Children's March 

USA/England

These notes ©2018, Andrew Carnie. Choreographed by Harvey Gardner. Harvey says:

I chose to choreograph it because this music is a metaphor for life itself; starts with a jaunty lilt and devolves into minor key, ominous single notes, finally ending with the striking of the longest steel strings on a piano, with a small mallet... surely conjures in me a funereal feeling. Grainger dedicated this piece to “my playmate beyond the hills,” believed to be a beautiful Scandinavian woman he corresponded with for 8 years but didn't marry because of his possessive mother. No doubt he suffered the death of love.

Music: Over the hills and far away, by Percy Grainger (https://youtu.be/HXjpiAQatvE). This recording is over 7 minutes long. We suggest cutting it down to about 3 minutes.
Meter: 4/4
Formation: Circle of individuals, facing LOD.
Introduction: Wait 10 bars, then start with oboe

Part 1

Bar 1: march R (1), L (2), R (3), L (4) forward in LOD
Bar 2: repeat bar 1
Bar 3: March R (1), L (2), R (3), L (4), backing up in RLOD
Bar 4: Step on R to R, away from center (1), close L next to R, no weight (2), Step on L to L, into the center (3), close R next to L, no weight (4)
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4

Part 2

Bar 1: Rock on R forward in LOD (1), Rock back on L in place (2), Rock back on R in RLOD (3), rock forward on L in place (4). (i.e. a cherkessiya step)
Bar 2: March R (1), L (2), R (3), L (4)  in place
Bars 3-8: repeat bars 1-2, three more times.

repeat dance from the beginning.

Winds on the Tor

England

These note ©2017, Andrew Carnie.

This is a modern Sacred Circle dance from the Galstonbury Circle group. The original notes have the following description:

The Tor on Glastonbury Hill is where  Joseph of Aramatia, the uncle of Jesus, was thought to have brought the chalice and the spear after the crucifixion. The Well and the Hill are thought by many to be the place where  the veils parted most between the worlds of wonder and the mundane. In any rate, a sacred height for centuries, even millennia!  And the wind, she still blows across the grasses there.

Music: Rawlin's Cross, The Wedding Gift (https://youtu.be/BqM8oadha0s). The original recording for this dance was "The Young Brown Cow" (https://youtu.be/l2A5_Xy4ijs). Groups are now doing it to the Wedding Gift.
Meter: 3/4
Formation: Closed circle, hands down in V position, leads to the R OR done as a closed circle not holding hands.
Introduction: Start with the whistle on the Wedding Gift Recording. Start with Guitar on the Young Brown Cow recording.

Bar 1: Moving in LOD (CCW), waltz step (RLR) forward
Bar 2: Still moving in LOD, waltz step (LRL) forward
Bar 3: Pulling R shoulder back and turning CW, but still moving in LOD, use one waltz step (RLR) to make a complete turn. (Some groups raise their hands up over their heads as they do this turn, in our group se do not)
Bar 4: Facing center, cross L over R,  If doing the dance solo, left arm crosses in front of body. If doing the dance as a closed circle rejoin hands. (1), Rock back on R, L arm returns to neutral position (2), step on L to L (3)
Bar 5: Moving into the center do one waltz step (RLR), raise joined hands forward and up.
Bar 6: Backing away do one waltz step (LRL), arms come back down to V position
Bar 7: Repeat bar 4 with opposite footwork, arms and direction.
Bar 8: Repeat bar 4

repeat until the end of the music. 

In Tucson, we do bars 7 and 8 differently.

Bar 7: facing center step on R to R (1), Cross L over R, L arm crosses in front of body (2), step back in place on R (3)
Bar 8: repeat bar 7 with opposite footwork and direction.

Other Videos on the web:

Other Notes on the web:

• http://www.sacredcircles.com/THEDANCE/HTML/DANCEPAG/WINDSON.HTM
• http://www.folkdance.com/LDNotations/WindsOnTheTor2016LD.pdf
• http://www.andybettis.com/dance/steps/WindsOnTheTor.html

Washington Quickstep

England/USA

These notes ©2017, Andrew Carnie. We learned the dance from Stuart Moody.

Music: Any good English/Contra Jig or Reel
Formation: Duple Improper contra lines
Introduction: depends upon recording used.

A1: R hand Star (8), L hand Star (8)
A2: 1s down the center, turn alone (8) and come back, cast off (8)
B1: Ladies Chain  (8) and Back (8) [or R & L through and Back]
B2: Long lines go forward and back (8); 1s swing in new position, end facing down (8)

Other instructions on the web

• http://www.cdss.org/cracking-chestnuts-collection/toc/washington-quickstep
• http://barndancecaller.net/dancecards/Washington%20Quickstep.html

Other videos on the web