The Girl I Left Behind Me #1

Ralph Page writes:

Adirondack version
Duke MillerContributed by “Duke” Miller, Gloversville, N.Y.

Introduction

Allow music to run 4 bars	4
Bow to your partners one and all	2
And to your corner la-a-a-ady.	2

The Break

Allemande left the left hand girl Touch right hands with your partner Allemande left that right hand girl	8
Come back and promenade your own (promenade takes 8 more bars)	8

The Figure

First old couple lead to the right	2
And balance there so kindly	2
Walk right through and balance again	2
And swing the one behind you	2
Long swing 8
Take that new girl to the next
And balance etc. etc.	8
Long swing	8

Note — at this point each man should be home with a new girl.
Now insert the complete break including the promenade.
Second couple now does the figure and the break
and as the promenade starts, immediately call:

Spin her back and walk the next She walks with the man behind her Spin her back and walk the next She walks with the man behind her	16
Spin her back and walk the next	or
She walks with the man behind her	24
Spin her back you have your own	if not
So promenade that lady home	home in position

Third couple same as the first,
Fourth couple same as the second.

Although description is long, the dance is fast, taking about six minutes to do the whole dance.

The call “spin her back” etc. should be done from New England promenade position as follows:

Raise left hands high, as left feet hit the floor the man exerts a sharp pull with his right hand on girl's waist. This causes the girl to spin once in place. At the same time the man keeps moving ahead and the next girl ahead of him should drop onto his right arm in promenade position.

“Walk through and balance again” - girls go thru on inside, and this balance is back to back with that couple. Thus, when they balance, the first man and second lady are back to back; likewise first lady and second gent are back to back.

Ralph seems to suggest that the figure consists of two iterations of the same sub figure. But then he says at this point each man should be home with a new girl however that is not the case. If you alter the figure a bit it could be the case after the third time through, or, with a different alteration after the fourth.

Doing only three iterations means that the 4th lady doesn't get to do the balancing with anyone (but then, Lady1 doesn't get to swing). But they get their turn when the 2nd man leads

Another problem is that the second balance of the third iteration will be to the empty space where the 1st couple usually lives. You could go all the way across the set to balance to the 2nd couple, but that's awkward too.

Note: When Ralph Page said "balance" in 1949 he probably didn't mean what modern Contra Dancers think "balance and swing" means. In the March, 1955 edition of Northern Junket, Ralph Piper gives 50 variations of the balance (setting) step.

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