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 - Jigs | 232 bars |
| 1 | Dance in place: taking waltz hold, all couples dance in place without turning. | 8 bars |
| 2 | House around. | 8 bars |
| 3 | 1st top couple: Show and square: they dance house within the set (8 bars), then slide 1, 2, 123 towards their 2nd corner couple and quarter turn clockwise (2 bars), slide towards their opposite couple and quarter turn clockwise (2 bars) then house back to place (4 bars). |
16 bars |
| Balance L: they turn to face their 1st corner couple and both couples, with waist hold, balance in and back twice. | 8 bars | |
| House around: top couples house around each other. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Swing corners: all gents swing their 1st corner lady. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 5 | 1st side couple (L of 1st tops) lead to dance 3. | 32 bars |
| 6 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 7 | 2st top couple lead to dance 3. | 32 bars |
| 8 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 9 | 2st side couple lead to dance 3. | 32 bars |
| 10 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 11 | Dance in place. House around. |
16 bars |
| Second Figure - Jigs | 264 bars |
| 1 | Dance in place. House around. |
16 bars |
| 2 | 1st top couple: Show and square. |
16 bars |
| Balance L and crossover: they turn to face their 1st corner couple and both couples, with waist hold, balance in and back (4 bars) then change places, ladies first passing R to R then gents passing L to L (4 bars). | 8 bars | |
| Balance and cross back: the movement is repeated back to place. | 8 bars | |
| House around, both top couples. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 4 | 1st side couple now lead to dance 2. | 40 bars |
| 5 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 6 | 2nd top couple now lead to dance 2. | 40 bars |
| 7 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 8 | 2nd side couple now lead to dance 2. | 40 bars |
| 9 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 10 | Dance in place. House around. |
16 bars |
| Third Figure - Jigs | 456 bars |
| 1 | Dance in place. House around. |
16 bars |
| 2 | 1st top couple: Show and square. |
16 bars |
| Balance L twice. | 8 bars | |
| Cross and swing: the dancing gent crosses to the lady on his L and swings. | 8 bars | |
| Balance and swing all round: the new couple balances with the couple on the L and the gent moves on to swing the next lady (16 bars). This movement is repeated twice more, the last couple balancing with the gent's partner before he crosses to swing her to end the movement (32 bars). | 48 bars | |
| House around, both top couples. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 4 | 1st side couple now lead to dance 2. | 88 bars |
| 5 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 6 | 2nd top couple now lead to dance 2. | 88 bars |
| 7 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 8 | 2nd side couple now lead to dance 2. | 88 bars |
| 9 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 10 | Dance in place. House around. |
16 bars |
| Fourth Figure - Jigs | 328 bars |
| 1 | Dance in place. House around. |
16 bars |
| 2 | 1st top couple: Show and square. |
16 bars |
| Top couples: Balance in, back, in and change places, the dancing lady and opposite gent changing places while their partners fall back to place. |
8 bars | |
| Balance in and back twice, the pairs of gents and ladies each with waist hold. | 8 bars | |
| Swing opposites: the dancing gent and lady each dance across to their opposite lady/gent and swing. | 8 bars | |
| Swing partners: gents cross back to their partners and swing. | 8 bars | |
| House around, both couples. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 4 | 1st side couple now lead to dance 2. | 56 bars |
| 5 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 6 | 2 top couple now lead to dance 2. | 56 bars |
| 7 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 8 | 2nd side couple now lead to dance 2. | 56 bars |
| 9 | Swing corners. Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 10 | Dance in place. House around. |
16 bars |
| Fifth Figure - Slides | 236 bars |
| 1 | Top couples:
House around each other. |
8 bars |
| Square the set twice: they slide 1, 2, 123 towards their 2nd corner couple and quarter turn clockwise (2 bars), slide towards their opposite place and quarter turn clockwise (2 bars) then house back home (4 bars). The movement is then repeated. | 16 bars | |
| House around each other. | 8 bars | |
| Square the set twice. | 16 bars | |
| House around each other. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Side couples now dance 1. | 56 bars |
| 3 | Top couples now repeat 1. | 56 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now repeat 1. | 56 bars |
| Sixth Figure - The Floating Reel (Reels) | 272 bars |
| 1 | Lead around with crossed hand hold in front. | 8 bars |
| Turn the ladies: with their backs to the centre, gents turn the ladies clockwise under L arm 4 full turns. | 8 bars | |
| Swing partners, with waltz hold. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Top couples:
Four sevens: couples dance hop 1234567 across the set, gents back to back. They make ¼ turn clockwise and dance sevens along that side of the set, make ¼ turn and dance back across the set, gents back to back, ¼ turn and dance into place. |
8 bars |
| House around each other. | 8 bars | |
| Gents cross over to opposite lady, R shoulder to R shoulder, and swing. | 8 bars | |
| Gents dance in and link L elbows in the centre (2 steps), dance 4x3s anti-clockwise and 2 doubled steps to finish beside their own partners. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Lead around.
Turn the ladies. Swing. |
24 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now dance 2. | 32 bars |
| 5 | Lead around.
Turn the ladies. Swing. |
24 bars |
| 6 | Top couples now repeat 2. | 32 bars |
| 7 | Lead around.
Turn the ladies. Swing. |
24 bars |
| 8 | Side couples now repeat 2. | 32 bars |
| 9 | Lead around.
Turn the ladies. Swing. |
24 bars |
| 10 | Four sevens.
House. |
16 bars |
| Seventh Figure - Crown the Lady (Reels) | 64 bars |
| 1 | 1st top couple: Show and square. |
16 bars |
| 2 | Top couples, keeping waltz hold, dance sevens in, back, in and while 2nd couple dance sevens back to place, 1st couple separate, the lady dancing sevens back to place while the gent dances 2x3s to finish beside 2nd top lady who turns to face him and place her hands on his shoulders while the gents take hands around her, R in L and L in R. | 8 bars |
| Crown the Lady: the trio dances sevens into the set and 2x3s in place (4 bars), back and in again with the same steps (8 bars), back with sevens (2 bars) drop hands and the 1st gent dances 2x3s back to his partner while the 2nd couple dance 2x3s into place, the lady turning to face her partner (2 bars). | 16 bars | |
| House around each other. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | All swing. | 8 bars |
| STEPS The 'down' jig step is used throughout the set, except where stated otherwise. |
| SOURCE Timmy McCarthy at his Priddy, Somerset workshop, May 1995. Timmy had the set from Dan O'Connell and told us that it was originally danced down in Kenmare. You may find it interesting to compare this version with that which is recorded, from the same source but some ten years earlier, by Terry Moylan in his booklet 'THE PIPER'S SET & other dances' 2nd edition, 1987 and note how it has changed and grown in the meantime. Timmy did tell me once when I questioned some slight change in a set he was teaching from one workshop session to the next, "I aim for honesty, not accuracy." So I think that what we have here is just one more example of the 'folk process' in action and surely this longer version would all the more easily fill a long winter evening. Timmy would have us believe that this set was named after the battle of Vittoria in the Penninsular War, rather than after the English Queen of the same name. But he also gave us 'Crown the Lady' as the Seventh Figure, although he did tell us he was not totally confident that he had the correct form. "Put it in the public forum", he said, "and it will settle down." The movement is danced once only, for, as Timmy said "You can only have one Queen."!! If you can throw any more light on this figure then I would be pleased to hear from you. |