Proceedings of the Known World Dance Symposium 2007

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As Many as Will English Country Dances

John White
(Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr)

Email:                   John.White@Drexel.Edu

Web-site:            www.pages.drexel.edu/~white/dafydd.html

These four ‘as many as will’ English Country Dances show four different types of this kind of dance.  Not all of these dances were progressive, although when they aren’t, they tend to end up rather boring for most of the people participating.  As might be expected, commercial recordings tend not to contain enough repeats even for the non-progressive dance.           

On to the dances!

 

An Old Man is a Bed Full of Bones

for a line of as many couples as will.

Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr.

This dance represents the “limited participation” version of the non-progressive ‘as many as will’ dances.  In this one, only the top and bottom couples are active, so having a huge line of couples is pretty silly.  The optimum number of couples is probably either 3 or 4 (considering the leading up and back figure).

Music: The repeat structure is 18xA, where each part of the verse and chorus is one repeat of the music.

Food of Love by Hesperus.  This version only has 13 repeats, so it is not suitable.

Part 1  

                Verse 1, Part A               

                                1&2:      Forward a double and back. Face your partner.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single (left).

                Verse 1, Part B               

                                1&2:      Forward a double and back. Face your partner.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single (right).

                Chorus 1, Part A           

                                1:            Man 1 leads his partner down between the set a double.

                                2:            Couple 1 fall back a double.

                                3:            Man 1 leads his partner down between the set a double, all the way to the end.

                                4:            Man 1 turns his partner and put her into the last woman's place, taking the last woman into the middle of the set.

                Chorus 1, Part B           

                                1:            Man 1 leads his new partner up a double.

                                2:            Man 1 and his partner fall back a double.

                                3:            Man 1 leads his new partner back to place.

                                4:            Man 1 turns his new partner and put her in woman 1's place.

                Chorus 1, Part C            

                                1:            Man 3 leads woman 1 up a double between the set.

                                2:            Man 3 and woman 1 fall back a double.

                                3:            Man 3 leads woman 1 up a double to the very top.

                                4:            Man 3 turns woman 1 all the way around and put her in her proper place, taking woman 3.

                Chorus 1, Part D           

                                1:            Man 3 leads his partner down the set.

                                2:            Man 3 and his partner fall back a double.

                                3:            Man 3 leads his partner down the set to the bottom.

                                4:            Man 3 turns his partner all the way around and put her in her proper place.

Part 2  

                Verse 2, Part A              

                                1&2:      Side left with your partner.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single (left).

                Verse 2, Part B              

                                1&2:      Side right with your partner.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single (right).

                Chorus 2, Parts A through D

                                1-16:      As Chorus 1, but cross both hands in the middle as the couples move about.

Part 3  

                Verse 3, Part A              

                                1&2:      Arm left with your partner.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single (left).

                Verse 3, Part B              

                                1&2:      Arm right with your partner.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single (right).

                Chorus 3, Parts A through D

                                1-16:      As Chorus 1, but let the woman turn under your arm as you lead them back and forth, and (if willing) add a kiss at the end of each double.

 

Mill-field

for a circle of as many couples as will.

Reconstructed and reshaped by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr.

This dance is an example of the “it gets boring really quickly” version of a progressive ‘for as many as will’ dance.  The basic issue is that the figure, instead of being a quick 4 or 8 measures, is a full 24 measures long.  Not only that, but it involves sets of three, not four people (the active couple plus one half of the inactive couple).

To make it a little less boring, the dance has been re-structured for four couples, and has two sets of active and inactive couples.

Music: Structure is 7xAABB.

Lads and Lasses, which is too short (only 2 repeats).

Part 1 - the Introduction              

                Verse 1               

                                1&2:      Take hands around the circle and do two doubles (or 8 slips) to the left.

                                3&4:      Do two doubles (or 8 slips) to the right.  Drop hands and face your partner.

                Chorus 1            

                                1&2:      Set and turn single, left.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single, right.

Part 2 - the figure begins            

                Verse 2               

                                1:            Odd couples and the even men on their right do a double toward each other - couple 1 to man 4, couple 3 to man 2.

                                2:            The even men go under the arms of the odd couples and circle back to place to the left (around the woman), while the odd couples turn their partner back to their own places.

                                3&4:      Do the same thing all over again.

                Chorus 2           

                                1-4:        In those triads, Set and turn single left and right. (The even women can set and turn to each other.)

Part 3 - the figure continues      

                Verse 3

                                1:            Men 1 and 4 take hands, and they and woman 1 do a double toward each other; men 3 and 2 take hands, and they and woman 2 do a double toward each other.

                                2:            The odd women go under the arms of the two men and circle back to place (to the left), while the men arm back to place.

                                3&4:      Do the same thing all over again.

                Chorus 3           

                                1-4:        In those triads, Set and turn single left and right. (The even women can set and turn to each other.)

Part 4 - the figure ends

                Verse 4               

                                1:            Odd women take the hands of the even men they have been dancing with and they double toward their odd men who double toward them as well.

                                2:            The odd men go under the arch and circle back to place, while the pair backs a double to place.

                                3&4:      Do the same thing all over again.

                Chorus 4           

                                1-4:        In those triads, Set and turn single left and right. (The even women can set and turn to each other.)

Parts 5 to 7 - the figure repeats

                                Repeat the entire above figure (parts 2, 3, and 4) going to the even woman on the left in the same progression, with the even woman taking the place of the even man.

Normally, the active couple would dance with first the man on their right, then the woman on their right, and so on.  For the purposes of this reconfiguration, the second repetition of the figure goes to the woman on the left, as she is closest.

The main figure could be done twice more through (six more repeats of the music) so that the even couples could be active, dancing with the odd men to the right, then the odd women to the left.


 

Paul's Wharfe

for a line of as many as will.

Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr.

This dance is an example of the “verse and progressing chorus” type of ‘for as many as will’ dance.

Music: The structure requires a varying number of repeats for each progressive section using the formula 3*(n-1) (where n = number of couples), plus two repeats for each verse and one for each coda, which equals 9 extra.  By this formula, 3 couples would need 27 repeats, and 4 couples would require 36.

Popular Tunes in the 17th Century by the Broadside Band.  This version does not really work, as it has too few repeats.

Part 1  

                Verse 1               

                                1:            Lead up a double.

                                2:            Fall back a double.

                                3&4:      That again.

                                5&6:      Set and turn single, left.

                                7&8:      Set and turn single, right.

                The first progressing figure 

                                1&2:      The active and inactive couples take hands in a circle and slip all the way around in two doubles.

                                3:            The active couple crosses over into the inactive place, while the inactives move up to the active place.

                                4:            The active couple changes places to return to the proper side of the set.

                                Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type.  When you return to your starting place, stop dancing.

                Coda to part 1 

                                1&2:      Set and turn single, left.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single, right.

Part 2  

                Verse 2               

                                1&2:      Side left with your partner.

                                3&4:      Side right with your partner.

                                5&6:      Set and turn single, left.

                                7&8:      Set and turn single, right.

                The second progressing figure           

                                1:            In the duple-minor set, the men take hands and the women take hands, and all fall back a double.

                                2:            Go forward a double to switch sides of the set.

                                3&4:      Take hands around and slip halfway around to invert the set (progressing the active couple) and returning everyone to the correct side of the set.

                                Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type.  When you return to your starting place, stop dancing.

                Coda to part 2

                                1&2:      Set and turn single, left.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single, right.

Part 3  

                Verse 3               

                                1&2:      Arm left with your partner.

                                3&4:      Arm right with your partner.

                                5&6:      Set and turn single, left.

                                7&8:      Set and turn single, right.

                The third progressing figure               

                                1:            Active and inactive men take both hands and change places.

                                2:            Active and inactive women take both hands and change places.

                                3&4:      Cast off and go all the way around to your new places (with the active couple progressed).

                                Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type.  When you return to your starting place, stop dancing.

                Coda to part 3

                                1&2:      Set and turn single, left.

                                3&4:      Set and turn single, right.

 

The Punks Delight (the New Way)

for a line of as many couples as will.

Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr, with much help from the dancers of the Shire of Hartshorndale, led by Duchess Diana.

This dance is an example of the straight-forward progressive ‘for as many as will’ dances, with an intro and three different figures. 

Music: Each figure requires 2 repeats of the music for one iteration.  For 3 couples, this means 36 repeats, plus 2 for the intro.  For 4 couples, this means 72 repeats, plus 2 for the intro.

The English Tradition, by the City Waites.  This version does not quite work, as it only has about 13 repeats.

Intro figure:   

                1&2:      Lead up a double, fall back a double.

                3&4:      Lead up a double, fall back a double.

                5&6:      Set and turn single (left).

                7&8:      Set and turn single (right).

First figure:    

                1:            Active couple switch places and face down to the passive couple.

                2:            Take both hands with your part of the passive couple and turn them half way around so that the passive couple goes into the center of the set (active man turns left, active woman turns right).

                3:            Turn them the opposite direction back to place.

                4:            Active couple switches places with the passive couple by going between them.

                5&6:      Take hands around and circle all the way around to (inverted) place.

                7&8:      Arm left with your partner (the active couple needs to turn 1 ½ times to return to the proper sides of the set).

                Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type.  When the first and second couples return to their places, they start the next figure.

Second figure:               

                1&2:      Couples face their partner.  Active couple circles around passive woman to meet behind her - active man goes around the outside of the set, active woman goes between the passive couple, active man ends up "up the set", active woman ends up "down the set", they are facing each other.

                3&4:      Active couple cross over to meet behind passive man - active man goes between passive couple to end up "down the set" behind passive man, active woman goes around the outside of the set (up side) to end "up the set" behind the passive man.

                5&6:      Active couple and passive man right hands across and go all the way around and then some, putting the active couple in position for

                7&8:      Active couple and passive woman right hands across and go around so that the active couple ends up in the passive couple's position at the end, thus progressing.  Note that the transition between right-hands-across is not smooth, and takes some fudging and early breaking to realign for the second one.  Everyone needs to be quick about the transition, or there won’t be enough time to complete the figure.

                Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type.  When the first and second couples return to their places, they start the next figure.

Third figure:  

                1:            Active man doubles around the active woman to end up behind her while the passive man follows to end up basically in the active man's place.

                2:            Active man does a double to go between the active and passive woman ending up just beyond them, the passive man following so that he's now just behind the women.

                3:            Active man continues a double forward while the active and passive women join inside hands and follow the active man, the passive man following behind.

                4:            Everyone turn to face the other direction and do a double, passive man leading.

                5&6:      Men cast off to their right, circling around their partner (possibly a "gypsy" - maintain eye contact), women following, so that the men end up on the women's side, women on the men's side, active and passive maintaining positions.  Note:  This ends up being sort of a swirling motion, looping around a few times until people end up where they need to end up.

                7:            Men switch places by right hands while the women do the same. This is the progression.

                8:           Switch places with your partner by left hand.

                Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type.  When you get back to your place, stop dancing.