Valentine

The Ascott-under-Wychwood dance adapted to the Fieldtown tradition.

This dance can be done with 6, 4, or 3 dancers.

Tradition: Fieldtown

Set: 4 dancers (see below for 3 dancer variant)

Props: Hankies

Stepping: Double

Figures: Standard Fieldtown, each followed by a Chorus

  • Foot Up & Down (with Galley Rounds on retreat to place)

  • Tack Over

  • Back to Back

  • Rounds

  • Full Hey

Chorus:

  • The Chorus is done initially by 1st Corners (1 and 6), then by 2nd Corners (2 and 5) then by third corners (3 and 4).

  • CHORUS STRUCTURE:

    • Side Steps Right & Left (in place)

    • VARIABLE ELEMENT

    • Side Steps Right & Left (travelling)

    • Galley Right

  • VARIABLE ELEMENTS:

    • Salutes (Right then Left)

    • Plain Capers

    • Foray Capers (Beetle Crushers)

    • Upright Capers

  • Each chorus inverts the set.

Notes:

  • The 6 person version is done as normal.

  • The 4 person version omits the 3rd Corners (3 and 4) role, as normal in 4 person Fieldtown dances.

  • The 3 person version involves more modification to the set (see Valentine for Three, below).

  • On the Galley Right that ends each Chorus, keep turning toward your right (stick) shoulder.

  • The dance ends with Caper Out on the second half of the Full Hey.

Valentine for Three

This version of the dance uses the same figures and chorus, with the following modifications to the set:

  • The set consists of three dancers, initially grouped in a equilateral triangle with the point (#1 dancer/caller) at the head of the set. All dancers face the music.

  • Foot Up & Down is done by going toward and then away from the music.

  • The set has an imaginary flagpole center, which is used as one’s opposite dancer during Tack Over, Back to Back, and the Chorus.

    • For example, on Tack Over each dancer simultaneously passes right (stick) shoulder past the flagpole center (just past it) and retreats, then dances left (non-stick) shoulder past the flagpole center and retreats.

  • ALL dancers do the Chorus simultaneously.

  • The set if FULLY INVERTED during the Chorus by all dancers doing a Side Step to the Left (facing out), a Side Step to the right (facing in), and then a Galley Round to the position opposite where they started.

  • At the end of the final Chorus, the dancers Galley-to-a-Line, forming a line of three which faces the music.

  • The Full Hey is done as a normal Fieldtown Hey (the double question mark hey), with the dancers functioning as if they were the 2, 4, and 6 dancers of a normal 6-dancer set. (So on both parts of the Hey the middle dancer [#4, the caller] follows the right [#2] dancer and the left [#6] dancer does a lager loop to allow the right dancer passage).

  • The Caper Out is done by all three dancers facing the music.