Windmills

Notes

Adelaide, South Australia. Glenelg tram
Adelaide, South Australia. Glenelg tram
Australian windmill for pumping water
Australian windmill for pumping water

In March 1992 I went to Adelaide, South Australia on business for 2 weeks. This was in the days before the "public" Internet existed (although I was already using it for technical purposes), so it was just about impossible to discover much about folk dancing in Adelaide before I arrived. Once there, I found out the meeting details for the Australian Traditional & Bush Dance Society of South Australia. and went along to Prospect Town Hall one evening not quite knowing what kind of dancing to expect. It turned out to be exactly the kind of dancing that I did at folk dance clubs around Bedford, UK. I was made extremely welcome, invited to a fete and display dancing over the weekend, and joined some of the members at a concert on North Terrace.

"Windmills" was one of the dances they did at their club meeting. I understand that it had been entered in an Australian dance competition.

There are an awful lot of windmills in Australia for pumping water. One important thing about windmills is that they keep going the same way round; they do not stop and come back the other way. Read on to see the significance of this to the dance...

Formation

4 couple longways

Music

4×32 bar jig. Not too fast, 106bpm or less seems to work.

Here is a suitable tune composed by an Australian, Joe Yates. He did not give the tune a name, but "Turondale DB" has been attached to it. Turondale is in New South Wales.

A score, and further information, will be found here.

Notation

bars
A1 1‑21st (working) couple and 2nd couple ½ right hand turn partner,
3‑4same four people ½ right hand star (the movements are quite quick!);
5‑6working couple and couple below them (3rd couple) ½ right hand turn partner,
7‑8same four people ½ right hand star.
A2 1‑2Working couple and couple below them (4th couple) ½ right hand turn partner,
3‑4same four people ½ right hand star
(working couple are now at bottom of set and all are in progressed places);
5‑8all right hand turn partner once round.
B1 1‑4Top two couples right hand star once round, while bottom two couples do the same;
5‑8all whole right hand turn neighbour who was in the star with you. Face this person.
B2 1‑8Pass neighbour by the right to start complete reels of four on mens' and on ladies' side of the set.

Repeat three more times.

Source

Deborah Reynolds; this was an entry in an Australian dance competition in 1986.