Circle Mixers
- Mouth of the Valleys
- Circassian Circle
- Circle Waltz
- Lucky Seven
- Gay Gordons
- Cotton Eye Joe
- Pat-a-Cake Polka
- Chapelloise
- Borrowdale Exchange
- More of a Mixer (concentric circles)
- Contras - if >20 couples, can be Sicilian circle (calling - replace 'neighbor' with 'opposite'): Different Way Forward, 3-33, Expert Bits, Simplicity Swing, Theory of Mind…
Undemanding
- Broken Sixpence - longways, see below
- Mouth of the Valleys - circle, 5-6 couples, see below (or Sproggies set)
- Drops of Brandy - longways - slip-jig (or hornpipe) 48s: Fidlers Dram - *Peel Tatties; 43s: Alban Fuam - *Farewell To Whalley Range
- The Heartbreaker - square - see below
- Stoke Golding - longways - see below
- Apple Tree Square - square, Old John's jig
- Thread the Needle - longways, jig, see below (Woodford, Calliope)
- Easy Peasy - Contra, see below
- Military Two-step - circle - see below
- Chapelloise - circle (mixer), 16-bar jig
- Theory of Mind - Contra (Blue Eyed Lady)
- Bouquet Waltz - American Square, see below (Back Door)
- Country Bumpkin - longways, 4 or 5 couples, see below (Larry …)
- Falling Masonry - longways, see below, jig,
Eclectic, circa 90 minutes per session (if each dance lasts c. 7 min).
Sessions commence sedately and end exuberantly/raucously.
- Broken Sixpence - reel: 39s: Sam Bartlett - Rumblestrip; 36s: Sam Bartlett - *Mary Devlin’s; 34s: Sharon Shannon - Bonnie Mulligan; 33s: Altan - *The Triple T, Countercurrent - That's Right Too/Wissahickon Drive/Hull's Reel; 32s: Airdance - *Cloud Nine/Broken Heart/….
- Stoke Golding - slip jig: 51s: Sean Softley - Open Slip Jigs; 49s: Trinculo - Any Jig Will Do/Tall for a Night; 48s: Natalie MacMaster - *Patricia Kelso’s; 46s: Fiddlers Dram - Peel the Tatties/The Pig in the Kitchen/The Barony Jig, Noreia - The Butterfly. 30s hornpipe: ‘WttD’, CD 1, - 06 Stoke Golding (Keel Row/Twin Katy's … etc.) slowed by 10%.
- The Heartbreaker - reel: 33s: Banter (EFDSS) - *Corn Rigs/Seneca Square Dance, Johnny Goes to France; 32s: Andrew McNamara - Humours of Tulla/… ; 37s: Mrs Mills - Five Foot Two → 36s: French Charleston Orch. - Ain't She Sweet.
- Cotton Eye Joe (ideally on suspended wooden floor): Geslison & Groberg, Rednex - C.E.J..
- Country Bumpkin - reel: 37s: Diatonics (EFDSS) - Speed the Plough/Staten Island, The String Sisters - *The Crow’s Visit; 35s: Fiddlers 3 - Billy Thom’s/Rannie…/…, Natalie MacMaster - *Stoney Lake Reels; 34s:Flook - *Larry Out the Bin/Elzic’s Farewell; 33s: Contrasaurus (EFDSS) - *Tipsy Parson/The Breakdown; 31s: Dominique Dupuis - *Reels des Naufragés; 32s jig: Steamchicken - Nobber’s New Jigs.
- Thread the Needle - reel/jig: Reel - 34s: Whapweasel - *Crisps; 33s: Altan - *The Triple T; 32s: Old School Band - Shearer’s Gem/Whittle Springs; 31s: Kevin Burke & Cal Scott - *The Green Fields of Woodford/Seanamhac Tube…;.
- Falling Masonry - jig: 28s (slow it): Banter (EFDSS) - *Jump at the Sun.
Break
- Mouth of the Valleys - 40s: Natalie MacMaster - Barndances; 35s: Countercurrent - Spike Island Lasses/Cape Rock/Neckbelly; 33s: The Gothard Sisters - *The Bandit; 32s: Rodney Miller - *Gypsy Stomp/In Walked Bud; 35s jig: Kathleen & Jim Fownes - *The Old Favorite/The !Orphan - with improv.; 34s: The Good Tune - Da Lounge Bar; 33s: Airdance - *Fred Bartell/Jigjazz.
- Foula Reel - jig: 34s: The Good Tune - Da Lounge Bar; 31s: ‘WttD’, CD 1 - 07 The Ranchers - Lady Mary Douglas/Jump at the Sun/There Came a Young Man.
- Nottingham Swing - 16-bar hornpipe: 26s (32-bar): Steamchicken - *… … Devil's Dead/In Party Mood; 25s: Martin Simpson - *The Keel Row, Bellowhead - *Kafoozalum/Priest’s…; 23s: Steamchicken - Gobby’s Xmas… .
- Chapelloise: 33s - 30s: Die Irrlichte, Duivelspack - Chapelloise.
- Petronella: 33s: Rodney and Randy Miller.
- Bouquet Waltz (American Square): 35s: Penk, Curley - Merriweather/Sally; 31s: Perpetual e-Motion - *Sally Goodin. 40s (40 bars): David Holt & Josh Goforth - *Billy Wilson; 23s (24 bars): Uncle Earl - Backstep Cindy.
- Suicide Square - double-jig: 34s: Contranella - Birds …/Sticks … ; 32s: John Whelan - Dr O'Neills/Killavel; 31s: Climax Ceilidh Band - *Spike (swing? from 3m02 for 16s), The Scottish Fiddle Orch. - *Jake’s Jig/Well for Water, John Whelan - *Humours Of Glendart/Leitrim …/…, 422 - *Joe Foster’s; 30s: The Gothard Sisters - Midsummer Jigs, Peter Miln - Athol Highlanders.
Break
- T.A.G. - jig: 35s: Kathleen & Jim Fownes - *The Old Favorite/The Orphan - with improv.; 31s: Kevin Burke & Cal Scott - *The Green Fields of Woodford/Seanamhac Tube … .
- Maid of the Mill - reel: 33s: Natalie MacMaster - Three Reels, Retrospectacles - Catharsis/Red Cow → 32s: Nat. Mac. - Catharsis.
- Aulderley Edge - jig: 35s: Mcgrooger - Captain Lanoe’s March - for which the A-half stepping could be: ‘1’, ‘2’-‘3’, hop. 32s: The Occasionals - …/Teviot Bridge/Major Mackie's/….
- Military Two-step: 32s: Will Starr or 30s: Forth Bridge D.B. - Shetland Two Step.
- The Willow Tree - 48-bar double-jig: 54s: Damien O'Kane - Morgan Rattler; 47s: Mark, Holly, Bruce - *Morgan Rattler/Zakynthos Jig; 46s: Spiers & Jon Boden - Oswestry Wake/Morgan Rattler.
- Zig Zag - reel: 36s: Jim Hendricks - Ballad of Casey Jones, We Banjo 3 - …Eirogee/… Garfield → Cróga - Road to Errogie; 35s: Countercurrent - Sunshower/Lindsay… ; 33s: Laura Light - Tropiganda, Brittany Haas & Friends - Bill Malley’s/*The E-B-E Reel.
- Waves of Tory - 5 x 48-bar double-jig: ‘WttD’, CD1 - 11 WoT (Shandon Bells/Devil in Dublin/Coleraine); 45s: 422 - Zycanthos Jig set.
- Orcadian Strip the Willow - slip jig: 46s: Fiddlers Dram - Peel the Tatties/The Pig in the Kitchen/The Barony Jig; 43s: Alban Fuam - Farewell to Whalley Range; 42s: Spinach for Norman - Road to Dublin set (but not Gibraltar), Alban Fuam - Rocky Road to Dublin.
American Square
- Georgia Rang-Tang: (24-bar) 26s: Rattle on the Stovepipe - *Chinquapin Hunting; (16-bar) 17s: Ron Block - Devil in the Strawsack.
- Dip ‘n’ Dive, (c.36 or 56-bar!): 16 bars in 20s: Mick O’Brien & C O’R - *Rolling in the Ryegrass set; 16 bars in 17.5s: Corrina R. Logston - Highlanders’ Farewell; 16 bars in 17s: Ron Block - *Devil In The Strawstack; 20 bars in 22s: Dirk Powell - Sally Anne.
- The Rout (32-bar version): 33s: South Carolina String Band - Cripple Creek/Joe Clarke/… ; 32s: Contrasaurus (EFDSS) - Up Jumped the Devil/Marmaduke’s Hornpipe, Steamchicken - *Old Joe Clarke; 31s: Perpetual e-Motion - *Sally Goodin.
Contra (all the below are ‘improper’ formation, so if >20 couples participate, these can also be performed as Sicilian Circles.)
- Easy Peasy - 35s: Clayfoot Strutters - Honey Bee; 33s: Laura Light - *Tropiganda.
- Simplicity Swing - 34s: The Faux Paws - *Bubwa/No Bad Ideas; 32s: Great Bear - *The Randomanians.
- California Twirlin' - 32s: DR Shadow - Glory … .
- Theory of Mind (incl. Bal. the Wave & R O'M) - 35s: Clayfoot Strutters - *Honey Bee.
- M.A.D. About Dancing (incl. Bal. the Wave & Petronella) - 36s: Faux Paws - *Katy Hill; 35s: Countercurrent - *Tunes in Seattle; 34s: Flook - *Larry Get …/Elzic’s …, Toss the Possum & Noah - Apple Blossom; 33s: Liz Carroll & JD or Tangent - *Anne Lacey’s, Airdance - Macarthur Road/Gravel, Pete’s Posse - The Bunny Tree; 32s: VanNorstrand - *South Bay Reel/Unstoppable, Hanneke Cassel - *Dot the Dragon’s Eyes, Contratopia - *Palisades/Christmas Past/Fairbanks; 31s: The Great Bear - *Garbage in A.
- Trip to Lambertville, Expert Bits (incl. Bal. the Wave & Pass the Ocean) - 34s: Toss the Possum - *Vladi … (live); 33s: Fiddlestyles → Syncopaths - Spootiskerry/…; 32s: Airdance - *Muddy Roads; 31s: Perpetual e-Motion - Eleanor Rigby.
- Circadian Rhythms (inc Bal. the line, Box circ, R O'M) - 34s: The Faux Paws - *Bubwa/No Bad Ideas, Mean Lids - Captain Nemo.
- Amy Absconds (incl. Bal. the Wave, Pull-by, R O'M) - 36s: Miquel Epardo - Another One Bites The Dust; 31s: Mean Lids - Waterbound.
- Heartbeat, Maxine’s Reasonable Request (both incl. Petronella).
- Mange Tak (incl. Pass the Ocean).
- United We Dance (incl. Bal. the Line, R O'M) - 36s: The Fretless - *Macleod’s Farewell/Palmer’s Gate; 34s: Mean Lids - *Captain Nemo/Vittrad, VanNorstrand - Queen of Catalina, Gypsy Swing Revue - Puttin' On the Ritz, String Beings - *Flying Home to Shelley, Retrospectacles - Catharsis/Red Cow → 32s: Nat. Mac. - Catharsis, Dam Beavers - *Dirt, 32s: Elixir - *… Blue Eyed Lady/Back Door Slam - Divine Reel/Langstaff Library, Syncopaths - Spootiskerry/Morning Haggis; 31s: Toss the Possum - Catharsis, Buddy System - *Ride the Wheel - The Giggler/Forsythia.
- Chuck the Budgie - 35s: Perpetual e-Motion - Cluck Old Hen; 33s: The Engine Room - *Asheville’s Farewell, Toss the Possum - Elzic’s Farewell, Big Bandemonium - *Flying Tent; 32s: Perpetual e-Motion - *Flying Tent (7 minutes long).
Minimal contact e.g. no partner-progression; for ‘stars’ use wrist-grip (at waist height).The New Mrs Arrowsmith: 39s hornpipe: Blazin' Fiddles - President Garfield’s; 38s: Sir Dancelot - The Bear Dance; 16-bar polka in 21s: Nightingale - *Newmarket Polka/Trip to Dingle; 36s: The Old Swan Band - Mrs Ellen O'Dwyer's/Packie Russell’s.
T.A.G. (use wrist-grip): see above.
Virginia Reel (40-bar, non- Strip the Willow version): Colin Dewar - V. R. Medley.
Four Around Four: 32s: "WttD", CD1, 07 The Ranchers - Jigs; 34s: Celtic Fiddle Festival - Stan Chapman’s/… ; 33s: Mark Arrington - *The Kesh; 30s: Brendan Block - *Kate’s/Mill … .
Thread the Needle: jig, see above.
Boston Tea Party (single Dip 'n' Dive): 34s: Sláinte - Celtic Jig/Leitrim Fancy Jig.
Bridge of Athlone: Cheviot Ranters - The Frost is all Over/Pet of the Pipers/Smash the Windows.
The Heartbreaker (for ‘four ladies Chain’ use wrist-grip): see above.
Bottoms Up (incl. Thread the Needle): Tiger Moth - *Oats and Beans and Barley Grow.
Most Contras have 'partner swing' - but neither Oh, Hi Turtle nor Coconut Cream Pie have ‘neighbor swing’.
Kids’ Programme: Cumberland Reel, Pat-a-Cake Polka, Farmers Jig, Muffin Man, Bridge of Athlone, Virginia Reel, OXO Reel, Clopton Bridge.
A ‘galop’ figure is a two-handed, sideways, vigorous 'step-close' (1 per bar).
Cumberland Reel
Form: 4, 5, or 6 couple longways set (facing partners).
Music: 32-bar reel or jig.A1: Top two couples right hand star, left hand star back.
A2: 1st couple galop down the centre and back to the top; lead a single cast (boys to the left, girls to the right).
B1: 1st couple make an arch at the bottom, the rest promenade up through the arch to progressed places.
B2: New top couple lead a promenade round to the left (double cast) and back to place, all follow.
Repeat for the remaining couples.
Source: EFDSS Community Dances Manual.
Farmer’s Jig
Form: 4-couple longways (proper) set.
Music: 32-bar jig. 34s: Oxford Nags (EFDSS) - Perfect Cure, Rig-a-Jig; 33s: Hetty Peglars Tump - Ball Pendean Dance/ … .A1: Facing up the set, holding inside hands advance 7 steps, turn (towards partner), facing back, return to place… and give two hands to partner.
A2: Face partner, four galop-steps up the set, then galop back to place.
B1: In groups of four, right-hand star; back with the left.
B2: First couple lead a single cast, boys to the left, girls to the right. First couple make a two-handed arch at the bottom, others, holding inside hands, pass under the arch and up the centre. Remain facing up, ready to restart the dance.
Source: Everybody Dance (EFDSS 1972).
Muffin Man
Form: Circle (girls on partners’ right). ‘Mixer’ option.
Music: 32-bar polka. 37s: The Old Swan Band - Not for Joe/Seamo’s; 35s: Cheviot Ranters - Call of the Pipes.A1: All to the centre and back twice.
A2: Face partner, take both hands for four galop steps into the centre and back, repeat.
B1: Promenade partners.
B2: Swing partners. (Boys finish on their partner’s left. But for a ‘mixer’, boys finish on their partner’s right.)
Repeat - as desired.
Source: Everybody Dance (EFDSS 1972).
Test-out: Double Cross, Zig Zag, Cotton Eye;
Sicilianized Contras: Different Way Forward, More of a Mixer, 3-33, Expert Bits, Simplicity Swing, Theory of Mind.