Dawley

Source: Reconstructed by John Kirkpatrick (Shropshire Bedlams) and collected in 198? by Andy Anderson (Red Stags). Taught at the Five-Day Wonder in 1993 by James Allwright (Red Stags) and transmitted to the Hounds in 1997 by Debbie Lewis (MOTley).

Tune: Return from the Waterside (Andy Anderson) as A(AB)³ABBA (A=sticking, B=figures).

Variants: This can be done with 1 short stick each, using either the usual chorus (done twice per A part) or a simpler chorus (while stepping, face across the set and clash forehand as | x-x-xxx- | x-x-xxx- | xxx-xxx- | xxxxxxx- |). The tune is slower when short sticks are used.

Formation: A rectangular set of 8, each with 1 long stick.

Sequence: Once to Yourself, Chorus, Parallel Heys, Chorus, Linked Hey, Chorus, O-Shaped Hey, Chorus, Litchfield Hey, Chorus.

Chorus: Step throughout. Hold your stick with both hands and clash with authority (but no follow-through).
L=clash forehand with the person to your diagonal left.
R=clash backhand with the person to your diagonal right.
CL=center from the left: clash backhand with your partner.
CR=center from the right: clash forehand with your partner.
The sequence is | L L CL CR | R R CR CL | L CL CR R | CR CL L CL |. This is done just once per A part.

Parallel Heys: Pair up in your lines of 4, and do a right-shoulder hey in those lines.

Linked Hey: Pair up in your lines of 4 while linking up with your partner (put your arm around the waist of the person across the set from you). Do a right-shoulder hey along the centerline of the set.

O-Shaped Hey: Like parallel heys, but cross by left shoulders at the top and the bottom of the set and continue along the other side.

Litchfield Hey: In each of the top and bottom squares of 4, first corners (the diagonal pair including the dancer closest to the musician's right hand) cross by right shoulders, then second corners cross by right shoulders. Pause (growling and/or grimacing at the dancer you're about to pass), then the dancers at the ends of the set pass right shoulders across the set while the dancers in the middle square pass right shoulders up and down the set. Repeat the entire sequence a total of 4 times and you'll be back to place. This is a "tootsie-roll" shaped hey. The second (resp. third or fourth) time through the sequence, clash once (resp. twice or thrice) during the "pause".

This page was written by Mike Miller of the Bassett Street Hounds and was last edited on 1/6/98.

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