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104 The Play-Party in Indiana. |
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The following stanza seems to have an historical interest.
It's over the river to feed the sheep, It's over the river to Charley, It's over the river to feed my sheep, And measure up the barley.76
Mrs. Aliie Jackson, Versailles.
b. Longways dance for an even number of players preferably six couples.
The player stand in two lines, the boys facing the girls and partners opposite each other.
First—The boy at the top and the girl at the bottom of the dance advance to the center, the boy bows, the girl curtesies and each dances backwards to position.
Second—The same couple advance to center, cross right hands turn around to the left and retire as in former figure.
Third—The same figure is repeated with the left hand, and turning around to the right.
Fourth—Repeat the third figure with both left and right hands crossed, circling to the right.
Fifth—The same couple advance to the center, dance around each other (i. e., first face, then left shoulders almost together, next backs turned to each other, then right shoulders almost together and back to facing position) and retire.
Sixth—The same couple advance to the center and swing turning to the right. Each of the two then swings his (and her) partner.
Seventh—The same couple again meet in the center, and each then swings the person at the left of his (or her) partner.
# Repeat this last figure until the first couple have swung every person in the line. This couple then swings in the center and retires to position.
The couple at the top promenade down the center and take position at the bottom of their respective lines.
Repeat from the beginning, the boy who is now at the head of his line, advancing to meet the girl from the foot of her line. |
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75 This is very nearly the same as the "Roger de Coverly" country dance as it is described by Playford in the"Dancing Master" of 1668. "Four bars" in his description coincide with four measures, or two lines of this. If the line is so long as to make this impossible, the full four lines (i. e. eight bars) may be taken for the figure. The omission of the "arch" and the introduction of the "swing" are, perhaps somewhat characteristic of the American play-party. |
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