La Bastringue - variations?
Alan Winston - SSRL Admin Cmptg Mgr
I'm coming up on an occasion where it might be handy to call a dance to
"La Bastringue." (A Cajun feeling would be appropriate for this party.)
I'm acquainted with a circle mixer to the tune, which is something like -
circle left, circle right, promenade, women turn back, balance and swing
new partner. I have a vague memory of once encountering a version that
involved lines of four people traveling randomly around the floor.
Anybody out there remember that version? Any other interesting variant?
Thanks,
-- Alan
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WIN...@SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
Physical mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 69, PO BOX 4349, STANFORD, CA 94309-0210
===============================================================================
Ric Goldman
I don't know of this is what you're looking for, but here's what I've
experienced:
Variation 1 - The typical way I've taught this is (start with circle all
facing in):
All go in (4 counts)
All go out (4 counts)
Repeat all that (8 counts)
Circle to the left, usually with a quick-quick-slow type step, or an
Appalachian clog step (16 counts)
Circle to the right, same type step (16 counts)
Man turns woman on his LEFT clockwise under his arm into a swing (16 counts)
Couple promenades to the right (counter clockwise around the circle), and
end facing in with woman on right (16 counts).
Variation 2:
The dance is basically the same, but instead of a large circle, it's done in
mini-circles of 4 couples (almost forming a square). The other change is
that there's no promenade. Instead the swing ends with the women inside and
men outside. All turn right and the 2 "circles" pass each other (women
clockwise, men anticlockwise) and the woman fall into the circle at the end.
It may or may not be progressive, and is sometimes done with larger circles.
Variation 3:
Same as variation 2, except that instead of two circles at the end, a grand
right-and-left is done.
Variation 4 - Sicilian circle of two couples facing two couples:
All go forward and back, twice (16 counts)
Group forms up into a set of 8 and circles left, then back right (16 counts)
Man takes woman's right hand in his right, turns her backward (clockwise)
and into a swing (16 counts)
New set up 4 progresses around the floor to find a new opposite - the
simplest form using right-and-left thru's as a group; others become a
free-for-all finally forming up the circle again (16 counts).
Hope this helps.
Ric Goldman
P.S. If you have a crowd that's game, teaching the French lyrics to the
song (especially the revised racier ones) can also be quite a lot of fun as
well.
P.P.S. Good luck on the gig.
""Alan Winston - SSRL Admin Cmptg Mgr"" <win...@SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>
wrote in message news:009EC8B4...@SSRL04.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU...
Bruce Henderson
win...@SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU ("Alan Winston - SSRL Admin Cmptg Mgr") writes:
>I'm coming up on an occasion where it might be handy to call a dance to
>"La Bastringue." (A Cajun feeling would be appropriate for this party.)
>I'm acquainted with a circle mixer to the tune, which is something like -
>circle left, circle right, promenade, women turn back, balance and swing
>new partner. I have a vague memory of once encountering a version that
>involved lines of four people traveling randomly around the floor.
>Anybody out there remember that version? Any other interesting variant?
>Thanks, -- Alan
Hi, Alan. I'm sure that a caller will provide the calls for the "usual
version". This version has grown up to be thought of as "the dance" in the US,
but originally, many French Canadian dance sets (usually squares) ended with a
mixer figure called "La Bistringue" - often the actual steps and calls were
different for the different dance sets and sometimes, a "standard" mixer figure
was called. The "dance" that you're thinking about was originally set as a
circle mixer (maybe in the 50's or 60's) by taking some traditional steps and
adapted. The old F-C tune called "Voulez vous Dance, Mam'selle" was chosen as
the tune for this dance and it remains the most played to this day.
(Lemme know if you want the ABC for the tune.)
Hope this helps, Bruce Henderson, Alexandria VA & Solihull W Mids
David Millstone
<timel...@spyrnet.com> wrote:
> Variation 1 - The typical way I've taught this is (start with circle all
facing in):
>
> All go in (4 counts)
> All go out (4 counts)
[snip other interesting variations]
I use Ric's Variation 1 a lot as an early dance in a program with eager
and noisy crowds of beginners. It's fun to whoop on count four going in
(sometimes with a kick), and kids enjoy learning the difference between
generalized shouting and a controlled one-count yell. Great dance to burn
off some excess energy!
Ric, where can we find some of the racier lyrics? ;-)
David Millstone
Nancy Martin
Bruce Henderson <mrgtw...@aol.comnojunk> wrote in message
news:20000705073737...@nso-ce.aol.com...
> In article <009EC8B4...@SSRL04.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>,
> Hi, Alan. I'm sure that a caller will provide the calls for the "usual
> version". This version has grown up to be thought of as "the dance" in
the US,
> but originally, many French Canadian dance sets (usually squares) ended
with a
> mixer figure called "La Bistringue" - often the actual steps and calls
were
> different for the different dance sets and sometimes, a "standard" mixer
figure
> was called. The "dance" that you're thinking about was originally set as
a
> circle mixer (maybe in the 50's or 60's) by taking some traditional steps
and
> adapted. The old F-C tune called "Voulez vous Dance, Mam'selle" was
chosen as
> the tune for this dance and it remains the most played to this day.
> (Lemme know if you want the ABC for the tune.)
> Hope this helps, Bruce Henderson, Alexandria VA & Solihull W Mids
Bruce, this is interesting as all hell! That explains why La Bistringue
doesn't seem to show up in folk dance books until the early sixties. I
wonder if the custom of ending a dance set with a mixer figure is a hold
over from the same custom in the ballroom quadrille sets?
Bill Martin
Rltpb971
have always wondered. Thanks!
Robin
Bruce Henderson
<mar...@teleport.com> writes:
> The "dance" that you're thinking about was originally set as a
> circle mixer (maybe in the 50's or 60's) by taking some traditional steps
> and adapted. The old F-C tune called "Voulez vous Dance, Mam'selle"
> was chosen as the tune for this dance and it remains the most played
> to this day.
BTW, the Manchester Morris Men (in existence for almost 70 years in
England) have a vast archive of historical material from the area in and around
Manchester. There are a number of music notebooks preserved from the 1870
period (I think they may be notes made by the father of an early MMM musician,
but don't quote me on this). These notebooks seem to be records made by a
local folk/ barn dance musician - most of the tunes are recogniseable "folk
tunes" and reflect "aural/ folk tradition". In one of these notebooks, there
is a tune with the title "The Voolie Voo Dance" - the tune itself is very
similar to the "La Bastringue" tune but with some interesting differences in
detail. That one made me smile!
Bruce Henderson Alexandria VA & Solihull W Midlands
Bruce Henderson
>I wonder if the custom of ending a dance set with a mixer figure is a
> hold over from the same custom in the ballroom quadrille sets?
The information that I posted was given by Yvan Gagne (sorry about the lack
of the little French backwards apostrophe on the "e" there, but I'm pretty
backwards at French, anyway) at Ashokan Northern Week last year and the same
story was told by Pierre Chartrand at a Northern Week a couple of years ago, so
I think it's prolly accurate.
And, yes, I'm sure that the two customs are probably related, since most FC
dances are obviously continuing traditions from historic French forms, but are
also influenced by later customs and dance forms.
BTW, on the subject of Lancers, especially Pierre would also call at least
one traditional Lancers set, collected from Lancers currently called in a place
in French Canada. My memory is that there are a number of these existing
Lancers versions, each related to a specific locality and these Lancers sets
have five figures, the first one or two being very complex, prolly the third
being simple, the fourth again complex with very active figures (lots of
"couples right and left through across the set" etc.) and the last a mixer
figure. Dunno if this is similar to historical Lancers or to Lancers as
collected in Australia, etc. (but I suspect it is).
Bruce Henderson, Alexandria VA & Solihull, W Midlands
david
mrgtw...@aol.comnojunk (Bruce Henderson) wrote:
> In article <9Ty95.9760$TI1.9...@nntp2.onemain.com>, "Nancy Martin"
> <mar...@teleport.com> writes:
>
> > The "dance" that you're thinking about was originally set as a
> > circle mixer (maybe in the 50's or 60's) by taking some traditional steps
> > and adapted. The old F-C tune called "Voulez vous Dance, Mam'selle"
> > was chosen as the tune for this dance and it remains the most played
> > to this day.
> BTW, the Manchester Morris Men (in existence for almost 70 years in
> England) have a vast archive of historical material from the area in and around
> Manchester. There are a number of music notebooks preserved from the 1870
> period (I think they may be notes made by the father of an early MMM musician,
> but don't quote me on this). These notebooks seem to be records made by a
> local folk/ barn dance musician - most of the tunes are recogniseable "folk
> tunes" and reflect "aural/ folk tradition". In one of these notebooks, there
> is a tune with the title "The Voolie Voo Dance" - the tune itself is very
Racy songs come to mind! Curiouser and curiouser!
David
Ric Goldman
Ric Goldman
Sorry about the long delay. Somehow this fell into a newsgroup black hole.
Anyway, I here are some of the lyrics I have for the dance. If I find the
really ribald ones, I'll pass those on as well privately.
-----
Mademoiselle, voulez-vous danser
la bastringue, la bastringue?
Mademoiselle, voulez-vous danser?
La bastringue va commencer.
Oui Monsieur, je veux bien danser
La bastringue, la bastringue
Oui Monsieur, je veux bien danser
C'est pour vous accompagner.
Mademoiselle, il faut arrêter
la bastringue, la bastringue.
Mademoiselle, il faut arrêter
Vous allez vous fatiguer!
Non, Monsieur, j'aime trop danser
la bastringue, la bastringue.
Non, Monsieur, j'aime trop danser.
Je suis prête à r'commencer!
Mademoiselle, je n'peux plus danser
La bastringue, la bastringue
Mademoiselle, je n'peux plus danser
Je vous prie de m'excuser.
Mademoiselle, Nous devons terminer
La bastringue, la bastringue
Mademoiselle, Nous devons terminer
Mon épouse est arrivée
Non, monsieur, continuent à danser
La bastringue, la bastringue
Non, monsieur, continuent à danser
Elle est avec mon mari!
Mademoiselle, would you like to dance
the bastringue, the bastringue?
Mademoiselle, would you like to dance?
The bastringue is about to start.
Yes, Monsieur, I would like to dance
the bastringue, the bastringue.
Yes, Monsieur, I would like to dance
in order to be with you
Mademoiselle, we must stop
the bastringue, the bastringue.
Mademoiselle, we must stop.
You will tire yourself!
No, Monsieur, I like too much to dance
the bastringue, the bastringue.
No, Monsieur, I like too much to dance.
I'm ready to start again!
Mademoiselle, I can't dance any more
the bastringue, the bastringue.
Mademoiselle, I can't dance any more,
Please excuse me.
Mademoiselle, we must end
La bastringue, la bastringue
Mademoiselle, we must end
My wife has arrived
No, Monsieur continue the dance
La bastringue, la bastringue
No, Monsieur continue the dance
She is with my husband!
-----
Thanx, Ric Goldman
timel...@sprynet.com
http://connect.to/ric