Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
FORMATION
Five couples form two lines, ladies and gents facing each other.
(X = gent O = lady)
| O | O | O | O | O |
| X | X | X | X | X |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| SEQUENCE |
| 1 | Advance and retire: the lines advance and retire twice (8 bars), all dance the Rise and Grind on the R foot then the L foot (4 bars) and the lines advance and retire again (4 bars).(see ENDNOTE) | 16 bars |
| 2 | R and L hand turn: the 1st gent and 5th lady dance into the centre, half turn each other R hand and dance back to place (4 bars). The same movement is then danced by the 5th gent and 1st lady (4 bars). | 8 bars |
| The same couples repeat the movement but this time half turn L hand. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Swing: the 1st gent and 5th lady dance into the centre, swing with céilí hold (see ENDNOTE) and dance back to place. | 8 bars |
| The same movement is then danced by the 5th gent and 1st lady. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Lace the shoe: the 1st gent and lady link R elbows (see ENDNOTE) and dance one full turn (2 bars), link L with the next couple, gent with the lady and lady with the gent, and turn once in place (2 bars), meet again to link R and turn in the centre (2 bars), link L to turn the next couple (2 bars), meet, link R and turn in the centre and so on until the dancing couple have turned all other couples. | 16 bars |
| The dancing couple meet again in the centre and swing back to separate and end in their original positions. | 8 bars | |
| 5 | Arch: the dancing couple cast off, gent L and ladies R, and march down to the bottom of the set where they join both hands to form an arch (4 bars). The other dancers follow, gents the gent and ladies the lady, and, on meeting their partners, take inside hands and pass under the arch and back up the set so that the 2nd couple is now in 1st couple's original place and the 1st couple is in 5th place (4 bars) | 8 bars |
| The sequence is repeated until each couple has danced it from the 1st position. |
| ENDNOTE I have also seen this movement danced : Advance and retire (4 bars), advance, retire and pass through R to R and half turn in place (4 bars); repeat the whole movement back home (8 bars). 16 bars The published source would have all swings done with crossed hand hold, but I have never seen this hold used by céilí dancers. When dancing the turns in the Lace the shoe movement, some dancers find it more comfortable to take R arm, rather than R elbow hold. This is done by laying the R forearms alonside each other, the hand gripping the other's elbow. This hold both facilitates a quick turn and also avoids the vice-like grip which some dancers exert when linking elbows. |
| PUBLISHED SOURCE "Ár Rinncidhe Foirne Thirty Popular Figure Dances Leabhar 1, 2, 3" page 45 |
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