THE DURROW THRESHING SET

Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007

CORNERS AND CORNER COUPLES

(X = gent O = lady)


1st corner

X

 

O

2nd corner

couple

O

 

X

couple

1st corner

 

2nd corner

 

X O

 
 

Home place

 
First Figure - Circle and Wheel (Jigs) 184 bars
1 Long lead around anti-clockwise, R hand in R, dancing 2 steps into the next place and battering 2 steps in that place (4 bars).  The movement is repeated three times to get back home. 16 bars
2 Top couples:
Turn across and back:  Couples exchange places anticlockwise, ladies turning clockwise 2 turns under R arm (4 bars) and repeat the movement back home (4 bars).
8 bars
Balance in, R in R, dancing 2 steps into the set, battering 2 bars in place, retiring 2 steps and battering the last 2 bars at home. 8 bars
Wheel: with the same hold, gents dance in to take L hands and both couples wheel in line dancing 2 steps to the next place, where the gents batter 2 bars while the ladies turn clockwise under R arm (4 bars).  The movement is repeated three times, finishing with couples turning/battering at home, but with the gents' backs to the centre. 16 bars
Swing with ceili hold. 8 bars
3 Side couples now dance 2. 40 bars
4 Top couples repeat 2. 40 bars
5 Side couples repeat 2. and all swing to finish. 40 bars
Second Figure - Swing Opposites (Polkas) 136 bars
1 Top couples:
House around each other.
8 bars
Ladies chain R hand, L arm to turn the gent, R hand in the centre and L arm to turn partners. 8 bars
1st gent and 2nd lady swing in the centre (8 bars), dance past each other, R to R (2 bars) and swing partners (6 bars). 16 bars
2 Side couples now dance 1 (1st sides R of 1st tops). 32 bars
3 Top couples repeat 1. and 2nd gent and 1st lady swing in the centre. 32 bars
4 Side couples repeat 1. 2nd gent and 1st lady swing in the centre and all swing to finish. 32 bars
Third Figure - The Three and One (Polkas) 264 bars
1 Top couples:
House around each other.
8 bars
Arches: couples take inside hands and 1st couple makes an arch for the 2nd couple to dance through as they change places, drop hands, ½ turn inwards and again take hands, this time the 2nd couple making the arch, and dance back to place. 8 bars
Ladies chain. 8 bars
Three and one: 1st couple stand with R shoulder hold while 2nd couple swings across the set to leave the 2nd lady beside the 1st gent who takes her L hand on her L shoulder (8 bars).  2nd gent takes both ladies' inside hands and the formation dances across the set (2 bars), the ladies turn outwards to finish beside the 2nd gent, hands still held (2 bars), the formation dances back to the centre of the set (2 bars) where the ladies turn outwards, place their hands on the gents' shoulders and couples form a little christmas (2 bars). 16 bars
Swing four. 8 bars
Ladies chain out of the swing. 8 bars
Swing partners. 8 bars
2 Side couples now dance 1. 64 bars
3 Top couples repeat 1. with 1st couple swinging across the set. 64 bars
4 Side couples repeat 1. with 1st couple swinging across the set and all swing to finish. 64 bars
Fourth Figure - The Hop (Hornpipes) 152 bars
1 Top couples:
House and hop: house across to the opposite place, dancing the hornpipe step (2 bars), then double the step back to place: hop 1, hop 2, hop 3, hop 4 (2 bars).
Gents change: gents dance across, L to L, to face the opposite ladies (2 bars)
Clap and stamp: clap three times (1 bar) and stamp four times 12, 3, 4, de-dum dum dum(1 bar).
8 bars
House and hop with new partners
Gents change.
Clap and stamp.
8 bars
House and hop.
Gents change.
Clap and stamp.
8 bars
House and hop with new partners
Gents change.
Clap and stamp.
8 bars
House and hop. 4 bars
2 Side couples now dance 1. 36 bars
3 Top couples repeat 1. 36 bars
4 Side couples repeat 1. 36 bars
Fifth Figure - The Crossovers (Polkas) 144 bars
1 Top couples house around each other. 8 bars
2 Advance, retire, and crossover, with R hands in R:
Top CouplesSide Couples

Advance.

Dance in place.

(2 bars)
Retire. Advance. (2 bars)
Advance. Retire. (2 bars)
Retire. Advance. (2 bars)

Change places, anti-clockwise, ladies dancing ahead of the gents.

Retire and dance in place. (4 bars)
Dance in place. Change places, as tops.

(4 bars)

16 bars

The whole movement is then repeated back home. 16 bars
3 Ladies chain with top ladies leading, followed by sides and back to face partners and take waltz hold. 8 bars
4 Turning square: couples dance into their 2nd corner's place, ladies dancing backwards and the gents forwards (2 bars), and ¾ turn in place (2 bars).  Gents then reverse the ladies into the place opposite their own and ¾ turn (4 bars), and repeat into their 1st corner's place and back home (8 bars). 16 bars
5 Side couples house around each other. 8 bars
6 Advance, retire and crossover, side couples leading. 32 bars
7 Ladies chain, led by side ladies. 8 bars
8 Turning square. 8 bars
9 Swing. 8 bars
Sixth Figure - The Changeover (Jigs) 152 bars
1 Circle: all take hands in a circle and batter in and retire twice. 8 bars
2 Swing partners. 8 bars
3 Long lead around, this time with waist hold. 16 bars
4 Circle and changeover, ladies dancing across to the gent on their R as gents retire for the 2nd time. 8 bars
Swing new partners. 8 bars
Long lead around. 16 bars
5 Circle and changeover.
Swing.
Long lead around.
32 bars
6 Circle and changeover.
Swing.
Long lead around.
32 bars
7 Circle and changeover.
Swing partners.
16 bars
ENDNOTE
In the First Figure the gent's arm describes a full vertical circle as his lady turns under it in both the Turn across and back and Wheel.
STEPS
A battered jig step is used in the First and Sixth Figures for the Lead Around, Balance In and (gents only) Wheel. In the following description of the step the underlined foot bears the weight on that beat and the absence of an underline shows that that foot (or where Rh/Lh occurs, the R or L heel only) strikes the floor and is immediately raised again.

1

2

3

&

2

2

3

&

3

2

3

&

4

2

3

Ladies

R

L

R

L

L

R

L

RhR

L

RhR

L

RhR

L

RhR

L

Gents

L

R

L

R

R

L

R

LhL

R

LhL

R

LhL

R

LhL

R

Circle: the same heel-toe step is used here:

Ladies              L 23, L 23, L  23, L 23, cut L, cut R, and back 23.

Gents               R 23, R 23, R 23, R 23, cut R, cut L, and back 23.

SOURCE
Connie Ryan at Cecil Sharp House, London, February 1995. The set is a first cousin to the Castle/Cashel, Connie's 'home' set, and echoes some of its movements.

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