Tune: The Bear Dance Set: 4 dancers, two 28 ¼“ (medium) sticks per dancer, single steps Source: Red Herring / Rickland Powell, Rex Powell & Jeff Bigler (2012) Chorus: clash self, clash circle, self, basket (right, forehand), self (facing out), basket (left, backhand), move one place counterclockwise, 1st corners (places, not faces) self, cross (with clash), 2nd corners self, cross (with clash), self, basket clash (left, backhand), move one place counterclockwise (back to home spot) Figures: dance on (corners), square hey, escapement, (square) bombast, tosses
Stand in place for beats 1-6. Stepping through the rest of the chorus (beats 7-16).
Beat 1: Clash with self (right over left). Beat 2: Hold left stick out horizontally at approximately 45º angle toward the person to your left. Right stick makes a large circle and clashes with the person to your right. Beat 3: Clash with self. Beat 4: Basket clash (right hard, forehand) while turning 90º to the left. Beat 5: Clash with self while turning 90º to the left (now facing outwards). Beat 6: Basket clash (left hand, backhand) while turning 90º to the left (now facing counter-clockwise around the circle). Beats 7-8: Keep sticks in basket and dance one place counter-clockwise around the circle. Beat 9: Clash with self (everyone). Beat 10: First corners (places, not faces) clash while crossing. Beat 11: Clash with self. Beat 12: Second corners clash while crossing. Beat 13: Clash with self. Beat 14: Basket clash (left hand, backhand). Beats 15-16: Keep sticks in backet and dance one place counter-clockwise (back to home position).
Dancers start from the audience straight out from their positions.
Beats 1-8: All dancers dance from the audience to a set. Beat 9: #1 puts up left stick Beat 10: #1 clashes right stick onto left. (Sticks remain in place after clash.) Beat 11: #4 clashes left stick into the clump. Beat 12: #4 clashes right stick into the clump. Beats 13-14: #3 repeats same sequence Beats 15-16: #2 repeats same sequence
Beats 1-2: Dancers move across the set, passing right shoulders. Beats 3-4: Dancers turn 3/4 (hard turn) out from the center. Beats 5-6: Dancers cross up & down, passing left shoulders. Beats 7-8: Dancers turn 3/4 (hard turn) out from the center.
Repeat on beats 9-16.
All turns are out from the center, i.e., first corners will turn over their left shoulders and second corners will turn over their right shoulders.
Sticks are clashed on the first two beats (self, partner) of every 4-beat sequence.
The figure starts with first corners turning 45º to the right and second corners turning 45º to the left.
Beat 1: first corners clash with self. Beat 2: first corners pass inside of the second corners, clashing both sticks (right with each other; left with stationary dancers). Beats 3-4: all dancers turn 90º over their left shoulders. (For the first corners, this is 90º from their facing-out positions.) Beat 5: second corners clash with self. Beat 6: second corners pass inside of the first corners, clashing both sticks (right with each other; left with stationary dancers). Beats 7-8: all dancers turn 90º over their left shoulders.
We sometimes describe this as “hookers and sliders”. On beats 1-4, the dancers in positions 1 and 4 (“sliders”) move straight along the sides of the set, #1 heading for position #3, and #4 heading for position #2. The dancers in positions 2 and 3 (“hookers”) hook around each other (and also around #5), with #2 ending up in position #1 and #3 ending up in position #4. On beats 5-8, the same thing happens. Note that the dancers who were “sliders” on beats 1-4 are now “hookers”, and the dancers who were “hookers” on beats 1-4 are now “sliders”.
The same happens on beats 9-16, at which point the dancers are back in their original positions.
Sticks are clashed on the first two beats (self, partner) of every 4-beat sequence. (The partner clash is only by the dancers who are hooking around each other.)
Beats 1: First corners toss; second corners clash with self. Beat 2: First corners clash with self; second corners toss. Beats 3-4: All four dancers move one place counter-clockwise while twirling clockwise (over their right shoulder).
Repeat sequence 3 more times on beats 5-16.
Same as the other choruses except clash right stick into basket on the last beat.
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