Bledington basic hand and foot motions
- 4 = 4 step = double step = the basic morris step r l r r, l r l l
Hankies: in front of head making propeller motions twice per step.
Motion starts down-in, goes around to up-out ("counter twists").
(Sharp & Bacon say one hand only during sidestep sequences.)
Sticks: tips down barely swinging twice during each step.
- ss = closed side steps = Done mostly in place, used in side step
sequences.
If leading with the right foot, turn toward the left to let the right
foot cross in front. If leading with the right foot, sometimes done
r l r l (no hop), other times done r l r r (hop) as is demanded by
foot needed free for the next step of the dance (e.g., a hook leg).
Hankies: leading hand out making two counter twists.
- ss = open side steps = Usually while travelling, used for corner
crossings.
Often done travelling in a zig-zag from one to the next.
Hankies: leading hand out making two counter twists.
- ftj = foot together jump = This is used for the OY. Performed variously
by
different teams. (Sharp wrote that there were shuffles, but this is not
definite.) Per Malaika: Feet start together, outside foot rises
and returns to ground for a takeoff and landing with feet together.
Hankies: up (foot is up), down (takeoff) and up (land).
Sticks: often start crossed, and clash on landing.
- sj = step and jump = Step on one foot and leap so as to land with both
feet together. Often danced more nearly as 2 PC.
(The choice of which form is made by requirements of the next step.)
Hankies: Start high, go down and up.
Sticks: come up and clash.
- PC = plain capers = L R L R or R L R L (determined by position in set)
These are used to end most dances. Endings are usually written as 4PC
facing up, but sometimes danced more nearly as 2PC sj. (style notes
below)
Hankie dances: arms do waves similar to Adderbury. End with arms up;
free foot's heel just barely on ground, slightly forward, toe up.
Sticks: down and up, often finishing with clash. Sticks clash high and
stay crossed at end. To prevent teetering, we may want both feet down.
- HL = hook leg = One of the distinguishing features of Bledington
HL(r): Step onto the r leg, planting it somewhat behind you.
Continue rotating carrying the l leg forward and possibly traveling
on the r leg with a small hop. When in position, move l leg in
forward-vertical plane as if pedaling a bicycle backward, heel down.
These should be practiced so that we can do them in unison; and the body
should be vertical. (resembles Sherborne & FieldTown galley w/o twizzles)
Hankies: arms are out in balance position.
Sticks: tip down in close to body & legs.
- HC = forrie capers = R l r , L r l a.k.a., Up two threes
Hankies: start down, come up gathered in front being high at the high
point of caper, then back down gathered in front staying low for steps.
- FC = toe backs = rtb t R L, ltb t L R
Toe back on first step, then feet together (stamping back toe for
style).
Hankies: out (balance) when toe is back, down when feet together, up
gathered in front on first caper, down gathered in front on second
caper.
- UC = cross hops = l r L r, r l R l (note first step on left!)
Weight bearing foot behind, other crossed in front (and possibly
tapping the ground with heel). Free leg goes back as a part of
the caper on beat 3 before leaping forward onto it on beat 4.
Start the next one with a little hop.
Hankies: arms down at side
during cross hops, up & down gathered as in HC on the caper & step.
All figures (except Heys) start outside foot, HL on same foot.
Heys: ends cast out starting on hard (outside) foot, middles follow 1&2.
Sticks: have usually clashed just before beginning each CF.
Clash halfway thru each CF when landing the sj (except for HR).
Always clash at end of each CF when landing the sj.
This is a high forehand clash of tips with partner.
Stepping for CF in almost all dances is
| 4 4 HL sj | 4 4 HL sj |
Stepping for CF in Black Joke is
| 4 4 HL 4PC sj | 4 4 HL 4PC sj |
- OY = once to yourself
Starts dances. Facing up. Always a ftj.
- FU = foot up = foot up & down
Start facing up. One double step up, one in place.
Hankies: first HL is 180 degrees to outside to face down.
Sticks: first HL is 270 degrees to outside, face partner & clash.
One double step down, once in place.
HL 270 degrees to outside and face partner (sticks clash).
- HG = half gyp
Pass partner on double step, one double step in place.
HL turning away from partner, 360 degrees, back to place.
This is the hardest HL because of the distance travelled.
- WG = whole gyp
Make one full orbit of partner using 2 double steps. Keep
turning so as to be moving forward while maintaining eye
contact with partner. HL turning away from partner
(unwinding the WG) 270 degrees back to place.
- HR = half rounds
Lines reform into a circle moving clockwise seen from above.
For now, turn easy to begin. (Sharp: odds turn CCW, evens CW.)
Begin on outside (left) foot. HL turning 180 degrees to
outside to reverse direction. Circle then moves counterCW
starting on outside (right) foot. HL at end turning to
outside as far as is needed to face partner and reform lines.
Sticks: do not clash at halfway point (except Black Joke),
instead, stay round, raise stick and shout. Do clash at end.
- Heys Ends cast outward from the set tracing out a figure 8
where the evens mirror the odds. Middles follow 1 & 2.
Tops pass thru middle first, then bottoms, then middles.
Dancers in *positions* 1,3,6 start R foot; 2,4,5 start on L.
Usually the last figure of a dance, the last half ending with
PC facing up; i.e., | 4 4 PC PC PC PC | (sticks clash on last).
This means that you have to move very fast back to position
to finish in your proper place; this is especially
challenging for dancers 5 & 6 who must turn around to face up.
- WH = whole hey
(Typically not used in dances which have Half Heys in DF.)
After the HL halfway thru, perform other half immediately.
- HH = half hey
These will typically be a part of some Distinctive Figure
(DF) which comes in two halves and precedes halves of the hey.
These notes are based on a series of 3 workshops taught to Seabright
Morris
by Evan Shepherd during 1993 Nov-Dec.
Evan says that Bledington has no catch step. This means we should not
have a
pause before the first step of a double step as we do in Adderbury. The
time
should be spent flowing smoothly thru the air. This will take
considerable
practice. When catch steps are not done, the dancers can travel large
distances with ease. Malaika recommends doing the catch step for now.
Dances end with Heys where the last steps are usually 4PC. This means
that dancers 1,2,3,4 will end with outside foot up, and dancers 5&6 will
end with inside foot up.
a hankie dance
See also the "to rule" version
The DF (chorus) consists of a sidestep-doublestep combination
(like those found in FieldTown dances) followed by a Hook Leg.
The HL is done "to rule," which means that the HL should be
done on the same leg as if the dancer were finishing a hey
in the current position. This "rule" also means that the
HL is done in a direction which naturally allows each dancer
to turn so as to be ready to begin the half hey.
The sidesteps are "closed," meaning that when starting with
the right leg, the dancer turns to the left, and vice versa.
In order to comply with the "rule," the second sidestep in
each sequence must be danced differently by different dancers.
During the first half of the DF (which starts on right),
dancers 1,3,6 do the ssl as l r l r and then HL on the left.
Dancers 2,4,5 do the ssl as l r l l and then HL on the right.
During the second half of the DF (which starts on left),
dancers 1,3,6 do the ssr as r l r l and then HL on the right.
Dancers 2,4,5 do the ssr as r l r r and then HL on the left.
These numbers designate the dancers, not the positions they
occupy when halfway thru the DF.
Thus, dancers 1,3,6 always dance the second sidestep
changing feet every step, not hopping. Dancers 2,4,5 always dance
the second sidestep on the same foot on the last 2 steps, hopping.
>>>>> At end of SSS, some dancers need not turn on HL. Should they?
OY = ftj
FU = 4 4 HL sj 4 4 HL sj
DF = | ss(r) | 4(r) | ss(l) | HL | Hook Leg is done "to rule"
+ HH = 4 4 HL sj
+ | ss(l) | 4(l) | ss(r) | HL | Hook Leg is done "to rule"
+ HH = 4 4 HL sj
HG = 4 4 HL sj 4 4 HL sj
DF
WG = 4 4 HL sj 4 4 HL sj
DF
HR = 4 4 HL sj 4 4 HL sj
DF
end by capering facing up
3 Other dances have identical stepping but differ in rhythm and tune:
Idbury Hill,
The Maid of the Mill,
The Old Woman Tossed Up
a stick dance
The flavor of this dance comes from the Distinctive Figure (chorus)
where the first set of tip clashes is done as low as possible.
They should be nearly horizontal during the low sticking.
Sticks are held in right hand just below the middle.
OY = ftj
FU = | 4 4 HL sj | 4 4 HL sj |
DF = | G G G - | T T T - | G G G - | T T T - | = sticks
+ HH = 4 4 HL sj
& Repeat
G=softly strike ground with tip
T=forehand strike partner's tip:
first set soft and low, second set hard and high
HG = | 4 4 HL sj | 4 4 HL sj |
DF
WG = | 4 4 HL sj | 4 4 HL sj |
DF
HR = | 4 4 HL sj | 4 4 HL sj |
raise sticks high and shout on jump halfway thru.
DF
end by capering facing up, clash
Bacon describes several alternative forms of the sticking in the DF,
including one form which is hand clapping (no sticks)
a corner-crossing hankie dance
This is a long dance wherein the corners first challenge and
then cross during each of the DFs. (In the Sherborne tradition
each crossing may be performed twice, making the dance
excruciatingly long.)
During the CFs (FU, HG, WG, HR, WH) dancers should maintain
awareness of their partners. During the DFs (corner crossings)
inactive dancers should stand still (no bells jingling) facing
their corners and watching the pair who are currently performing.
Corners perform a step and jump at both the beginning and end of
challenges and crossings.
Each of the challenges is the same, always starting on the right
foot and thus doing the HL on the right foot.
During each challenge, the corner dancers should approach on the
double step and do the HC in each other's face.
Each of the crossings uses a different step or caper, always ending
with a hook leg (on the right foot) into the corner's place.
The first 2 crossings are done to B music, and the second 2
crossings are done to the even slower C music. This gives
the dancers time to perform the capers.
Dancers should pass right shoulders during the crossings.
(According to Sharp the middles (3 & 4) never actually cross,
but merely orbit around each other and return to place.)
For the sidestep and the UC crossings the dancers should
try to follow a zig-zag pattern across the set:
to the right, to the left, to the right, and to the left.
OY = ftj
FU
DF = 4 HC HL(r) sj = challenge
+ ssr ssl ssr ssl HL(r) sj = cross w/ open side steps
HG
DF = 4 HC HL(r) sj = challenge
+ HCr HCl HCr HCl HL(r) sj = cross w/ up two threes
WG
DF = 4 HC HL(r) sj = challenge
+ FCr FCl FCr FCl HL(r) sj = cross w/ toe backs
HR
DF = 4 HC HL(r) sj = challenge
+ UCr UCl UCr UCl HL(r) sj = cross w/ cross hops
WH = 4 4 HL sj 4 4 PC PC PC PC
ends with PC facing up
a post-war stick dance
This dance is a 6/8 tune, danced in jig-time. The music for each
half figure consists of 6 bars (rather than the 4 bars in the 2/2
and 4/4 dances), which means that each figure is half again as long.
The extra time is taken up with stick-clashing capers.
Each half of a CF, and each half hey, consists 6 bars of the following:
| 4 | 4 | HL | PC PC | PC PC | sj | clash on last 3 PC, s & j
There are 5 stick clashes with partner. They are done
| - | - | - | - T | B T | B T |
Sticks are held at the middle with right hand only.
T is high clash tips forehand, B is clash butts backhand.
Recall that sj is often performed much like 2 PC.
Because of the extra long figures, in this dance (only) the set
reforms halfway through the Half Rounds, sticking is done as above,
and then the other Half Rounds back to place, and sticking again.
In the chorus (DF) the first part is stick clashing 8 times while
standing in place. Clashes are high, striking tips.
Sticks are held near bottom with both hands, right hand higher.
R = forehand strike person diagonally to your right
L = forehand strike person diagonally to your left
B = backhand strike your partner
F = forehand strike your partner
Ends of sets strike ground when there is nobody to diagonal R or L.
The music requires a beat of doing nothing before the first clash,
so don't rush the chorus sticking.
OY = ftj
FU
DF = | R L | B F | R L | B F |, HalfHey
& Repeat
HG
DF
WG
DF
HR
In the half rounds of this dance, reform the set halfwaythru and do the clashing as in all other common figures.
DF
Final half hey proceeds as normal with clashing capers.
During final stick clash face up with sticks crossed. |
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