5-Couple Dances 
Closing Thyme 
Format: Square (numbered anticlockwise) + fifth couple in the middle
Dance:
Colin Hume, 1999. Music: 5 x Wakefield Hunt (jig)
| A1: |
Outsides circle left (slip). Circle right. |
| A2: |
Middles (fives) half figure eight up through the ones. Half figure eight down through the threes. |
| B1: |
Ones, fives and threes half a Grimstock hey, but each couple cross over as they pass through the middle, and as the fives cross they wheel right to face the twos. Same across, and fives wheel right to face the threes' position (where the ones are). |
| B2: |
Same up and down, and fives wheel right to face the fours' position (where the twos are). Same across, and fives wheel right to face the ones. |
| C1: |
Fives arch, ones face down, the others face round the circle to the ones: lead down through the arch with someone, cross over and continue round the circle to a new place and possibly new partner — at the end the fives move up to first place and wheel around. |
| C2: |
Outsides join hands: in to the middle and back. All two-hand turn. |
On November 27th 1999,
Wild Thyme had their Farewell Dance at The Grange Hall, Southam, Warwickshire. I was privileged to MC the event, and the other callers were Hilary Herbert, Barbara Kinsman and Andrew Shaw. The tickets had been sold out for months, with a long waiting list, and the whole event went very well (except the above dance).
Wild Thyme had been one of my favourite bands for years, and I knew life would not be the same without them, but John and Elvyn felt they had had enough and moved to a remote Scottish island just to make sure they didn't change their minds.
The original line-up had Bob Barrett on bass guitar and Elvyn on guitar, but by the time the band became well-known it was John Blomfield on melodian and percussion, Elvyn Blomfield on keyboard, Dave Brown on fiddle and Tina Brown on bass guitar. I called with them many times, and they always provided the music I wanted — usually I didn't even have to set the speed. I remember Callers Courses with members of Wild Thyme playing and me thinking “This is no test of the caller's ability to control a band — they don't need any controlling”. To me they exemplify a band who can play Playford-style music with guts — not the ethereal style that is popular in the States (beautiful though that is) but music with vitality and strength — and of course that comes across even more with traditional tunes — rants, polkas and so on.
I first met all the members of Wild Thyme at one Folk Camp or another before they were involved with the band. As a very new caller I went to a camp where John was the leader and Dave the musician, and spent most of the week copying John's dance cards. Of course many people (particularly abroad) know Wild Thyme from their recordings — and very good they are too. Their first record, “Wild Thyme plays Fallibroome” came out in 1983 and was immediately seized upon by dance clubs up and down the country. The sleeve notes by Brian Jones describe Wild Thyme as “just one of the many excellent bands playing for folk dancing”, which I think does them an injustice. At the farewell dance Hilary Herbert said that a few years before she had said to her husband Neil “Do you think I'll ever get a chance to call with Wild Thyme or someone like them?” but she then realised that there was no other band like Wild Thyme! Their most popular recording is “Hunter's Moon”, with dances selected and interpreted by Tom Cook, who certainly knew a good tune when he met one. By this time John's daughter Julia had joined the band, also on fiddle. The next year, 1988, they recorded my “Dances with a Difference Volume 2” and I spent an exhausting week in the studio with them. There were moments of great hilarity, and we had only one argument — a tribute to their professionalism and recording experience.
Later Julia married Shane Day, and he and his accordian joined the band. Shane and Julia both tended to play rather quietly, and it was only when I heard the two of them accompanying Pat Tracey clog dancing that I realised what good musicians they were! Dave and Tina had split up by this time, and eventually Dave decided to leave the band. I remember hearing them at Eastbourne Festival soon after that, and wondering whether the Wild Thyme sound would still be there. They led off with “Wakefield Hunt”, and I thought “Yes, it is!” — it was quite an emotional experience for me.
Both Bob and Dave were there for the final dance, and the band played wonderfully well. They had chosen all the tunes, which meant in most cases they had automatically chosen the dances — but I wasn't going to let them get away scot-free. I wrote a dance to “Wakefield Hunt” and tried it out there for the first time. It was a real disaster — none of the sets got through it. Since then I've removed the crossing over in the
B part and got people through it with no trouble at all. Alan Davies feels it's rather too simple now, and wanted to be sure that I would publish both versions to give people the opportunity to call the harder one if they wished.
Julia, Shane and Tina are still playing as
Keeping Thyme. Julia, Shane and Dave are still playing as
Contradition.
The Hunter's Moon album may be no longer available, in which case you can find a recording of Wakefield Hunt on the CD “Dance and Danceability” by The Assembly Players.
The Fifth Dimension 
Dance and Music:
Colin Hume, 1990. Each line of music is five bars of five-time.
Format: Five couples longways.
| A1: |
Right-hand star in fours, bottom couple right-hand turn (8 steps). First corners (1st man, 2nd lady, 3rd man, 4th lady) cast left shoulder (2 steps) into half a reel of five along the line, passing neighbour left shoulder to start (10 steps), turning the set upside-down. All two-hand turn partner half-way (5 steps). |
| A2: |
Left-hand star or turn in the same groups. Original second corners cast right shoulder into half a reel of five along the line, passing neighbour right shoulder to start. All two-hand turn partner half-way, to original position. |
| B: |
Ones cross and go out beyond twos (5 steps). Ones go below twos and cross again as twos lead up (5 steps). Ones go out beyond threes, go below them and come in slightly, as threes lead up (5 steps). Middle three couples (threes, ones, fours) circle left (10 slip-steps). |
| |
Note: The ones make a continuous flowing movement rather than breaking it up into three sections, but the twos and threes must move at the start of the bar. |
| C: |
Middle three couples fall back in lines of three and make two circles as end couples lead in to meet (5 steps). Circles of 3, 4 and 3 slip to the left (5 steps) and right (5 steps), finishing in single-sex lines of 3, 2, 2 and 3, all facing partner (though there may be people in the way). All the men arch and everyone take 5 steps forward, the middle two ladies both going under their partners' arch and then separating so that each goes under one of the next arches while the middle lady of the line of three goes under the single arch. Those now facing out cast to the nearest end while the others two-hand turn their partner half-way (5 steps). All are now improper, and again the order is 2, 3, 1, 4, 5. |
| D: |
Top couple give right hands to start a progressive grand chain, stopping when they reach the bottom position, the set finishing inverted and proper (15 steps — rather quick). All back-to-back partner (8 steps) and honour partner (2 steps). |
Progressed position is 5, 4, 1, 3, 2. Repeat the dance four more times.
Going at Sixty
Format: Square (numbered anticlockwise) + fifth couple in the middle
Dance:
Colin Hume, 2007, for Doug Young's 60th birthday
Music: 8 x 32 bar American reels. Suggested tune: Richmond Cotillion.
Sequence: Break, figure twice, break, figure three times, break.
| Break: |
| A1: |
Outsides circle left — when they stop, the actives fall in between any two couples. All circle right. |
| A2: |
All five ladies chain 2 places, to man number 3 (counting partner as number 1). Chain again, to finish with original corner. |
| B1: |
Allemande left new corner, pass by one, swing original partner. |
| B2: |
All promenade — at the end the actives promenade in to middle. |
| Figure: |
| A1: |
Actives choose any couple and “Triple chain”: Ladies chain but active man courtesy turn this lady only half-way, ladies chain with the opposite couple, again with only a half turn, ladies chain with the original couple and actives courtesy turn in the middle to face one of the other couples. |
| A2: |
Triple chain with the other two couples. |
| B1: |
Outsides allemande left corner (it's always the same person unless they're in the middle), grand chain two places, swing original partner while actives balance and swing. |
| B2: |
All promenade — actives slot in behind the top couple (fours). Actives finish at top, the others finish where they started the promenade, one place round to the right of their original place, and the fours promenade in to the middle to become the new actives — the actives may need to persuade them that it's their turn to be in the middle. |
The dance was commissioned by Pat Petersen, who writes…
Doug and I married in our mid-40's, both of us for the first time, proving that it's never too late. Former dairy farmer hooks up with ex-rock opera conductor! We can't remember whether we first met playing early music or dancing, but we continue to enjoy doing both, as vocation and avocation. Doug plays old-time music on banjo as well as being a skilled player of recorder, cornetto, shawm, and curtal. I play various early winds, teach recorder and early music, and dabble in banjo-uke. We both love to sing. It's my fantasy that in our dotage, as the last bits of memory fade, Doug will sing yet another song that I've never heard him do before. When we're not dancing or playing music, we're pottering around in the garden.
Golden Dolphins
Format: 5 couples longways
Dance:
Sue Carter, 2006. Music:
Colin Hume, 2008.
| A1: |
All set; top and middle couple cast one place, the couples below them lead up. Ends left-hand star, middles gipsy left. |
| A2: |
All set; bottom and middle couple cast up, the couples above them lead down. Ends right-hand star, middles gipsy right. |
| B1: |
(16 bars): All two-hand turn, then top three couples face up, bottom two face down. “Morris Dolphin Hey” — end four couples change the leader each time they start moving in (working with same-sex neighbour), middle couple swim alone. |
| B2: |
Middle couple cross right, turn right, dance a quick whole figure eight round the entire set while the end couples do four changes of a circular hey starting with partner (4 steps per change), then two-hand turn while middles finish their figure eight (12 bars). Lines fall back; lead forward. |
Progressed position is 2, 4, 1, 5, 3.
Sue originally wrote this to be danced as a waltz, but changed her mind. The stars and gipsies were the other way round, but that didn't flow well into the two-hand turn. You need plenty of width for this dance, otherwise the dolphin hey becomes an up-and-down movement where it's difficult to see the shape and how you fit into it.
Miss Claire Moir
Dance:
Colin Hume, 2007. Music:
Dave Brown, 2005.
Format: Five couples longways,
1, 3 & 5 improper
| A: |
(16 bars): Ones and threes give two hands, balance forward and back; cast one place (twos and fours lead up). Ones and threes lead down one place, cast up and face up — bottom couple face up and wait for one change. |
| |
Grand chain for 8 hands (bottom couple only do 7 changes), one waltz step per change, finishing 4, 2 improper, 5, 1 improper, 3. |
| B: |
(16 bars): From the top, right-hand star (top two couples and next two couples right-hand star). With the next couple, left-hand star (leaving the top couple out). |
| |
Top couple (fours) cross and cast to the bottom; the others lead up one place. All two-hand turn partner. |
| Progressed position is 2 improper, 5, 1 improper, 3, 4 improper. |
I originally had a simpler first half for the
B section:
| |
Top couple cast (you're facing out so don't spin, just go), the others lead up and follow them. Meet at the bottom and lead up to the same place. |
I tried the dance for the first time at Whitby Folk Week in August 2007 and Trevor Monson said this part was too simple, especially as the top couple then did another cast. So I changed it and tried the revised version there a couple of days later. When I asked the dancers to vote on the change no-one voted for the simple version, but I'm giving it here as an option in case you are calling for less experienced dancers but still want to dance to Dave's lovely tune. The tune is recorded on the
Skylark CD which also contains an excellent selection of American reels and jigs and a superb performance of “De'il tak the warr”. You can order it from
http://www.skylarkmusic.org.uk/
Dave Brown explains:
Claire Moir from Scotland is a friend of ours who travelled with her fiancé Gerard (a Kiwi) and us through Africa in 2004. They were the only two left at the end of our trip — everyone else dropped out. They were married in New Zealand in March 2006 and Patience travelled to the wedding. I couldn't go so I wrote three tunes — Miss Claire Moir (Maiden name — Waltz), Mr & Mrs Eden (Married name — Strathspey) and G&C (Initials and the chords in the tune — Reel — last track on the Connections CD.) I recorded the music and made it the backing track to a DVD of pictures of mountains in New Zealand and Scotland. They loved it!
Ten Year Tested
Dance and Music:
Colin Hume, 1989. Each line of music is ten bars long.
Format: Five couples longways
| A1: |
Join hands in lines, go forward and back. Cross right shoulder with partner (2 bars). End couples right-hand star, middle couple right-hand turn. |
| A2: |
Lines forward and back. Cross left shoulder (2 bars). Left-hand star or left-hand turn. |
| B1: |
Middle couple galop to bottom (2 bars). Galop to top (4 bars). Cast to turn the set upside down. |
| B2: |
All do-si-do partner. Clap: right hands with partner, left, cross hands on (own) chest, clap both hands with partner (2 bars). Swing partner. |
