Table of Contents
Glendeven
Dance by Alisa Dodson
Tune : Glendeven, by Allen Dodson
Longways, duple minor: AAB ad lib.
Al 1-4 1M and the 2s hey halfway, IM ending in the center of the set, facing the 2s (who have changed places): 5-8 1M and the 2s circle left once and a little bit more, spiraling out of the circle to end in lines, with the 2s in the men's line and 1M in the second woman's place (women are above their partners). A2 1-4 1W and the 2s (who are across from her) hey halfway, IW. ending in the center of the set, facing the 2s (who have changed places); 5-8 1W and the 2s circle left once and a little bit more, spiraling out of the circle to end in longways lines, progressed and improper. B1 1-2 First corners cross (as a half-gypsy and falling back, as in Hole in the Wall); 3-4 Second corners cross as above; 5-8 Circle four once around. 9-12 Half rights-and-lefts with hands, ending facing up or down; 13-16 Fall back, passing neighbor by the left shoulder, then go forward, passing right shoulder. 17-20 Half double-figure eights: 1s crossing up to begin; 2s casting down.
Alisa wrote the dance and Allen wrote the music for their wedding in 1993. Glendeven is an inn and art gallery on the California coast, near Mendocino.
Mignonette
Dance by Jan Dale
Tune: Mignonette by Terry Willetts
Longways, duple minor, AABB ad lib.
Al 1-4 First corners turn by the right hand: 5-8 Partners back-to-back passing right shoulder. A2 1-4 Second corners turn by the left hand: 5-8 Neighbors back-to-back passing left shoulder. B1 1 1s lead down three steps while 2s move up the outside three steps: 2 All turn in towards partner three steps, finishing facing in the opposite direction (i.e., 1s face up; 2s face down). 3-4 All fall back six steps (i.e., 1s with hands joined falling back down the set and 2s on the outside falling back up the set); 5-6 All dance forward three steps (Is up, 2s down); turn in three steps towards partner and face in the opposite direction (1s facing down, 2s facing up) 7-8 All fall back to original places. B2 1-2 Handy-hand turn on the line for six steps (the two women by the left and the two men by the right); 3-4 1s cross down and cast up while 2s go up the outside and cross down. 5-6 1s cross down while 2s go up the outside; 7-8 2s half-gypsy left shoulder and drop back while the 1s turn ba down and away to end all proper, progressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8GwXNXjhGQ
Mignonette (Reseda odorata) is a plant, once popular in cottage gardens, and
appreciated for its sweet perfume. Jan adds that her husband worked as a
botanist retiring; hence the flower names for many of her dances.
Nowton Park
Dance by Ron Coxall
Tune: Miss Mills Strathspey
Longways triple minor, triple progression: AABB ad lib.
Al 1-4 1s cast down one place and turn two hands halfway: 5-8 1s cast down another place and turn two hands halfway: all end facing down. A2 1-4 1s lead their respective lines in a cast up to invert the set (order is now 1-3-2); 5-8 3s (in the lead) and 1s lead down through the 2s and cast back (order is now 3-1- 2). B1 1-4 Circle six halfway; 5-8 Partners set and turn two hands halfway (ending 2-1-3). B2 1-4 1sand 3s half-poussette (IM pulling) to end 2s - 3s - 1s; 5-8 1s and new 2s (who are below) half-poussette, IM pushing.
Ron notes that if you start with no neutral couples, no one will ever stand out
at the ends, while if you dance this as a six-couple set, everyone will be 1s
for two rounds of the dance.
Miss Mills Strathspey comes from an undated and untitled book of 24 dance tunes bought some years ago by a Mr. Neville Blackburne when a country house was being cleared prior to its being used as a school. Heather Bexon and Ron Coxall selected twelve of the tunes they liked the best, and Ron devised dances to go with them, now published in The Blackburne Tunes.
Ram Meadow
Dance by Ron Coxall,
Tune: Miss Bayne's Reel
Longways, duple minor: AB ad lib.
Al 1-4 First corners back to back: 5-8 1s and 2s right-hands across. A2 1-4 Second corners back to back: 5-8 1s and 2s left-hands across. B1 1-8 1s lead down the middle, dance back, and cast down below the 2s, who move up. B2 1-4 All right-hand turn on the right diagonal; 5-8 Partners left-hand turn, moving up. Ron writes that he originally wanted a simple dance with a down the middle and back figure in it, but now he usually teaches the following: Bl 1-4 2s half-figure eight up through the 1s; 5-8 1s half-figure eight down through the 2s. B2 1-4 Circle four to the left halfway and turn single to the left. 5-8 Partners turn by the left hand.
Rowen
Dance by Jan Dale 1998).
Tune: Shimmering Waters, by Brian Jenkins
3 couple longways, AABIB2 x 3
Al 1-2 All turn single up and away from partners (men left, women right), into a ... | 3-8 Crossover hey (i.e. 1s cross down through the middle to begin, while 2s and 3s remain on their own side.) A2 1-6 Crossover hey (as before) with one extra change so that 1s end in the middle position, proper (order 2s - 1s - 3s); 7-8 All turn single down and away (men right, women left). BI 1-2 Is turn their first corners by the right hands; 3-4 Is turn second corners by the left hands three-quarters to end in a diagonal line with the 1s in the middle facing each other. TOP. 2W 1M 1W 3M 5-8 These four dancers on the diagonal, dance half a hey, 1s passing right shoulders to begin and ending with a half-gypsy, right shoulder, into middle place; meanwhile, the remaining two dancers move clockwise around the outside of the set into each other's places. (End 3-1-2, all improper.) B2 1-4 Circle 6 to the left all the way around. ("Drive it!) 5-6 Partners turn halfway by the right, retaining hands; 7-8 Bernard Bentley" allemande (viz., partners retaining right hands, woman moves forward towards partner and back while man dances around his partner clockwise). End 3-1-2
Rowen is a small village in the Conwy Valley, North Wales, where Jan and John Dale dance. The tune, Shimmering Waters, was inspired by the lakes, Llyn Crafnant and Llyn Geirionydd, above the Conwy Valley (Llyn is the Welsh word for lake).
Watkins Ale
Dance by Scott Higgs,
Tune: Traditional, circa 1590
Four couples, irregular form: AABBC x 4
This dance evolves from 2-couple sets to a 4-couple longways, then to a square. Start in two 2-couple sets, facing head-to-head. See diagrams.
Al 1-4 All lead forward a double (toward the other set) and fall back. A2 1-4 All lead away from the other set and fall back. B1 1-4 Shuttles: end couples give two hands and chassez (4 slip steps) between their companion couples, who chassez up or down the outside. Partners two-hand turn halfway. B2 1-4 Repeat to places (with other dancers in the middle, and always joining hands to move in from the ends). C 1-4 End couples dance half figures of eight around companion Couples; 5-8 Middle couples dance half figures of eight around their companion (end) couples. End in a 4-couple longways set (some improper). Al 1-4 Partners shoulder-to-shoulder side right; A2 1-4 Partners side left. B1 1-4 Giving hands, all fall back in lines, then move forward to cross over with partner; 5-8 All skip (clockwise) halfway around the set to new places. (End couples are still at ends—see diagram.) C 1-4 Draw poussettes: End men draw their partners halfway around the set (clockwise) to change places, ending at the head positions of a square; 5-8 Middle men then draw their partners in a smaller loop (clockwise), to change places and continue an additional place to end at the side positions of a square. Al 1-4 In this square formation, Partners arms right: A2 1-4 Partners arm left. B1 1-4 The four women dance half a right-hand star, and turn the opposite man by the left halfway (as in an “open” ladies chain; B2 1-4 Men dance half a right-hand star, and turn their partners (in opposite place) by the left three-quarters. All now have left hand joined with partner, and are facing around the square (women clockwise, men anti-clockwise) toward next neighbor. C 1-8 Grand chain halfway around the set to home places in the square (fairly slow, wide turns). Partners two-hand turn once around. Al, A2 1 - 8 All dance a slipping circle left and right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E84hUNKbyXs
Scott says: “This lovely tune is best known for its celebrated bawdy ballad. Thanks to Maryann Ballard for suggesting its suitability for dancing. In the choreography, I try to reflect the moods of the sections: A music proclaims, B music lilts, C music unwinds. Keyboard players will find an ornamented version in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. In the penultimate figure, the grand chain starts by right hand, then left, with the final right hand more of a pass-by than a turn. This enables a smooth transition info turning partners.”
Scott adds that the dance is much easier than it looks. “In teaching, it proves sufficient for dancers to identify themselves with end or middle roles. Please do not give dancers numbers—they are indicated here simply as an aid in decoding the instructions, thus Mi(e) is first man, with an end role, while © identifies a middle role.”
Willy Nilly
Dance by Robin Hayden
Tune: Traditional
Longways duple minor, AABB ad lib.
Al 1-4 Partners up a double and back. A2 1-4 Cast & lead: 1s cast and lead up while 2s lead up and cast. B1 1-8 Double figure 8, beginning with 1s casting and 2s crossing up. B2 1-4 Is and 2s circle left once round; 5-8 Partners set (settling) 7-8 1s cast, 2s lead up
Robin composed this dance for the occasion of the Monday Night Dance's settling in at the North Hadley Village Hall.
The Weobley Dance
Dance traditional, 1910
Tune The Bottom of the Punchbowl.
Three couple longways, AABB x 3
Al 1-8 1M dances between 2M and SW and around the 2W. then around 2M to go around 3M and dance back to place on the Outside of 2M, while IW dances between 2W and 3W and and 3W, then around 2W, around 2M. back around 2W and back to place. Move briskly. A2 1-8 Repeat the figures, with IM dancing the 1W track, and the IW dancing 1M's track. Move briskly. Bl 1-8 1s down the middle and back and cast to the foot of the set. B2 1-8 Partners swing.
The Weobley Dance or the Weabley Six Hand Reel (pronounced “Web-ly”) was contributed by folklorist and dancer Tony Foxworthy to the Winter 1993 issue of ED&S, the EFDSS' periodical as it was titled then. It was collected by Mrs. Ella Mary Leather in about 1910. Tony writes:
“Mrs. Leather was born in Herefordshire and spent most of her life in Webley, a small village northwest of Hereford City. A folklorist, she collected quite a substantial number of folk songs and a few dances, and produced a book, Folklore of Herefordshire, in 1912. Mrs. Leather noted six triple minor dances. which over a period of time became three-couple set dances. It is interesting to note that Cecil Sharp collected a dance from one of the villages that Mrs. Leather had noted a dance from, but with a different figure than the one she observed.“