Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
| First Figure - The Square (Reels) | 160 bars |
| 1 | Lead around: partners take crossed hand hold in front and dance around anti-clockwise to place, the gents turning the ladies under both arms into waltz hold on the last 2 bars. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Top couples: 1st gent and 2nd lady pass by and swing: they dance in, passing L shoulder to L shoulder, ½ turn L to face each other (4 bars) and swing with waltz hold (4 bars) to end with their backs to their own place. | 8 bars |
| Pass through: each couple dances through the other, ladies in the centre, each dancer R shoulder to R shoulder with the opposite lady/gent. Partners then pass each other L shoulder to L shoulder to exchange places and turn in. Couples dance through each other R shoulder to R shoulder and partners pass L shoulder to L shoulder back to place. Side couples dance the last 2 bars in place. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Swing corners, each gent with the lady on his L. | 8 bars |
| Swing partners. | 8 bars | |
| 5 | Top couples repeat 3. with 2nd gent and 1st lady leading. | 16 bars |
| 6 | Swing corners.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 7 | Side couples now dance 3. with 1st gent ( L of 1st tops)and 2nd lady leading. | 16 bars |
| 8 | Swing corners.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 9 | Side couples now repeat 3. with 2nd gent and 1st lady leading. | 16 bars |
| 10 | Swing corners.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 11 | House around, doubling the last 2 steps. | 8 bars |
| Second Figure - Turn the Lady (Reels) | 192 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 2 | 1st top couple: House within the set. | 8 bars |
| Turn the lady: partners face each other and the gent dances in place, turning his partner 4 times clockwise under R arm. | 8 bars | |
| Pass by: partners pass R shoulder to R shoulder and turn into line, gent with 2nd side couple and lady with 1st side couple (4 bars). They pass back, again R shoulder to R shoulder, and, as they pass and dance into line with the opposite side couples, 2nd top couple separate and fall back into the line nearest them while side couples dance in place (4 bars). | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Advance and retire: all take hands in lines and advance and retire twice, only side couples retiring the second time, with tops couples dancing in place to reform the set. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| 5 | 2nd top couple now dance 2. | 24 bars |
| 6 | Advance and retire.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 7 | 1st side couple now dance 2. | 24 bars |
| 8 | Advance and retire, only top couples retiring the second time.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 9 | 2nd side couple now dance 2. | 24 bars |
| 10 | Advance and retire.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 11 | House around, doubling the last 2 steps. | 8 bars |
| Third Figure - Face to Face (Reels) | 144 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 2 | Ladies advance and retire twice, bowing heads to the opposite lady on the second advance, while gents stand. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Gents advance and retire, advance again and bow their heads, take L hands in the centre, tops beneath sides, on the last 2 bars. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Wheel: partners take waist hold and all wheel anti-clockwise round to place, drop hands, gents turn clockwise and ladies anti-clockwise to face back the way they came (8 bars). Gents take R hands in the centre and waist hold with their partners, and all wheel back to place and into a big christmas (8 bars). | 16 bars |
| 5 | Swing eight: all swing clockwise for 8 bars, making 1½ full circles, and jump to change feet on the last beat of the 8th bar. They then swing anti-clockwise 1½ turns back to place. | 16 bars |
| 6 | Swing partners.
Ladies advance and retire. Gents advance, retire and take hands. Wheel around and back. Swing eight. |
56 bars |
| 7 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| 8 | House around, doubling the last 2 steps. | 8 bars |
| Fourth Figure - Wheel and Swing (Reels) | 192 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 2 | Top couples: 1st couple house within the set. | 8 bars |
| Both couples lead around: partners take crossed hand hold in front and lead round clockwise within the set to finish facing the couple they passed first. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Wheel R and L: couples facing each other now wheel R hand (4 bars) and L hand back to place. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Swing four: the same couples now join up to swing clockwise (7 bars) and back to place on the last bar. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Top couples:2nd couple house within. | 8 bars |
| Both couples lead around anti-clockwise, to finish facing the couple they passed first. | 8 bars | |
| 7 | Wheel R and L.
Swing four. Swing partners. |
24 bars |
| 8 | Side couples now dance 2. | 16 bars |
| 9 | Wheel R and L.
Swing four. Swing partners. |
24 bars |
| 10 | Side couples now dance 6. | 16 bars |
| 11 | Wheel R and L.
Swing four. Swing partners. |
24 bars |
| 12 | House around, doubling the last 2 steps. | 8 bars |
| Fifth Figure - The Line (Reels) | 192 bars |
| 1 | Lead around.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 2 | Chain and line-up: Partners face each other, R hand in R hand, chain to meet in the opposite place and turn once with waltz hold (8 bars). They continue to chain in the same direction for the next 6 bars and then form a single line, each gent behind his lady, with 1st tops leading and facing out of the set. 1st sides fall in behind 1st tops while 2ndtops are last in line. | 16 bars |
| NOTE: Each side couple moves into their R of the notional gap between first and last couples. | ||
| 3 | Slide L and R: Gents slide L and ladies slide R, dancing 1 2, 1 2, 1 2, 123 (4 bars). Gents slide R and ladies L with longer steps so the lines pass through each other to finish in line with side couples' places (4 bars). On the last bar, all turn inwards and take hands so that the line of gents faces the line of ladies. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Advance and retire: lines advance and retire twice. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Dance back and swing partners: all dance into their own positions and take waltz hold (4 bars). Couples then swing in place (4 bars). | 8 bars |
| 6 | Chain and line-up behind 2nd top couple. NOTE
that places in the line remain the same, but dancers have turned to face in
the opposite direction, gent behind lady.
Slide L and R. Advance and retire. Dance back and swing partners. |
40 bars |
| 7 | Chain and line-up behind 1st side couple. Sides
are now first and last and top couples move into their R of the gap between
the sides.
Slide L and R. Advance and retire. Dance back and swing partners. |
40 bars |
| 8 | Chain and line-up behind 2nd side couple. Side
couples first and last, top couples to their R of the gap between the sides.
Slide L and R. Advance and retire. Dance back and swing partners. |
40 bars |
| 9 | House around, doubling the last 2 steps. | 8 bars |
| STEPS The set should be danced with the Clare-style reel step and should not be battered. |
| SOURCE Donncha O Muineachain in Birmingham, January 1991. NOTE: The ‘Rule’ noted at 5.2 above is of my own derivation. I have found that dancers learn the Line more readily by applying this rule than by attempting to remember their numerical positions in the four line sequences. Furthermore, the basic rule i.e. moving right rather than left into line, seems to apply to ‘Line’ figures in other sets also, thereby simplifying the movement. |