Star in the West
For David Green, always
| Choreography: | © Sharon Green, 2012 |
| Tune: | Star of David, Ruth Anne Fraley ©1997 |
| Recording: | Jon Berger, Jonathan Jensen, Shira Kammen & Rebecca King,
Dances from the Greenery |
| Formation: | 3-couple Longways Set, Twos Active |
| A | 1 | Twos give R-hand to Neighbor on the R |
| | 2 | Twos give L-hand to Neighbor on the L |
| | 3-4 | All set R & L in line |
| | 5-8 | Partners R-shoulder Back-to-Back ¾ (until they are |
| | | L-shoulder to L-shoulder), turn single R into |
| | 9-12 | Single file circle L ½ way into lines |
| | 13-14 | End couples, set R & L while |
| | | Twos, Hole-in-the-Wall cross to become proper |
| | 15-16 | All turn single R to end in circular formation |
| | | |
| B | 1-4 | Virtual R-hand Star for 6* once round and ease out |
| | 5-6 | All balance forward & back |
| | 7-8 | All turn single L into |
| | 9-12 | Virtual L-hand Star for 6** once round, ending in lines |
| | 13-16 | Threes 2-hand turn ½ way, fall back proper at top while |
| | | Twos cast down to bottom, cloverleaf turn single down while, |
| | | Ones lead up to middle, 2-hand turn ½ way |
* Virtual R-hand star for 6: The middle couple (Twos) takes right hand with partner. All six face clockwise and dance forward. For the Twos, this is a hand turn; for the Ones and Threes, it is a single-file circle.
** Virtual L-hand star for 6: Twos take left hands. All face counter-clockwise.
Note: At Mendocino English Week in 1997, David and I were the high bidders who won the opportunity to have a new waltz tune created for them by Ruth Anne Fraley: we asked for it to be named Star of David. During that week Ruth Anne frequently consulted with David, asking his musical preferences. We greatly loved the tune that was the result.
Later that year Colin Hume, who was staying with us, discovered Ruth Anne's tune on our piano. He created the lovely, intricate dance Star of David, which can be found in his Dances with a Difference, vol. 5. It is an advanced dance, and quite rewarding. But over the years I grew to wish for a less complex, more accessible dance set to Star of David, so that more of our friends could have the pleasure of dancing to Ruth Anne's lovely tune. And so I wrote Star in the West.