hands, gents push the lady into the center four steps, then gents pull the lady back out four steps
41-48   Partners Dosado and then individually slide sideways to their left to face a new partner.
49-56   New partners join both hands, gents push the lady into the center four steps, then gents pull the lady back out four steps.
57-64   The same two dancers Circle Left once around then release gent’s left and lady’s right handhold to allow the lady to continue turning into the big circle on the gent’s right side.   (See variation.)

Easier Variation for 57-64:  Some groups may find the final two-dancer Circle Left too disorienting. If so, try replacing it with “Ladies turn left to face in”. Do this by maintaining the gent’s right and lady’s left hand hold so he can guide her under his right arm and into position beside him in the big circle. The lady will turn to her left half around to face in.

Choreography by: Don Armstrong, Florida and Colorado
Source: Printed in CD Journal, November 2008

Usage: This works best when there are at least eight couples. There are lots of turns for the ladies. Consider using the variation described at the end.

This page from http://dances.callerlab.org (CALLERLAB Dance Resource).