Long Lines Forward And Back

Bars: 4.

Move in to the middle, and fall back, taking hands with neighbors both inside and outside the minor set.

History

Something very interesting happened in Contra Dancing between 1956 and 1983. In Rickey Holden's The Contra Dance Book, 1956, he uses the call "forward four and back again" (or "forward six" for triple minors), but in Larry Jennings' Zesty Contras, 1982 these two calls have completely vanished and been replaced by "Long lines forward and back".

Somewhere between these two publications the integrity of the minor set ruptured and people reached to take hands with those in other minor sets.

Now Chorus Jig had become a duple minor by Holden's day, so it's contra corners figure reached outside the minor set, but nothing else did. Perhaps it was Becket Reel, 1957 which made people look outside the minor set?

Some dances which (probably) use this figure

• Dances for which I have animations

Note: This list may be incorrect or incomplete.

See Also

• Forward and Back

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