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Proceedings of the Known World Dance Symposium 2007 |
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Interestingly Weird Three Couple English Country Dances
John White
(Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr)
Email: John.White@Drexel.Edu
Web-site: www.pages.drexel.edu/~white/dafydd.html
I decided to teach some different dances this time, and I ended up with some very different dances indeed. I was just paging through Playford’s First Edition, checking out the three couple dances that I’d not seen done before, and I came up with these three dances.
Of course, the music was problematic. I went searching for it, and found two of the three already in my collection. I hunted the other down on the internet, bought the CD, and proceeded to dub all three tunes into danceable versions.
I hope you enjoy these three strange dances!
The Whish
for a line of three couples.
Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr
Music: Hang up Sorrow and Care by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band.
This is part of a medley, and I pieced and patched together a version that was the required 22 repeats long.
Notes: As in Boatman, the second couple is the active/primary couple in this dance.
The strange thing about this dance is that the melody has seven measures, whereas English Country Tunes usually have even numbers of measures. That’s really the only tricky thing about this dance.
The numbers below refer to the measure, each of which is a count of 2.
Part 1
Verse 1, Part A
1&2: Lead up a double.
2&4: Fall back a double.
5&6: Face your partner, set (step and close) left and right, angling inward toward your partner as you go.
7: Step back to your place.
Verse 1, Part B
1&2: Lead up a double.
2&4: Fall back a double.
5&6: Face your partner, set (step and close) right and left, angling inward toward your partner as you go.
7: Step back to your place.
Chorus 1, Part A
1&2: The second man leads the first man between the first two women.
3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places (man 1 around the top of the set, man 2 between woman 2 and 3).
5-7: Man 2 and man 1 arm by the left in 6 beats (instead of the normal 8).
Chorus 1, Part B
1&2: The second man leads the third man between the second and third women.
3&4: They cast of and fall back to their places (man 2 between woman 2 and woman 1, man 3 around the bottom of the set).
5-7: Man 2 and man 3 arm by the left in 6 beats (instead of the normal 8).
Chorus 1, Part C
1&2: The second woman leads the first woman between the first two men.
3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places (as did the men).
5-7: Woman 2 and woman 1 arm by the right in 6 beats (instead of the normal 8).
Chorus 1, Part D
1&2: The second woman leads the third woman between the second and third men.
3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places (as did the men).
5-7: Woman 2 and woman 3 arm by the right in 6 beats (instead of the normal 8).
Part 2
Verse 2, Part A
1-4: Side left with your partner (walk a small double toward your partner and line up right shoulders).
5&6: Set left and right, angling inward toward your partner as you go.
7: Step back to your place.
Verse 2, Part B
1-4: Side right with your partner (walk a small double toward your partner and line up left shoulders).
5&6: Set right and left, angling inward toward your partner as you go.
7: Step back to your place.
Chorus 2, Part A
1&2: The second couple leads up between the first couple.
3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places.
5-7: Second couple arm left in 6 counts.
Chorus 2, Part B
1&2: The second couple leads down between the third couple.
3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places.
5-7: Second couple arm right in 6 counts.
Chorus 2, Part C
1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part A.
Chorus 2, Part D
1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part B.
Chorus 2, Part E
1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part C.
Chorus 2, Part F
1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part D.
Part 3
Verse 3, Part A
1-4: Arm left with your partner (take right arms and walk two doubles to the left).
5&6: Set left and right, angling inward toward your partner as you go.
7: Step back to your place.
Verse 3, Part B
1-4: Arm right with your partner (take left arms and walk two doubles to the right).
5&6: Set right and left, angling inward toward your partner as you go.
7: Step back to your place.
Chorus 3, Part A
1-7: The second couple cross over between couple 1. Man 2 circle woman 1, woman 2 circle man 1. They cross over between couple 1 again. Man 2 circles man 1, woman 2 circles woman 1. They fall back to their places. (The exact timing isn't absolutely critical.)
Chorus 3, Part B
1: The second couple does the same with couple 3 (cross over between, circle, cross over again, circle, fall back to place).
Chorus 3, Part C
1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part A.
Chorus 3, Part D
1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part B.
Chorus 3, Part E
1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part C.
Chorus 3, Part F
1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part D.
Kemps Jegg
for a circle of three couples.
Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr
Music: Fortune My Foe by Les Witches. Of course, I had to extract it fromthe medley and add repeats.
Notes: This dance is named for a real person, one William Kemp who was one of the original actors in William Shakespeare’s plays. He is also known for performing jigs and jests, as well as being famous for the Nine Days Morris (a dance he did from London to Norwich).
The interesting thing about this dance is that it is done in groups of three. It has three figures, and each figure is done by one of the men and the two women on either side of him. It is supposed to be done with man 1 going all the way around the circle with figure 1, then man 2 doing the same, then man 3 doing the same, whereupon man 1 starts the second figure, etc. This means that the dance is done 27 times through, which is a little excessive in most circumstances. Fortunately, a logical way to shorten it is to have each man go around the circle with a different figure, meaning that the dance is only repeated nine times. I’m sure the musicians will thank you.
Part 1
Figure 1, Part A
1&2: Man 1 lead the women on either side of himself (women 1 and 2) forward a double, fall back a double.
3&4: Do that again.
5: Man 1 honor woman 1.
6: Man 1 honor woman 2.
7&8: Man 1 turn woman 3 all the way around and shift over one place (end up in position between women 1 and 3, overall counterclockwise from before). The other men slip counterclockwise around the circle into the next man's position to make room.
Figure 1, Part B
1&2: Man 1 leads these next two woman (1 and 3) forward a double, fall back a double.
3&4: Do that again.
5: Man 1 honor woman 3.
6: Man 1 honor woman 1.
7&8: Man 1 turn woman 2 all the way around and shift over one place (end up in position between women 2 and 3), the other men shifting as well.
Figure 1, Part C
1&2: Man 1 leads these next two woman (2 and 3) forward a double, fall back a double.
3&4: Do that again.
5: Man 1 honor woman 2.
6: Man 1 honor woman 3.
7&8: Man 1 turn woman 1 all the way around and shift over one place, the other men shifting as well, all returning to where they started.
Figure 1, Parts A-C
1-8X3: Man 2 does as man 1 did, moving counterclockwise around the circle.
Figure 1, Parts A-C
1-8X3: Man 3 does the same, moving counterclockwise around the circle.
Part 2
Figure 2, Part A
1-4: Man 1 lead women 1 and 2 forward a double, fall back a double, repeat.
5: Line turns halfway around to face out.
6: Line turns halfway around to face back in (in the opposite direction).
7&8: Man 1 turns woman 3 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well.
Figure 2, Part B
1-4: Man 1 leads the next two women forward a double, fall back a double, repeat.
5: Line turns halfway around to face out.
6: Line turns halfway around to face back in (in the opposite direction).
7&8: Man 1 turns woman 2 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well.
Figure 2, Part C
1-4: Man 1 leads the next two women forward a double, fall back a double, repeat.
5: Line turns halfway around to face out.
6: Line turns halfway around to face back in (in the opposite direction).
7&8: Man 1 turns woman 1 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well, everyone returning to their starting places.
Figure 2, Parts A-C
1-8X3: Man 2 does as man 1 did, moving counterclockwise around the circle.
Figure 2, Parts A-C
1-8X3: Man 3 does the same, moving counterclockwise around the circle.
Part 3
Figure 3, Part A
Note: the starting position for each of these figures is: man 1 has his arms behind the backs of the woman, holding their outside hands.
1-4: Man 1 leads women 1 and 2 forward a double, fall back a double, repeat.
5: Man 1 “unwinds” woman 1 (pull her outside hand toward him and up to turn her under his arm to face him) and “kiss”.
6: Man 1 “unwinds” woman 2 (as before) and “kiss”.
7&8: Man 1 turns woman 3 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well.
Figure 3, Part B
1-4: Man 1 leads the next two women forward a double, fall back a double, repeat.
5: Man 1 “unwinds” woman on right (as before) and “kiss”.
6: Man 1 “unwinds” woman on left (as before) and “kiss”.
7&8: Man 1 turns woman 2 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well.
Figure 3, Part C
1-4: Man 1 leads the next two women forward a double, fall back a double, repeat.
5: Man 1 “unwinds” woman on right (as before) and “kiss”.
6: Man 1 “unwinds” woman on left (as before) and “kiss”.
7&8: Man 1 turns woman 1 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well, everyone returning to their starting places.
Figure 3, Parts A-C
1-8X3: Man 2 does as man 1 did, moving counterclockwise around the circle.
Figure 3, Parts A-C
1-8X3: Man 3 does the same, moving counterclockwise around the circle.
Greenwood
for a line of three couples, middle couple improper
Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr.
Music: John Playford’s Popular Tunes by The Broadside Band. Another medley extraction and repeat boosting job.
Notes: The interesting feature of this dance is how it is almost a round dance done in a line, with all of the couples switching around to dance with everyone else (to a point). Another thing to note, too, is the structure – at the beginning, everything is done by couples, so the choruses have three repeats, but at the end, it switches to doing things by gender, so the choruses only have two repeats.
Part 1
Basic Verse, Part A
1: Face your partner, lines take hands, go forwards a double.
2: Fall backwards a double.
3&4: Set and turn single, left.
Basic Verse, Part B
1: Turn your back on your partner, lines take hands, go forwards a double.
2: Turn around, take hands again, meet a double. (Yes, Playford actually expressly dictates this choreography, as awkward as it is.)
3&4: Set and turn single, right.
Note: This verse is done throughout the dance.
Chorus 1, Part A
1&2: Side left as follows: middle couple first and last men, first and last women.
3&4: Set and turn single, left, to the person you sided with.
Chorus 1, Part B
1&2: Men turn to the woman to their left (man 1 - woman 1, man 2 - woman 3, man 3 - woman 2), and side right.
3&4: Set and turn single, right, to the person you sided with.
Chorus 1, Part C
1&2: Men turn to the woman on their right (man 1 - woman 2, man 2 - woman 1, man 3 - woman 3).
3&4: Set and turn single, left, to the person you sided with.
Part 2
Basic Verse, Part A & B
1-8: Lines meet, back, set and turn, lines away, turn and return, set and turn.
Chorus 2, Part A:
1&2: Arm left as you sided (middle couple, end men, end women).
3&4: Set and turn single, left, to the person you armed with.
Chorus 2, Part B
1&2: Continue the arming-as-you-sided - man 1/woman 1, man 2/woman 3, man 3/woman 2, arm right.
3&4: Set and turn single, right, to the person you sided with.
Chorus 2, Part C
1&2: Finish the arming-as-you-sided - man 1/woman 2, man 2/woman 1, man 3/woman 3, arm left.
3&4: Set and turn single, left, to the person you sided with.
Part 3
Basic Verse, Part A & B
1-8: Lines meet, back, set and turn, lines away, turn and return, set and turn.
Chorus 3, Part A:
1&2: Each line form a circle and go all the way around to the left.
3&4: Set and turn single, left, to your partner.
Chorus 3, Part B
1&2: Man 2 circle with couple 3, woman 2 circle with couple 1, all the way around to the right.
3&4: Set and turn single, right, to your partner.
Chorus 3, Part C
1&2: Man 2 circle with couple 1, woman 2 circle with couple 2, all the way around to the left.
3&4: Set and turn single, left, to your partner.
Part 4
Basic Verse, Part A & B
1-8: Lines meet, back, set and turn, lines away, turn and return, set and turn.
Chorus 4, Part A:
1-4: Each line do a single hey.
Chorus 4, Part B
1-4: Man 2 single hey with couple 3, woman 2 single hey with couple 1.
Chorus 4, Part C
1-4: Man 2 single hey with couple 1, woman 2 single hey with couple 2.
Part 5
Basic Verse, Part A & B
1-8: Lines meet, back, set and turn, lines away, turn and return, set and turn.
Chorus 5, Part A:
1&2: Men take hands and circle all the way around to the left.
3&4: Set and turn single, left, to your partner.
Chorus 5, Part B
1&2: Women take hands and circle all the way around.
3&4: Set and turn single, right, to your partner.
Part 6
Basic Verse, Part A & B
1-8: Lines meet, back, set and turn, lines away, turn and return, set and turn.
Chorus 6, Part A:
1-4: Men do the single hey (zig-zagging works perfectly, but don’t get hung up on the “figure 8”, but rather changing shoulders when you should and shouldn’t as you pass).
Chorus 6, Part B
1-4: Women do the single hey (see above).
Coda
Basic Verse, Part A & B
1-8: Lines meet, back, set and turn, lines away, turn and return, set and turn.