The Fandango

Fandango, a 3-couple longways published in Thompson, 1774, is one of modern ECD’s favorite Ball dances. It was also the favorite dance of the late Al Blank, wife of Nancy DeVore and long-time member of the Country Dancers of Westchester. Listening to the tune played with such verve by the Flying Romanos, and watching the energy of the dancers and the dance’s superb choreography, one can appreciate why. Among other pleasing elements, the dance has texture, that is, a variety of stepping--the dance walk, of course, but also a slipping ring and opportunities for skipping or skip changing, which vary the energy level and the quality of movement throughout. Careful timing is essential for the success of the corner turns; notice that the final corner turn with far second corners is slow, leaving the actives improper in middle place and thus perfectly poised for their 1 1/2x two-hand turn, first with a walking and then a skipping step. How well the dancers negotiated this and other aspects of the cho