Square formations

Formation: usually 4 couples in a square, W on R of her partner. Numbering is anticlockwise: the couple with their backs to the music are 1s, couple on their right are 2s, etc. The 1s and 3s are together known as the head couples and 2s and 4s as the side couples. The nearest person to you who is not your partner is your corner.

Many of the squares end with a promenade home. To make things more interesting encourage dancers to vary the style (cross hands hold, waist hold, or Gay Gordons hold - and even to try walking backwards with the Gay Gordons hold!); or to do the promenade by each putting left hand on shoulder of person in front and using the free hand to imitate waves, trains, birds or anything else.

The order of events is obviously 1s as the first active couple, then 2s, etc. After going round all four couples, in many dances you can have 1s and 3s active togther, then 2s and 4s, and sometimes even all four couples active the last time round.

Albert Quadrille

square. Difficulty: 1

• A1: Heads take nearest hand and dance 4 steps forward, 4 steps back. Do-si-do opposite.
• A2: Sides do likewise.
• B1: Heads circle Left halfway, then fall back into opposite couple's place; then women cross to change sides, then the men cross. (Each of those in 4 steps.)
• B2: Sides do likewise.
• C1: All eight people do Right hand star, then Left hand star.
• C2: Take promenade hold and balance 4 times (all kick right first); then promenade 3 places round. (Heads become sides.)

New heads start again.

Music: 48-bar polkas.

Apple Tree Square

square. Difficulty: 1

• A1: 1s and 3s go forward and back; 1s pass between 3s changing places with each other as they go, separate and go back to place round the outside.
• A2: All do-si-do corner, do-si-do partner.
• B1: Everyone allemande left with your corner; face partner, give right hands to start a grand chain.
• B2: When you meet partner, do-si-do and promenade home.

Music: 4 x 32 bars

Chinese Breakdown

square. Difficulty: 3 (ladies chains, plus people get confused which way to turn)

Chorus:

• A1: Allemande left your corner, pass your partner by, allemande right with your right hand and pass your partner by..
• A2: Allemande left your corner, twice round, and do-si-do your own
• B1: Balance twice and swing partner
• B2: Promenade partner.

Figure:

• A1: Lead couple (1st, next time the 2nd, etc) promenade around the outside of the set
• A2: Lead couple ladies chain with the couple opposite, across and back.
• B1: Same 2 couples each face the couple on their right and ladies chain across and back
• B2: Same 2 couples repeat with couple on their left..

Repeat chorus and figure with each couple in turn as the leading couple.

Music: own tune

Coming Round the Mountain

square. Difficulty: 1

• A1: 1s promenade round set anticlockwise (i.e. start by turning right); others step into the middle to make room for them to pass.
• A2: 1s & 3s RH star, then LH star.
• B1: all do-si-do partner; swing partner, ending in place in promenade hold
• B2: all promenade once round anticlockwise to place.

Music: 4 x 32 bars. Needn't be own tune.

Cumberland Square Eight

square.

• A1: heads galop across in ballroom hold (men back-to-back); return (women back-to-back).
• A2: sides ditto.
• B1: heads RH star; LH star.
• B2: sides ditto.
• A1: heads basket
• A2: sides ditto
• B1: all circle L (16 steps)
• B2: prom back to place

Beware basket - hurt necks, flying feet - not for over-enthusiasts in confined spaces.

Music: 4 x 64-bar reels (or 8 x 32). 'My love is but a lassie-O' is frequently used, but is not essential.

Fivepenny Bit

square plus 1 extra couple (numbered 5). Difficulty: 1

Start with 5th couple in the center facing up.

• A1: 5s and 1s RH star; 5s and 3s RH star
• A2: reels on sides - 5th man starts a reel with the 2s and 5th W likewise with the 4s
• B1: 5s collect themselves in the middle and set right and left to the 1s, arch through (middles make arch); the 1s turn right and set right and left to the 2s, then arch through .. .
• B2: .. continue wuth the 2s setting to the 3s and arching through, then the 3s to the 4s, leaving the 4s in the middle facing up to restart the dance with the old 5s.

Grandfather's Clock

Square. Difficulty: 2 (because of the ladies chain)

• A1: Heads do-si-do their opposite, then cast out, go outside set, come back in through nearest side and return to place.
• A2: Head women dance ladies chain.
• B1 and B2: Sides do likewise.
• C1: Women do RH star holding partner's hand (star promenade) for 4 bars, going once round. Then leave that partner in his place and carry on round the star for 3 places to a new partner.
• C2: Balance and swing with this new partner.

Music: Grandfather's Clock.

The Heartbreaker

Pete Coe

Square. Difficulty: 2 (because of the ladies chain)

• A1: All circle L, then R.
• A2: All 4 ladies chain across and back.
• B1: 1s dance the heartbreaker:
  • 2s 3s and 4s make arches with partners. 1s separate, go through their nearest arch, round outside to meet, then back to place through the other arch (i.e. the 3s)
• B2: Do-si-do with partner; do-si-do left shoulder with neighbour.

 32-bar reels.

Jig a Jig Square

Martyn Harvey

Square. Difficulty: 1

• A1: 1st M weaves round the set, passing partner on the inside then outside 2s inside 3s outside 4s and to place
• A2: 1st W ditto
• B1: All balance and swing partners
• B2: all do-si-do ptner, then do-si-do corner
• A1: 4 M RH star, LH star. Keep hold of the star and take partner's nearest hand to make an arch, then ...
• A2: Star promenade once round. Break the star but keep the arches and all satnd still except couple 1.
• B1 & 2: 1s tunnel under 2s, 3s and 4s. As soon as 1s have passed, 2s follow, then3s and then 4s. When 1s get home they arch, 2s likewise, 3s likewise. - If spare music, swing.

Music: 4 x 64 jigs or 8 x 32 jigs.

At a workshop, Martyn Harvey said that the second time through the dance, the 1s always tried to follow the 2s through the tunnels instead of standing and waiting, so it needed to be emphasized that they should wait. A suggestion was that couples should turn round before tunnelling and go the other way through the arches.

Joe Taylor's Dance

Cathy Lesurf

Square. Difficulty: 2

• A1: 1s pass (stepping) between 3s, cross and weave in and out of set to place, crossing again as they get back to leave them in their home positions.
• A2: Stars:
  • Bars 1-4: Men dance half a right hand star and collect their opposite woman round the waist halfway round the set, then without stopping they finish the star

    Bars 5-8: men turn (leaving that woman there) and dance a left hand star, collecting their partner round the waist on the way back

• B1: Grand chain all the way round the set
• B2:
  • Bars 1-2, heads cross by right hand
    Bars 3-4, sides ditto
    Bars 5-6, heads cross left hand
    Bars 7-8, sides ditto

Next time 2s step across the set, etc.

Music : hornpipes.

Little Log Cabin

square. Difficulty: 2 (because of A2)

• A1: 2s and 1s promenade round the set (anticlockwise) to place, 2s leading
• A2: with nearest stationary pair (2s with 3s, 1s with 4s) RH star, LH star
• B1: all circle left and right
• B2: circle goes 4 steps into the middle and back once; swing partner.

Repeat with 3s and 2s, 4s and 3s, 1s and 4s, 1s and 3s, 2s and 4s, ALL.

Ninepins

square, competitive mixer

Square set PLUS ONE (usually a man but it also works with a woman). Start with that person, the ninepin, in centre.

• A1: heads galop across and back (ninepin tries to dodge)
• A2: sides do that
• B1 & 2: Ninepin briefly swings each woman (or man, if appropriate) in turn and that person moves to centre. End with all 4 women (or men) in centre plus the ninepin.
• A1 etc: All the five people in the middle circle L while the four outside circle R. Caller stops music suddenly and the people in the middle compete to grab a partner.

Music: Brisk reels/jigs. Agree with band how to stop.

La Russe

square. Difficulty: 1

• A1: All go past your partner by left shoulder to meet next person of opposite sex, who should be coming towards you; balance and swing. (To end the swing the man lets the woman roll off his right arm towards her home position, rather than just dumping her.)
• A2: Face partner (who should be coming towards you already), balance once or twice and swing.
• B1: 1s keep swinging.
• B2: 1s promenade inside set, successively greeting 2s 3s and 4s (nodding/bowing/...), ending in place.
• A3: 1s and 3s cross, 3s arching, partners change places; cross back and change places again.
• A4: repeat A1.
• B3: circle left all the way (16 steps).
• B4: promenade back to place (anticlockwise).

Repeat for 2s (NB 2s and 4s cross first) 3s, 4s (2s and 4s cross first).

Note: To enliven A3 and A4, have the 2s and 4s cross on the heels of the 1s and 3s. This is a recent development. The dancers need to be nifty.

Music: Own tune or other reels. The tune is available on the Web in abc format or as notation in gif format

Strip the Willow Square

square. Difficulty: 2

• A1: Heads take ballroom hold, galop across 8 steps, men pass back to back; galop back, women passing back to back.
• A2: Sides ditto.
• B1 and B2: Head men strip the willow using elbow turns: turn each other 3/4 round by right elbow, turn the woman they're facing (that's the one on their right when they started) by the left elbow, turn each other, the woman who was opposite them, each other, the woman who was on their left, each other, own partner. Always right arm to each other, left to others.
• C1: All circle left and right.
• C2: Balance twice and swing partner.

 Music: 48-bar jigs

Some people leave off C1 and C2.

Twelve Reel

square. Difficulty: 2 (because of the reels)

4 TRIOS in a square, supposed to be one man with two women (but who cares?) with the man in the middle

Pat Shaw

• A1: heads link elbows to make a line of three. Advance and retire; advance again and women change lines before the line retires. (Pass right shoulders in theory.)
• A2: sides ditto
• B1: The middle person in each line (nominally the man) does a right elbow swing with the person on the right, then a left elbow swing with the one on the left.
• B2: Reels of 3 along the lines (the middle person starts by giving right shoulder to the person on his/her right). At the end of reel the middles hastily move to the next line on the right..

Music: 32-bar reels (original music was Jackson's Escape)

The original description is quite detailed about the moves. A1: women pass right shouders as they change lines. B1: the middle turns the right-hand end once, then the left hand end, then the right hand end, then the left hand end. B2: men pass their right hand partner by the right shoulder as they move on to the next line, and enter the next line by passing left shoulder behind new left hand partner.

There's an 'Easy Twelve Reel', adapted from this one, on Brian Scowcroft's square sets page. He says he sometimes adds two more figures:

• C1: All circle left (16 steps)
• C2: Trios form baskets of 3.

NB - you'll need 48-bar tunes for that version.

Untitled Square

Collected at a barn dance; never heard the name.

square, no partner change. Step-hop. Difficulty: 2 (because of the right-and-left through)

• A1: 1s and 2s, do si do (8 steps); 1s and 3's, 1/2 rights-and-lefts (8 steps). (Head couples have now exchanged places.)
• A2: 1s (now in 3rd place) and 4s, do si do; 1s and 3's, 1/2 rights-and-lefts. (All now home.)
  All stand shoulder-to-shoulder with partner and start a series of rolling moves.
• B1: Women cast round their partner by rolling round their left shoulder, going behind their partner, and finishing in the place just vacated by another woman (4 steps), then men cast round likewise to their left (4 steps); women do it again; men do it again.
• B2: Give right hand to partner to start a half grand chain; on meeting partner, promenade to home position.

This dance could probably be adapted to give a partner change. Anyone know who wrote it or what it's called?

Last updated 23 October, 2003