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Dance Index:John Sweeney's Dances Dances from English Dance & Song The Lovelace ManuscriptA diverse and motley collection of Terpsichorean intricacies and perambulations, inspired by archaic tomes and palimpsests, filtered through wild imaginings to bring you joy. Please note: These are NOT the type of dances that we do at Barn Dances/Ceilidhs. These are more interesting/challenging dances suitable for regular dance clubs. If you want to try dances like these then please come along to any of our Sunday afternoon or Tuesday afternoon sessions if you are in Kent. Contra and Longways dances are all Duple Minor unless stated otherwise. "Improper" is short for "First Couples Improper". |
| Dance Name | Composer | Formation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Another Knole Park
Added August 16 2018 |
John Sweeney | Longways Improper | A version of Knole Park, made easier for beginners. |
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Balancing Act
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Becket | Easy Wave Dance: Pass the Ocean, Swing Through, Extend. |
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Bombast One
Added November 18 2019 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Improper | A vey interesting interlocking figure called a Bombast! |
|
Calliope
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Circle Mixer | California Twirls, Lasso the Man, Grand Petronella, Roll the Lady. |
| Chain 'n' Hey | John Sweeney | Contra; Becket | An easy contra for practising Ladies' Chains and Heys. |
|
Cheekbone City
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | Easy dance with lots of Petronellas. |
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Circular Mirrors
Added Jan 15 2020 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Improper; Waltz | A flowing dance in waltz time. |
| Cumberland Contra | John Sweeney | Contra; Improper; Double Progression — 64 bars | The dance is based on Cumberland Square Eight, using all the figures in a contra dance. |
| Dargason 21 | John Sweeney | Four couples in a single line | The dance is based on Dargason, but re-choreographed for the 21st Century so that most people are moving most of the time. |
| Demon's Maggot | John Sweeney | Longways; Improper | A duple minor dance where the A music cycles through Up a Double, Siding, Arming. |
|
Diver's Delight
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Sicilian Circle | Dip 'n' Dives, Gallops and Inside Baskets. |
| Dixie Doo-Dah | John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | An easy contra dance with a Dixie Twirl. |
|
The Dolphin's F8
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Improper | An easy dance with a Dolphin Hey and a Figure Eight. |
| Dopeca | John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | An easy contra dance with lots of Petronellas. |
|
DosiAll
Added July 9 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Becket | A fun dance with four-person Dosidos. |
|
DosiWhat?
Added July 9 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Becket | "Dosido" has been used to mean many completely different moves; this dance has three of them! |
| Duck! | John Sweeney | Contra; Improper; Double Progression | An easy no-swing contra. |
|
Duo Shapes
Added May 26 2020 |
John & Karen Sweeney | One or Two Dancers | A Lockdown Dance with interesting patterns. |
|
The Exchange Swing
Added July 9 2018 |
John Sweeney | Circle Mixer | A simple dance that is mainly for practice at swinging and at ending with the man on the left, lady on the right. |
|
F-Lock
Updated Dec 7 2015 |
John Sweeney | Five in a Circle (Five Assorted Dancers) | A fun, challenging dance with Shoot the Owl, Devil's Backbone and a five-person Basket. |
| Finding Your Balance | John Sweeney | Contra; Becket (CW) | An easy dance for teaching four changes. |
|
FlutterRing
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Becket | Easy dance with a Flutterwheel. |
| Four Jolly Sheepskins | John Sweeney | Three Couples; Proper | A simple Playford style dance with lots of Sheepskin Heys. |
|
Four Light Winds
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Three Couples; Longways; Proper | A easy setting for Pat Shaw's Four Winds move. |
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Galway Swing
Added July 9 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | Same gender swings, using a great swing variant. |
|
Girls of Oakhill
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | A version of Boys of Oakhill with a smoother entry to the Gallops. |
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Grapevine Jig II
Added July 9 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | Grapevine steps in long lines, with an easier ending than the original. |
| Gypsy A Trois | John Sweeney | Three Couples in a Circle | With a DosiAll — a three person Dosido! |
|
Hazlitt Meltdown
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Circle Mixer | An easy dance with a Gypsy Hey. |
|
Hey Down
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Improper | An easy dance with Heys for Three across the set. |
|
Hey! That's My Slice
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Three Couples; Longways; Proper | Rare and interesting moves! |
|
Hothfield Hey
Added July 9 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | An easy no-swing contra. |
|
Irish New Year
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | Box Circulates with an easy progression. |
| Karen's Parrot | John Sweeney | Longways; Proper | Double Figure Eights and North Country Ladies' Chain. |
|
KJ's Birthday Waltz
Added July 9 2018 |
John Sweeney, Karen Sweeney & Lani Graham | Three Dancers in a Circle | Some rare and interesting moves. |
| Life is But A Melancholy Flower | John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | A lively dance with gallops and petronallas. |
| Loop the Loop | John Sweeney | Longways; Proper | A simple Playford style dance with some modern moves. |
|
Lover's Waltz
Added May 8 2018 |
John & Karen Sweeney | Three Couples in a Circle | A waltz-time dance with some interesting moves. |
| The Mad Gypsy | John Sweeney | Contra; Becket (CW) | A contra with no swing. |
|
Maybe We Can Hey This Way
Added May 4 2022 |
John Sweeney | Three Couples; Longways; Proper | Interesting moves: Hey for six across the set, Double Ovals and Dolphin Hey. |
| Morrford | John Sweeney | Three Couples; Longways; Proper | A simple Playford style dance with Heys on the Ends. |
|
Murry 21
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Square | A pre-Playford Square Dance re-cast into a modern style. |
| Pa' Bailar III | John Sweeney | Circle Mixer | Mirror Grapevines with Latin styling. |
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The Pattern Unfolds
Added July 12 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Becket | Unfolding a circle to a line using a modified Half a Slice. |
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The Pepper Shuffle
Added January 2 2020 |
John Sweeney | Becket Sicilian Circle | Shuttles, Draw Possettes and Travelling Right Hand High and Left Hand Lows. |
| Pestchye | John Sweeney | Contra; Becket (CW) | A no-swing contra dance with Petronellas and Ladies' Chains. |
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Plain Hamburger
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Improper | A fun dance using Pat Shaw's Double Arch Dosido. |
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Quintilinear
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Five Assorted Dancers, in a Line | A fun dance with a Double Dolphin Hey and a Traveling Thread the Needle. |
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Rogue's March
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Improper | The first half of Devil's Dream, but with a different ending. |
| Rolling Waves | John Sweeney | Circle Mixer | Roll-Aways and Alamo Waves. |
| Rotafl | John Sweeney | Contra; Becket | A flowing, no-swing contra dance. |
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Scado
Added April 26 2019 |
John Sweeney | Three Couples; Longways; Proper | A lively dance with a couple of unusual moves. |
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Saint John's #4
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Square | A pre-Playford Square Dance re-cast into a modern style. |
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The Shuttle Flies Out
Added July 12 2018 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Improper | A longways dance with the Shuttle movement from Picking Up Sticks. |
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Sides Of Mutton
Added April 9 2020 |
John Sweeney | A Solo Dance | Sheepskin Heys and Siding Variations for those alone in Coronavirus Lockdown. |
| The Slithy Dance | John Sweeney | Longways; Becket; Double Progression | A fun, no-swing dance with the whole set setting and spinning right. |
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The Slithy Serpent
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Double Contra (Four Face Four) | A Mescolanza with a Serpentine Hey. |
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Solo Shapes
Added May 26 2020 |
John & Karen Sweeney | One or Two Dancers | A Lockdown Dance with interesting patterns. |
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Steps Back In Time
Added April 14 2020 |
John Sweeney | A Solo Dance, or Two Dancers | Original Petronellas and Stepping Variants for those alone in Coronavirus Lockdown. |
|
To Move or Not to Move
Added July 12 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Becket | An easy contra to practise Right & Left Throughs and Ladies' Chains. |
|
Training Wheels
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | Easy Down-the-Hall dance with a Gate. |
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Trenchmore
Added May 4 2022 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Proper; Seven Couples is best, but any number will work | 1551 dance with Dip 'n' Dive and Strip the Willow. |
|
Tricylic
Updated Jun 21 2016 |
John Sweeney | Three Dancers in a Circle | A fun dance with Travelling Right-Hand High, Left-Hand Lows and a three-person Basket. |
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Trip to Hazlitt
New Dec 7 2015 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | An easy, flowing dance with a couples Weave the Line and a Mad Robin. |
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Trip to Willesborough
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Contra; Improper | Easy Contra with Tidal and Ocean Waves. |
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Turquoise Waltz
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Longways; Improper | A flowing waltz-time dance with a Celtic Hey. |
|
Two & Four
Added July 12 2018 |
John Sweeney | Circle Mixer | Rollaways, Rory O'Mores and Swing Throughs. |
| Up Tails All Round | John Sweeney | Five Couples in a Circle | An updated version of the 1650 dance with more couples active more of the time. |
|
Virginia Reel Circle Mixer #24
Added July 12 2018 |
John Sweeney | Circle Mixer | An easy dance for beginnners. |
|
Waltz Country Dance
Added July 2 2018 |
John Sweeney | Sicilian Circle | The traditional dance, with a different ending to make the dance easier for non-waltzers. |
|
Wee Willie II
Updated Nov 6 2017 |
John Sweeney | Four Couples; Longways; Proper | Heel & Toe, Gallop, Zig-Zag Poussette. |
| Whole Hannikin | John Sweeney | Longways; Proper or any gender | 32-bar version of Halfe Hannikin. |
|
Will-o'-the-Wisp
Added May 8 2018 |
John Sweeney | Five Dancers in a Quincunx | Fun dance where the Wisp gets to dance all over the place! |
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