Dargason 21


Introduction
Choreography
Notes
Music
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Author:
John Sweeney
Formation:
Four couple line facing partner
Music:
32-bar jigs (see Note)

A1
1-4
Partner swirly siding & back (left)
 
5-8
Turn single, spin past (see Note)
 
 
 
A2/B1/B2
1-8
Repeat three times with new people (some will be same gender). When you are out at the end just turn and wait (end LLLLMMMM)
 
 
 
A3
1-4
Partner arm right with 2 claps on the last two beats
 
5-8
Arm left 1½ (to face next person
 
 
 
A4/B3/B4
1-8
Repeat three times to finish facing partner (set is inverted)
 
 
 
A5/A6
1-16
Hey (with hands, all the way there & back
 
 
 
B5
1-8
Partner swing (end facing up)
 
 
 
B6
1-8
Up a double and back, twice (end facing partner)


© John Sweeney

Notes
1
Dance the sequence twice through to finish where you started
 
 
 
 
2
The dance is based on Dargason, but re-choreographed for the 21st Century so that most people are moving most of the time.
 
 
 
 
3
John says "I wrote the dance as 32 bars so that you can use your favourite tune, or switch from Dargason to another tune. Contradition played it for me at a festival just using the original Dargason tune, but 'in a variety of keys and with some unrepeatable variations'. As long as you have a band that can make it interesting that is fine."
 
 
 
 
4
 
 
 
Turn Single Spin Past: comes from from Sharon Green's Doctor Bending’s Serpent. Start a gypsy right with the person you are facing and once you are past them you keep turning until you are facing in your original direction with your back to that person. It should be one smooth motion.
 
 
 
 
5
John says 'Swing' has been used by Dancing Masters throughout the ages to mean whatever they want! Basically: connect with your partner and rotate around a shared axis. You can interpret it any way you wish in this dance: Two Hand Turn, Ballroom-Hold Buzz-Step, Ceilidh-Hold Skipping, etc., as long as you finish facing up with the man on the left and the lady on the right."
 
 
 
 
6
John says "the name 'Dargason' comes from an Anglo-Saxon word for dwarf or fairy; or, from Irish legend that tells of a monster resembling a large bear. The original dance was called 'Dargason; or, Sedany' where Seda(n)ny means a woman dressed in silks. Take your pick!"
 
 
 
 
7
Here's a copy of the original dance
Dargason

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