Study Notes Copyright © William Lynch 2007
| Due to its length, the complete set is usually danced only at workshops these days! On other occasions four, five or six figures will generally suffice. |
CORNERS AND CORNER COUPLES
(X = gent O = lady)
1st corner |
X |
O |
2nd corner |
|
couple |
O |
X |
couple |
|
1st corner |
2nd corner |
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X O |
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Home place |
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| First Figure - Side Swings (Reels) | 168 bars |
| 1 | Top couples:
1st gent and 2nd lady dance past each other, R to R (4 bars), fall back L to L (4 bars), dance in and swing with ceili hold, falling back to place to take crossed hand hold with their partners. |
16 bars |
| Advance, retire and half diamond, dancing 2 steps to face their 1st corner couple and reversing 2 steps into the place opposite their own. | 8 bars | |
| Advance, retire and half diamond, dancing in to face their 2ndcorner couple and reversing 2 steps to place. | 8 bars | |
| All house with corners : each lady dances 1 step across to her corner gent who dances 1 step in place before beginning the house. On the last bar they separate, each finishing in his/her own place. | 8 bars | |
| 2nd gent and 1st lady dance past and swing. | ||
| Advance, retire, and half diamond.
Advance, retire, and half diamond back home. |
16 bars | |
| 2 | House with corners. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Side couples now lead to dance 1 (1st sides L of 1st tops). | 72 bars |
| 4 | House with corners. | 8 bars |
| Second Figure - Single Four Swings (Reels) | 128 bars |
| 1 | Top couples:
Advance, retire and advance, and on the last 2 bars the gents take hands across, R in L and L in R, and raise them over the ladies' heads and down behind them ready to swing. The ladies rest their hands on the gents' shoulders. |
8 bars |
| Swing four, dancers separating and falling back into line with their nearest side couple on the last 2 bars. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Advance and retire twice, hands joined in lines, the top couples dancing in place for the last 2 bars while sides retire. | 8 bars |
| 3 | House around, with own partners. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now dance 1. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Advance and retire.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 6 | Top couples now repeat 1. | 16 bars |
| 7 | Advance and retire.
House around. |
16 bars |
| 8 | Side couples now repeat 1. | 16 bars |
| 9 | Advance and retire.
House around. |
16 bars |
| Third Figure - Change Partners (Jigs) | 88 bars |
| 1 | Circle: all join hands in a circle and dance the step in place. | 8 bars |
| House around, with own partners. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Circle.
House with corners, each lady with the gent on her R and new couples finishing in the gent's place. |
16 bars |
| 3 | Circle.
House with corners. |
16 bars |
| 4 | Circle.
House with corners. |
16 bars |
| 5 | Circle.
House with corners. |
16 bars |
| Fourth Figure - Bringing Her In (Reels) | 168 bars |
| 1 | 1st top gent bring her in: the 1st couple dances in, R hand in R (2 bars), change places, the lady ˝ turning anti-clockwise under the gent's raised arm as he dances clockwise around her (2 bars), they dance out (2 bars) and again change places to face inwards, separate, and fall back into line with the nearest side couple (2 bars). | 8 bars |
| 2 | The horseshoe: all except the dancing couple take hands around and dance the step in place. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Grand chain: all face partners and chain slowly, R hand then L hand and taking 2 bars to pass each dancer, to meet back in place and take waltz hold. | 16 bars |
| 4 | House around. | 8 bars |
| 5 | 2nd top gent bring her in. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Horseshoe.
Grand chain. House around. |
32 bars |
| 7 | 1st side gent bring her in. | 8 bars |
| 8 | Horseshoe.
Grand chain. House around. |
32 bars |
| 9 | 2nd side gent bring her in. | 8 bars |
| 10 | Horseshoe.
Grand chain. House around. |
32 bars |
| Fifth Figure - The T (Reels) | 168 bars |
| 1 | Top couples dance the T: 1st couple take R hand in R and dance across towards the 2ndcouple who are dancing in place. On the 4th bar, the 1st gent takes the 2nd lady L hand in L and turns both ladies outwards underarm to finish beside him, the held hands resting on the ladies' outside shoulders. At the same time, the 2nd gent takes both ladies' inside hands to form the 'T'. The formation falls back across the set and on the 8th bar the 2nd gent pulls the ladies' hands to turn them in beside him to reverse the T. The formation again crosses the set (4 bars), dances in (2 bars), all drop hands and the gents take hands around the ladies while the ladies place their hands on the gents' shoulders ready to swing (2 bars). | 16 bars |
| Swing four. On the last 2 bars, all dance the step, while the dancing couples separate and fall back to place. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Step it out, partners facing each other. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Swing. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Top couples repeat the T, 2nd couple leading, and swing four. | 24 bars |
| 5 | Step it out.
Swing. |
16 bars |
| 6 | Side couples dance the T, 1st couple leading, and swing four. | 24 bars |
| 7 | Step it out.
Swing. |
16 bars |
| 8 | Side couples repeat the T, 2nd couple leading, and swing four. | 24 bars |
| 9 | Step it out.
Swing. |
16 bars |
| Sixth Figure - Advance and Retire (Jigs) | 128 bars |
| 1 | Top couples:
Advance and retire twice, R hand in R hand. |
8 bars |
| Half diamond left: with the same hold they dance 2 steps to face their 1st corner couple, fall back 2 steps into the place opposite their own (4 bars) and step it out (4 bars), partners facing each other. | 8 bars | |
| Swing. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | House around. | 8 bars |
| 3 | Side couples now dance 1. | 24 bars |
| 4 | House around. | 8 bars |
| 5 | Top couples now repeat 1. back to place. | 24 bars |
| 6 | House around. | 8 bars |
| 7 | Side couples now repeat 1. back to place. | 24 bars |
| 8 | House around. | 8 bars |
| Seventh Figure - Double Four Swings (Reels) | 168 bars |
| 1 | Top couples:
Advance and retire twice, R hand in R hand. |
8 bars |
| Diamond right: couples change places, dancing 2 steps to face their 2nd corner couple and reversing 2 steps into the place opposite their own. They then change back, dancing in to face their 1st corner couple and reversing 2 steps back to place but facing their 2nd corners. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Star and swing four: facing couples take R hands across and the fours wheel around and back on the L hand (8 bars) and swing four (8 bars). | 16 bars |
| 3 | House around. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Side couples now dance 1. | 16 bars |
| 5 | Star and swing four.
House around. |
24 bars |
| 6 | Top couples now repeat 1, but diamond left to end facing their 1st corner couple. | 16 bars |
| 7 | Star and swing four.
House around. |
24 bars |
| 8 | Side couples now repeat 1 but diamond left. | 16 bars |
| 9 | Star and swing four.
House around. |
24 bars |
| Eighth Figure - Ladies Chain (Reels) | 168 bars |
| 1 | Top couples:
Ladies chain R hands in the centre, L to turn under the opposite gent's arm as he dances in place, facing centre, pass back R to R and turn under partner's L arm, both couples dancing in to the centre. |
8 bars |
| Dance around clockwise, hands held in a circle, back to place. | 8 bars | |
| 2 | Step it out, partners facing each other. | 8 bars |
| Swing. | 8 bars | |
| House around. | 8 bars | |
| 3 | Side couples now dance 1. | 16 bars |
| 4 | Step it out.
Swing. House around. |
24 bars |
| 5 | Top couples now repeat 1. | 16 bars |
| 6 | Step it out.
Swing. House around. |
24 bars |
| 7 | Side couples now repeat 1. | 16 bars |
| 8 | Step it out.
Swing. House around. |
24 bars |
| Ninth Figure - Change Places (Jigs) | 136 bars |
| 1 | Top couples cross over: ladies R to R (4 bars) then gents L to L (4 bars). | 8 bars |
| 2 | Step it out.
Swing. House around. |
24 bars |
| 3 | Side couples cross over. | 8 bars |
| 4 | Step it out.
Swing. House around. |
24 bars |
| 5 | Top couples cross over back to place. | 8 bars |
| 6 | Step it out.
Swing. House around. |
24 bars |
| 7 | Side couples cross over back to place. | 8 bars |
| 8 | Step it out.
Swing. House around. |
24 bars |
| STEPS The travelling reel step traditionally used in this set is unique, although it is closely related to that used in its neighbour set, the Cavan Reel. The following is an attempt to describe both it and the steps used in the jig figures, but both are best learned from a skilled exponent. They MUST be seen being danced, either in the flesh or on video, to be fully appreciated.The video to look for is 'The Pure Drop - Set Dancing' RTE PAL 625 Reel Step: All dancers dance the same step, though the ladies bring to it a lighter touch. Gents dance: Stamp, jump, jump, heel-step; with the 'stamp' and the 'heelstep' being on the same foot Ladies dance: Brush, jump, jump, shuffle; with the 'brush' and the 'shuffle' being on the same foot. Both ladies and gents start the step with a 'brush' or a 'stamp' on the R foot on the 4th beat of the preceding bar. The underline shows which foot bears the weight on that beat of each bar: The foot without the underline strikes the floor and is immediately lifted.
NOTE that ladies will dance a shuffle on, say, the R foot rather than the RhR. This step is danced for 7 bars of most measures, the last step being: brush/stamp L, hop R, L, R - or:
The ‘rising’ jig step is used in all three jig figures. The display step, danced in place, is the double jig step, all dancers starting on the R foot:
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| SOURCE Martin and Francis Bolger at the Galway International Festival, March 1993 and at subsequent workshops in London and Galway in 1993 and 1994. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||