The Health

A longways dance for 8

(1)(2)
(3)(4)
(5)(6)
(7)(8)

All face up, take hands with partner, up a double and back, set and honor. Twice.

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All face center of set. Middles cast out of set and toward closest end behind them WHILE Tops and Bottoms lead in. Tops and Bottoms turn single CW. Tops and Bottoms lead their neighbor in a cast out of set, through their home position, and back in a full loop.

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All face center of set. Tops and Bottoms cast out of set and toward home WHILE Middles lead in. Middles turn single CW. Middles lead their neighbor in a cast out of set, through the closest end, and back to home position in a full loop.

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All spin CW into a big backhand ring CW. (Walk even if hands aren’t connected yet.) Break hands early enough to get halfway around. Set and honor. Repeat with same CW direction to get home.

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All face center of set. Middles cast out of set and toward closest end behind them WHILE Tops and Bottoms lead in. Tops and Bottoms turn single CW 1-½ times to form small backhand ring CW all the way around WHILE Middles face center of set and clap.

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All face center of set. Tops and Bottoms cast out of set and toward home WHILE Middles lead in. Middles turn single 1-½ times to form small backhand ring CW all the way around WHILE Tops and Bottoms face center of set and clap.

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Exchange with partner by 2 hands CW. Exchange with neighbor by 2 hands CW. Set and honor. Repeat sequence.

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First corners walk in to take hands sharply on 3 and shake on 4 to form star WHILE their neighbors cast out of set and around to their empty position.

Second corners walk in to take hands sharply on 3 and shake on 4 to form star WHILE their neighbors cast out of set and around to their empty position.

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Center 4 people (#1, 2, 7, 8) walk R-hand star all the way around WHILE the ends (#3 with #4 and #5 with #6) walk R-hand half-stars all the way around.

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First corner positions (#3, #6) walk in to take hands sharply on 3 and shake on 4 to form star WHILE their neighbors cast out of set and around to home.

Second corner positions (#4, #5) walk in to take hands sharply on 3 and shake on 4 to form star WHILE their neighbors cast out of set and around to home.

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Center 4 people (#3, 4, 5, 6) walk R-hand star all the way around WHILE the ends (#1 with #2 and #7 with #8) walk R-hand half-stars all the way around.

If dancing Health/Parsons as a set:

Center 4 people come out of the star to meet their partner and shift to the left to move into position for Parson’s Farewell: two duple-minor sets of four, pairs facing pairs, each pair together on one side of the long set.

3 🢒🢐 2
4 🢒🢐 1
7 🢒🢐 6
8 🢒🢐 5

Some of the pairs will simply slide to the left to achieve this; others will swap places with each other as they move to the left.

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Grimstock

A longways dance for 6


Up a double:

Take hands with partner, up a double and back. Set and turn. Twice.

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Ins and Outs:

Tops face down, others face up. Mirrored hey, skipped.

Tops skip down inside Middles skipping up WHILE Bottoms wait.

Bottoms skip up inside Tops who are skipping down WHILE Middles easy turn at top. Middles skip down inside Bottoms skipping up WHILE Tops easy turn at bottom.

Tops skip up inside Middles skipping down WHILE Bottoms easy turn at top.

Bottoms skip down inside Tops skipping up WHILE Middles easy turn at bottom.

Middles skip up between Bottoms skipping down WHILE Tops easy turn at home.

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Siding:

Side, set and turn. Twice.

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Ducks and dives:

Same pattern as before, but walked and with hands. This forms arches so that pairs moving into the set (inside pair) are ducking under the arches, and pairs moving toward the top and bottom positions (outside pair) are raising the arches high.

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Arming:

Arm R, set and turn, Arm L, set and turn.

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Crossover Hey:

Tops cross by L and do Grand R and L (no hands) around the set to home. Meanwhile, Odds hey in line (with Top Even crossing halfway through) WHILE Evens hey in line (with Top Odd crossing halfway through.) From the perspective of the Odd and Even lines, it’s a regular 3-person hey, just with one of the people turning into someone else halfway through.

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Honor all, hopefully from home position.

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Geud Man of Ballangigh

Longways duple minor progressive for as many as will

Tops lead down through Bottoms, cast around Bottoms back to home.

Odds lead through Evens, cast around Evens back to home.

Bottoms lead through Tops, cast around Tops back to home.

Evens lead through Odds, cast around Odds back to home.

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First corners set to each other, turn (CW) back to place. Second corners the same.

All take hands, slip in ring L (CW) halfway, fall back into lines.

Set and pass partner by R to progressed home.

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Repeat with new duple minor: Tops lead down through Bottoms, etc. with same partner and new pair across.

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Confesse

A longways dance for 6 (mixed lines)

As the directions below will use numbers to identify dancers, here is the starting configuration:

(1)(2)
(3)(4)
(5)(6)

All take hands in line, forward a double and back, twice

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Middles move to their R (#3 is between #5 and #6, and #4 is between #1 and #2), taking hands also with the person on their L, out a double up/down the set (4 beats)

All turn around CW, in a double with hands (4 beats),

take 2 hands and exchange (4 beats)

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Out a double in lines with hands, all turn around CW, in a double with hands,

take 2 hands and exchange.

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All face Left (evens face odd line and odds turn around to face the same direction), take hands in lines and walk 8 steps. All turn around CW, return to set in 8 steps.

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All turn single CW.

#1 and #4 set away from each other and toward each other, leaning in to make a double-handed arch WHILE the other 4 dancers turn CCW. Then the 4 dancers ring quickly with hands under the arch around #4.

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All turn single CW.

#3 and #5 set away from each other and toward each other, leaning in to make a double-handed arch WHILE the other 4 dancers turn CCW. Then the 4 dancers ring quickly with hands under the arch around #3.

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All face Right (odds face even line and evens turn around to face the same direction), take hands in line and walk 8 steps. All turn around CW, return to set in 8 steps.

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#1 and #2 take hands facing up the set, likewise #5 and #6 take hands facing down the set, they walk out a double up/down the set, turn around by facing each other (Easy Turn), walk in a double WHILE #3 and #4 cast in a large circle to their CCW out of the set and back to home. #1, #2, #5, #6 take hands and ring CW back to home while #3 and #4 turn single CW and turn single CCW.

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Repeat entire figure, except #3 and #4 ring after their cast while #1, #2, #5, #6 turn single CW and turn single CCW.

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Take hands in lines, in a double and back, twice.

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#1 and #2 cast down the outside of the set WHILE [#3 with #5] and [#4 with #6] take hands and walk up a double. #3, #5, #4, #6 easy turn to take hands and form arches while walking down a double WHILE #1 and #2 walk up under the arches. Turn all the way around CW by 2 hands.

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#5 and #6 cast up the outside of the set WHILE [#3 with #1] and [#4 with #2] take hands and walk up a double. #3, #1, #4, #2 easy turn to take hands and form arches while walking down a double WHILE #5 and #6 walk up under the arches. Turn all the way around CW by 2 hands.

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Form the U shape, probably in #1–3–5–6–4–2 order, facing up and honoring as a curved line of six.

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Christchurch Bells

Longways duple minor progressive dance for as many as will

Hands 4 from the top to determine duple minor sets.

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First corners turn (CW) by R hands, Tops (CCW) by L, second corners (CCW) by L, Bottoms (CW) by R.

Notice that Odds always change hands while Evens never change hands.

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Slipping circle (CW) to L for 8 counts to get home (all the way around)

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Clap your own hands together, R with partner, together, L with partner, cast to progress with tops casting down outside of bottoms who cast up (Eggbeater turns).

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Repeat: New iteration starts with first corners immediately turning by R hands.

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Childgrove

Longways duple minor progressive for as many as will

Shoulder to shoulder with partner (by R), Back to back with partner (by R)

Shoulder to shoulder with neighbor (by R), Back to back with neighbor (by R)

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2 hand turn CW with neighbor 1-½ to exchange, R hand turn with partner to neighbor’s place

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Tops (at bottom) skip figure 8 up through bottoms, evens ahead of odds.

Bottoms (at top) skip figure 8 down through tops, evens ahead of odds.

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Repeat with new duple minor set.

Double cast variation:

While Tops are skipping figure 8 up, Bottoms turn up the set to cast away from each other (Eggbeater Up) and follow their neighbor through the figure 8 pattern, staying one position behind their neighbor, and ending where they started the figure 8.

While Bottoms are skipping figure 8 down, Tops turn down the set to cast away from each other (Eggbeater Down) and follow their neighbor through the figure 8 pattern, staying one position behind their neighbor, and ending where they started the figure 8.

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Chestnut

A longways dance for 6

Up a double and back twice

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Take hands in lines, back a double, forward a double and drop hands to pass through by R shoulders (middles go long!), turning over R to take hands and circle (CW) to end in partner’s place

That again

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Arm partner R and L (yes, this is out of the regular order)

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Take hands in lines, back, forward, pass through as before, face partner for half a mirrored morris hey (tops cast outside middles and lead inside bottoms WHILE middles follow tops around to return to their same place WHILE bottoms cast outside tops and come in to the top) to invert the set

That again (with same heads and same orientation) to end at home

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Siding, twice

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Take hands in lines, back, forward, pass through as before, Tops invert the set by casting down the outside of the lines with the rest following.

That again, but Tops lead up the middle of the set with the rest following down the outside to the bottom before leading up to home. Take hands with partner as you lead up. Honor.

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Bobbing Joe

A longways dance for 4 – or multiples of 4, arranged as duple minors

Up a double, twice

Set and turn to your partner, twice

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Top pair take 2 hands and slips down between Bottom pair while Bottom pair slips up the outside of the set lines (shuttle figure), hands 4 and circle CW halfway to neighbor’s place. Same top pair take 2 hands and slips down to repeat the shuttle sequence. Hands 4 and circle CW halfway to home.

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Odds exchange places, passing by R shoulders and theatrically snapping on beat 1.

Evens the same. Odds the same to return home. Evens the same.

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Siding, twice.

Set and turn to your partner, twice. End close to partner after the last set and turn.

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Set back and forward, turn while casting into neighbor’s place. (Odds turn CCW while Evens turn CW. All turn to face up and continue that turn direction. Also called Eggbeater turns.) Repeat to end at home.

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Cross partner by R shoulders, hands 4 and circle halfway to home. Repeat to end at home.

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Arm R and L.

Set and turn, twice.

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Odds take hands, back a double, turn CW into place. Evens the same.

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Cross neighbor by R shoulder, cross partner by R shoulder, cross neighbor by R shoulder, cross partner by R shoulder. (First corners move CCW around box, turning ¾ CW at each position. Second corners move CW around box, turning ¼ or 1-¼ CW at each position.) Honor your partner.

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Black Nag

A longways dance for 6

(1)(2)
(3)(4)
(5)(6)

Up a double and back, twice

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Face partner, take 2 hands. Top pair slips up for 4 beats. Middle pair the same. Bottom pair the same. All turn single. Bottom pair slips back down to home. Middle pair the same. Top pair the same. All turn single.

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Siding twice

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First corners (1&6, head Odd and foot Even) slip to each other’s place, passing face to face, R foot lead. Second corners (2&5, head Even and foot Odd) slip to each other’s place, passing face to face, L foot lead. Third corners (3&4, middles) slip to each other’s place, passing face to face, R foot lead. All turn single. Repeat exactly again to return to home.

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Arm R and L

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Odd line heys, all turn single

Even line heys, all turn single, honor all

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Ashford Reunion

A longways dance for 6


Up a double:

All face up, take hands with partner, up a double and back. Twice.

Chorus:

Face to diagonal right, set, exchange by 2 hands CW, turn single CW.

Meanwhile, second corners skip outside the set CCW to empty spot in corner’s position and arrive in time for the turn single.

All face across the set, exchange by 2 hands CW, turn single CW.

Siding:

Side twice

*Chorus*

Arming:

Arm R, clap, arm L

*Chorus*

Repeat dance until musicians are finished or Last Time is called.

Note: Often, musicians and other dancers prank into the dance by stepping into empty second corner positions while their occupants are skipping around the outside of the set. When this happens, just skip on past the position and right off the stage. Or wait around and take back your spot on the next chorus.

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