Belligerent Blue Jay

Tradition: Border

Author: Bassett Street Hounds

Set: 4 dancers (facing across)

Props: Sticks

Stepping: Single

Structure:

(See below for explanation of figures.)

• Chorus

  • Linear Bombastard

  • Zigzag Hey

• Chorus

  • Grand Right and Left

  • Solar System

• Chorus

Chorus:

The chorus consists of one eight-beat-long sticking pattern which repeats four times. While sticking, two dancers pass through by right shoulders to invert the set, first across, up/down, across, and finally up/down. Dancer 1 is always moving and dancer 4 always stays in place, anchoring the set to prevent it from drifting. Dancer 2 will stay-move-stay-move, and dancer 3 will move-stay move-stay. The dancers who are moving single-step, the others do not. 

Each cycle of the sticking has a lyric that goes along with it:

1. Partner (Forehand the other person moving/staying, may not be your actual partner.)

2. Left (Forehand with the person on your left shoulder as you pass through. 1 and 4 hit the ground.)

3. Right (A strange hooked backhand with the person on your right as you pass through.)

4. Left (Same as step 2, you should be just past each other at this point.)

5. Behind (Same person as step 3, stick over your head at a 45 degree angle)

6. Partner (Backhand)

7. Partner (Forehand)

8. Reset  (Hit the ground)

Notes:

• The dancers should face forward in the direction of motion (or directly opposite, for the stay people) until the reset, when all dancers face inward. Clash #4 may require turning a little.

• The tune Moreton Bay Fig Morris uses has an extremely short intro before the dance starts. The dancers start backed out from their respective corners. The caller cues the dancers, who all take four steps into the center, on beat. On beat 5, the music comes in, and the dancers take three more steps and then hit the ground on beat 8. There is no clash or dib before the chorus in other figures, only during the dance-on.

• The dance ends on a chorus. The final “Reset” turns into an all out, where we dib the ground behind us.

• We learned this from a video of On the Border Morris doing this dance and then changed some of the figures. Similarity to the original Hounds version of the dance is questionable.

Figures:

(Linear) Bombastard: Originally a true linear bombast, we found it was too fast to do the full round-360 motion, so we bastardized it. This figure looks best if most of the motion is on the odd beats, and the dancers stay in place (as much as is possible) on the even beats.

• Beats 1-2: On beat one, clash backhand with your partner as you spin over your right shoulder. Like in drunken idiot, move forward and right to end facing your partner in a line of four. The first corners should be back-to-back in the center.

        2   4                

Music               ->      2 1 4 3           

        1   3                              

• Beats 3-4: On beat 3, clash with your partner as you charge past them. Those who started on the end should also charge past their corner to end up where the middles were.

Music      2 1 4 3    ->       1 3 2 4            

• Beats 5-6: On beat 5, clash backhand with your neighbor. Ends stand still, while those in the center turn over their right shoulder to face the way they came, and pass right shoulder with each other to end up back in a line of four.

Music      1 3 2 4    ->       1 2 3 4          

• Beats 7-16: Repeat beats 3-6 with new people as the ends and middle. Alternate charge-past and backhand spins until the music tells you to stop. The last motion should be a charge-past, bringing you to the line: (Music   2 4 1 3)

Zigzag Hey: 

This figure is not in the Hounds’ original version of the dance. The path for this figure is a linear hey, but with clearly defined separation along two vertical lines.

• Beats 1-2: Clash with the person you face on beat one as you move right shoulder to right shoulder, into a rectangular box shape. Step in place on beat 2.

                         -  - 2 -  1 -   -    

Music   2 4 1 3     ->              

                         -  - 4 -  3 -   - 

• Beats 3-4: On beat 3, all dancers step forward and right, onto the other line. 2 and 3 clash on beat 3 as they move shoulder to shoulder. 1 and 4 turn over their right shoulder as they move to face back into the set. Step in place on beat 4.

           -  - 2 -  1 -         - 4 - 3 -   -

Music                      ->         

           -  - 4 -  3 -         -  -  2 - 1 -

• Beats 5-6: On beat 5, all dancers move. 2 and 3 will complete their pass by moving forward and left into the other line. 1 and 4 step forward to form a new rectangle. All dancers clash with the person they come shoulder to shoulder with. Step in place on beat 6. 

         - 4 - 3 -   -           -  - 4 -  2 -

Music                     ->         

         -  -  2 - 1 -           -  - 3 -  1 -

• Beats 6-14: Repeat the motions from beats 3-6. On odd beats, clash if you are coming shoulder-to-shoulder with someone else.

• Beats 15-16: You should be in a rectangle, across the set from your home spot. Clash with your partner on beat 15 (this should be twice in a row) as you move across the set (by right shoulder) to home.

Grand Right & Left: Clash forehand to pass right with your neighbor on beat 1, continue smoothly dancing in a circular motion, clashing while passing left shoulder with your partner on beat 3. Continue alternating right & left shoulders/clashes, until you have gone around the set twice. This is similar to a square hey, but with no hard turns. 

Solar System: First corners (1 & 4) grab left hands and begin a fast counterclockwise swing. Second corners continue dancing clockwise around the outside of the set. On beat 1, the first corners clash with their neighbor. The outside dancers dance roughly ¼ around the set, while the inside dancers swing roughly ¾ around, to clash with their neighbor on beat 3, and again on beat 5. On beat 7, the first corners clash forehand as they spin back to their home spots.

Then, the second corners grab left hands and begin a fast counterclockwise swing, while the first corners begin dancing clockwise around the outside of the set. Repeat for the second half, but note that you will clash with your partner rather than your neighbor.