Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
| First Figure - The Swing (Polkas) | 104 bars |
| 1 | 1st top gent and 2nd top lady dance in and swing with ceili hold, falling back to place on the last 2 bars. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Swing corners, each gent with the lady on his L. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| 4 | 2nd top gent and 1st top lady dance in and swing. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Swing corners.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 6 | 1st side gent (L of 1st tops) and 2nd side lady dance in and swing. | 8 bars |
| 7 | Swing corners.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 8 | 2nd side gent and 1st side lady dance in and swing. | 8 bars |
| 9 | Swing corners.
Swing partners and clap on the last beat of the 8th bar. |
16 bars |
| Second Figure - The Lines (Polkas) | 104 bars |
| 1 | 1st top couple house within the set. On the last 2 bars, side couples separate and walk into line with the nearest top couple to form 2 lines of four with crossed hands held behind. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Advance and retire twice, battering in (2 bars) and walking back 1, 2, 3, 4, both times. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Swing: couples reform and swing partners. | 8 bars |
| 4 | 2nd top couple house within and sides again walk into line. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Advance and retire.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 6 | 1st side couple house within and top couples walk into line. | 8 bars |
| 7 | Advance and retire.
Swing partners. |
16 bars |
| 8 | 2nd side couple house within and tops again walk into line. | 8 bars |
| 9 | Advance and retire.
Swing partners and clap. |
16 bars |
| Third Figure - Lead Around (Polkas) | 136 bars |
| 1 | Top couples house around each other twice. | 16 bars |
| 2 | Double lead around: ladies dance across their partners to face anti-clockwise in the centre while the gents quarter turn clockwise. Couples take waist hold and lead around to place, partners changing places, the gents passing behind the ladies, on the last bar (8 bars). The lead around is then repeated back to place. | 16 bars |
| 3 | Side couples house around each other twice. | 16 bars |
| 4 | Double lead around. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Top couples house around each other twice.
Double lead around. |
32 bars |
| 6 | Side couples house around each other twice.
Double lead around and clap. |
32 bars |
| Fourth Figure - The Chain (Polkas) | 144 bars |
| 1 | Chain: Partners face each other, R hand in R, chain around to meet in the opposite place and batter the last 2 bars (8 bars). They then chain on and batter the last 2 bars at home (8 bars). | 16 bars |
| 2 | Top couples:1st couple house within the set. | 8 bars |
| Both couples house around each other. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Chain. | 16 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now dance 2.
Chain. |
32 bars |
| 5 | Top couples now repeat 2, 2nd couple leading.
Chain. |
32 bars |
| 6 | Side couples now repeat 2, 2nd couple leading.
Chain and clap. |
32 bars |
| Fifth Figure - Circle (Polkas) | 184 bars |
| 1 | Circle: all join hands in a circle and advance and retire twice, battering in both times. | 8 bars |
| 2 | Swing partners. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Top couples:
Balance and cross: keeping waltz hold and facing centre, couples dance in and back (4 bars), then house across to the opposite place (4 bars). They repeat the whole 8 bar movement back home. |
16 bars |
| House around each other. | 8 bars | |
| 4 | Circle.
Swing. |
16 bars |
| 5 | Side couples: Balance and cross.
House around each other. |
24 bars |
| 6 | Circle.
Swing. |
16 bars |
| 7 | Top couples now repeat 3.
Circle. Swing. |
40 bars |
| 8 | Side couples now repeat 3.
Circle. Swing and clap. |
40 bars |
| STEP The batter, which apart from one shuffle is just a series of stamps, is used to mark the last 2 bars of the introduction to each Figure, when meeting partners in the chain and whenever an advance and retire or in and out movement is danced. Where once it was only the men who battered, now the ladies join the fun! The underlined foot bears the weight and 'h' indicates where the heel strikes the floor, is immediately lifted and the same foot placed down again to bear the weight.
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| SOURCE Roisin Corbett of Killenaule, Co.Tipperary, at her class in St.Finbarr's, Coventry, 1991/2 |
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