Tune: Rakes of Mallow (traditional) as AB(ABB)4 (A=figures, B=sticking).
Variants: The Hounds have danced this with 5 by having just one dancer enter each chorus.
Author's note: The "gypsy" in the name of this dance comes from a figure (first written down by Cecil Sharp in the early 1900s) upon which its chorus is based. There has been some discussion of late (2020) about whether the the word "gypsy", when used as the name of a dance figure, would be offensive to the general Romani population. I have been unable to find any evidence of this, and so I am keeping the name of the dance unchanged; if you have evidence of such offence, please let me know.
Sequence: Dance on, Chorus for 2, J-Bone Hey, Chorus for 2-4, Square Hey, Chorus for 4-6, Mirror-Image Hey, Chorus for 6-8, Cloverleaf Hey, Chorus for 8-8.
Chorus: Dance a counterclockwise circle around your partner, sticking backhand high with your partner, backhand low in line, backhand high with your partner, backhand low in line, forehand high in line, forehand low with your partner, then slide left along the set and stick forehand high and backhand low with your new partner, and repeat. Your body must rotate to accomplish all this (first to the right, then to the left) - just follow the direction of your stick when turning your body. When you are partnered with Harvey (an imaginary invisible dancer) at the end of the set, stick backhand high with Harvey, backhand low in line, backhand high with Harvey (behind you), backhand low in line, forehand high in line, forehand low with Harvey, then slide left and you're back in the set. The chorus for 2 will have 16 clashes. In the remaining choruses, you will dance each chorus for 8 clashes, then a dancer will join at the bottom of the set (left shoulder towards the musician) and you will continue for 8 more clashes, then the next dancer will enter at the bottom of the set (left shoulder toward the musician) and you will continue for another 16 clashes. You will (usually) end a chorus in a different spot than you started. Remember where you end!
J-Bone Hey (for 2): Do a right-shoulder back-to-back, but continue around to pass right shoulders a second time. Swerve right, then loop around to the left. Repeat.
Square hey (for 4): Pass right shoulders across the set, turn out 270 degrees to face someone up or down the set, pass left shoulders up/down the set, turn out 270 degrees to face someone across the set, and repeat.
Mirror-Image Hey (for 6): This is just the "usual" Cotswold hey.
Cloverleaf Hey (for 8): Begin as if in positions A, C, E, G, I, K, M and O in the diagram below. On each beat, move to the next letter of the alphabet (or from P to A). You'll be following the person who started two letters ahead of you. Those who start on the middle square are crossing that square on beats 4 and 1; the others are crossing on beats 2 and 3. You'll be back to your original place after 16 beats.
L G
K H
JM FI
AN BE
P C
O D
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