Sherrif’s Ride, Vandals of Hammerwich, Castlering, I-91, Crossing the Moon
Always starts after 2 notes for musician.
Main Idea: Both lines swagger in an oval, back to where they started. Odd line (starting with 1) travels clockwise, first passing on the outside (when at the top of the set) and then passing on the inside (when at bottom of the set). Even line (starting with 2) travels counter-clockwise, first on inisde, then on outside.
How does one swagger? It is similar to a single step, but if it leaves the ground it does so barely. Posture should be erect. Step on downbeat, show on upbeat with the arm corresponding to the foot on the ground (which is opposite to the foot in the air).
Main Idea: Switch from set formation (2 vertical lines) to 2 horizontal lines, facing up.
1-4 form front line, 5-8 form back line
1 and 2, and 5 and 6 stay in place, just rotating to face up and then back into set 3 and 4, and 7 and 8, come to outside, aiming to be in place after first doublestep
Figure position:
4 8
2 6
Up Down
1 5
3 7
Heading up has several variations:
Sheriff’s Ride: 4 doublesteps, 2 closed sidesteps (first left, then right), swingbacks
Vandalls: 4 doublesteps, swingbacks
Castle Ring + I-91 : 4 doublesteps, swingbacks, galley up
Main Idea: Switch from set formation (2 vertical lines) to 2 horizontal lines, facing down.
5-8 form front line (but on downward side), 1-4 form back line (on upward side)
3 and 4, and 7 and 8 stay in place, just rotating to face up and then back into set 1 and 2, and 5 and 6, come to outside, aiming to be in place after first doublestep
Figure position:
2 6
4 8
Up Down
3 7
1 5
Heading down has several variations:
Sheriff’s Ride: 4 doublesteps, 2 sidesteps (1 each direction), swingbacks
Vandals: 4 doublsteps, swingbacks
Castle Ring + I-91 : 4 doublesteps, swingbacks, galley down
Main Idea: Everyone goes forward to pass their opposite by the right, pass back to back closely (“strike the match”), swingback back, then repeat by the left
Usually: 2 doublesteps to get around, 4 swingbacks, repeat (though the swingbacks the 2nd time are sometimes replaced by capers?)
Castle Ring and I-91: 2 doublesteps to get around, look your partner in the eye, and galley away (top four galley up, bottom four galley down).
Barefoot Quaker: one double step across to other side of set and around, second double step in place (in a line), third double step backwards (to form a line in the middle of the set), fourth double step in place, swing back to finish.
Main Idea: First Corners Cross, Second Corners Cross, Pause, Sides and Ends Cross (x4)
Each Part takes 2 double steps, though crossing should happen quickly, ideally in one double step.
First Corners are 1 and 4, 5 and 8. Second Corners are 2 and 3, 6 and 7.
Pause means double step in place.
Sides and Ends Cross: whoever is in the 1 and 2 position cross (not original 1 and 2, but whoever, at that moment, is in those positions), 7 and 8 positions cross (those are the “ends”), 3 and 5 cross, 4 and 6 cross (those are “sides”).
Corner crossings are by right shoulder, sides and ends crossings are by left.
Ending: Last time through there is no “pause”, and “sides and ends cross” looks different based on what dance is being done.
Ending variations:
Sheriff’s Ride: double step with pull down
Vandalls of Hammerwich: single capers with clash
I-91 and Castlering: galley (in direction of castlering foot)
Crossing the Moon: galley with clash
Ring O’Bells: sticks up and down and clash with single capers
Milley’s Bequest, John Bartlett’s Fancy, Jean Boardman’s Cakes, Newtowne Oak, Barefooted Quaker (With Crooked Figures)
Always starts after once to yourself from musicians
2 double steps in place, galley out (toward outside foot) to end facing backward.
2 double steps in place, galley out to end facing forward, then use capers after galley to return to set.
variation: In Barefooted Quaker, do 4 double steps instead of 2.
2 double steps across the set, passing right shoulders, to end roughly in partner’s spot (or often a bit wider), galley up
2 double steps back across the set, pasing right shoulders, galley down. Caper back to set.
variation: In Barefooted Quaker, do 4 double steps instead of 2. Extra double steps are in place, before galley
Same as back to back in first set of figures (above)
Main Idea: in groups of 4, circle clockwise halfway, first corners cross, second corners cross, then repeat (circling counterclockwise second time)
Groups of 4 are top 4 (1-4) and bottom 4 (5-8)
In first half, Circling takes two double steps, each cross takes 1 double step
In second half, the “circling” part is adjusted a bit: first corners cutting in early and second corners going wide. First corners are pretty much back to place by end of second double step, and their trajectory is a narrow oval. Second corners cross right after first corners (during the second double step). If done correctly, there is a moment where all four are lined up along the first diagonal. (In fact, there might be 2 such moments, first with first corners on the “inside” of the diagonal line and then again with the second corners on the “inside”.)
Variations:
John Bartlett’s Fancy: ends with double step with pull down
Millie’s Bequest: ends with single capers and self clash
Newtowne Oak: ?
Barefooted Quaker: First half: 2 extra double steps in place before corner crossings. Second half: circle counterclockwise half way coming to a tight circle (2 double steps). 2 double steps in place. Everybody crosses at once (by left shoulder) to go home, ending with a pull down.
Main Idea: Pairs of dancers act as a unit to do a back to back up and down the set (instead of across)
Units are: 1 and 3, who do a back to back with 5 and 7; 2 and 4 do it with 6 and 8.
First half cross right shoulders, second half cross left (as in back to back).
By half way through the music, the goal is to be back in place in nice lines.
One way to think of this is your “away” foot (the direction you galley away). Up for the 4 upmost dancers, down for the 4 downmost dancers.
1: left 2: right
3: left 4: right
5: right 6: left
7: right 8: left
Start in a wide set.
2 open side steps, starting with left foot. These mostly travel forward, and often very far forward, but also a little bit side to side.
4 steps in a circle/square with hankies twirling above head. First step is forward, 2nd is to right, 3rd is back, 4th is to left.
2 open side steps.
4 steps in circle/square.
2 doublesteps, without shows, facing up, traveling up as needed (usually most of the traveling happens on the side steps; if the destination is very far away, some traveling may still be needed on these doublesteps.
4 steps, traveling up as necessary, and coming in form a tight, shoulder-to-shoulder set.
2 doublesteps, facing up. These are usually in place, but theoretically could be used to travel up, as needed.
Galley out, finishing in set facing up.
Up: Form a single line facing up as follows: 1&2 stay in place, 3&4 go to outside, 5&6 zoom up the middle to end up between 1 and 2.
Down: 5&6 stay in place, 3&4 go to outside, 1&2 zoom up middle
When doing dances with a hey for 6 people, we replace the Hey with Maximum Rounds:
Form circle, travel clockwise:
2 doublesteps around,
castlering caper,
2 double steps around,
galley L (square in).
Then repeat counterclockwise.
Takes double music, just like a Hey
Everyone does the rounds in one big circle:
2 doublesteps clockwise half way around.
Everyone doublesteps through center, keeping left shoulder to center.
2 doublesteps counterclockwise, spiraling in to tight circle on 2nd doublestep, ending facing inwards.
Turn to face counterclockwise before next doublestep, then doublestep home.
Hanky dances end with pull down, as in rounds for 4.
Instead of Doubling Up. The overall structure is like a giant do-si-do, with evens as a unit and odds as a unit in the do-si-do.
Odds start facing and tavelling up, evens start facing and travelling down.
2 double steps to one long line (odds at the top, facing up, evens at the bottom, facing down).
Swingbacks to form a set where evens and odds are switched.
At transition, spin 180 degrees so odds are facing down and evens are facing up. This spin happens on the “pickup”, i.e. the hop of the last swingback, so that the first step of the doublestep can be in the new direction.
2 double steps to one long line (evens at the top, facing up, odds at the bottom, facing down).
Swingback to place