Let's Twirl Around

Notes

This was first danced on 12 March 2024 at Bedford Tuesday Playford. A Playford group was not really an appropriate venue, but having been coerced on the night into calling a few dances to cover for a mix-up in the caller schedule, I took it as an opportunity to try out this dance, admittedly to quite gently paced music!

The 'line twirl around' figure given in bars 3 to 6 of A2 probably can not be labelled a "Dixie Twirl". It is certainly not the standard figure that is used in dances such as "Dixie Twirl Contra" (whose web page has a concise explanation), nor is it covered by the more extended definition given in the Caller's Box glossary. In those descriptions people follow each other under the same arch holding hands. For the figure given below, the two people duck through different arches simultaneously.

Formation

Duple minor with 1st couples improper.

Music

Any 32 bar reel or jig suitable for a contra dance. A dancer takes two steps to each bar of music.

Here is an appropriate track which is at 112bpm

The tune "March of Saint Timothy" is by Judi Morningstar and is used with her permission. A score is available on The Session.

Notation

bars
A1 1‑4Long lines forward and back,
5‑81st couple swing, ending in the centre of a line of four all holding hands and facing down.
A2 1‑2The line (W2 M1 W1 M2) moves down,
3‑6

The line twirls around by:

  • M2, who is on the end of the line, drops hands with W1, but M1 holds onto the hands of both ladies either side of him, then
  • 1st couple do a (slow) California Twirl (that is: M1 walks a semi-circle to his right as W1 walks a smaller semi-circle to her left ducking under their joined hands), while
  • W2 walks a large semi-circle to her right making an arch with her right hand that is being held by M1, and
  • at the same time, M2 walks alone in a semi-cirlce to his left ducking under the arch made by M1 & W2, and joining on the far end of the line; this reforms the line but now facing up.
( See the note above for a discussion of this dance figure )
7‑8Line of four moves up and "bends the line" to make a circle of four.
B1 1‑8Circle left, circle right.
B2 1‑41st couple half figure of 8 up through 2nd couple,
5‑82nd couple half figure of 8 down through 1st couple.

Sources