Be Careful What You Wish For, or the Chance Remark

January 2018; revised 2019
Longways duple minor
32 bars 3/4
Music: Northdown Waltz (in Barnes I) or another 32-bar waltz

A1	Open chain over and back (Neighbors keep left hands connected)
A2	Neighbors (along line) Duke of Kent's change. (See notes.) Ones half figure eight up and face second gent. (See notes.)
B1	Dolphin hey. (See notes.)
B2	Partners Duke of Kent's change across the set. Twos half figure eight down (to flow into chain with new ones)

Notes

Inspired by Jean Lockwood, a regular at the Country Dancers of Rochester English country dances. While lining up for a dance, she and other nearby dancers were talking about how they enjoyed the previous dance (Tanya and David's Waltz, with music by Rebecca King). She liked that it had both a dolphin hey and a Duke of Kent's change. What more could you want, came the question (from Sharon Cassidy, I think). Maybe an open ladies' chain was the response. I made a mental note, and the version below is what I came up with.
After some thought about gender roles in dance, I thought "Why should only those in ladies' role get to cross the set in the open chain?" So I revised the dance to the version ABOVE, making the dance proper. This gives both lines the opportunity to dance the chain in both the role that crosses the set (second corners) and the role that does not (first corners).
Open chain: directions to second corner people:
Cross the set, giving right hands to each other:
turn partner by the left hand on partner's side;
cross the set, giving right hands to each other:
turn neighbor by the left hand on home side. (All end at home.)
Duke of Kent's change: That is, with hands joined, balance forward and back, and change places, the shorter dancer turning under joined hands. In the A2, neighbors do the figure along the line joining left in left. In the B2, partners do the figure across the set. Right hands joined works better for the twos; ones use whichever hand works for them.
Dolphin hey: ones act as a unit, twos as individuals. Begins with lady one in front of her partner, passing left shoulder with gent two on the gents' side of the set. (Typically I will not use gendered terms when teaching this dance, but will orient using a landmark in the room, for example, kitchen side or window side.)

Longways duple minor indecent (that is, with twos improper)
32 bars 3/4
Music: Northdown Waltz (in Barnes I)

A1	Open ladies chain over and back (Neighbors keep left hands connected)
A2	Neighbors (along line) Duke of Kent's change. (See notes.) Ones half figure eight up and face second lady (on gents line)
B1	Dolphin hey. (See notes.)
B2	Partners Duke of Kent's change across the set. (See notes.) Twos half figure eight down (to flow into ladies chain with new ones)

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