Dance Name | Author | Variants/comments | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | The Minor Spaniard | Jenny Beer | |
2 | Mistwold | David Newitt | |
3 | All Who Wander | Brooke Friendly & Chris Sackett | Circle mixer |
4 | Dover Pier | Preston 1791 | |
5 | Jack's Maggot | Playford 1702 | |
6 | Audrey and Andrea | Gary Roodman | called by Barbara Chenault 3-couple set |
7 | Braye's Maggot | Braye 1699 | Dance of the month |
8 | Little Sir Isaac | Sharon Green | |
9 | Glendeven | Alisa Dodson | |
Break | |||
10 | Cockle Shells | Playford 1701 | called by Barbara Chenault |
11 | King's Maggot | Young 1718 | 3 couple set called by Barbara Chenault |
12 | Crossing the Tweed | Philippe Callens | |
13 | Well Done Jack | Kynaston 1718 | |
14 | Spring in Sepastapol | Philippe Callens |
A San Diego Ball cram session, the week before the ball. Everything except slots 4, 5, and 10 were ball dances.
Some evenings are more memorable than others.
The first clue was a lone, confused couple in the middle of the "Spring in Sebastapol". I sent them to the bottom, and noticed another couple just sitting down. She was helping him, and he didn't look good. He'd had a heart attack a yearish ago, and I'd talked to him earlier in the second half about which dances were slower.
By the time I reached the top of the room to alert his wife, I'd glanced back to see him slumping sideways off her chair. I verbally pulled her out of the dance, then killed the recorded music.
I'd like to think than I helped alert other people over the microphone to help. I do remember announcing someone to call 911. Thankfully we had several nurses present including a former head nurse, and the swim and tennis club had a CPR kit. The EMT was there within ten minutes, and then I faded back, unable to leave. I never formally ended the dance. Eventually one board member did.
Other memories are more sporadic -- driving her car to the hospital, seeing him hooked up as they cooled his blood, the funeral after a second coronary event two weeks later.
It's one of thsoe questions that will never be resolved. Did my overly rapid dance program kill someone? I think I've come to terms with this, but still it's something you never forget.
May something like this never happen on your watch. Unfourunately, if you call long enough, it probably will.
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