Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
Couples form a square and take
crossed hand hold,
one couple in each corner:
(X = gent O = lady)
O X |
O X* |
|
X O* |
X O |
to begin the Full Square.
| First Figure - Ducks (Reels) | 56 bars |
| 1 | Full Square: Couples dance forward (1 bar) and each dancer ¼ turns - gents clockwise and ladies anticlockwise - into the 1st corner (1 bar). Ladies reverse the gents (1 bar) and dance ½ turn clockwise around them to finish side-by-side in the 2nd corner and facing the 3rd (1 bar). This 4 bar movement is then repeated to get home and face into the set. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Ducks: ladies of facing couples dance across their partners and around their halfset, each followed by her partner, dance through their partner’s position and ½ turn clockwise around him as both dance into place to face each other. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Swing with ceili hold, ending with a stamp on the last beat of the 8th bar. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Full Square.
Ducks. Swing. |
24 bars |
| Second Figure - Two Squares (Reels) | 72 bars |
| 1 | Full Square. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Dance in and out: partners face each other with the same hold and dance into the set (2 bars) and out to place (2 bars). | 4 bars |
| Half Square: couples dance the first 4 bars of the Full Square. | 4 bars | |
| Dance in and out. | 4 bars | |
| Half Square to get back home. | 4 bars | |
| Swing. | 4 bars | |
| 3 | Full Square.
Dance in and out. Half Square. Dance in and out. Half Square. Swing. |
32 bars |
| Third Figure - Four Squares (Reels) | 88 bars |
| 1 | Full Square. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Dance in and out.
Half Square. Dance in and out. Half Square. |
16 bars |
| 3 | Full Square. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Swing. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Full Square.
Dance in and out. Half Square. Dance in and out. Half Square. Full Square. Swing. |
40 bars |
| Fourth Figure - The Jig | 88 bars |
| 1 | Full Square. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Dance in and out. | 4 bars |
| Turn in place: with the same hold, couples turn clockwise once in place. | 4 bars | |
| Dance in and out. | 4 bars | |
| Turn in place: this time anticlockwise. | 4 bars | |
| 3 | Full Square. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Swing. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Full Square.
Dance in and out. Turn in place. Dance in and out. Turn in place. Full Square. Swing. |
40 bars |
| Fifth Figure - Ladies Crossover (Reels) | 104 bars |
| 1 | Full Square. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Dance in and out. | 4 bars |
| Ladies cross over: Ladies of each halfset change places starting off R to R and, as they pass, turn face-to-face, bow the head to each other and complete 1½ clockwise turns into position. Gents dance 1 turn clockwise in place. | 4 bars | |
| 3 | Swing, new couples. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Dance in and out. | 4 bars |
| Ladies cross back. | 4 bars | |
| 5 | Full Square. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Swing. | 8 bars |
| 7 | Full Square.
Dance in and out. Ladies cross over. Swing. Dance in and out. Ladies cross back. Full Square. |
40 bars |
| 8 | Swing four: couples of each halfset take crossed hand hold behind, L arm over and R arm under, each gent holding the next gent’s R wrist with his L hand and the ladies taking similar hold to form a basket and swing. | 8 bars |
| STEPS The step for the reel figures is danced with a 4 bar repeat pattern - hop 1, hop 2, hop 1 2 3 (2 bars), hop 1, hop 2, hop heelstep heelstep heelstep (2 bars). The ‘rising’ jig step is danced in the jig figure. |
| SOURCE Eileen O’Doherty at Priddy, Somerset, in May 1977. Eileen told us that the set is very popular in Killimor (on the N65) and is danced there with great attention to timing and the positioning of the dancers. It was originally, and still is, danced as a halfset, but is now also danced in the fullset form described here. |