ACDOL: Eggbeater, The

Eggbeater, The

By Bill Olson
Composed January 25, 2002

Level	easy-med (assigned by the editor)
Type	Contra
Formation	Improper

A1	(8) Neighbors allemande left 1 1/2 (8) Ladies chain across
A2	(8) Left hand star 7/8 ("nearly once around") until the gents meet in temporary long wavy line along the center of the set (8) Eggbeater: gents allemande right 1 3/4 while the ladies allemande left 1 1/2, until you meet your partner the second time
B1	(16) Partners balance and swing
B2	(8) Promenade across the set (6) Circle left 3/4 (2) Pass through along the set

Author's Notes:
The eggbeater figure is a "while" figure. That is, some folks are doing one thing while others are simultaneously doing another. In this case the men allemand right while the women allemand left. Timing is critical here so that the two allemands "interleave" and don't crash into one another. The allemands go around until partners meet for the second time. This is a little more than once and a half for the women and nearly twice for the men. Dancers should be asked to pay attention to the phrasing of the music so that the allemands start at the right time (there is PLENTY of time to do the left hand star in 8 beats!)
The partner balance and swing ends with the sets staggered a bit so the half promenade goes straight across the set ("through the gap"). the dancers should be reminded at this point, however, that they are still dancing with the same couple.
The Eggbeater was written Jan 25, 2002 before the Dancing CAT dance in Kittery, Maine. I had used the eggbeater figure before in my dances "L'Atterrissage" and "Bow Woman's Big Move", but this dance was designed to "highlight" the figure. The dance DOES require a little extra room along the set, so dancers should be DISCOURAGED from tightly packing the lines!