NORTH LEIGH & FINSTOCK (1982/3)
Source |
Films of North Leigh team at Kirtlington (6.6.82) and at village May Day(?). Locally called "Nor' Lie" |
Steps |
Classic double step, with arms swung down & up; Hop backstep and jump, arms out at sides and scooped up on jump or hook, with arms at sides, and 2 plain capers, with two waves. Stick held vertically during backsteps. Hands out and up higher in hey than in backsteps of figures. |
Slow Capers (1) |
Spring to get feet crossed swinging foot behind, jump to feet together, then 2 plain capers. |
(2) |
Tap a foot forward and drawback, arms out, then 2 plain capers. |
Start |
Outside foot |
ONCE TO YOURSELF ends with 2 plain capers.
1. |
FOOT-UP |
Move up on two double steps and a hook plus capers to face down, repeat and end facing across. |
2. |
HALF-GYP |
With backsteps, travel all the way across the set. |
3. |
BACK-TO-BACK |
Only retire on the backsteps. |
4. |
FINISHING SEQUENCE |
SING, HALF-ROUNDS, WHOLE-HEY & 4 plain capers facing up. |
The singing is done facing up with hands on hips.
The Half-Rounds starts with evens turning out to the right from initially facing up, and on the hook at halfway all face across if with sticks and clash, or face back for handks.
In the Half Heys they all back into place, the ends along the line of the set, the middles angling backwards from outside.
The chorus is usually done three times.
Two handed hold at butts, hit tips on ground 3 times, hit opposite's tips low 3 times right to left, dancers not standing upright, hit tips on ground 3 times and hit opposite's tips high 3 times right to left, dancers standing upright. Half Hey and repeat to place.
Figures extended with 4 plain capers on which opposites clash butts, tips, butts, tips, all right to left. There is no clash at the end of the hook.
Chorus - in 1st bar evens turn to face out, all turns are up, and raise stick horizontally overhead and odds hit on middle beat, repeat three more times alternately, then half hey and repeat all.
Hold sticks with both hands on the butt.
Chorus - Hit tips of sticks with opposites right to left, middles turn upper body to face up and tops face down and clash, middles turn to face down and bottoms face up and clash, opposites face and clash, and half hey. During the clashing the feet remain still and not twisted for the turns. Repeat the other way.
Corner stick dance that ends on a hey.
Chorus - corners in turn dance a double step, step and jump to end facing in centre, 2 bars of something usually on 4 plain capers, then cross with 2 double steps and hook etc.
(1) |
Push sticks against each other, held at ends, to form a cross, left hand low, then left hand high, repeated. |
(2) |
Held at end, clash high, low, low and high, all right to left. |
(3) |
Only half through i.e. go back to place - odds turn backs then evens turn backs while the other hits stick held overhead horizontally. |
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r+r |
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Hands |
b |
r+r |
/ |
b |
l+l |
b |
r+r |
/ |
l+r |
l+r |
// |
Half hey, Repeat |
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Feet |
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r+r |
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l+l |
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"MRS CASEY" - danced with a pair of coconut halves for the clapping.
b |
b |
r+r |
r+r/b |
b |
l+l |
l+l/b |
unr |
b unl/beh |
b |
r+l |
-// |
Half hey, etc. |
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l+r |
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Corners cross in turn and come back in turn before the next figure. The corners come in with 2 plain capers. In the crossings all hook on the left foot.
Chorus - short closed sidestep right in front, double step, short closed sidestep left in front, step and jump, all on the spot, then cross with 2 off "steps" and a hook left and 2 plain capers.
FOOT-UP extended - move up, backstep and face across, hook in, move down, backstep and face across and hook up, all the way round.
Chorus 1 - walk rounds and pass the top with a double step. End with all hook left. Other choruses on the same principle.
The order of figures is Foot-up, Half-Gyp, Back-to-back, Half-rounds and Whole-hey.
Corners come in with 2 plain capers.
Chorus (B1/2) - 2 double steps to approach, hook left to face back and return to place on 2 plain capers, turning on the last caper to face across.
Chorus (B3/4) - 1 double step (1 r 1 hl), step on the right foot and kick left feet together, hook left etc to place.
Chorus (Cl) - cross the stepping.
Chorus (C2) - cross with closed sidesteps, leading arm dipped and then flipped out to side.
Chorus (C3) - slows (1)
Chorus (C4) - slows (2)
Linked handkerchief dance, but only for the hey! Dance ends on a whole hey with linked handkerchiefs.
Chorus - |
First half |
- top pair cast out at start and others go up under to reverse the set, jump at end. |
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Second half |
- top pair go up under to place, and all jump at end. |
Chorus - sidestep and half hey : closed sidestep right in front, double step, closed sidestep left in front, step and jump, half hey. Repeat to place.
Foot-up |
6 double steps and hook, turning on the left. |
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Jig |
Short closed sidestep, double step, short closed sidestep, double step, |
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Crossover steps - |
x x x - right in front x x x - left in front x x x - right in front x, apart, together |
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2 double steps and a hook, turning on the left |
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Slows |
4 off, 2 double steps and a hook |
As a double jig, there is an extra jig at the end where both face and dance together, ending with 4 plain capers.
There was a Morris Matters article by Mike Heaney on these dances.