Catch a Falling Star

by Melanie Axel-Lute

Easy dances are hard. They're hard to find. They're harder to compose. There's so many constraints -- writing them is akin to having three hands tied behind your back while picking over ground that's been trampled by herds of ill-tempered elephants for the past four decades.

Now try writing a good easy dance. How about one that's distinctive? Stuff like this appears only once in a purple moon. That's why I want to give a standing ovation when I find something like "Catch a Falling Star," with its special star-to-star transition. It's a favorite dance of mine for the crucial last dance of the evening slot, when I need to end on a high, simple note.

A few technical notes: When teaching, I can focus so much on the trade/turn single part that I accidentally skip the balance. Also, it doesn't matter how far around the stars go, as long as each goes an equal amount.

Instructions for this dance can be found here.
A video of this dance can be found here.
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