Caribbean Contra

Formation: Contra lines with 1, 3, 5, etc. active and crossed over. This dance has a double progression so an even number of couples is recommended. The crossovers at the head and the foot are automatic and need not be called.
Music: Any well phrased 64 count Reel or Hornpipe

Download RTF file: Caribbean Contra

Prompts:
Intro or
57-64   – – – -; Everybody Forward and Back;
    1-8   – – – -; Corners Dosado and Bow;
  9-16   – – – -; Actives march down others march up;
17-24   – – – -; Turn and then come back to her;
25-32   – – Allemande Left; – – Two Ladies Chain;

33-40   – – – -; With the music Chain them Back;
41-48   – – – -; All Pass Thru and Turn Alone;
49-56   – – – -; Take the girl on the right and Half Promenade;
57-64   – – – -; Everybody Forward and Back;

Description:
    1-8   All take three short steps forward, bow to partner on the fourth count, and four steps back to place.
  9-16   Gents look left and Ladies look right along their long line to find their corner. The corners Dosado with each other and then bow to them.
17-24   First passing right shoulders with the corners, all march the way they are facing six short steps, turning to face the opposite direction on the 7th and 8th counts.
25-32   In four steps dancers return to the person with whom they did the Dosado and in four more steps Allemande Left that person (Pigeon Wing) turning far enough around to allow the ladies to move into the center.

33-40   Two Ladies Chain across to their original partner.
41-48   Two Ladies Chain back to their original lines. The first progression has been made, actives have moved down one place in line, inactives have moved up.
49-56   Each person in each long line will exchange places with their partner by dancing forward to pass right shoulders with partner to the other side of the set and turning individually in place, eight steps total.
57-64   Couples at the head and foot of the lines cannot respond to this call and simply remain where they are. (This is the automatic crossover.) Each other man will take the lady now on his right and Half Promenade across the set. The second progression has now been made, actives have moved down one more place in lines, inactives up one more place, all dancers except the head and foot couples are in their original lines.

Choreography by: Don Armstrong, Florida and Colorado
Source: The Caller/Teacher Manual for Contras by Don Armstrong. Also printed in the CDP Journal in February 1993.
Usage: The tricky point in the dance is the Half Promenade. The dancers must learn to reach for a new partner at this point.

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