| The Serpent with Corners and Bending Time |
| The Pondskater and Ben's Confusion |
| Melanie's Maggot |
| Wild Boy |
I'm happy and keen for you to play these tunes and give copies of them to friends, or enemies for that matter. If you want to distribute them for profit or record them then please contact me and we can discuss it.
This was intended as a rapper-style jig, but it didn't quite turn out that way. It was recorded by Momentum, with TB playing recorder, on their Interesting Times album released in July 2007.
An oblong garden, half a yard longer than wide, consists entirely of a gravel-walk, spirally arranged, a yard wide and 3,630 yards long ... like a serpent with corners.
Lewis Carroll, A Tangled Tale: Knot IX, 1880
Tune available as standard or hi-TeX ABC, PDF, GIF, MIDI or MP3 (206kB). Three-part version available as MIDI or MP3 (208kB).
Ali Ellacott kindly dedicated this tune to Rachel and me. It didn't quite make it onto Interesting Times, but we now play it as a set followed by The Serpent with Corners.
Tune available as standard or hi-TeX ABC, PDF or GIF.
This was commissioned for the dance Ben's Confusion. In April 2002 it was published in All Join Hands, and recorded for the accompanying CD.
Tune available as standard or hi-TeX ABC, PDF, GIF, MIDI or MP3 (231kB). Three-part version available as MIDI or MP3 (235kB).
ABC2Win sometimes seems to have trouble with metre-changes in mid-tune. I don't use it so I haven't explored this very thoroughly, but as a workaround for this tune try changing the first "M:4/4" to "M:C" and doubling the next barline.
Cyril Papworth wrote this farewell dance for Ben Bolker when he returned to the United States. Ben enjoyed English dancing at The Round in Cambridge but also taught the group contras, hence the Confusion. It's part 6/8 Playfordish and part 4/4 Americanish, to the tune The Pondskater.
Longways duple minor.
| Playford Style | ||
| A1 | 1 - 4 | 1st couple set to each other, cross over right shoulder to change places. |
| 5 - 8 | 1st and 2nd couples half poussette to change places, men pull then push. | |
| A2 | 1 - 4 | 2nd couple set to each other and turn single. |
| 5 - 8 | 1st and 2nd couples half poussette to change places, men push then pull. | |
| American Style | ||
| B1 | 1 - 8 | Neighbours face along the line, balance left and right, pass through and swing with the next person you meet, finish facing across, woman on right of man. |
| B2 | 1 - 4 | 1st and 2nd couples half promenade across the set. |
| 5 - 8 | 2nd couple half figure 8 up through 1st couple. All now proper ready to start again. | |
Partners change places with each other at the ends when neutral. Suggestion: When becoming neutral, wait (proper at top, improper at bottom) then join in at next B1 to balance with partner and change places, then swing along the line.
Bob Lilley wrote this dance to celebrate a friend's 18th birthday, and found it worked well to Momentum's recording of Michael Turner's Waltz on Interesting Times. The music's available here.
3 couple longways.
| A1 | 1st couple Dolphin Hey with the other two men (man in the lead going down, lady coming up). |
| A2 | 1st couple Dolphin Hey with the other two ladies (lady leads going down). Finish in original places. |
| B1 | "18": 1st couple lead down to bottom. 3rd couple face down as they get there, then gatepost them up to middle place (2s move up). 1st couple cross as 2nd couple turn down and face out. 2s gatepost 1s to top (all now in original positions except 1s improper). |
| B2 | "Key of the Door": 1st couple lead down through an arch made by 2s (who move up), 2 hand turn halfway, lead up through the arch again, cast to bottom (3s move up). |
| For Melanie Doyle. | |
Robert Moir heard Momentum's recording of Wild Boy on Interesting Times, and was inspired to write this dance to go with it. The music's available here.
Longways duple minor.
| A1 | 1 - 8 | Double figure of eight (all face up, first couple cast, second couple cross up to begin) slowing down to face partners at the end. |
| A2 | 1 - 4 | First couple cross right shoulder and face partner, then second couple do the same, and flow into... |
| 5 - 8 | Right-hand star. | |
| B1 | 1 - 4 | First couple chassée down two sidesteps while second couple chassée up two sidesteps (ladies in front of men), and cloverleaf turn single. |
| 5 - 8 | Repeat in opposite direction but finish facing neighbour. | |
| B2 | 1 - 4 | Neighbours right-hand turn halfway to face partners, partners left-hand turn halfway, release hands and face partners. |
| 5 - 8 | Partners two-hand turn. |
This page is maintained by
Thomas Bending,
and was last modified on 15 June 2008.
Comments, criticisms and suggestions are welcome.
Copyright © Thomas Bending 2008.
