strathspey@strathspey.org:28093

Timothy Wilson

4-couple tournee (was Figure search)

Nov. 10, 2001, 7:02 p.m. (Message 28093)

Yes, Alan, I'm here. I am not familiar with Bruce Shawyer's Cape Spear, so I 
don't know if we're talking about the same formation or not.

Miriam, thank you for mentioning the dance and figure. Dancing on Parnassus 
is published in the SF Class' Solstice Party Book, complete with diagrams if 
my description here is not sufficient.

The figure begins in a square set and ends in a longwise set. Top and bottom 
couples are facing out of the square set (top lady on man's right, bottom 
lady on man's left--setting up for a men's and women's side). Top and bottom 
couples cast away from partner and dance to the other end of the set (4 
bars), new top couple turns giving left hands 1-3/4 while new bottom couple 
turns giving right hands 1-3/4 (4 bars).

At the same time, the side couples, in promenade hold, advance one step to 
put men's left shoulders together; then they dance bars 2-8 of a standard 
tournee.

At the end of bar 2 all 8 dancers are in a line across the set, and at the 
end of bar 4 all 8 dancers are in a line down the center of the set ready 
for barn door or butterfly turns up and down the set. Those 2 lines and the 
turns seemed to be the important elements of the tournee to 
preserve/highlight.

Of course, I'm leaving it a mystery as to how this now-longwise set returns 
to a square.

Bruce Herbold himself has written a dance with a 4-couple tournee that is 
different from what I've described above. He's also on this list, so perhaps 
we'll hear more from him directly.

Cheers and happy dancing,

Tim Wilson
San Francisco, CA