ACDOL: Blue and White Contra, The

Blue and White Contra, The

By Lannie McQuaide

Source	Lannie McQuaide
Level	med (assigned by the editor)
Type	Contra
Formation	Triple Minor: Proper

A1	(8) 1's go down the outside one place while the 2's move up (8) 1st gent dance CCW around the 3rd gent to end between the 3's facing the 3rd lady, while the 1st lady dance CCW around the 2nd lady to end between the 2's facing the 2nd gent.
A2	(16) Heys for three across the set, passing right shoulders to start
B1	(8) 1's left-hand turn 3/4 and fall back in 2nd place proper. (8) Lines of three go forward and back.
B2	(16) Mirror heys along the set, 1's split the 3's to start.

Author's Notes:
In B1 I particularly said forward 6 (ed: changed to "lines of 3") instead of long lines to help the dancers identify the minor sets. If each #1 couple will take a hand on either side, and # 2 and #3 are instructed NOT to take any other hand, they will know which couples are working together for the next call.
At a dance in March of 1987, the decorations and refreshments followed the St. Patrick's Day theme. Nearly everyone present sported something green as part of his attire.

I used a lot of Irish music and dances with names that, at least, sounded Irish, such as All the Way to Galway. Some dances simply had the word "green" in the title.

One of the "regulars" is a lot of fun--has an unending line of jokes, and is always kidding around. He happens to be of the Jewish Persuasion.

After this particular dance, he said to me, "Enough already with this Irish stuff. I want to commission you to write a dance that is to be called "The Blue and White Contra", but I want it to be danced to music that is in jig time."

I told him that with those requirements, I would have to receive twice the usual commission. He readily agreed, because after all, 2x0 is still 0.

Editor's Notes:
I suggest English Country style casts in A1: start by turning your back to the person you are going to dance around. This allows you to take a longer path and so use up the music in a natural and flowing way.