These dances are done in square sets. A square consists of 4 couples, one couple on each side of a square. The couple with their back to the band is number 1, the couple on their right is number 2, and so on around the set. Couples 1 and 3 are the head couples, 2 and 4 are the side couples. Your partner is standing next to you (man on the left, woman on the right), the person on your other side is your corner.
Ainslie Square
By Peter Foster
4 Couple Square
32 bar jig or reel
Medium
A1 (16) All 4 ladies chain across and back
A2 (4) Men cast: men pull their left shoulders back and move anticlockwise
around the outside one place
(4) Women cast: women pull their right shoulders back and move clockwise
around the outside one place
(4) Men cast again (one more place). This is your new partner
(4) Set to your new partner
B1 (16) Grand chain halfway, so you meet you new partner in the man's home
place. Swing
B2 (16) Promenade once around the set
The casting in A2 is pretty quick, dancers have only 4 steps to get around to the
next place.
This dance was adapted from "Untitled Square" to include a partner change.
Named for the bush dance workshops, which are held in the Ainslie Hall.
Apple Blossom Square
By Peter Foster
4 Couple Square
32 bar jig or reel
Easy
A1 (8) Heads advance and retire
(8) Heads advance, let go of their partner, face the nearer side couple,
go through that couple and cast around to place
A2 (8) Everyone do si do partner (right shoulder)
(8) Everyone do si do corner left shoulder. Stay facing your corner
B1 (16) Turn corner left hand, come back to your partner for a grand chain
until you meet your corner again. Take a promende hold with this
person, who becomes your new partner
B2 (16) Promenade to the men's home place and swing
This dance was adapted from Apple Tree Square to include a partner change.
Arkansas Traveller 4 Couple Square 32 bar reel Medium (because of A2) A1 (8) Heads advance and retire (8) Heads advance and retire again A2 (4) Heads turn the person opposite by the right hand (4) Heads turn partner left hand (4) Everyone turn corner right hand (4) Everyone turn partner left hand B1 (16) Swing corner (who becomes your new partner) B2 (16) Promenade to the man's home place Do 4 times, the heads leading twice and then the sides leading twice. A2 is pretty quick, especially that first turn (you only have 4 steps to get to your opposite and turn them all the way around)
Buffalo Gals
4 Couple Square
32 bar reel
Easy
A1 (16) Head women cast and go around the outside: they pull their
right shoulder back, go behind their partner and continue
clockwise around the outside of the set until they get home
A2 (8) Everyone do si do partner right shoulder
(8) Everyone do si do corner left shoulder
B1 (16) Swing partner
B2 (16) Promenade
Repeat with side women casting, then head men (men cast by pulling back
their left shoulder and going anticlockwise around the outside),
then side men, then all the women, then all the men.
You can spice it up a bit with things like "all those wearing black
shoes, cast".
Colonials Quadrille (Canberra version)
4 Couple Square
48 bar reel
Easy
A1 (16) All circle left and right
A2 (16) Couple 1 visit (in promenade hold, go anticlockwise inside
the set, acknowledging each couple in turn)
B1 (8) Heads half right and left
(8) Sides half right and left
B2 (8) Heads half right and left
(8) Sides half right and left
C1/C2 (32) Grand chain all the way around the set, swing partner
Repeat 3 more times with each couple in turn leading (when a side couple
is leading it is the sides who start the rights and lefts in B1/B2)
Colonials Quadrille (Sydney version)
4 Couple Square
64 bar reel
Easy
A1 (16) All circle left and right
A2 (16) Couple 1 visit (in promenade hold, go anticlockwise inside
the set, acknowledging each couple in turn)
B1 (8) Heads half right and left
(8) Sides half right and left
B2 (8) Heads half right and left
(8) Sides half right and left
C1/C2 (32) Grand chain all the way around the set, swing partner
D1 (16) Ladies wheel: waist hold with partner, women make a right
hand star
D2 (16) Mens wheel: still in a waist hold with partner, come back with
the men making a left hand star
Repeat 3 more times with each couple in turn leading (when a side couple
is leading it is the sides who start the rights and lefts in B1/B2)
Colonials Quadrille (Melbourne version)
4 Couple Square
48 bar reel
Easy
A1 (16) All circle left and right
A2 (16) Couple 1 visit (in promenade hold, go anticlockwise inside
the set, acknowledging each couple in turn)
B1 (8) Heads half right and left
(8) Sides half right and left
B2 (16) Grand chain halfway
C1 (16) Ladies wheel: waist hold with partner, women make a right
hand star
C2 (16) Turn around (as a couple) and promenade home
Repeat 3 more times with each couple in turn leading (when a side couple
is leading it is the sides who start the rights and lefts in B1)
The Heartbreaker
4 Couple Square
32 bar jig or reel
Easy
A1 (16) All circle left and right
A2 (16) Couple 1 visit (in promenade hold, go anticlockwise inside
the set, acknowledging each couple in turn)
B1 (16) Couple 1 dance the heartbreaker: 1s separate, go through the
nearest side couple, go around the outside to meet, then come
up through couple 3 to get back to place
B2 (16) All swing partner
A slight variation of Pete Coe's dance.
Jig a Jig Square
(version of Martyn Harvey's dance)
4 Couple Square
64 bar jig
Medium
A1 (16) Man 1 weaves around the set, passing partner on the inside,
then outside couple 2, inside couple 3, outside couple 4 to
place
A2 (16) Woman 1 weaves
B1 (8) All do si do partner
(8) All do si do corner
B2 (16) Balance and swing partner
C1 (8 Men left hand star
(8) Men right hand star. Stay in the star and pick up partner (hand
hold, not waist hold) for...
C2 (16) Star promenade once around (clockwise). Let go of the star but
keep partner's hand, raise it to make an arch. All stand still
except couple 1
D1/D2 (32) Couple 1 turn around and tunnel under the arches made by 2, 3
and 4. As soon as 1s have passed, 2s turn and follow them etc.
When 1s get home they arch, 2s and 3s likewise. Swing if there
is time left over
In D1, when the couple turn around they simply turn on the spot, turning
toward their partner so that they are facing anticlockwise with the man
on the left, woman on the right.
Second time through it is the 2s who weave and start the tunnelling etc.
This is a version of the dance by Martyn Harvey (from Thomas Green's dance
pages). There is the following comment "At a workshop, Martyn Harvey said
that the second time through the dance, the 1s always tried to follow the
2s through the tunnels instead of standing and waiting, so it needed to
be emphasized that they should wait. A suggestion was that couples should
turn round before tunnelling and go the other way through the arches."
This version takes up that suggestion, slightly rearranging the dance so
that the tunnelling still occurs in the "natural" direction (anticlockwise).
So I tried it out, and then...
The second time through, couple 1 immediately turned around and tried
to follow the 2s!
King George Square
by Phil Wilson
4 Couple Square
64 bar jig
Medium
A1 (8) Set twice to partner (or hold both hands and step kick twice)
(8) Swing partner
A2 (16) Repeat with corner. Finish in original place
B1 (8) All 4 ladies chain across
(8) Promenade halfway, so the women are back home
B2 (8) All 4 ladies chain across
(8) Promenade halfway, so everyone is home
C1/C2 (32) Square strip the willow: top men turn right arm 3/4, then
turn that woman left arm, repeat until men turn their
partner into place
D1 (16) All circle left for 16 steps
D2 (16) Promenade once around
Second time through the side men do the strip the willow, then
the top women, then the side women.
Roll Out the Daryl
by Peter Foster
4 couple square
Music: Beer Barrel Polka (48+32)*4
Medium
Nominate one man in the set as Daryl.
Have the women note their starting position (the women always return to
their home place each time through the dance)
A1 (8) Daryl couple and couple opposite galop in and out
(8) Same two couples polka across
A2 (8) Everyone galop in and out
(8) Everyone polka halfway around
B1 (8) Partner do si do
(8) Partner right hand turn (actually 1+1/4, but who's counting)
B2 (16) Men star left halfway, pick up opposite woman in a waist hold,
star promenade halfway (so men are back to where they started the
star), then butterfly whirl in place (butterfly whirl: still in the
waist hold, turn as a couple, man moving backwards, woman forwards)
C1 (8) All 4 ladies chain 1 place only
(8) All 4 ladies chain 1 more place
C2 (8) All 4 ladies chain 1 more place (this is your new partner)
(8) With new partner, forward and back, take hands in a circle, Daryl
drop left hand and...
Chorus ("Roll out the Daryl")
D1 (16) Daryl leads the set out to a line. Then all face partner
D2 (16) Half reel of 8 (ie until you meet this same person again)
E1 (16) Swing this person, finish in a promenade hold facing back the way
you came
E2 (16) Promenade to the *woman's* home place (swing if time left over)
Note that in the promenade, Daryl is again leading. On the way home he
needs to turn left so that everyone is promenading anticlockwise around
their set. The promenade is less than once around (even Daryl only
promenades about 3/4 around, the others less)
Repeat 3 more times to get everyone back to their starting position.
Daryl remains the same man throughout the dance. Note that since Daryl changes
position, the lead out to a line is done in a different direction each time.
So this dance is a contender for the title of "the four couple dance that requires
the most space".
The lead out should be done by Daryl going directly to his left. Ideally he should
keep going in a straight line but he may need to deviate in order to avoid other
sets (or walls).
The dance can be made a bit less chaotic by having all Daryls in the same position,
so that all sets lead out in the same direction (for example, make man 4 Daryl, so
that all sets lead out in the direction of down the hall). Similarly, if you change the
dance so that you promenade to the man's home place then the lead out is always the same.
This makes it slightly easier, but I like the chaos of lines going every which way.
(See The Fishermen's Reel for a slightly simpler version)
The tune is the Beer Barrel Polka (pdf).
Everyone knows the chorus ("roll out the barrel...") but the verse is much less known.
It's 48 bars long, which combined with the 32 bar chorus makes for a dance of unusual length.
Written for Daryl Powell to celebrate his 65th birthday.
The Fishermen's Reel
by Peter Foster
4 couple square
Music: 4x64 bar jig or reel
Medium
The men are the fishermen, man 3 is the captain.
A1 (4) Head couples start half right and left
(4) As the heads cross, side couples half right and left
(8) Heads half right and left to get home
(check: heads are home, sides are not)
A2 (8) Men left hand star 3/4 (to corner)
(8) Everyone swing
B1 (16) Grand chain halfway around the set. Swing if time
B2 (8) All 4 ladies chain across. This is your new partner
(8) Everyone go forward and back, taking hands in a circle
ready to "go fishing"
Go fishing:
C1 (16) The captain (now in fourth place) goes straight down the hall to
lead the set out to a line. Everyone face partner
C2 (16) Half reel of 8 (ie until you meet this same person again)
D1 (16) Swing this person, finish in a promenade hold facing up
D2 (16) Promenade to the man's home place (swing if time left over)
(note that in the promenade the captain is again leading. He needs to
lead up to where the set was, then turn left so that everyone is
promenading anticlockwise around their set)
Men are home, the women have progressed one place.
This is a simpler version of Roll Out the Daryl, with standard length music
and a less chaotic lead out (but do try the chaotic version. It's more fun)
The theme is simple: the men are fishermen, the women are fish. The "going
fishing" symbolises throwing out the line, hooking and landing a fish, then
the men bring their catch home. Tell this to the dancers at your own peril!
Stour County Quadrille
4 Couple Square
32 bar waltz
Medium
(numbers in parentheses are bar counts)
Figure 1
A1 (8) Head couples waltz halfway around the outside
A2 (8) Side couples repeat
Chorus
All women turn to face out, take right hands with partner, left
with corner to make a wavy circle
B1 (2) Balance forward and back
(2) Right hand half turn. Take hands again in a wavy circle,
this time with the men facing out
(2) Balance
(2) Left hand half turn
B2 (4) Balance and right hand half turn
(4) Balance and left hand half turn
Everyone is now home
Figure 2
A1 (4) Heads take ballroom hold and slide in and out
(4) Heads waltz halfway across the set
A2 (8) Sides repeat
Repeat chorus to get home
Figure 3
A1 (8) Heads right hand star halfway, then continue to turn
partner right hand on the opposite side
A2 (8) Sides repeat
Repeat chorus to get home
Figure 4
A1 (4) Head ladies chain across by the right hand and turn
the opposite man left hand
(4) Side ladies repeat
A2 (4) Head men chain across by the left hand and turn
the opposite woman right hand
(4) Side men repeat
Repeat chorus to get home
Figure 5
A (16) Starting with corner, everyone waltz chain to the other side
(ie balance and turn lady under man's right arm, 4 times)
Repeat chorus to get home
That is 5x32 bars. You can add another 32 bars for a waltz the set and
waltz the hall.
In this dance, the figures get everyone accross the set, then the chorus
gets everyone back home. Feel free to mix and match figures (or even
make up new ones, eg pass through and turn partner right hand).
Any comments - email pfoster@pcug.org.au
Last modified 22 July 2008