Petronella Spin-Offs

Here’s a list of many contra (and related) dances that have been influenced by the classic dance, Petronella. They are listed by author, alphabetized by first name (nothing formal here).

Petronella came to the contra dance world from Scottish country dancing, where its pedigree was already a distinguished one. Petronella is the very first dance in volume 1 of The Scottish Country Dance Book, published by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.

Between Petronella itself and its many “spin-offs” there are 173 dances listed below. My guess is that I have just scratched the surface, and that there are plenty more that have been created in recent years. If you know of a Petronella-influenced dance that I have neglected to include, please write to me and I will add it.

  1. Number 1 is the traditional dance itself - Petronella (no applause necessary…)
  2. Al Green – Tuesday Night in Headingley
  3. Al Olson – Diamond Dance
  4. Alan Sklar – Steal this Dance
  5. Alan Vlach – Emma’s Commencement
  6. Alex Funk – Down But Not Out
  7. Alex Funk – Let’s Git Dizzy
  8. Andrea Nettleton – Homeward Bound
  9. Barb Kirchner – Significant Companions
  10. Becky Hill – Balance to My Lou
  11. Becky Hill – Becket in the Kitchen
  12. Becky Hill – Kitchen Stomp
  13. Becky Hill – Petronella Jig
  14. Becky Hill – Petronella Square
  15. Bill Olson – Citronella Morning
  16. Bill Olson – Green Hazel Daze
  17. Bill Olson – Pam’s Dance
  18. Bob Isaacs – Adventures in C#
  19. Bob Isaacs – Al’s Petronella Produce
  20. Bob Isaacs – The Cure for the Claps
  21. Bob Isaacs – Flaherty Will Get You Everywhere
  22. Bob Isaacs – From Sea to Shining Sea
  23. Bob Isaacs – Happy Trails
  24. Bob Isaacs – Hopscotch Reel (written with Chris Page)
  25. Bob Isaacs – In the Swim
  26. Bob Isaacs – Mizpah
  27. Bob Isaacs – Petronella Corners
  28. Bob Isaacs – Petro-power
  29. Bob Isaacs – Pearls of Wisdom
  30. Bob Isaacs – Princeton Petronellas
  31. Bob Isaacs – Sting Like a Bee
  32. Bob Isaacs – Thank God It’s Monday
  33. Bob Isaacs – Vote With Your Feet
  34. Bronwyn Woods – The Missing Piece
  35. Cary Ravitz – Carried Away
  36. Cary Ravitz – Dar Trek Voyager
  37. Cary Ravitz – Dianne’s Dance
  38. Cary Ravitz – Dixie Diamond
  39. Cary Ravitz – Fiddle Tales
  40. Cary Ravitz – Looking for Love Again
  41. Cary Ravitz – Maliza’s Magical Mystery Motion
  42. Cary Ravitz – Megadance
  43. Cary Ravitz – The Millennium Hug
  44. Cary Ravitz – Pigtown Breakdown
  45. Cary Ravitz – Pigtown Petronella
  46. Cary Ravitz – Pigtown Swing
  47. Cary Ravitz – Presto Petronella
  48. Cary Ravitz – Roadkill
  49. Cary Ravitz – The Squeaking Reel
  50. Cary Ravitz – Star Trick
  51. Cary Ravitz – Susan’s Snafu
  52. Cary Ravitz – Where Will I Be?
  53. Cary Ravitz – Winter Wind
  54. Charlie Fenton – Retrograde Motion
  55. Chris Page – Hidebehind Reel
  56. Chris Page – Path to the Past
  57. Chris Page – Petronella Mixer
  58. Chris Page – Pinball Petronellas
  59. Chris Page – The Second Ring
  60. Chris Page – Three Ways Out
  61. Chris Ricciotti – Greenfield Petronella
  62. Chris Weiler – Happy Ending
  63. Chris Weiler – Vallimont’s Steamboat
  64. Chuck Roth – The Blue-Haired Girl
  65. Colin Hume – No Clapping
  66. Dale Rempert – Feet in Flight
  67. Dave Colestock – Petronella’s Pin
  68. David Kaynor – Master of the Dance
  69. David Kirchner – Black Knights and White Castles
  70. David Smukler – Frog in the Well
  71. David Smukler – Green Mountain Petronella
  72. David Smukler – Insurmountable Opportunities
  73. David Smukler – Never Ending Love
  74. David Smukler – Spring Forward
  75. Dean Snipes – Tica Tica Timing
  76. Don Flaherty – Heartbeat Contra
  77. Erik Hoffman – Midnight at Monte Toyon
  78. Erik Weberg – Lanny’s Back
  79. Erik Weberg – Wasatch Wiggle
  80. Erik Weberg – Whatchagonnado?
  81. Erik Weberg – Whoa, Nellie!
  82. Gene Hubert – Angular Momentum
  83. Gene Hubert – Flip Flop Frenzy
  84. Gene Hubert – Petronella Swing
  85. Gordy Euler – Marshall the Dancers
  86. Grant Goodyear – Sarah Said Yes!
  87. Heidi Stridde – Simple Gifts
  88. Heiner Fischle – Easynella
  89. Jim Kitch – Discombobulation
  90. Jim Kitch – Fall Back
  91. Jim Kitch – I Wish They All Could Be California Twirls
  92. Jeffrey Spero – Swans Bite, Children Drown
  93. Jerome Grisanti – Rory O’Nella
  94. Jerome Grisanti – Kimmswick Diamonds
  95. Jo Mortland – Benjo
  96. John Gallagher – Saint George Loses His Halo (or Bye, Bye Halo)
  97. Jonathan Sivier – Brainstorm
  98. Katy Heine – Petronella 2001
  99. Keith Hunt – Mix’nella
  100. Linda Leslie – Midwinter Night’s Dream
  101. Linda Leslie – Old Time Elixir Number 2
  102. Linda Leslie – Tenth Year in Tommerup
  103. Linda Mrosko – Nella Wafer
  104. Linda Mrosko – Spindletop
  105. Lisa Greenleaf – Circle of Slugs
  106. Mark Goodwin – After Math
  107. Mark Goodwin – Grace Be Well
  108. Mark Goodwin – Jaybird
  109. Mark Goodwin – Mood Ring
  110. Mark Richardson – Sam’n'Abby’s (square)
  111. Mark Widmer – Newlyweds’ Jig
  112. Marianne Taylor – Eric’s Beckett
  113. Martha Wild – When Hester and Peter Met
  114. Marty Fager – Petrozilla
  115. Melanie Axel-Lute – Pam’s Four
  116. Melanie Axel-Lute – Venetian Blinds
  117. Melanie Axel-Lute – Windy Morning
  118. Merilee Karr – Country Doctor’s Reel
  119. Micah Smukler – Goody Two Shoes
  120. Michael Barraclough – The Love Shack
  121. Michael Barraclough – Rhonda’s on the Razzle
  122. Michael Barraclough – Rhonda’s Riches
  123. Michelle Perry – Under the Stars at Greenwood #2
  124. Mike Boerschig – Fisher’s Corn Cob Pipe
  125. Mike Boerschig – That Old Time Elixir
  126. Mike Richardson – Will Ye No Come Back
  127. Nils Fredland – Spring Break
  128. Orace Johnson – Cozy Nella
  129. Paul Rosen – Swingonella
  130. Peter Foster – 10:45 to Bungendore
  131. Peter Foster – Dixie Supertwirl
  132. Peter Foster – Rings and Twirls
  133. Peter Foster – The Well Oiled Machine
  134. Peter Foster – Woomera
  135. Reine Wonite – Turn a New Leaf
  136. Reuven AnafShalom – Petronellas for Susan
  137. Rich Goss – Another Cure (for the Claps)
  138. Rich Goss – Dance for Hank
  139. Rich Goss – Hand to My Left
  140. Rick Mohr – Ellen’s Yarns
  141. Rick Mohr – Goody One Shoe
  142. Rick Mohr – Retronella
  143. Robert Cromartie – The Gypsy Bride
  144. Scott Higgs – Henry and Jacqui
  145. Seth Tepfer – Carole and Bill Get a Toaster
  146. Seth Tepfer – ContraQuad
  147. Seth Tepfer – Florida Rhapsody
  148. Seth Tepfer – Granny Smith Apple
  149. Seth Tepfer - Kelsey Hartman’s Footloose and Fancy Free
  150. Seth Tepfer – Love Thy Neighbor
  151. Seth Tepfer – Lydia’s Questions
  152. Seth Tepfer – Snowball Shimmy
  153. Steve Zakon-Anderson – Salmon Chanted Petronella (a.k.a. Salmonella Evening)
  154. Sue Rosen – Joel’s in the Kitchen
  155. Susan Kevra – Jump Back Barley
  156. Ted Crane – Petroleedle
  157. Ted Hodapp – Rick and Sarah’s Reel
  158. Ted Sannella – Fiddleheads
  159. Ted Sannella – Satisfaction
  160. Thankful Cromartie – Generation Gap
  161. Tom Calwell – Overbalanced
  162. Tom Calwell – Which Side is Up?
  163. Tom Hinds – Revolution Reel
  164. Tom Lehmann – Caught from Behind
  165. Tom Lehmann – Imitation is Sincere
  166. Tom Lehmann – Petronella Stomp
  167. Tom Lehmann – Practice Petronella
  168. Tom Lehmann – Rings and Things
  169. Tom Lehmann – Stampede
  170. Tom Thoreau – Barbarella
  171. Tori Barone – Deja Vu All Over Again
  172. Wendy Graham – Paper Plate #8: Ring of Fire
  173. Yonina Gordon & Joseph Pimentel – Another Art and Nancy’s Fancy