Shift Happens

By Rick Mohr; January 2016

Contra, Becket Caller's Box

Level: Intermediate

A1:

Circle left 3/4 (6)

Swing neighbor (10)

A2:

Slice left (8)

Ladies chain (8)

B1:

Half hey (ladies pass right shoulders to start) (8)

Swing partner (from adjacent hey) (8)

B2:

Half hey (gents pass left shoulders to start) (8)

Gypsy partner (6)

Shift left to meet next couple (2)

A smooth dance with a nice progression, plus a partner swing sandwiched by half heys.

The A2 "slice left" is a left-diagonal "long lines forward and back"—dancers join hands in long lines, walk forward on the left diagonal to meet the next couple, and retire straight back.

After the B2 gypsy, ladies in the center can connect everything by placing left hand in the gent's right as the lark leads into the shift left.

Ever notice how all in-flight annoucements seem to come from some overly-formal script written decades ago? Southwest Airlines is the exception, as I learned one landing when our flight attendant announced "Be careful when removing things from the overhead bins, because ... shift happens!"

Video: Kalia Kliban & Joyride at FolkMADness 2018 (posted by Ben Werner):