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 - Pass Through (Polkas) | 112 bars |
| 1 | Tip and change: Taking waltz hold, all couples slide into the set, dancing tip1, tip2, tip123, tip back, tip2, tip123, and house round to the opposite place (8 bars). They then repeat the movement back to place. | 16 bars |
| 2 | Tip and swing: all tip in and out again and swing partners with waltz hold. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Top couples:
Advance and retire, R hand in R (4 bars), and pass through, gents on the outside (2 bars). Partners dance past each other, R to R, into position in the opposite place (2 bars). |
8 bars |
| 4 | Side couples advance, retire, and pass through. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Corner chain: top gents chain R hand with the gent on their L and gents give L hand to turn the corner ladies, R hand to pass each other again and L hand to their partners, bow, put R arms around the ladies to take R hands on the lady's hip, keeping L hands held and facing anti-clockwise. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Lead around back to place (4 bars) and turn once anti-clockwise in place keeping the same hold. | 8 bars |
| 7 | Swing. | 8 bars |
| 8 | Side couples advance, retire, and pass through.
Top couples advance, retire, and pass through. |
16 bars |
| 9 | Corner chain, side gents chaining with the gent on the L.
Lead around and turn. Swing. |
24 bars |
| Second Figure - The Gathering In (Polkas) | 168 bars |
| 1 | Tip and change.
Tip and swing. |
24 bars |
| 2 | Ladies R and L star: the ladies take R hands in the centre and dance around, turn in to take L hands and dance back past their partner and on to the next gent. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Swing new partners. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Tip and change.
Tip and swing. Ladies R and L star. Swing new partners. |
40 bars |
| 5 | Tip and change.
Tip and swing. Ladies R and L star. Swing new partners. |
40 bars |
| 6 | Tip and change.
Tip and swing. Ladies R and L star. Swing partners. |
40 bars |
| Third Figure -- Steal the Ladies (Reels) | 128 bars |
| 1 | Lead around, with waist hold, the lady's L hand on the gent's R shoulder. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Top gents steal the ladies: all advance and retire, keeping waist hold, advance and top gents put L arms around their corner ladies' waists and all retire, top gents each with 2 ladies. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Trios advance, retire, and ladies change places, crossing the set R to R, turning in to pass the next lady R to R and forming trios with the side gents. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Trios advance, retire, and ladies go home, again crossing R to R and turning in to pass R to R and into place. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Dance at home, turning twice. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Star and swing: top couples face their 1st corner couple, gents take R hands across and ladies take R hands below the gents. They dance around for 4 bars and the gents take both hands across, R in L and L in R as they continue round for 2 bars. Gents then raise both arms over the ladies' heads and down behind them as the ladies let go their hold and raise their arms inside the gents' hold to place their hands on the gents' shoulders as they dance the last 2 bars (8 bars). They then swing four. | 16 bars |
| 7 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| 8 | Side gents steal the ladies. | 8 bars |
| 9 | Trios advance, retire, and ladies change.
Trios advance, retire, and ladies go home. Dance at home. |
24 bars |
| 10 | Star and swing, side couples facing their 1st corner couples.
Swing partners. |
24 bars |
| Fourth Figure - The Hornpipe | 112 bars |
| 1 | Long quarterhouse: couples take waltz hold and dance hop1234567 into the set and back (4 bars), hop in23, hop back 23, and double round to the next place (4 bars). They repeat this movement from each place back home. | 32 bars |
| 2 | House around. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Half lead around, with waist hold, to the opposite place where the ladies turn twice clockwise in place while the gents dance back home to meet their opposite lady. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Long quarterhouse.
House around. Half lead around to meet partners in place. |
48 bars |
| 5 | House around. | 8 bars |
| STEP When dancing Tip and change and Tip and swing the step used is a brushed polka step, in which the toe of the foot briefly brushes the floor and is raised again before the weight is transferred to it on the count for that step. |
| SOURCES Connie Ryan at Cecil Sharp House, London, February 1994 and Mick Mulkerrin at The Catholic Chaplaincy, Liverpool, March 1995. |