THE LEITRIM JIG 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 - The Crossover (Jigs)

120 bars

1	Top couples crossover: ladies exchange places, R to R, immediately followed by the gents, R to R (6 bars). Dancers turn clockwise in place (2 bars) and repeat the movement back home.	16 bars
2	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out: all face partners and dance the step in place (8 bars), swing with ceili hold (6 bars), face centre and dance the last 2 bars in place.	16 bars
3	Side couples crossover.	16 bars
	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars
4	Top couples ladies chain R hands in the centre, L to turn the opposite gent and pass back R to R.	8 bars
	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars
5	Side couples ladies chain.	8 bars
	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars

Second Figure - Advance and Retire (Reels)

88 bars

Advance and retire: 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, no hands held.	Retire.	(2 bars)
Dance in place.	Change places, as tops.	(2 bars)
		12 bars
The whole movement is then repeated back home.		12 bars

Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.

16 bars

Advance and retire, side couples leading.

24 bars

Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.

16 bars

Third Figure - Dance Past and Swing (Jigs)

168 bars

1	Top couples: 1^st gent and 2^nd lady dance past, R to R (4 bars), fall back, L to L, to place (4 bars), dance in and swing (8 bars), their partners dancing in to join them on the last 2 bars.	16 bars
	Both couples circle: they join hands in a circle and dance around anti-clockwise to place.	8 bars
	All dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	8 bars
	2^nd gent and 1^st lady dance past and swing.	16 bars
	Circle.	8 bars
2	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars
3	Side couples now lead to dance 1.	64 bars
4	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars

Fourth Figure - The 'T' (Reels)

168 bars

1	Top couples dance the ‘T’: both couples take R hands in R, 2nd couple dancing in place with 2^nd lady facing out of the set. 1^st couple advance, retire and advance to 2^nd couple (6 bars) and 2^nd gent takes 1^st lady's L hand and turns both ladies outwards and into line either side of him, his hands resting on their outer shoulders (2 bars). 1^st gent takes both ladies' inside hands and the formation crosses the set, retires, crosses again, and retires to the centre (8 bars).	16 bars
	Swing opposites: each gent takes his opposite lady and swings her back to his place (6 bars) and the ladies cross back home, R to R, on the last 2 bars.	8 bars
	All dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars
	Dance the 'T' a second time, with 2^nd couple leading. Swing opposites.	24 bars
2	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars
3	Side couples dance the 'T'.	64 bars
4	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars

Fifth Figure - Circle (Jigs)

104 bars

1	Circle: all join hands in a circle and advance and retire twice, facing partners to step it out on the last 2 bars.	8 bars
2	Face corners, swing, and step it out: all face corners to dance the step (8 bars), swing corners into the gent's place and step it out (8 bars).	16 bars
3	Circle. Face corners, swing, and step it out.	24 bars
4	Circle. Face corners, swing, and step it out.	24 bars
5	Circle. Face corners, swing, and step it out.	16 bars

Sixth Figure - Gents Change (Reels)

136 bars

1	Advance and retire twice, R hands in R.	8 bars
2	House with corners: ladies dance across to their corner gent and new couples house around to the lady’s place.	8 bars
3	Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	16 bars
4	Advance and retire. House with corners. Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	32 bars
5	Advance and retire. House with corners. Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	32 bars
6	Advance and retire. House with corners. Dance opposite, swing, and step it out.	32 bars

STEPS
"The steps are in the nature of the dance and are traditional in the area - the steps are the core of the dance." - Martin Bolger.
The step used as both travelling and display step in all three jig figures is the double jig step. All dancers start on the R foot, the underline showing which foot, or part of the foot, bears the weight at that moment:

LhLt

RhRt

LhLt

RhRt

The reel travelling step is the basic reel step, danced quite flat.
The reel display step, used to 'step it out', is danced by all dancers on the same foot:
Brush R, hop L, back R 23, brush L, hop R, back L 23 - 2 bars - danced three times and followed by a 2 bar break step:
Brush hop back, brush hop back, brush hop back 23.

SOURCE
Francis and Martin Bolger at the Galway International Festival, March 1993 and at subsequent workshops in London and Galway in 1993 and 1994.

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List of Sets 1

Glossary