Monday, January 24, 2011

Dances for January 24, 2011

This week we will be focusing on dances from the Welcome Dance

Those attending the Ardbrae Ball will be encouraged to join the intermediate class as they will be reviewing the easier dances on the ball. The cribs for the ball are available here

We hope those not going to the ball can still come out to the Welcome Dance.

Here are two we plan to cover. We will likely get to others as well.


CABBAGES AND KINGS
Scottish Country Dances from THE HARBOUR CITY

A 32 bar jig for 3 couples in a 4-couple longwise set.


1 – 8        1st and 2nd couples dance right and left.

9 – 16    1st couple lead down the middle for three steps, lead back up forthree steps and cast off one place on own side.2nd couple move up on bars 15 and 16.

17 – 20    1st couple turn 1st corners once round with right hands.1st couple return to own side in second place.

21 – 24    1st couple turn 2nd corners once round with left hands.1st couple return to own side in second place.

25 – 28    1st man with 3rd couple and 1st woman with 2nd couple dance right hands across.

29 – 32    1st man with 2nd couple and 1st woman with 3rd couple dance left hands across.


        Repeat having passed a couple.

“Cabbages and Kings” was devised by Romaine Butterfield.



Book 1 – No. 6
Flowers of Edinburgh
32-bar reel for three couples in a four-couple longwise set

Bars                        Description

1 – 6        1st woman casts off two places, crosses to the opposite side and dances up behind 2nd and 3rd men to her partner’s original place. 1st man follows his partner, crossing over and dancing behind 2nd and 3rd women, and up the middle to his partner’s original place.

7 – 8        1st couple set to each other.

9 – 14        1st couple repeat bars 1-6, with 1st man casting off and 1st woman following. 1st couple finish in original places.

15 – 16    1st couple set to each other.

17 – 24    1st couple lead down the middle and up to finish facing each other in the middle of the set with both hands joined. 2nd couple step in.

25 – 32    1st and 2nd couples dance a poussette.

        Repeat, having passed a couple.



Kate Hughes’ Dancing Book (MS), Dundalk 1867.

Original tune:  Flowers of Edinburgh (Traditional)

Monday, January 17, 2011

Dances for January 17, 2011

This week we will continue to focus on dances from the Ardbrae Ball. The list of dances looks ambitious but we will not be repeating the dances taught in the first half after the break.


COLLICHUR
Book 30   No. 1
(Jig)

MUSIC                      DESCRIPTION
Bars
1 – 8        1st couple set and cast off one place then dance down between 3rd couple             and cast up to 2nd place. 2nd couple step up on bars 3-4.

9 – 16        2nd and 1st couples right and left.

17 – 24    1st man dances a reel of three with 3rd couple while 1st woman dances a reel of three with 2nd couple.  (Fig.)

25 – 32    1st couple dance between 2nd and 3rd women, man casts up and woman casts down; they meet in the middle, dance between 2nd and 3rd men and cast as before to finish in 2nd place on own sides of the dance.

Repeat having passed a couple.

Source: Alexander Bowman, MS
Laing Collection

Tune:   Lochleven Side
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TACNotes:’
31-33    1st cpl finish repetition as for their first turn but in 3rd place, then step down.







THE DUNDEE WHALER
The Ormskirk Scottish Dances by Roy Clowes
Strathspey.   Four Couple Longways Set

Music                        Description
Bars
1 – 8        Second and fourth couples dance petronella, finishing in partner’s place.

9 – 16        First and second couples; third and fourth couples dance ladies’ chain.

17 – 24    First and third couples dance petronella, finishing in partner’s place.

25 – 26    First lady changes place with second man, giving left hands.

27 – 28    First lady changes place with third lady and first man changes place with second lady, giving right hands.

29 – 30    First lady changes place with fourth man, and first man changes place with third man, giving left hands.

31 – 32    First man changes places with fourth lady, giving right hands.

        Repeat from new places.

Tune:         Timor the Tartar  (Kerr’s Collection)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pasted into the Memorial Edition of The Ormskirk Scottish Dances, is the following note by Bob Donald who was responsible for collating, printing and distributing the book after Roy Clowes’ death and who had detailed knowledge of the devisor’s intentions :

"1.  The Dundee Whaler
 Bars 17-24:  The question posed here is whether in this sequence of changes across the dance, the
            dancers would slip into place or turn with a polite turn.  The answer is quite unequivocal,
           the dancers SLIP into place.

            The reason is that in this figure, Roy is representing the tacking to and from of the ship and
           therefore the line followed by the leading dancers to the foot of the set has sharp changes of
           direction just as the ship would have."




The Reel of the 51st Division
Book 13 – No. 10
32-bar reel for three couples in a four-couple longwise set


Bars                        Description

1 – 8        1st couple set to each other and cast off two places, meet below 3rd couple and lead up the middle to face first corners. 2nd couple step up on bars 3-4.

9 – 12        1st couple set to and turn first corners with the right hand, finishing in a diagonal line by joining left hands with partner.

13 – 14    1st couple and first corners balance in line.

15 – 16    1st couple, releasing right hands with corners, turn each other one and a quarter times to face second corners.

17 – 22    1st couple repeat bars 9-14 with second corners.

23 – 24    1st couple cross to second place on own sides.

25 – 32    2nd, 1st and 3rd couples dance six hands round and back.

        Repeat, having passed a couple.

Devised by Jimmy Atkinson, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and Peter Oliver, Seaforth Highlanders (London Scottish), with advice from Tom Harris-Hunter, Royal Army Service Corps while all were interned in the Prisoner of War camp at Laufen in Germany.

Original tune:  The Drunken Piper or Highland Rory
        Alex. McLeod, c. 1880

The original instructions in the form of notes, written by Tom Harris-Hunter on a scruffy piece of paper when he was a prisoner of war, clearly show that the dance was intended for a five couple set as it is still danced in Perthshire.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TACNotes:’
1-8    Set (no stealing) bars 1-2, cast bars 3-5, dance in to meet on bar 6, lead up on bar 7 to face corners on bar 8.         



THE PIPER AND THE PENGUIN
The Scotia Suite of Scottish Country Dances devised by Roy Goldring
(Reel for Four Couples in a Square Set)

Bars        Description

1 – 4        The women dance round their corners, passing in front of them to begin.

5 – 8        The women dance right hands across and remain in the centre.

9 – 12        The women dance round their partners, passing in front of them to begin.

13 – 16    The women dance left hands across and finish in original places.

17 – 32    The men repeat bars 1–16, but dance in front of partners before dancing right hands across, and in front of their corners before dancing left hands across.

33 – 36    1st and 3rd couples, giving right hands, turn partners one and a quarter times.

37 – 40    1st man, followed by his partner, dances between 4th couple and cast back to place. Similarly, 3rd couple dance between 2nd couple and cast back to place.

41 – 48    1st and 3rd couple dance rights and lefts.

49 – 64    2nd and 4th couples repeat bars 33–48, 2nd couple dancing between 1st couple and 4th couple dancing between 3rd couple.   

65 – 72    The women dance in and pull back right shoulders (2 bars), dance out (2 bars), and cast clockwise half way round the set to opposite woman’s place.

73 – 80    The men repeat bars 65–72, but pull back left shoulders at the end of bar 74, and cast anticlockwise.

81 – 84    All turn partners with the right hand, just over once round, to finish in promenade hold facing anticlockwise.

85 – 88    All promenade halfway round the set. On bar 87, all release right hands and the men lead their partners to original places ready for the bow and curtsey.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

A return to dancing

I missed posting the dances for the past couple of weeks. Just a shock to be back in the thick of it after the new year.

Anyway, for the month of January we will be focusing on dances for the Ardbrae Ball and the Welcome dance on the Friday before the ball. For details on the ball and welcome dance please see the Ardbrae web site.

Dances taught on Monday, January 3:
 From the Ardbrae Ball:
The Jubilee Jig
RSCDS Leaflets
32 bar jig for 3 couples

Music                         Description
1 – 2               1st man casts off one place. 2nd man steps up.
3 – 8               1st man and 3rd woman set and turn with right hands to places.

9 – 10               1st woman casts off one place. 2nd woman steps up.
11 – 16           1st woman and 3rd man set and turn with left hands to places.

17 – 20           1st woman dances right hands across with 2nd couple, while 1st man dances right hands across with 3rd couple, 1st couple finish in the centre, with left hands joined, facing the opposite side.  (Fig.).

21 – 24           1st couple set and dance out to opposite side.
25 – 28           1st man dances right hands across with 2nd couple, while 1st woman dances right hands across with 3rd couple. 1st couple finish in the centre with left hands joined, facing own side.

29 – 32           1st couple set and dance out to own side.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TACNotes:’
3-4    Emphasize that 1st man stays on the sidelines as he sets to 3rd woman.
24    1st cpl flow through 2nd position on the side, before entry into RH across on bar 25.
32    1st man may finish facing out to flow on into his cast on bars 1-2 of the repetition.




From the welcome dance
The Fiddler’s Wife
(32 bar strathspey for three couples)

Bars                           Description

1 – 4        1st couple set and cast off one place as 2nd couple step up.
5 – 8        1st couple dance a half figure of eight round 2nd couple.

9 – 16        2nd and 1st couples dance a ladies’ chain.

17 – 20    1st couple dance a half figure of eight round 3rd couple.
21 – 24    2nd, 1st and 3rd couples turn partners with the right hand once round to finish in promenade hold, in the middle, facing up.

25 – 32    2nd, 1st and 3rd couples dance a promenade.

        Repeat, having passed a couple.



From the welcome dance
THE COANWOOD STUARTS
24 GRADED and SOCIAL DANCES, Devised by Roy Goldring, Leeds Branch R.S.C.D.S.
32 bar jig for 4 couples

Bars
1 – 8        First man, followed by second and third men, dances across, down behind the first three women, across and up to place.

9 – 16        First, second and third couples turn partners once round with right hands and once round with left hands.

17 – 24    First woman, followed by second and third women, dances across, down behind             the first three men, across and up to place.

25 – 28    All four couples advance and retire.

29 – 32    First couple cast off to fourth place. Second, third and fourth couples step up on bars 31-32.

        Repeat from new positions.


Recommended tune:- The Nightcap  (Trad.)



Dances For Januar 10, 2010
From the Welcome Dance
CABBAGES AND KINGS
Scottish Country Dances from THE HARBOUR CITY
A 32 bar jig for 3 couples in a 4-couple longwise set.

1 – 8        1st and 2nd couples dance right and left.

9 – 16    1st couple lead down the middle for three steps, lead back up forthree steps and cast off one place on own side.2nd couple move up on bars 15 and 16.

17 – 20    1st couple turn 1st corners once round with right hands.1st couple return to own side in second place.

21 – 24    1st couple turn 2nd corners once round with left hands.1st couple return to own side in second place.

25 – 28    1st man with 3rd couple and 1st woman with 2nd couple dance right hands across.

29 – 32    1st man with 2nd couple and 1st woman with 3rd couple dance left hands across.

        Repeat having passed a couple.


“Cabbages and Kings” was devised by Romaine Butterfield.

From the Ardbrae Ball
The Silver Tassie
Leaflet – No. 1
Devised by John Drewry
(Strathspey)
MUSIC                          DESCRIPTION
Bars
1 – 4        1st, 2nd and 3rd couples, giving right hands to partners, cross over and joining hands on the sides, set.

5 – 8        Repeat bars 1 – 4.

9 – 16        1st couple dance a figure of eight round 2nd couple, who stand still. 1st couple dance down between 2nd couple, crossing over, to begin the figure. 3rd couple also dance a figure of eight round 2nd couple, beginning by casting up to top place, then dancing down crossing over.

17 – 24    1st couple, followed by 2nd and 3rd couples, dance down the middle for four steps. 1st couple dance up the middle, while 2nd and 3rd couples divide to allow 1st couple through. 2nd couple meet and dance up between 3rd couple, who then meet and dance up.

25 – 32    1st and 2nd couple Rondel, i.e.
      25        1st couple dance down under the arch made by 2nd couple, who dance up.
      26-27   2nd and 1st women cross in front of partners, then all cast to meet the other woman or man on the opposite sides and join nearer hands.
      28        2nd and 1st women and at the same time 2nd and 1st men cross to own sides, the women passing under the arch made by the men.
      29-30   1st man and 1st woman cross in front of 2nd man and 2nd woman, then all cast to meet partners in original places as in bar 25.
      31-32   1st couple dance under the arch made by 2nd couple and all dance out to own sides, having changed places.


        Repeat, having passed a couple.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Manual of Scottish Country Dancing:
Bars 17 – 24    1st, 2nd and 3rd couples give nearer hands throughout, i.e. they dance down and dance up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TACNotes:’
17-24    Note use of word “dance”, i.e. all 3 cpls use nearer hands, down and up.