FIGURE 1: REELS (112 BARS)
| All Couples |
Lower Promenade hold - Lead around
+ Ladies turn under Gent's right arm |
8 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner: Pass
Partner (right shoulder to right) dancing a full turn to face
Partner [4 bars] + Swing (waltz hold) [4 bars] |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Crossovers: Top Ladies pass right
shoulder to right followed by Gents passing left shoulders +
Turn in towards Partner + Repeat back to place |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Ladies chain: Right hands in the
centre + Left elbow turn with Opposite Gent + Right hands in
centre on the way back + Return and face Partner |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner [8 bars]
+ Crossovers [8 bars] |
16 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner |
8 bars |
| Side Couples |
Crossovers + Ladies chain + Dance
Around and Swing Partner + Crossovers |
32 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner +
House the set |
16 bars |
FIGURE 2: JIGS (104 BARS)
| All Couples |
Lead around + Turn Lady under + Dance
Around and Swing Partner |
16 bars |
| Top Couples |
Right hand in right - Advance and
retire once + Dance the Lady over crossing on the right with
the Lady turning twice under the Gent's arm + Repeat back to
place |
16 bars |
| Side Couples |
Advance, retire and crossover + Repeat
back to place |
16 bars |
| Top Couples |
Advance, retire and crossover + Repeat
back to place |
16 bars |
| Side Couples |
Advance, retire and crossover + Repeat
back to place |
16 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner +
House the set |
16 bars |
FIGURE 3: REELS (176 BARS)
| All Couples |
Lead around + Turn Lady under + Dance
Around and Swing Partner |
16 bars |
| 1st Top Gent + 2nd Top Lady |
Dance Around around each other in
the centre [4 bars] + Swing [4 bars] and
finish still in the centre of the set facing their own position
with the person they were swinging with still in front of them |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Dancing Couple keep hold of nearer
hands (Lady's right / Gent's left) - continue turning out of
the swing position in a clockwise direction to near their own
position + Turn to face Partner [2 bars] + Take nearer
hand with Partner - Lead around the inside of the set halfway
anticlockwise led by the Lady who was not swinging in the middle [6 bars] |
8 bars |
| 1st Top Gent + 2nd Top Lady |
Advance and retire twice, then bow |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Waltz hold - Advance and retire to
the right (lining up with the other Couple in the centre of
the set) + House to original place |
8 bars |
| 2nd Top Gent + 1st Top Lady |
Dance Around + Swing |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Dancing pair dance out to pick up
Partner + Lead around inside halfway |
8 bars |
| 2nd Top Gent + 1st Top Lady |
Advance and retire twice, then bow |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Waltz hold - Advance and retire (to
the right) + House to home |
8 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner |
8 bars |
| 1st Side Gent + 2nd Side Lady |
Dance Around + Swing |
8 bars |
| Side Couples |
Dancing pair dance out to pick up
Partner + Lead around inside halfway |
8 bars |
| 1st Side Gent + 2nd Side Lady |
Advance and retire twice, then bow |
8 bars |
| Side Couples |
Waltz hold - Advance and retire (to
the right) + House to home |
8 bars |
| 2nd Side Gent + 1st Side Lady |
Dance Around + Swing |
8 bars |
| Side Couples |
Dancing pair dance out to pick up
Partner + Lead around inside halfway |
8 bars |
| 2nd Side Gent + 1st Side Lady |
Advance and retire twice, then bow |
8 bars |
| Side Couples |
Waltz hold - Advance and retire (to
the right) + House to home |
8 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner +
House the set |
16 bars |
FIGURE 4: JIGS (240 BARS)
| All Couples |
Lead around + Turn Lady under + Dance
Around and Swing Partner |
16 bars |
| Top Couples |
Ladies chain: Right hands in the
centre + Left elbow turn with Opposite Gent + Right hands in
centre on the way back + Return and face Partner |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner |
8 bars |
| 1st Top Couple |
House across to leave 1st Top Lady
on left side of 2nd Top Gent who takes Top Ladies' outside hands |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Line of three advances as 1st Top
Gent retires to place [2 bars] + Line of three retire,
re-advance [4 bars] + Ladies turn in to finish beside
1st Top Gent (1st Top Lady clockwise / 2nd Top Lady anticlockwise) [2 bars] |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
New Line of three - Advance as 2nd
Top Gent retires + Line of three - Retire and re-advance + Ladies
turn in (1st Top Lady anticlockwise / 2nd Top Lady clockwise)
as 2nd Gent advances to form a basket in the centre |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Basket |
8 bars |
| Top Couples |
Ladies chain + Dance Around and Swing
Partner + 2nd Top Couple house and drop the Lady + Line of three
- Advance, retire, advance and turn the Ladies + New line of
three - Advance, retire, advance and turn Ladies to form a basket
+ Basket |
48 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner |
8 bars |
| Side Couples |
Ladies chain + Dance Around and Swing
Partner + 1st Side Couple house and drop the Lady + Line of
three - Advance, retire, advance and turn the Ladies + New line
of three - Advance, retire, advance and turn Ladies to form
a basket + Basket |
48 bars |
| Side Couples |
Ladies chain + Dance Around and Swing
Partner + 2nd Side Couple house and drop the Lady + Line of
three - Advance, retire, advance and turn the Ladies + New line
of three - Advance, retire, advance and turn Ladies to form
a basket + Basket |
48 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing
Partner + House the set |
16 bars |
FIGURE 5: REELS (208 BARS)
| All Couples |
Lead around + Turn Lady under + Dance
Around and Swing Partner |
16 bars |
| Top Couples |
Waltz hold - Advance and retire [4 bars]
+ House at home [4 bars] + Advance and retire + House
half way |
16 bars |
| Top Couples |
Advance, retire, house in place +
Advance, retire, house to home |
16 bars |
| Top Couples |
Ladies chain + Dance Around and swing
Partner |
16 bars |
| Top Couples |
Advance, retire, house in place +
Advance, retire, house halfway + Repeat to home |
32 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner |
8 bars |
| Side Couples |
Advance, retire, house in place +
Advance, retire, house halfway + Repeat to home |
32 bars |
| Side Couples |
Ladies chain + Dance Around and swing
Partner |
16 bars |
| Side Couples |
Advance, retire, house in place +
Advance, retire, house halfway + Repeat to home |
32 bars |
| All Couples |
Dance Around and Swing Partner +
House the set |
16 bars |
FIGURE 6: POLKAS (208 BARS)
| All Couples |
Circle - Advance and retire twice
+ Waltz hold - Swing Partner |
16 bars |
| All Couples |
Polka body: Dance in and back [2 bars]
+ Turn clockwise on to next place [2 bars] + Repeat
3 more times back to home |
16 bars |
| All Couples |
House around + Circle - Advance
and retire twice |
16 bars |
| All with Corner |
Waltz hold - Swing your Corner (Ladies
moving on to next Gent) |
8 bars |
| New Couples |
Polka body + House around |
24 bars |
| Repeat x 3 |
|
3x40 bars |
| All Couples |
Circle - Advance and retire twice
+ Swing your Corner [16 bars] |
|
| All Couples |
Polka body + House around [24 bars] |
|
| |
Last time through Swing, Polka body
and House with original Partner |
|
NOTES
Figure 6: In her book The Walking Polka
Eileen O'Doherty describes the original version of Figure 6 to correct
a couple of errors that have crept into the modern version:
Lead around / Dance around and swing / Polka body /
House / Circle: Advance, retire, advance and Ladies move on
to the next Gent on the right / Dance around and swing
/ Polka body / House / Repeat until back to Partner [Circle /
Dance Around and swing / Polka Body / House ].
Dance Around: Advance and dance around the other
person keeping eye contact. In this dance this is a 4 bar movement,
usually Advance-2-3 Advance-2-3 Turn-2-3 Turn-2-3, and
then this is followed by a swing.
REFERENCES
Murphy, Pat (1995). Toss the Feathers. Cork: Mercier
Press. 99-101.
O'Doherty, Eileen (1995). The Walking Polka. Na Piobairi
Uilleann.
Quinn, Tom (1977). Irish Dancing. Glasgow: Harper
Collins. 135-141.
|
Square
Set of four couples, Gents on the left of their partners. 1st Top
Couple have their backs to the band, with 2nd Top Couple opposite
them. 1st Side Couple are on the left of 1st Top Couple (when facing
into the set) and 2nd Side Couple are opposite them (to the right
of 1st Tops).