The Ten Pound Snowflake

By Rick Mohr; 1983

Contra, Duple Improper Caller's Box

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

A1:

Allemande left with neighbor 3/4 (4)

(Ladies join right hands to form a wave of four)

Balance the wave (4)

Ladies allemande right (5)

Give left to neighbor; courtesy turn (3)

A2:

Ladies allemande right 1/2 (4)

Balance and swing partner (12)

B1:

Circle left 3/4 (6)

Swing neighbor (10)

B2:

Circle left (8)

Gents allemande left (4)

Allemande right with neighbor 3/4 (4)

This is the first dance I ever wrote. Some spots are more challenging than I might prefer nowadays, but it's been enthusiastically danced many times in the Midwest so here it is! It was originally written to match the balances in Brian Humphrey's tune of the same name, but goes fine with other tunes too. Brian wrote the tune after a particularly HEAVY Minnesota snowstorm and a visit to the East Lansing Michigan coffeehouse "The Ten Pound Fiddle".

After the ladies allemande quickly in A1 they should allemande leisurely in A2, taking 4 full beats before the partner balance.

In my exuberant age 25 dancing style, the circles in B1 and B2 were punctuated by double-footed stamps on the last two beats of the phrase! (Somewhere along the line these were dubbed "the snowflakes".) How about we say these are optional?

In B2 (with or without the snowflakes) it's challenging to get all the way around in the circle and do a full gents' allemande in 4 counts. As the gents move into the allemande, giving a little right-hand tug can help their neighbors complete the circle and be well positioned for the final allemande.