Mr. Dolly

Tune: George Green's College Hornpipe, by George Green Set: 4 dancers; 21“ (short) or 28 ¼” (medium) sticks; skipping (single steps) Source: Red Stags / Andy Anderson Chorus: clash G-G-PPP1) G = ground; P = partner; L = left; R = right [low], R-L-PPP [high], repeat Figures: , , , ,

Detailed Description

Chorus

This dance can be done with one stick or two sticks in parallel.

bar 1: tap the ground to the left of your partner (GL), then the ground to the right of your partner (GR). bar 2: clash forehand 3x with your partner (PF-PF-PF). (Red Herring clashes low; most sides in the Eastern US and Canada clash high) bar 3: clash backhand with the person diagonally to your right (RB), then forehand with the person diagonally to your left (LF) bar 4: clash backhand 3x with your partner (PB-PB-PB).

Repeat.

Figures

In this dance (only), all figures start with a “hitch-back” (hop back onto right foot, but keeping weight forward).

Cross and Swing

Dancers cross the set (passing by the “stick” (right) shoulder) and continue well past their partner on beats 1-4. On beats 5-6, the dancers turn over their “stick” (right) shoulder and switch the stick to the left hand. On beats 7-8, the dancers charge in toward their partner, right arm extended, catching the partner by the waist (from the front). On beats 9-14, the dancers go around their partners, continuing to hold their partner by the waist. On beats 15-16, the dancers break apart and end up in their original positions.

J-Loops

Beat 1 (right foot): dancers step in place Beat 2 (left foot): dancers surge forward to just past their partner Beat 3 (right): dancers slide to the right, passing behind their partner Beat 4 (left): dancers move slightly backward into a single straight line Beat 5 (right): dancers move backward, with the right foot crossing behind the left so that the motion is diagonally back toward their original place. Beats 6-8: dancers pass by the right shoulder to their partner's place, then turn around over the stick (right) shoulder to face their partner.

The figure repeats on beats 9-16, with the dancers ending up back in their original positions.

Mini-Brook

Bars 1-2: First corners cross. Bars 3-4: Second corners cross. Bars 5-8: Dance clockwise around the set 1½ times to end up in home position.

Some sides put one elbow into the center like a “chicken wing”. Red Herring does not do this.

Dragon's Bane

This figure is a square hey with altered priorities.

Beats 1-2: Dancers move across the set. Master side comes together and passes inside apprentice side. Beats 3-4: Dancers turn 3/4 (hard turn) out from the center. Beats 5-6: Dancers cross up & down. Top dancers come together and pass inside of bottoms. Beats 7-8: Dancers turn 3/4 (hard turn) out from the center.

Repeat on beats 9-16.

All turns are out from the center, i.e., first corners will turn over their left shoulders and second corners will turn over their right shoulders.

Rounds & Off

Beats 1-8: Dancers dance around in a circle. Beats 9-16: #1 leads the dancers off into the audience.

Rounds are “with sounds”: on beat 2, all sticks point into the middle and dancers make the Star Trek: TOS sound that the doors of the USS Enterprise make when they open or shut.

When dancers start dancing off, dancers take turns moving the stick to their shoulder as they leave the set; the first dancer lifts the stick on beat 9, the second on beat 10, and so on.

Note that most sides in the Eastern US and Canada omit this figure and end with the chorus after Dragon's Bane.

Tune

George Green's College Hornpipe (MP3 played by Jeff Bigler)