Tune: Horses Brawl
Music
Play A,B right through until the end of the dance. (The C melody is great if all your musicians can play it, so feel to play continual ABC, if they can.)
Don’t get hung up on whether an individual figure starts with A or B, just note how many units of music you need. If you make a mistake and need an extra A or B, it’s not a problem, especially when making locks!
A dance for three, written by Southern Star Longsword. Dance numbers go clockwise.
Music tempo should be 200.
Each dancer has two swords. The swords are normally held in the same hand and lie on top of one another so that they look to the casual eye like a single sword.
The count is in steps, not bars.
Walk On into Circle (AB)
Stand sideways in a line of three, shoulder to shoulder, number 1 leading.
Swords are held in the right hand and rest on right shoulder.
Stepping is as the Horse’s Brawl country dance: left foot sideways, right foot behind left foot, left foot beside right foot, jump on the spot with feet together.
1-16 Sideways in a straight line, with swords on shoulders.
17-32 Number 1 leads into a circle and the dancers continue round in the circle, still using the Horse’s Brawl stepping and finishing with the final jump.
Diamond Clashes (ABAB)
Brisk walk clockwise, all the time when not doing a turn. (the side step is only used for the walk on.)
When doing turns, make sure that the swords are swapped over when you have your back to the other dancers.
1-4 Raise right hand sword and lower left hand sword while turning anti-clockwise. Finish facing clockwise in a circle.
5-16 High and low clash swords with every step. High sword clashes forwards, low sword clashes backwards. (It’s a bit like clapping your hands together, but with one hand high and one low. Both swords move towards each other and then away again.)
17-20 Raise right hand sword over heads (so you don’t hit anyone’s head while turning…) and swing it down as you turn, and raise left hand sword, while doing a half turn anti-clockwise. Finish facing clockwise in a circle.
21-32 High and low clash swords every step. High sword clashes forwards, low sword clashes backwards.
Repeat 1-32
Drop back, into Shoulders (AB)
1-4 Bring swords together, pointing down, and take four steps backwards from the set.
5-8 Four steps forward, bringing swords up on to your shoulder.
9-16 Circle clockwise, swords at shoulder height. Left hand holding the sword in front, right hand on your own hilt. (Hilt over point)
Czech Clashes (AB) (So called becuase I learnt the move from watching a Czech sword dance team)
17-32 Drop swords to chest height. Continue moving clockwise. Clash swords, hilt over point.
Turns AB
1-4 Swing arms out into a large circle.
5-8 Half turn clockwise, lift both swords to outside shoulder, and circle four steps anti-clockwise,. (Helps if you also take a step towards the centre of the set, as space will be tight.)
9-12 Swing arms out into a large circle.
13-16 Half turn anti-clockwise, bringing swords to inside shoulder. Four steps clockwise.
Repeat 1-16
This figure should be done as sweeping moves with the swords being swung down, then up over the head and and down on the shoulder, for the first direction change, and up over the head, down and up onto the shoulder again for the second.
Triangular Lock (A) (Use more music if necessary)
1-16 Two swords in each hand (two hilts in one, two points in the other).
Cross your wrists right over left, so that the hilts are now lying crossed over the points.
Use your thumbs to slide the upper sword of each pair towards the centre.
Weave outside sword from the lower pair into place (over and under), then weave in the outer sword on on the other side. (You may find that you need to slide the sword sideways a little before you’re able to weave it, and then push it back into place afterwards)
Make sure everyone takes a few beats to tidy the shape of the lock.
Display Lock (A)
1-14 Display lock, going round in a circle.
15-16 Lower lock in preparation for the spin.
Spin (BA) (aka ‘Bouncy Bouncy’)
1-8 Sidestep clockwise in circle while holding onto the lock with both hands gripping it from underneath (Hold the lock with one hand holding each of two symmetrical cross points, so it doesn’t come apart under the stress of the spin). End each eight step phrase with a feet together jump.
Try to lean out a little while spinning.
9-16 Sidestep anti-clockwise. End with feet together jump.
17-32 Repeat 1-16,
Draw Swords, leading into Triangles (ABAB)
1-8 Pull swords well back from dance, point out towards audience, and bring back in an upwards arc to do a single clash on the 5th beat then lower into in ring for the last few beats.
9-32 Three slow triangles each move taking 8 steps.
The dancers form a triangle.
Each move of the figure moves the dancers one position anti-clockwise round the triangle – the aim is to end up exactly where the previous dancer was standing.
The sequence of arm movements is ‘left arm up’, ‘right arm up’, ‘both arms up’.
Number one begins with ‘left arm up’. (1 and L look very similar, so easy to remember) (they will be passing right shoulder with the dancer to their right and going under an arch) The dancer to the Right of ‘number one’ begins with ‘Right arm up’ (which is nice and easy to remember)(turns clockwise while moving onto next position). The dancer to the left of number one starts with ‘both arms up’ (raises both hands together and spins anti-clockwise while moving to his next position).
Make sure the move uses up all the available time – it leads to much better contrast when we change to fast triangles.
1-32 Eight fast triangles taking 4 steps each.
When doing triangles, remember to move one place anti-clockwise with your feet. (ie. Each dancers moves on one position)
Circle (A)
1-16 Circle for 16 steps, leading into.
Over the Stars (BAB)
16-32The two dancers facing number one lower the sword between them. They should bend forward facing towards number one, with the end of the sword close to their inside toes. Number one goes over the sword and does a figure of 8 round the other two dancers, going round the right hand dancer first. Aim to go over the sword on the beginning of a musical phrase.
33-64 Number one, and the dancer on his left, lower the sword in number one’s left hand. The other dancer then
Pancakes (AB)
1-32 Keeping swords linked in circle, while standing still, swing swords up in a big wide move and clash in a high triangle in the centre (right hand over left) on the 4th beat. Then swing the swords up, out and down to and clash (right hand over left) on the 4th beat, in a waist height triangle. Repeat as long as music allows.
Overhead Triangular Lock (A + more if required)
From a linked circle, each dancer lifts their hands over their head and turns 180 degrees clockwise, so that they end up back to back in the centre.
They form the triangular lock as normal, but over their heads.
1-16 Form triangular lock. (paired swords should already be hilt over point from the ‘pancakes’). Lower them down, slide upper sword of each pair towards the centre. Weave outside sword from the lower pair into place (over and under), then weave in the outer sword on on the other side. (You may find that you need to slide the sword sideways a little before you’re able to weave it, and then push it back into place afterwards)
Pass the Parcel (BA)
As each dancer completes their corner of the lock, they need to call ‘done’ so that number one will know when it’s ready. With practice, it will be possible to complete it within one A (or B) of the music.
Once the lock is completed, number one waits until the music is close to the end of an A or B and lifts the lock above his head
On the first beat of the next A (or B), the sequence begins as follows:
1 – The dancer holding the lock raises it up high.
2 – He lowers it down to roughly ‘looking through it’ height (which is basically elbows at waist and forearms going up).
3 – He tilts the lock to his left
4. – The dancer to number one’s left takes the lock to hold it in front of them
Repeat a continuing sequence of ‘up, down, tilt, grab’
When the music is near the end, the dancer currently holding the lock raises it up and each dancer takes a step forwards and bows to the audience.
17-32 Display lock in circle