Sample Country Dance Programmes

Last updated:  December 2025

Undemanding

• Broken Sixpence - longways, see below
• Mouth of the Valleys - circle (mixer), 5-6 couples, see below (or Sproggies set)
• Drops of Brandy - longways - slip-jig (or hornpipe) 115Bpm: Altan - Tommy Potts
• Heartbreaker - square - see below
• Stoke Golding - longways - see below
• Thread the Needle - longways, jig, see below (Woodford, Calliope)
• Easy Peasy - Contra, see below
• Military Two-step - circle - see below
• Champenoise - 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 energetically/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 … .
• Champenoise:  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.
• Alderley Edge - jig:  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.
• 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 >18 couples, 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.
• Theory of Mind (incl. Bal. the W & R O'M) - 35s: Clayfoot Strutters - *Honey Bee.
• M.A.D. About Dancing (incl. Bal. the W & 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 W & 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. B the W, 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 L, 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; Perpetual e-Motion - *Flying Tent.

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 W. 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’.



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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:   1^st couple galop down the centre and back to the top; lead a single cast (boys to the left, girls to the right).




B1:   1^st 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.
N.B.  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 - …/Seamo’s Polka;  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.  (Girls finish on their partner’s right.  But for a ‘mixer’, boys finish on their partner’s right.)
Repeat - as desired.
Source:  Everybody Dance (EFDSS 1972).