Sixteen Tons  Dance by Yoav Ashriel, 1973
                      Music by `Tennessee' Ernie Ford

                        Notes by Phillip M. Feldman
                  26 June, 1988   Corrected 14 Dec, 2014


This is a moderate-tempo three-part jazz dance.  I've rated the difficulty
level as 4 on a scale of 1-5 because of the tricky, syncopated rhythm. The
music is an American pop song of the 50's that has been edited to remove
irregularities of structure and tempo.

The format is disco format-dancers are spread out across the dance floor and
face in the same direction. (Hands are not held). On the first repetition of
the dance, dancers start facing in a direction that I will call North.  (The
direction changes by 180 degrees with each repetition of the dance, so
dancers begin the second repetition facing South).

A video of the dance can be downloaded from the following URL:
   http://phillipmfeldman.org/dance/Videos/Sixteen%20Tons.flv
VLC Media Player permits one to play the video at full speed or in slow
motion.

       Phrase A:

  1-4: Travel to left with 4 counts of Mayim-right: Cross R in front of L,
       step to the left with L, cross R behind L, and step to left with L.
  5-7: Repeat 1-3.
    8: Shift weight very briefly to L and then fall to the right on R.
       Both of these movements occur during the first half of the beat.
 9-10: (Traveling to right) cross L behind R and step to right with R.
11-12: (Quick steps) cross L behind R, step to right with R, cross L
       in front of R, and pause for 1/2 count.
13-14: Touch-step in front with R, step forward with L, and pause for 1/2
       count.
15-16: Two steps in place with R-L, swaying slightly to right and left.

       Phrase B: During these 8 counts, each dancer travels 180 degrees
       clockwise around an individual small circle.

  1-2: Step forward with R, partly shift weight back to L, and rock forward
       onto R.  (Changes of weight occur on beats 1, 1.5, and 2; 2.5 is a
       pause).
    3: Step forward with L.
  4-6: Repeat 1-3.
  7-8: Repeat 1-2.

       Phrase C: Dancers are now facing South.

  1-6: Cross L behind R, rock forward onto R, step to left with L,
       cross R behind L, rock forward onto L, step to right with R.
       [Readers with a background in folk dance can think of this as a
       backwards double Chircassia.]
  7-8: Cross L behind R and pause for 1 count.

       Phrases A-C are done twice through before continuing to the
       Interlude (see below).  On the first repetition of A-C, the
       following variation on Phase C provides a nice transition back to
       Phrase A: In counts 7-8, cross L behind R, fall in place onto R
       and then onto L, and pause for 1/2 count.

       Interlude:

  1-4: (Up on toes) step to right with R and close L to R.
  5-8: Continue to right with slow right-together-right-pause (R-L-R).
 9-16: Mirror image of 1-8 (step to left with L and close R to L ...)