Core Dances 2012

This year we are again using a core repertoire of dances and would like your assistance in implementing it. The callers have agreed on a set of dances that cover different styles, ages, set shapes and complexity.

The intention is to repeat all the dances many times over the course of the year so that we become familiar with them and are able to dance them confidently, and (hopefully) to concentrate a little more on technique and dancing them well not just getting through them. The hope is that we can get some of the dances so well known we could dance them without a walk trhrough. We noticed a marked improvement in the dancing of several of the previous years dances so we hope that you are finding it helpful.

Below is a list of all 12 dances in the current core (12 for 2012!). If you would like a copy of the notation, please ask Victoria or one of the other committee members. Please talk to Victoria if anything is not clear in the instructions; she has taken them from the original source where she can.

As last year, we have a chart living with the club microphone. Each week the caller will mark all the core dances that he / she has done. We will try to repeat dances – it helps to consolidate the learning – but also try to make sure all the dances get reasonably equal coverage.

The dances have been chosen to allow the callers to teach particular figures, styles and formations. Some of the dances are a bit of a chellenge, so we won't get them right until we've done some practising. Others have been chosen because they are often dances at public dances, and some more practice will help us to enjoy them more.

We are still experimenting with the best way to approach core dances so please keep passing on feedback to any member of the committee.

Where possible, links to the notation for the dance have been included. No guarantees as to the content of other sites can be given! Note that we may be teaching a slight variant of what is published on the external web site. See also our links page for web sites which provide hints on dance (and calling) technique.

Happy dancing!

Dance Name	Formation	Source	Music
Picking Up Sticks	3cpl longways	Dancing Master 1651, 1st edition	Own tune
Charlene's Celebration	4 couple longways	Gary Roodman Prime Calculated Figures	24b own tune, triple time
High Peak	4 couple longways, 3s & 4s improper	John Drury	32b Scottish reels
Verena Square	Square	Janice Holland	24b - Parson's Farewell
White Wheat	3 couple longways	Hazel Moir	32b Waltz. Own tune
After Dinner Maggot	Longways triple minor, single progression	Gary Roodman Prime Calculated Figures	32b reel - own tune
Well Hall	Longways	1679	32b own tune (triple time)
Red House	Longways		48b reel, own tune
East Meets West	Longways improper	Community Dances Manual 7	32b jig
Sybil's Roundabout	Circle	Les Wootton English Dance & Song, Spring 1972	32b jig
Orleans Baffled	Longways triple minor, single progression	Playford	12b own tune (triple time)
Escort to Leicester	Sicilian Circle (couple face couple)	Brian Jones A Berkshire Bundle, 1980	32b reel

Hints and Tips on Notation

Unless otherwise marked, each phrase (e.g. A1, B2) is 8 bars long.
In a reel or jig there are 2 steps to a bar; in a waltz or triple time tune there are 3 steps to a bar.
A semi-colon marks the end of a 2-bar phrase; a full stop marks the end of 4 bars. If a described movement takes the full phrase of music there is (probably) no full stop at the end of it. If a movement takes an unexpected or unusual length of music it will tell you in brackets.
Hints for individual dances are in italic with that dance.
M stands for men or man (e.g. M1 is 1st man); W stands for women or woman (e.g. W1 is 1st woman).
R stands for right; L for left.
sh stands for shoulder.
Turn single is R-shoulder back unless it says otherwise.
At the end of a R-hand turn you are facing that person; at the end of an allemande R you are facing the person who was behind you.

R & L through is R with opposite; L courtesy turn with partner beside you.
A courtesy turn means you both give L hands and face in the same direction as you wheel around anti-clockwise (M does not have his arm around W’s waist except in a ladies chain).
A double is 3 steps and close your feet together.
A single is 1 step and close your feet together.
A double step or skip-change step is a travelling danced step. Hop on L to step forward on R, catch-up with L, step forward on R, hop on R and bring L through to repeat starting L. The hop is before the beat and the rhythm should be hop-long-short-long; hop-long-short-long.
A single skip is as you learnt in the playground! Step and hop in one move (as opposed to a hornpipe where the step and hop come on consecutive beats).
Gates means both of you face the same direction and hold inside hands; rotate a full turn (usually) with your joined hands as the pivot point. If mixed couple, M reverses and W forward unless otherwise marked. If same sex couple instructions will say (e.g. 1s gate up means 1s move up and then out in mirror gates).
Hole-in-the-Wall crossing (in triple time) is facing partner, starting with right foot, move towards him / her until face-to-face and close; on 3rd step (R foot) rotate half way (c/w) with each other staying close; from 4th step (L foot) fall back into partner’s place. There should be a feeling of rising up to the middle of the move, pausing or hovering and then sinking as you fall away.