Colin Hume's 4-Couple Dances

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Felicity       

Format: 4 couples longways.     Dance: Colin Hume.  Music: Dave Brown

A:	First lady, fourth man cast right shoulder (their neighbours move right into their place); middles gipsy right half-way with new opposite.  Middles right-hand star while ends give right hand, balance forward and back; box the gnat.
B:	First man, fourth lady cast right shoulder (their neighbours move right into their place); middles gipsy right half-way with partner.  Middles right-hand star while ends give right hand, balance forward and back; box the gnat.
C:	All back-to-back partner.  Circle left half-way.
D:	Ends give right hand to partner to start four changes of a grand chain — middles only do three changes.  All two-hand turn partner.

Progressed position is 2, 4, 1, 3.  Repeat the dance three more times.

The dance and music were written in 2002 for Dave Brown's niece Felicity Bird.  The tune is recorded 8 times through on Dave's CD “Outside of the Square”, DB003CD, but people found that a little fast for the dance so he's rerecorded it (4 times through) on his latest CD, “Connections”, DB004CD. You can also download it in MP3 format at http://www.dlbmusic.org.uk/downloads/Felicity.mp3.     Visit Dave Brown's downloads page.     Buy one or both of the CDs.

Save the House!       

Format: 4 couples longways.     Dance and Music: Colin Hume, 1998.

A1:	Ones and threes cross, go down outside one couple while the others move up.  All do-si-do partner, those on men's side arching on the way over, the others arching on the way back.
A2:	In fours, circle left once.  All eight circle left half-way.  [Make sure you finish opposite your partner.]
B:	All face down and cast up from the bottom.  Leading couple arch at the top, the others come up the outside and lead down through the arch.
C:	New ones and threes half figure eight down through the couple below.  All cross-hand swing partner.
All danced to a step-hop.

Cecil Sharp House was opened in 1930 as a centre for English Folk Dance, Music and Song, and as a memorial to Cecil Sharp.  It is also the headquarters of the English Folk Dance and Song Society.  The National Executive Committee of that Society decided in November 1986 that the House would have to be sold to pay the Society's debts.  An organisation called “The Friends of Cecil Sharp House” was formed to help the Society by raising money to keep the House open, but it soon became apparent that some NEC members were determined to close the building regardless of the facts of the situation.

“Save the House!” was an immediate response to the decision to close the building — I wanted to write a dance which I could sell to raise money for the Friends, and the title contributes the underlying rhythm to much of the tune.  The dance is lively and not particularly difficult, though as often happens in my dances the little “differences” have been known to confuse people.

A record called “Cecil Sharp House” was published by the Friends in 1988.  As well as this dance, it contained my complicated Playford-style square “Cecil Sharp House” and the wind quintet version of one of my best-known dances, “Unrequited Love”.

A Trip to Sweden       

Dance and Music: Colin Hume, 1990.        Each line of music is six bars long.

Format: Four couples longways

A1:	Ladies' line take hands and dance under an arch made by the top two men, behind the second and third men, and in under an arch made by the bottom two men, to place.
A2:	Men's line dance under an arch made by the top two ladies, behind, and out under the bottom arch.
B1:	Middle two couples circle left three quarters and then two-hand turn partner (the twos turn one and a quarter, the threes turn three quarters) while end couples two-hand turn (the ones turn one and a quarter, the fours turn one and three quarters) to finish in a double right-hand star, ladies in the middle.
B2:	Star promenade all the way round — then the middle ladies keep right hands joined and the ends start to turn as a couple (man backwards, lady forwards), finishing in original places with the ones improper.
C1:	While the ends finish their turn, the middle two couples weather-vane half-way and move forward to meet an end couple (2's meet 4's, 3's meet 1's), forming two weather-vanes which go all the way round, and finishing in a longways set (1's and 2's improper) facing the other couple from the weather-vane.
C2:	Polka one and a half times round that couple, finishing on your original side.

By “weather-vane” I mean a right-hand turn as couples — ladies giving right hands and men on the outside.  Progressed position is 3-1-4-2.

Dedicated to the band Wild Thyme and the Apertins Herrgård Dancers, both of whom performed it at the Eastbourne International Folk Festival and on a tour of Sweden in 1990.

Ron Mears gave me the idea for writing the dance, so I asked him what he considered typical Swedish figures.  He suggested a double star, lines weaving in and out of each other, and a basket where the ladies sit on the men's hands.  Aren't you glad I left that one out?  The tricky bit is timing the two-hand turns so that all four ladies arrive in the centre at the same time to form the double star for B2.  As I hope you can tell from the music, the whole thing is intended to be danced with a polka step.  My contribution to International Dance!  I asked the display team whether they thought it was Swedish, and they said no.  But they agreed it wasn't English.

For Colin — A Dance with a Difference       

Dance by Julian Hill.  Music by Eileen Muscroft.  2004.

4 couple longways, 1st couple on centre line man at top, lady at bottom       32 bar x 4

A1	1-2	While 1st & 3rd couple set forward to centre, 2nd & 4th couple set backwards on the diagonal
	3-4	1st & 3rd couples ½ left hand star (plus a bit)
	5-8	All back to back right shoulder on diagonal corner (always same person)
A2	1-4	Interlocking ½ diagonal reels of four — begin right shoulder and make left hand stars in middle
	5-8	While 1st & 3rd couples continue for another ½ star and face up (improper) others cloverleaf turn to become ends of lines (tops up and away — bottoms down and away)       All face up
B1	1-8	Full single cast (to these places — noting whether you are an odd or even position)
B2	1-4	In 4's tops (odds) casting ½ double figure eight
	5-8	All face in, lines fall back and come forward moving ½ place left to reform set

This is the first tune Eileen has ever written.  She called the dance at my 60th birthday party dance while Julian stood around looking very nervous.

Butterfly Wings       

Dance: Anne Welch, 1995.  Tune: “Bellows & Bows” by Fred Grimshaw

Format: Four couples longways, 2 & 4 improper

A1:	Lines forward and back.  Middles gate through the nearer end.
A2:	Ends hand the middles into double figures of eight: ends cast to start, middles cross going through them.
B:	Cast from the ends — ends meet opposite and make a single-handed arch (1st man with 4th lady, 4th man with 1st lady), middles meet neighbour, lead under the arch, and lead partner to nearer end.
C:	All two-hand turn 1½ the one you've got (new ends with partner, new middles with neighbour).  All back-to-back partner.
Progressed position is 2-4-1-3.

In 1995 the Beckenham and Croydon Folk Dance Club ran their second “Dance Search” competition with me adjudicating.  The first prize went to Anne Welch for “Butterfly Wings”.  The composers had the option of calling their own dance, nominating someone to call it, or letting one of the club callers call it.  I knew that Anne was one of the club callers, and it never occurred to me that it was her own dance.  She called it superbly, and I found it the hit of the evening.  Of course, dances are a matter of personal taste, but here it is so you can judge for yourselves.

Anne Welch started dancing in 1985, through working in a school, and decided she would like to take it up for herself.  She started dancing regularly at Beckenham, and in 1982 was encouraged by Joan Cornish to call a couple of dances during club nights — gradually it went up to half an evening and then a whole evening.  She has never considered herself a dance writer, though she has written some simple barn dance material, some of which can be found in the booklets which go with the “Ring o' Bells” cassettes.  This is her first quality dance, and came about because Fred Grimshaw wrote the tune for her and she felt it deserved a dance.  Anne has recently (2007) moved up to Sheffield, and the people in that area will soon find out that they have another excellent caller in their midst.

Helena       

Dance and Music: Colin Hume, 1998.

Format: Four couples longways

A1:	Up a double and back.  Set to partner; two-hand turn half-way.
A2:	Down a double and back.  Set to partner; two-hand turn half-way.
B1:	Middles half figure eight through the nearest end couple.  Circle left in fours half-way; fall back with neighbour.
B2:	Face this neighbour: three changes of a grand chain, so that you cross to your own side at the ends of the set.  Two-hand turn partner.

Progressed position is 3, 1, 4, 2.  Repeat the dance three more times.

Written for Helena Moss on the occasion of her wedding to Jim Crouch, 26th March 1988, and called by me at the wedding dance with Wild Thyme providing the music.

The Night Crossing       

Format:  4 Couples longways, 1 and 3 improper.     Dance: Colin Hume, Music: John New, 2006.

A1:	Lines of four fall back (with conviction); turn single right.  Lead forward, hesitate (back in set position for a moment of poise); two-hand turn partner half-way.
A2:	All that again.
B:	In fours, men cross (right shoulder); ladies cross (right shoulder) and “face the next”: new middles face middle neighbour, ends face partner.  Set to this person; two-hand turn half-way and open up to face partner.
C:	On the right diagonal, cross right (same sex person) while the two people not involved turn single right; cross left on the left or turn single left.  Cross right on the right or turn single right; all single file clockwise one place to finish opposite partner.

Progressed position is:   3 improper, 1, 4 improper, 2.  Repeat the dance three more times.

I was at a Folk Camp in Holland in 2006 with Hilary Vare and John New as the musicians.  I have done several camps with Hilary, but had not met John before.  In the music workshops we played a few of his tunes, and we were all very struck by this one.  The inspiration for the tune came when he was on the open forward observation deck on the Val de Loire, crossing from Portsmouth to St Malo.  It had been a very congenial evening in the restaurant, with good company and good live piano music, and the sea was flat calm and moonlit.

John wrote it as a slow air, but said he was happy to play it faster for a dance, so I wrote this and tried it out at the end of the week.  The tune still needs to be slow, or it loses its style.  John wrote a pause at the end of the C-music, and I think a slight pause works well with the dance.  The dance needs room for the fall back in the first part, and the dancers must fall back with conviction, otherwise after the lead forward you are too close to your partner to do a good turn.

Portesham Breakfast       

Format:  4 Couples longways.     Dance: Colin Hume, 2002.    Music: Richard Jones.     Use the alternative A music the second and fourth times.

A1:	(16 bars): Up a double and back.  Cast to invert the set.
	Gipsy right partner.  Back-to-back partner right shoulder.
A2:	Down a double and back.  Cast to invert the set.
	Gipsy left partner.  Back-to-back partner left shoulder, and at this point observe your same-sex neighbour in your fours.
B1:	(16 bars): In fours, right-hand star.  Middles left-hand star, and finish by facing the neighbour you observed.
	Reels of four on the side.
B2:	Lines fall back; lead forward.  First corners cross; second corners cross.
	In the middle, second corners cross (the people who crossed first the first time); first corners and the ends cross.  All two-hand turn partner.

I was at a Folk Camp in 2002 where we played this tune all week at music workshops.  We also used it on the last evening to parade round the field displaying the wonderful results of the lantern-making workshop.  It was definitely the tune of the week, and I loved it, so I decided I'd better write a dance for it and call it on the last night; it seemed to need a Playford-style dance rather than traditional-style.

I called it again the next week at the Morland Dance Week and the band (including Ian Jones and Steve Hunt) all said it was a great tune.  Steve told me that Portesham is in Dorset, where he comes from, and is pronounced “Pozzum”.  I've since heard Steve playing the tune at Southam Festival, and Ian Jones has also been calling the dance.

So I contacted Richard Jones who wrote the tune to find out more.  Richard is really flattered that this tune seems to be so popular.  He was in a rock group in the '70's which had a big hit single, but he says this actually feels better!

At the time Richard was fairly new to folk music and was only just starting to get the feet moving.  He wrote the tune while messing around on the guitar!  He plays with Chris Walshaw (pipes), and the first time they played it in public was at a weekend party which is held in a farm in Portesham.  They did it while everyone was having breakfast.  Several people came up to them and asked what it was, but he hadn't got a name for it at the time.  He has now!

So whether you like the dance or not, I'm sure the musicians will enjoy playing the tune.

In 2006 I was at a contra dance in Ely, and before it started there was recorded music playing.  I was very surprised to hear Portesham Breakfast as one of the tracks — and much faster than I had learnt it at the Folk Camp!  The recording is by Meridian (Richard Jones, Anna Tabbush and Chris Walshaw).  From the Music section of their website you can buy the CD or a downloaded MP3 version of the album “Prime” from which it is taken.

Star of Kintra       

4 couple longways — 3's & 4's improper

A	1-4	All back to back with partner, turning single to the right on the way back
	5-8	In 4's, ½ right and left (no polite turn)
	9-16	Middle 4 right hand star, left hand star back
B1	1-8	The 4th lady following the 1st man (acting as a unit) full reel of 3 across the set with the 2's, the 1st man and 4th lady ending in the middle of the side line.  Similarly the 1st lady follows the 4th man for a reel of 3 with 3's.
B2	1-4	All circle left ½ way
	5-8	End couples ½ figure 8 through nearest couple
		Progressed position is 3-1-4-2.

Music by Elvyn Blomfield (July 2004)             Dance by Trevor Monson (June 2004)

John Blomfield, one of the founder members of the Folk Dance Band Wild Thyme, died on the Isle of Mull in Scotland on 27th May 2004.  On 26th August there was a Memorial Dance at Southam in Warwickshire.  It was preceded by remembrances of John, led by his son-in-law Shane Day with contributions from other people who knew him; Trevor Monson gave an account of the funeral service.  The Grange Hall was full for the occasion.  Shane had also put together a slide show of photographs of John from childhood to his last weeks.  The dance was run by Barbara Kinsman who called mainly Playford-style dances, with a couple of American Squares from Colin Hume and this new dance written and called by Trevor which went down very well.  Trevor and Elvyn would like the dance to be more widely known — so please call it!  Kintra is the area of Mull where John lived.

Summer Reverie       

Format: 4 couples longways.     Dance and Music: Colin Hume, 2000.

A:	Ones cross and cast; twos lead up.  Middle ladies cross (1 and 3); middle men cross.
B:	Bottom three couples circle left half-way.  Join hands in lines of four and fall back; lead forward.  [2, 4 improper, 1 improper, 3.]
C:	Middles face the ends: back-to-back neighbour (opposite sex).  Two slow changes of a circular hey, without hands.  [4, 3, 2, 1.]
D:	Ones (at the bottom) lead up to the top, the others go down the outside and follow them up the middle to invert the set.  Ones cast to the bottom, the others continue leading up to progressed place and two-hand turn.  [Standard progression.]

Written for Chris Oxtoby — the blonde bombshell, accordianist extraordinaire, accomplished accompanist, for many years a member of the Anglo-Scottish band “Sound Company” — who complained that no-one had ever written her a nice tune.  She said she particularly liked “Winter Memories”, so both the dance and the tune contain echoes of this.  Following suggestions of various dancers and musicians I have revised both the dance and the music slightly.

Musicians: as with Winter Memories, slow and lyrical but don't let the tune falter.

A Time to Dance       

Format: 4 couples longways.     Dance: Maggie Hosking, 1999.  Music: Colin Hume, 2002.

First Figure:
A1:	Lead up a double; cast back.  Set to partner; cross right shoulder with partner.
A2:	Lead down a double; cast back.  Set; cross right shoulder.
B:	Matchboxes: Ones and threes give two hands and slip down between the next couple who slip up; twos and fours slip down, the others up.  All that again.
C:	Double matchboxes: Ones and twos give two hands and slip down between both the other couples who slip up; threes and fours slip down, the others up.  All that again.
Second Figure:
A1:	Side right shoulder to right; cast left.  Set; cross right shoulder.
A2:	Side left; cast right.  Set; cross right shoulder and all face up.
B:	In fours, double figure eight: ones and threes cast, twos and fours cross up to start.  Ones and threes cast again, into:
C:	Reels of four on the side: men pass left shoulder, ladies right shoulder.
Third Figure:
A1:	Right-hand turn half-way; turn single left.  Set; cross right shoulder.
A2:	Left-hand turn half-way; turn single right.  Set; cross right shoulder.
B:	In fours, right-hand star.  Left-hand star.
C:	Ends face partner, middles face neighbour: Grand chain.
Fourth Figure:
A1:	Lead up a double; cast back.  Set; cross right shoulder.
A2:	Side right shoulder to right; cast back left.  Set; cross right shoulder.
B:	Right-hand turn half-way; turn single left.  Set; cross right shoulder.
C:	Lead down a double; cast back and face up.  Set; step right and honour the presence.

I was booked to call Maggie Hosking's 50th Birthday Dance, and she asked me to write a tune to one of her own compositions.  I was pleased to do this, since it's a very nice dance, but I wasn't too sure about the tune I'd written and ended up sending her two tunes.  She liked the A part of one and the B part of the other, so I fitted these together (losing a nice key-change on the way, but you can't have everything).  The title comes from Ecclesiastes (King James version): “To everything there is a season… A time to mourn, And a time to dance”.  She has an interesting gimmick in the fourth figure, which is basically the introductions to the other three figures — I knew that, but it still almost fooled me when I called it!  Unknown to her, I had also written my own dance and tune, Maggie's Waltz Square for her.