Queen Anne's Delight


Introduction
Choreography
Notes
Music
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Author:
Don Lernnartson
Source:
Victoria Bestock
Formation:
Longways duple improper
Music:
Easter Thursday (Walsh: Caledonian Country Dances, Book the Second, 1737)

A1
1-2
Ladies (1st corners) left-hand turn ½ while men orbit ½ (cw), into
 
3-4
Men (2nd corners) right-hand turn ½ while ladies orbit ½ (ccw), into
 
5-6
Neighbor back-to-back (all end home)
 
 
 
A2
1-2
Men (2nd corners) left-hand turn ½ while ladies orbit ½ (cw), into
 
3-4
Ladies (1st corners) right-hand turn ½ while men orbit ½ (ccw), into
 
5-6
Partner back-to-back (all end home)
 
 
 
B1
1-4
Double figure of eight (skipped, 1s cross down, 2s cast up)
 
5-6
1s two-hand turn
 
 
 
B2
1-4
Double figure of eight (skipped, 2s cross up, 1s cast down
 
5-6
1s cast while 2s move up

© Don Lennartson

Notes
1
Triple time. All moves take 6 steps except for the double figure of eights which should be skipped and take 12 steps.
 
 
 
 
2
In B2 5-6 there is plenty of time and the move should not be rushed. It should flow directly into the start of the next turn of the dance.
 
 
 
 
3
In the turns/orbits, the person orbiting goes outside of the person coming in to turn.
 
 
 
 
4
Don wrote this dance because he loved the Easter Thursday tune but was deeply unhappy with dancing the figures for Easter Thursday to it. It is in fact unlikely that the figures for Easter Thursday and the tune for Easter Thursday were ever danced together. The same figures as Easter Thursday appear previously in Sailor's Delight (Dancing Master, Part II, 2nd edn, Additional Sheet, 1698), Sadler's Wells (Dancing Master Vol 3, 2nd edn, 1726) and Katherine Street from the Dancing Master Vol 2, 3rd edn, 1728). None of these tunes is in triple time and the figures fit any of these tunes.

Easter Thursday

The tune is published in Barnes 1

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