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Speedy Thomas - a dance
I'm not entirely sure that this counts as Age of Sail, since it's definitely modern in style (although I got some inspiration from a 19th C dance), but I'm hoping it falls into the same category as icons and modern writing and so on. If it shouldn't be here, please say.
Anyway, a while ago I discovered that there was a Scottish country dance called 'Admiral Nelson', which started a conversation where esteven proved very good at thinking of names, and led to the decision that I was going to write a strathspey (slow and elegant) called 'Collingwood's Oaks' for myself (and Collingwood), and a hornpipe (fast and bouncy and like a reel) called 'Speedy Thomas' for her (and Cochrane).
Poor Coll is still waiting, but inspiration struck quite early on for esteven's dance, and I finally managed to catch some people to test it, so I thought I'd share.
Speedy Thomas (Hornpipe 8x32)
A dance for 2 couples in a 4 couple set
1-8 1st couple set to each other, cast off one place, and dance half a figure of 8 up around 2nd couple (who have stepped up on bars 3-4)
9-16 1st couple set to each other and cross giving right hand - 1st man stays facing out. 1st couple, with 1st man leading, cast up around 2nd man and dance down the middle of the set, to end with 1st man in the centre in 2nd place and 1st lady in a line between the 2nd couple, all facing down.
17-24 All dance down the middle for four bars, turn and dance back up. On bar 8 finish with 2nd couple on the sidelines in 1st place and 1st couple in the centre at the top on their own sides, holding nearer hands (1st man has to speed up on bars 7-8 to finish at the top).
25-32 1st couple cast off into 2nd place and set. 2nd couple and 1st couple dance a RH wheel.
Repeat from second place, and from third place as a new first couple start at the top.
The name is a sort of pun, which I like - the ship, and the fact that 1st man has to speed up while chasing back to catch his partner.
The big line and the little line (which breaks the big line) represent El Gamo and Speedy. It's nice for dances to have a story...
(If you have any questions about the dance language, please ask. I'm not sure how it would work as an English dance, but there's nothing too odd in it...)
Anyway, a while ago I discovered that there was a Scottish country dance called 'Admiral Nelson', which started a conversation where esteven proved very good at thinking of names, and led to the decision that I was going to write a strathspey (slow and elegant) called 'Collingwood's Oaks' for myself (and Collingwood), and a hornpipe (fast and bouncy and like a reel) called 'Speedy Thomas' for her (and Cochrane).
Poor Coll is still waiting, but inspiration struck quite early on for esteven's dance, and I finally managed to catch some people to test it, so I thought I'd share.
Speedy Thomas (Hornpipe 8x32)
A dance for 2 couples in a 4 couple set
1-8 1st couple set to each other, cast off one place, and dance half a figure of 8 up around 2nd couple (who have stepped up on bars 3-4)
9-16 1st couple set to each other and cross giving right hand - 1st man stays facing out. 1st couple, with 1st man leading, cast up around 2nd man and dance down the middle of the set, to end with 1st man in the centre in 2nd place and 1st lady in a line between the 2nd couple, all facing down.
17-24 All dance down the middle for four bars, turn and dance back up. On bar 8 finish with 2nd couple on the sidelines in 1st place and 1st couple in the centre at the top on their own sides, holding nearer hands (1st man has to speed up on bars 7-8 to finish at the top).
25-32 1st couple cast off into 2nd place and set. 2nd couple and 1st couple dance a RH wheel.
Repeat from second place, and from third place as a new first couple start at the top.
The name is a sort of pun, which I like - the ship, and the fact that 1st man has to speed up while chasing back to catch his partner.
The big line and the little line (which breaks the big line) represent El Gamo and Speedy. It's nice for dances to have a story...
(If you have any questions about the dance language, please ask. I'm not sure how it would work as an English dance, but there's nothing too odd in it...)