Mass Dances

VirtuAle 1997

General Information

We have made use of C style in having some function invocations precede their specification. However, the general order for each dance is (1) Figures, (2) Stepping, (3) Hankies, (4) Capers, and (5) Chorus as appropriate.

Circle Dance from Abram

Figures

Catch-up: walking clockwise, 2s catch up to 1s (16 beats)
Back to Back: Single stepping R shoulders then L shoulders (16 beats)
Circle and Turn: walk in pairs clockwise, turn around on beat 7 toward the center of the circle (16 beats)
Salute: bow to your partner R hanky then L hanky (8 beats)
Turn Singles: circle over right, then left shoulder, single stepping (16 beats)
Opposite Directions: walk in opposite directions (32 beats)
Go In: face center, single step in, show hanks, and back out (32 beats)

NOTE: These figures run through twice; there is no ``chorus''.

Stepping

Walking steps and low single steps, no bell shaking.

Hankies

Walking: hanky opposite the front foot flips out in front of you.
Single steps: Hands in balance position (palms forward), hanks show straight up half a beat before the start of the phrase. At the very end, hanks come up together in front of your chest, then spread out to each side so your hands almost touch those of the dancers beside you.

Black Joke

Bledington Stick

Figures

	ONCE-TO-YOURSELF
	FOOT UP-AND-DOWN        CHORUS
	HALF-GYP                CHORUS
	WHOLE-GYP               CHORUS
	WHOLE-ROUNDS            CHORUS

Half-gyp is into a line.

Rounds go 2 places clockwise and return counterclockwise. Easy turn to go, hard turn to return.

The figures are punctuated with capers and stick clashing. At the end of the hookleg (see below) caper and clash sticks to finish out the music: Tips--Butts--Tips--Butts--Tips

Stepping

Stepping is 2 double-steps followed by a hookleg away from the figure's center. This means that most figures will start with the Left foot. The exceptions are Foot-up-and-down (start on outside foot) and half-hey (Start on inside foot--when you get to the hookleg, you'll be on the outside foot. Trust me).

Chorus

Clash sticks with dancers (or ghost) directly across from you or across and left or right:: R--L--across (backhand)--across (forehand)
R--L--across (backhand)--across (forehand)
Then half hey.
Repeat.

Queen's Delight

Bucknell Hanky; Corner Crossing

Figures

	ONCE-TO-YOURSELF
	FOOT-UP-AND-DOWN        CHORUS (DS)
	HEY-DOWN                CHORUS (DS)
	BELLY-TO-BELLY          CHORUS (UP)
	HEY-DOWN                CHORUS (F)
	BACK-TO-BACK            CHORUS (X)
	HEY-DOWN                CHORUS (X)
	WHOLE-ROUNDS

Belly-to-belly is like Headington crossing-over.

Back-to-back is tight. Form a line halfway through rather than returning to place.

Rounds have a twist. Start with 2 double-steps clockwise. On the 3rd double step, turn over your right shoulder. Gather and jump on 4. Then do two more double-steps CW. End with 4 plain capers in.

Hey-down means follow faces, not places. I.e. follow the actual squire of the set, not the person temporarily in the #1 position.

THE WEIRD PART OF THE HEY: Tops split the middles and go outside of the bottoms. All will follow the natural path that this fact determines.

Stepping

Double steps are basically normal. The first double step of a sequence should start by leaping onto the appropriate foot rather than by just stepping onto it. Footedness generally isn't crucial.

Hankies

In the double steps hankies start at the shoulders. They are jerked down forcefully on 1 and jerked up forcefully on 3.
In the hop-backs they are in balance position for 1 & 2. Gathered in 3 to end up at the shoulders on 4.
In side steps the appropriate hanky starts at the appropriate shoulder. Jerk down and out forcefully on 1.

Capers

One-two-ups: Similar to double-steps but with a BANG. 1 and 2 as normal in a double step; on 3 launch into a caper that lets you land just in time for 1 of the next step.
Fast: Fast plain capers with hankies twirling at your sides. Direction of twirling should be such that your hands go up when forward.
X (to be known as `X Windows' at this ale :-) ): Fall into an RTB on 1 with hands in balance position.
Bring feet together w/o fanfare on 2.
Small jump & gather hankies on 3.
Jump spreading arms & legs in an `X' on 4.

Chorus

First corners sidestep R & then L. Then cross with corner and come face to face in the middle using the designated caper where

: DS = double-step * 4
UP = one-two-ups * 4
F = fast * 10
X = X * 2 then DS * 2

Finish with a 1-2-up and a plain caper (exception: F which uses only fast plain capers to fill the music)

Repeat with 2nd corners and then with 3rd corners.

RABBITS IN AUSTRALIA

Bucknell Hand Clapping; a.k.a. Room for the Cuckolds

Figures

	ONCE-TO-YOURSELF
	FOOT-UP-AND-DOWN        CHORUS
	BELLY-TO-BELLY          CHORUS
	BACK-TO-BACK            CHORUS
	WHOLE-ROUNDS

See ``Queen's delight'' for quirks of figures, stepping, and hankies.

Chorus

Repeat 4 times: Clap hands on knees, stomach, chest, and with partner
(mnemonic--`me bells, me balls, me tits, & push')

Waltzing Matilda

FieldTown Stick

Figures

	ONCE-TO-YOURSELF
	FOOT-UP-AND-DOWN        CHORUS
	HALF-HANDS              CHORUS
	BACK-TO-BACK            CHORUS
	WHOLE-ROUNDS            CHORUS

Half-hands is like a half-gyp. It and back-to-back break lines. Rounds spiral in. Easy turn to go, hard turn to return.

Chorus

Stick clashing and tossing with your partner:

Butt to ground behind you
Butt to ground beside you
Forehand clash
Backhand clash
Butt to ground behind you
Butt to ground beside you
Toss-&-catch
Backhand clash

Half-hey
Repeat

Oak Apple Day

Headington Hanky; Quick Corner Crossing

Figures

	ONCE-TO-YOURSELF
	FOOT-UP                 CHORUS (CANONS)
	CROSSING-OVER           CHORUS (CANONS)
	BACK-TO-BACK            CHORUS (CAPER L/R)
	WHOLE-HEY               CHORUS (CAPER L/R)

NOTE: This dance is different from `The 29th of May' even though they share a tune and even though their titles have the same referent.

Choruses

CANONS

Corners cross in 1 double step each and not all the way to the other corners place. Thus, at the end of the 3rd double step, all 6 dancers form a tight circle in which each dancer is facing outward toward their corner's original place.
Do the 4th double step in place.
On the 5th double step, everyone explodes beyond their corner's place to form a large outward facing circle.
Do the 6th double step in place.
Cross-back to corner's place on 7 & 8.
Repeat canons back to original place.

CAPER LEFT/CAPER RIGHT

On 1 plain caper onto the left and then the right.
On 2 double-step in place.
On 3-6 double-step in concentric circles. Tops and bottoms travel to their lefts (=CW) around the middles who circle around their left shoulders (=CCW). At the end of 6 you should be back to place and a little beyond (i.e. in the center of the set and face to face with your partner ready to,
On 7 & 8, cross-back into your own place.
Repeat, interchanging R & L and CW & CCW respectively.

South Australia

Adderbury Stick

Figures

	ONCE-TO-YOURSELF (WALK-AROUND)
	FOOT-UP                 CHORUS
	HALF-GYP                CHORUS
	PROCESS-DOWN            CHORUS
	PROCESS-UP              CHORUS
	DANCE-AROUND            CHORUS
	COUNTRY-DANCE-HEY       CHORUS

Walk-around with sticks pointing into the center as a capstan.

Half-gyp breaks lines

Hey is parallel. Pass right shoulders at the top and left at the bottom.

Chorus

Evens (apprenti) hold sticks at eye level while odds (masters) strike.
Then odds hold sticks while evens strike.
Clash forehand, backhand
Whirl sticks around head once without striking and then strike forehand.
Rope-pulls: Each side holds sticks parallel to the ground as if connected parts of a rope.
- Slide the inside foot back, leaning back into it as if pulling a rope.
- Slide outside foot back together with the inside.
- Slide the inside foot back, leaning.
- Slide outside foot back together with the inside.
Bring sticks back up to the vertical and do 4 plain capers back into place.

VirtuAle Pete Schult