Different types of Rights and Lefts are referred to by many, many different names: Scots' Chain, Rights and Lefts Across the Set, Irish Chain, Rights and Lefts With Your Partner, Grand Chain, and Grand Rights and Lefts. Rights and Lefts can be used to replace the "Forward, Back" in Forward, Back, and Track. There is also a figure called Return Chain that uses the same timing as the Rights and Lefts shown below. Please note that, in the world of Irish dancing, the lines between Chains, Rights and Lefts, and Heys often end up hopelessly blurred.
Rights and Lefts for Four (Square, 8 bars)
This figure is also called a Scots' Chain or Rights and Lefts Across the Set.
Start by giving Right hand to opposite and Left to partner. 2 bars per hand. Continue till home. Take or give a courtesy turn at home. (Syllabus of Irish Dances, Terry O'Neal)
Rights and Lefts for Four (Square, 8 bars)
This figure is also called an Irish Chain or Rights and Lefts With Your Partner.
Start by giving Right hand to Partner; 2 bars per hand. (Syllabus of Irish Dances, Terry O'Neal)
The timing for Rights and Lefts can be called as "Right two three, pass by. Left two three, pass by" per four bars. There is a distinct pause in the "right two three" and a fling to the "pass by." The traveling happens during the pass by.
Rights and Lefts for Eight (Square, 8 bars)
This figure is also called Grand Chain.
Start by giving Right hand to partner, Left hand to the next one around the set. Keep going to place. 2 bars per hand. (Syllabus of Irish Dances, Terry O'Neal)
Rights and Lefts for Eight (Square, 8 bars)
This figure is also called Grand Rights and Lefts.
Rights and Lefts for four can be combined, with one set of couples beginning across the set, and the other set of couples with their partner. This is normally called as "Grand rights and lefts, heads across, sides with your partner" or as "Grand rights and lefts, sides across, heads with your partner."
Reverse
A reverse can be called in any square Rights and Left configuration. After completing a regular rights and lefts pattern, immediately turn around and offer the opposite hand to the person you just passed. For example, in an Irish Chain, you will complete the chain by offering your left hand to your opposite and passing them to home. To reverse this chain, you will turn back to your opposite and offer them your right hand and pass by, beginning the rights and lefts again. In this case, you are essentially performing an Irish Chain immediately followed by a Scots' Chain.
Rights and Lefts for Six (Triple minor proper, centers reversed, 16 bars)
(2) Middles face to their Right and change places with that person by the Right hand. Meanwhile the end people left out change places on the diagonal by the Right hand also.
(2) All cross the set by the Left hand.
(8) Repeat 2 more times to home place.
(4) Turn opposite by the Right to place.
(Syllabus of Irish Dances, Terry O'Neal)
Here is another write-up of the same figure:
Pairs of dancers exchange positions using the same stepping and timing as in Rights And Lefts. The rules of thumb are as follows:
-- First, pass using rights; then pass using lefts.
-- As in Rights And Lefts, each pass takes 2 bars.
-- Actions are based on POSITION, not on dancers' original location. Whoever CURRENTLY OCCUPIES the position does what the position calls for at that point.
-- When passing by rights, center position dancers pass with dancers on their right (orientation assumes that center position dancers are facing each other). The remaining 2 dancer pass each other along their connecting diagonal.
-- When passing by lefts, dancers face their opposites in the other trio. That is, they pass straight across the set.
-- Rights And Lefts are repeated in this fashion until all are back home. (This should take 12 bars.) On the final pass by lefts, KEEP HOLD OF LEFT HANDS.
-- On bars 13-16, slowly turn the dancer in the opposite trio by left hands, until all are home.
(Patrick Morris)