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 ...)