THE DURROW THRESHING SET

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
	1^st gent and 2^nd 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 (1^st sides R of 1^st tops).	32 bars
3	Top couples repeat 1. and 2^nd gent and 1^st lady swing in the centre.	32 bars
4	Side couples repeat 1. 2^nd gent and 1^st 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 1^st couple makes an arch for the 2^nd couple to dance through as they change places, drop hands, ½ turn inwards and again take hands, this time the 2^nd couple making the arch, and dance back to place.	8 bars
	Ladies chain.	8 bars
	Three and one: 1^st couple stand with R shoulder hold while 2^nd couple swings across the set to leave the 2^nd lady beside the 1^st gent who takes her L hand on her L shoulder (8 bars). 2^nd gent takes both ladies' inside hands and the formation dances across the set (2 bars), the ladies turn outwards to finish beside the 2^nd 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 1^st couple swinging across the set.	64 bars
4	Side couples repeat 1. with 1^st 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

Top couples house around each other.

8 bars

Advance, retire, and crossover, with R hands in R:

Top Couples	Side 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

Ladies chain with top ladies leading, followed by sides and back to face partners and take waltz hold.

8 bars

Turning square: couples dance into their 2^nd 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 1^st corner's place and back home (8 bars).

16 bars

Side couples house around each other.

8 bars

Advance, retire and crossover, side couples leading.

32 bars

Ladies chain, led by side ladies.

8 bars

Turning square.

8 bars

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 2^nd 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.

Ladies

RhR

Gents

LhL

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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List of Sets 1

Glossary