Feel like escaping Underland into the moonlit night of a Narnian wood? Here’s our take on the great Snow Dance from The Silver Chair.
You will need three or more players and twenty or more “snowballs” made of wadded-up tissue paper or paper towels. Divide into groups of Dancers and Throwers, with the Throwers forming a ring around the Dancers.
First, choose an upbeat Christmas tune. We’ll use “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
The Dancers
The Dancers form a circle and hold hands. Turn on the music and have the dancers step inward, closing the circle, then outward, opening the circle, in a regular rhythm. At the same time, the circle should be turning. For example:
On the first (Starting with an open circle, step in, closing the circle on the word “first”)
Day of Christmas (Reopen the circle, but rotate the circle 90 degrees clockwise.)
My true love (Close the circle)
Gave to me (Open the circle, rotating 90 degrees again. Each dancer should now be facing the spot they originally stood.)
A partridge in a pear tree (Raise and release hands. Each dancer turns in place, hands aloft and palms facing out, and rejoins hands for the next verse.)
Of course this particular tune changes the longer it gets. As you add gifts, do the following ():
Three french hens (Raise and release hands, turning as before, and rejoin hands for remaining gifts)
Two turtle doves (Close the circle by stepping in.)
And a partridge in a pear tree (Enlarge the circle by stepping out.)
Whether you are closing or opening the circle on a certain verse will depend on whether you are on an even or odd number of gifts. Just make sure you return to an open circle before “a partridge in a pear tree” even if you have to step out quickly, or you’re liable to whack another dancer in the nose when you spin.
Oops, don’t forget the five golden rings (Everyone in the circle releases hands and, starting at their waist, brings their hands up to clap lightly together before moving them apart like a fountain and rejoining hands with the other dancers.)
Confused yet? You can also invent your own steps to any tune you like.
The Throwers
So what are the Throwers doing during all this? If you have at least four people, the Throwers should stand outside the circle and attempt to find openings in the dance that will allow them to throw snowballs to their fellow Thrower opposite them without hitting a dancer. If the Throwers are taller than the dancers, they may need to kneel to make the game fair. The point is to throw your snowballs between the Dancers, not over them. The game continues as long as the Throwers have snowballs to throw that have not hit the dancers. Once a snowball hits a dancer it is out of play. When all snowballs have fallen the Throwers should trade spots with two Dancers and let them have turns being Throwers. This version of the game involves no scoring.
Variation for Three Players
If you only have three people, two people should be Dancers while the third attempts to throw as many snowballs as he can into the two-person circle without hitting anyone. Each successful throw is worth one point. When his snowballs are expended, one of the Dancers gets a turn. The Thrower to throw the most snowballs into the circle without hitting anyone is the winner.
