Dance Notes and other info

Being a Morris side of currently limited number, Granta Blue has adapted some of the dances we perform to 3 or 4 dancers from the original 6 or 8.

Below are the cribs for some of the dances in our current repertoire. They are a rough map of how each dance goes.

It is worth referring to a video or 'A Handbook of Morris Dances' by Linel Bacon (aka The Black Book) as published by The Morris Ring if more information is required.

Adderbury

Blue Bells of Scotland

4, 6 man stick dance

Stepping: Standard Adderbury (double step x2, single step x2, feet together jump (and clash))

As Lads a Buncham, but with slightly different chorus.

• • Chorus:

    • sticking - Odds x 2, Evens x 2, Odds x 2, Evens x 2, Odd, Even, Odd, Even, Clash. Then repeat.

    • For 4 dancers the chorus is done alternatively across the set and up/down.

    • For 6 dancers the chorus is done across the set, then 1/3 2/4 5/6, then 1/2 3/5 4/6

Lads a Buncham

4, 6 man stick dance

Stepping is standard Adderbury - double step x2, single step x2, feet together jump (and clash).

• • Sequence:

    • Walk round singing

    • Foot up (dance up and back x2)

    • Chorus (doubles)

    • Half hands (across the set passing right shoulders, back, left shoulder, back)

    • Chorus (singles)

    • Process down (top couple down, back, top two couples down, back)

    • Chorus (overheads)

    • Hands around (give right hands go round, pull back, repeat with left hands)

    • Chorus (doubles)

    • Process up (bottom couple down, back, bottom two couples down, back)

    • Chorus (singles)

    • Hey (4 man - form line and turn right and do 4 man hey, 6 man - along sides)

    • Chorus (overheads)

  • Chorus

    • Sticking - Odd x3, Even x3, Odd, Even, Odd, Even, Odd, Even, Clash. Then repeat.

Shooting

6, 4 man corner stick dance

Stepping is Adderbury single step with three plain capers (and clash) at the end of each phrase.

• • Sequence:

    • Walk round, first half beating, second half under arm

    • Foot up (dance up and back x2)

    • Chorus (clashing)

    • Half Hands (across the set passing right shoulders, back, left shoulder, back)

    • Chorus (shoot)

    • Process DOWN (top couple down, back, top two couples down, back)

    • Chorus (rooks)

    • Hands around (give right hands go round, pull back, repeat with left hands)

    • Chorus (clash)

    • Process UP (bottom couple down, back, bottom two couples down, back)

    • Chorus (shoot)

    • Hey (4 man - form line and turn right and do 4 man hey, 6 man - along sides)

    • Chorus (rooks)

  • Chorus:

    • 1st corner, 2nd corner, middles (or along sides if have 4 dancers), partners.

    • Butt on ground, tip on ground, action (clash, shoot, rooks)

Bampton

Bonny Green Garters

6, 4 man handkerchief dance

Standard Bampton stepping and hand movements.

• • Sequence

    • Foot up (up and back, turn RIGHT 180, down and back)

    • Half gyp (across set, pass right shoulders and back, repeat left)

    • Whole gyp (spiral around partner right shoulders, repeat spiralling left moving inward and then swagger back)

    • Rounds (circle round stepping, swagger and turn, spring caper, stepping, swagger without turning, spring caper)

    • Sidesteps (round circle)

    • Spring capers (round circle)

    • All in to end

  • No chorus

Country Gardens

6, 4 man handkerchief corner dance

Normal Bampton stepping and hand movements

• • Sequence

    • Foot up (Bampton style)

    • Chorus (half through version)

    • Half gyp

    • Chorus (through version)

    • Whole gyp

    • Chorus (through version)

    • Half rounds (i.e. normal Bampton stepping rounds, turn around half way through)

    • All in to end

  • Chorus:

    • 1st corners, 2nd corners, 3rd corners (if they exist)

    • Half through

      • Corners approach and turn away to own places in 6 bars of sidestep (with shows), then ALL caper L R L R

    • Through

      • As half through but instead of turning back to place pass left shoulders

Highland Mary (Chicken Chasers)

6, 4, 3 man handkerchief dance

Normal Bampton stepping and hand movements

• • Sequence:

    • Foot Up (Bampton style)

    • Chorus

    • Half Gyp

    • Chorus

    • Whole Gyp

    • Chorus

    • Half Rounds (normal stepped rounds, turning round half way through)

    • Chorus

  • Chorus:

    • Chicken chasers, half hey (in 6 man, along sides, in 4 man on the diagonals)

3 man version (stepping and hands as normal, chorus as for half a 6 man set):

• • Figures:

    • Foot Up: start in long line facing up, do as normal

    • Half Gyp: All face Right side, middle stay still, top dance forward, bottom dance back (diagonal lines), on caper turn around and repeat in other direction

    • Whole Gyp: Middle does half of whole gyp with top person, other half with bottom person, person not gypping turns round in correct direction on spot

    • Half Rounds: drop into a triangle for rounds - top forward, middle back, bottom remain

Nutting Girl

2, 1 man jig, no sticks or handkercheifs

Normal Bampton stepping and hand movements

• • Sequence (in each alternate first and second person except final chorus)

    • Foot up (normal Bampton stepping and hands)

    • Chorus

    • Upright capers (squats - hop hop squat, hop hop squat etc. until music tells you to do a foot up and back)

    • Chorus

    • Spring capers (spring until music tells you to do a foot up and back)

    • Chorus

  • Chorus:

    • Close sidestep: | R L R L | R L R hop | L R L R | L R L hop |

    • Open sidestep | R L R hop | L R L hop |

    • 2 spring capers

    • Foot up x 2

Princess Royal

2, 1 man jig, no sticks or handkerchiefs

Normal Bampton stepping and hand movements

• • Sequence (in each alternate first and second person except final chorus)

    • Foot up (normal Bampton stepping and hands)

    • Chorus

    • Upright capers (squats - hop hop squat, hop hop squat etc. until music tells you to do a foot up and back)

    • Chorus

    • Spring capers (spring until music tells you to do a foot up and back)

    • Chorus

    • Chorus together to end

  • Chorus:

    • Sidestep: | R L R L | R L R hop | L R L R | L R L hop |

    • Cross/uncross free foot in this rhythm (follows the music): (right foot) x x x x | x x x - | (left foot) x x x - | (right foot) x x x - |

    • Foot up

Saturday Night

6, 4, 3 man handkerchief dance

Normal Bampton stepping and hand movements

• • Sequence:

    • Start in opposite corners of the dance floor and dance from there into position

    • Face other dancer

    • Normal Bampton stepping and hands

    • Chorus

    • Repeat until everyone is dancing

    • 6 man version:

      • Continue through the sequence with Rounds

    • 4 man version:

      • Whole Hey, caper pass right shoulders to be side by side

      • Chorus

    • In final chorus time do 2 spring capers past dancer turning right past them into circle.

    • Half Rounds

    • End all in

  • Chorus:

    • Sidestep right, sidestep left, 4 plain capers

    • Sidestep right, sidestep left, 2 spring capers past dancer onto the next

3 man version

• • Start with single person doing it all

  • Then with second person as if starting 4/6 man version

  • Then form triangle with 3rd person

  • Rounds

  • End all in

Simon’s Fancy

Tune: Rambling Sailor

4 man corner handkerchief dance

Normal Bampton Stepping and Hands

• • Sequence:

    • Foot Up

    • Chorus 1

    • Half Gyp

    • Chorus 2

    • Whole Gyp

    • Chorus 2

    • Rounds

    • Chorus 1 (end all in)

  • Chorus 1:

    • First corners (moving towards and passing each other) - side step right (with show), side step left (with show), salut, 2 side steps to go around person on right, swagger and caper (normal bampton) back to place

    • Second corners repeat

    • All together

  • Chorus 2:

    • Spring capers instead of saluts

Webley Twizzle

6, 3 man handkerchief dance

Normal Bampton stepping and hand movements (as Saturday Night), except in chorus.

• • Sequence:

    • Foot up (up and back, turn RIGHT 180, down and back)

    • Chorus

    • Half gyp (across set, pass right shoulders and back, repeat left)

    • Chorus

    • Whole gyp (spiral around partner right shoulders, repeat spiralling left moving inward and then swagger back)

    • Chorus

    • Rounds (circle round stepping, swagger and turn, spring caper, stepping, swagger without turning, spring caper)

  • Chorus is shorter than expected:

    • Sidestep right, sidestep left

    • Twizzle - spring caper turning immediately into start of hey

    • Half hey (two single swagger steps and spring caper)

    • Repeat back

3 man version:

• • Figures

    • Foot up - as normal

    • Half Gyp

      • There are two variants, both can be done

        • Ends start facing out of set, middle faces in (i.e. at 180 to each other)

        • Step in direction facing, back, spring caper turning 180

        • Repeat in opposite direction

      • In the second variant the ends start facing ends with the middle facing in (i.e. 90 to each other)

    • Satellites (Whole gyp)

      • Ends circle half way around middle and back the same way

      • Middle step on the spot, spring caper turning 180, and repeat.

    • Rounds

      • As normal - middle spring forward to start.

Lichfield

Jenny Lind

6 man stick and a half dance

All single step

Set numbering: