SILVER SERVICE

BECKENHAM BOUNCE 

for beckenham folk dance club

longways duple improper

48 bar reel (CEILIDHOGRAPHY: recovery; galopede)

progression: standard longways duple

[]  swing neighbour & face across; lines forward & back

[]  ladies chain across (halfway); left-hand star

[]  see-saw partner to ocean wave; balance, left-hand turn 1/2

[]  push-hey (start men passing right shoulder - ladies push back on first meeting then men push back when they meet)

[]  balance & swing partner on side line

[]  circle left 3/4; balance the ring & california twirl to face new couple

 

COMPASS AKIMBO 

three compasses pub in west hanningfield dates from 1425 (saxon tribal leader HANN cleared forest, thus 'field of hann'

couples scattered about the floor

32 bar jig - shout at start of every turn for directions! (KIRKPATRICK: sweet & lovely)

progression: none

[]  gallop to compass point designated randomly by caller (HANN calls warriors to do battle); all scatter (to anywhere on floor) with wild whoops (celebrating victory)

[]  do-si-do; gypsy

[]  claps & stamps thus:

clap right-right-left-left

(with arms akimbo) stamp left & tap right foot, stamp right & tap left foot;

and then stamps & claps (as before but stamps before claps)

[]  swing

 

FIVE HAND MEDLEY 

variation on 'five hand rant'

5 dancers in cross formation (like pips on a die or playing card)

32 bar medley (VARIOUS)

progression: random

https://youtu.be/tH8YergOcjQ

[]  middle dancer waits WHILE others circle left & right

[]  middle dancer & sides hey across (start right shoulder)

[]  middle dancer & heads hey along (start left shoulder)

[]  all step AND middle dancer changes place with any one of the other four

 

FRITTON FRENZY 

for freda mcintyre's dance

double longways becket (i.e. hands eight)

32 bar jig (WOODLANDERS: jumper jig; plain and purl)

progression: standard with couples switching across

[]  ladies chain across (halfway); lines go forward & back

[]  modified grand square

[]  left-hand turn = ends with partner & middles with neighbour; grand chain halfway (begin with neighbours at ends

[]  shifting along to new hands eight, lines go forward & back; ladies chain across (halfway)

MODIFIED GRAND SQUARE: follow general pattern as in a square set except 'Heads' (improper) begin by moving in to meet and 'Sides' (improper & not with partner) fall back towards ends

 

GRAND MOMENTS 

longways becket

32 bar american reel (HOLD THE MUSTARD: mississippi sawyer; pretty little dog)

progression: counter-clockwise (double)

[]  right-hand star; left-hand turn shadow

[]  do-si-do partner; face-en-face shadow passing left shoulder to start

[]  ladies chain across & back

[]  on right diagonal, right-and-left (two changes); promenade across to progressed places

SHADOW: person next to you (the other side than your partner) along the line - or across from you if you are at the end of a line

FACE-EN-FACE: can be described as a backwards do-si-do

 

GREAT SCOTT

for Bob Scott's 90th birthday

square set

48 bar polka (WHAPWEASEL: captain crunch)

progression: ladies counter-clockwise (to CORNER man)

https://youtu.be/X_wzC1De8kE

[]  Circle left & right

[]  Heads move to right Side couple, circle left halfway & pass through; Heads circle left WHILE Sides balance & star through

[]  tag the line (across), face partner & pass through; repeat

[]  Heads pass through, circle left with Side couple & pass through; Heads circle left & fall back to place WHILE Sides balance & pass partner (right shoulder)

[]  Left-hand turn Corner; Grand Chain three placew (progression to original Corner)

[]  Promenade to Man's home place; swing

<sequence> Heads lead twice, then Sides lead twice

 

MARILENA

variation on 'dhoon' by Jessie Hamilton

longways 4 couples

32 bar jig (OCCASIONALS: roll back the carpet; assynt crofters; west end)

progression: from 1234 to 2341

[]  lines slide right, then left; do-di-do partner

[]  lines slide left, then right; see-saw partner

[]  top couple cut one, cut two

[]  top couple lead to bottom; all swing

CUT ONE: lead down one place & cast up (around 2s)

CUT TWO: lead down two places & cast up (around & past 3s & 2s)

 

PINE TREE WALTZ 

for Margaret Browning

longways 4 couples

32 bar waltz (ALBERIO: alfaz del pi)

progression: from 1234 to 3142

[]  in fours, chain progression

[]  chase clockwise halfway; gypsy partner 1-and-1/2

[]  in fours, right-hand star; balance the star & petronella (in same fours)

[]  in same fours, left-hand star 3/4; ends step-set WHILE middles shuttle to change places

CHAIN PROGRESSION (described for 1st & 2nd couples; 3rd & 4th couples do same): Right-hand turn partner 3/4, 1st man & 2nd lady left-hand turn 1-and-1/2 WHILE their partners orbit (clockwise) halfway to meet partner for right-hand turn 3/4 (couples have changed places - order of set now 2134)

STEP-SET (end couples, i.e. original 3s & 2s): facing partner, step right foot to side, cross left foot in front, rock back on to right foot then left foot to side, cross right foot in front, rock back on the left foot (and then turn single)

SHUTTLE (original 4s & 1s in middle places): stay facing as they are in left-hand star. 4th couple with lady leading dance out towards ladies wall, turn individually and (man leading) dance to 3rd place. At same time, 1st couple with man leading dance out towards men's wall, turn individually and (lady leading) dance to 2nd place.  Order of set now 3142

 

SPREZZATURA 

longways 3 couples

48 bar waltz (CANTIGA: miss judge's jig)

​https://youtu.be/OQm1g8ckN1s

progression: from 123 to 231

[]  couples 1 & 2 dance chain progression (active couple now in 2nd place)

[]  active couple hey across (1st man 2ith 2s & 1st lady with 3s)

[]  active couple & 3rd couple dance chain progression

[]  top couple (original 2s) cross giving right hands & cast one place staying outside to form three-handed stars (left-hand on men's file, right-hand on ladies' file) for balance & rotate half-way, then original 2s cross up and others follow to end 231

[]  cast to invert the set; turn single away & cross with partner

[]  circle left halfway; two-hand turn

CHAIN PROGRESSION: couples turn own partner 3/4 to line of 4, the ones in the middle do left-hand turn 1&1/2 WHILE their partners orbit clockwise half-way; right-hand turn partner 3/4 to progressed places.

 

ST MICHAEL WALTZ 

for st michael's church, daws heath

square set

32 bar waltz (ALBERIO: alfaz del pi)

progression: men home; ladies one place clockwise

[]  grand chain

[]  Heads meet & two-hand turn opposite, fall back; Sides the same

[]  four ladies star chain (and back)

[]  all in to centre, fall back with ladies rollaway (progression); swing new partner

 

TITAN 

for Bob Scott

longways duple improper

36 bar medley (ALAN CARTWRIGHT: themes from mahler)

progression: standard duple

[12]  with contrary, right-hand balance forward & back then box the gnat; same do-si-do; left-hand star

[12]  with partner, left-hand balance forward & back then swat the flea; see-saw; right-hand star

[12]  in circle of four, balance & petronella; repeat; step left & honour contrary & pass through

 

WHEELIES 

square set for threesomes (one man with two ladies)

48 bar jig (CRAIGIEVAR: aird of coigach)

progression: men counter-clockwise; ladies switch

[]  all in to centre & back twice

[]  in threes, hey (end with man outside & ladies turn to face out)

[]  in threes, star left & right

[]  wheelie-chain

[]  ...continue

[]  in threes, right-hand star; men move counter-clockwise to next pair of ladies WHILE ladies do-si-do

WHEELIE-CHAIN: dance track of full GRAND CHAIN but with three-handed stars.  Man led by left-hand partner moves counter-clockwise WHILE his right-hand partner moves clockwise