New Dances ~ 1 ~ Adderbury

New Dances ~ 1

~ Adderbury ~

Notes:

-- Half-Hands is a Half-Gyp; and Dance-Round is a Whole-Gyp, with inside hands joined.
-- Adderbury dances normally have seven figures and six choruses. Often that works out. Sometimes there are particular limitations:
The Lollipop Man. In each Chorus I have only one pair of Corners cross, rather than all three in turn, to not over-prolong the dance. This gradually inverts the set; and after the halfway point, the set gradually straightens itself out.
Postman's Knock is a song-dance with only two verses, each the length of two figures. And so I arranged the figures in pairs, with the Chorus following each pair.
-- Cecil Sharp's instruction for the inactive dancers in the Processional figures is, "who stand aside" (Down); and practically the same, "who move aside" (Up). We decided that having all six dancers dancing (2 travelling, 2 backing up and returning, and 2 dancing on the spot; on the repeat, 4 travelling, and 2 backing up and returning) looked better than two of the set shuffling backward to make room, and then shuffling forward; or the travelling dancers squeezing together, as into a bottleneck. Cecil Sharp wrote about Country Dancing that all movements should be danced; and Country Dances do have sequences where inactive dancers make room for actives.

The Lollipop Man

In the mode of Adderbury; Handkerchiefs; 4/4 time

Common Figures:
Once-to-Yourself and Whole-Rounds; Half-Hands; Processional-Down; Processional-Up; Dance-Round; Whole-Hey.

Stepping:
Right foot lead (to suit the Side-Steps, and the Capers).
All figures, including Once-to-Yourself, end with 4 Capers.
Whole-Rounds and Whole-Hey (the continuous figures): 6 Four-Steps and 4 Capers.
Other figures (those with a repeat): 2 Four-Steps, 4 Two-Steps; 2 Four-Steps, and 4 Capers.
Arms: In Four-Steps, circles at belt-level, then a Show straight up ("db" formation). In Capers, low twists.

Distinctive Figure:
In the first Chorus, 1st Corners cross with 4 Side-Steps (keeping left so that they are facing on the 2nd Side-Step), turning right in opposite corner to face on the 4th Side-Step, approach each other with 2 Four-Steps, and retire to new corner position with 4 Capers, while the other 4 dancers do 4 Capers in place.
In the second Chorus, the 2nd Corners cross - and so on.
In the final (sixth) Chorus, which is the 3rd Corners' turn, they do the 4 Side-Steps to return to home position, and then ALL do a Rounds on the 2 Four-Steps, and an All-In on the 4 Capers.

The Postman's Knock

1992; in the mode of Adderbury; Long Sticks; 6/8 time

Words transcribed from the LP, Son of Morris On; verses to be sung by the Fool, or some other non-dancer. No calling the figures, to keep out of the way of the solo singing.

Chorus (all sing):
"Every Morning, as True as the Clock,
Somebody hears the Postman's Knock!" (repeated)

1st Verse (solo):
"What a Wonderful Man, the Postman is,
As he Hastens from Door to Door!
What Letter Ye give, his Hands can Take,
For either Rich or Poor!
In many a Face, his Joy he can Trace;
In Many a Gift he can See;
For the Door is open to his loud 'Rat-Tat!'
And his Quick Delivery!"

2nd Verse (solo):
"Number One he presents with News of a Birth;
With Tidings of Death, Number Four!
At Thirteen, a Bill of terrible Length,
He drops through the Hole in the Door!
Now a Cheque or an Order for Fifteen he leaves;
When Sixteen his Presence do Prove;
While Seventeen doth an Acknowledgement get,
And Eighteen, a Letter of Love!"

Distinctive Figure (Chorus): Face across, holding sticks at butt and middle, and sing; on the "Some" in "Somebody," Evens present sticks horizontally; then in time with "Postman's Knock!" (SLOW-Quick-SLOW) Odds strike Evens thrice. On the repeat, Odds and Evens are reversed; and the timing of "Postman's Knock!", and therefore of the Evens's strikes, is SLOW-SLOW-SLOW; and there is an extra count, on which partners Clash.

Sequence:
Chorus (second half; serving as a Once-to-Yourself); Whole-Rounds and Half-Hands; Chorus;
1st Verse, with Processional-Down and Processional-Up; Chorus;
2nd Verse, with Dance-Round and Whole-Hey; Chorus.

Stepping:
Outside foot lead. SLOW-quick-SLOW-hop.
Whole-Rounds and Whole-Hey (the continuous figures): 7 Four-Steps, and Step-&-Jump with a Clash.
Other figures (those with a repeat): 2 Four-Steps, 4 Two-Steps; 2 Four-Steps, 2 Two-Steps, and Step-&-Jump with a Clash.

The Holly and the Ivy

In the mode of Adderbury; Long Sticks ; 6/8 time

The sticks are not clashed, nor crossed, to avoid entanglement of the streamers, garlands, flashing lights, and other decorations as desired.
The tune, from Nowell Sing We Clear (Anthony Barrand and others), fits the dance rhythm better than the well-known one.

Opening verse:
"Oh, the Holly and the Ivy,
When they are both full-grown,
Of all the Trees that are in the Wood,
The Hollytree bears the Crown!"

Chorus:
"Oh, the Rising of the Sun,
And the Running of the Deer,
The playing of the Merry Organs,
Sweet Singing in the Choir!"

Sequence:
Dance-On (Verse), and Whole-Rounds (Chorus); Circular Hey; Half-Hands; Close-Rounds; Processional-Down; Circular Hey; Processional-Up; Close-Rounds and All-In; hold for a few seconds, and then Leader signals Dance-Off (Verse).

Circular Hey: All facing up, tops turn in to start the Hey by passing right shoulders, others following, so that tops pass middles (on opposite side) by left shoulders, and then bottoms by right shoulders, and so on, everyone working their way round the circle and back to place, except that the 3rd couple (who were later meeting people) finish in opposite position. This reverses itself on the repeat of the Circular Hey.

Close-Rounds: Circle close, sticks held almost in a cone shape, with the top open to avoid tangling the stick decorations.

New Dances ~ 1

~ Adderbury ~

The Lollipop Man

The Postman's Knock

The Holly and the Ivy

... continued