Jolly Roger

Tune: Üsküdara Gideriken (traditional Turkish song)
Set: 6 dancers, 29“ (medium) sticks, single steps
Source: Beltane Border Morris (via YouTube video), with modifications by Red Herring
Chorus: middles clash forehand-backhand with 1st corners, then spin over left shoulder and clash forehand-backhand-forehand with 2nd corners. Then spin over left shoulder back to 1st corners. Repeat a total of 4 times.
Figures: square hey, implode & explode, solar system, (square) bombast, rounds & off

Detailed Description

Chorus

Outer dancers are in a square. Inner dancers are standing back-to-back, facing first corners.

Beats 1-2: middles clash forehand-backhand with 1st corners, then spin over non-stick (left) shoulder to face second corners.
Beats 3-4: middles clash forehand-backhand-forehand with 2nd corners, then spin over non-stick shoulder to face first corners.
Repeat sequence a total of four times.

Figures

Square Hey

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.

Implode & Explode

Beats 1-2: Dancers cross through the center, passing right shoulders and clashing on beat 1.
Beats 3-4: Dancers continue moving out from the set.
Beats 5-6: Dancers turn and start back in toward the center.
Beats 7-8: Dancers come back in toward the center. (Dancers are now corner-crossed from their original places.)

Repeat on beats 9-16 to get home. (The turn is a little later the second time because the dancers have less far to go.)

Solar System

Beat 1: Dancers clash as they pass by the right shoulder. The clash defines which direction they travel around the circle and how far out.
Beat 2: Dancers continue around in their orbit.
Beat 3: Dancers clash as they pass, ¼ of the way around the circle (90°) from their starting point.
Beat 4: Dancers continue.
Beat 5: Dancers clash as they pass, ½ way around the circle (180°) from their starting point.
Beat 6: Dancers continue.
Beat 7: Dancers clash as they pass, ¾ of the way around the circle (270°) from their starting point.
Beat 8: Dancers continue.

Repeat on beats 9-16.

(Square) Bombast

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.

Rounds & Off

Beats 1-8: Dancers dance around in a circle.
Beats 9-16: #1 leads the dancers off into the audience.

Tune

X:1
T:Üsküdara Gideriken
T:(Jolly Roger)
C:traditional Turkish song
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:Em
Q:132
V:1 clef=treble
%%MIDI channel 1                               %%
%%MIDI control 7 100	% melody volume = 100  %%
%%MIDI program 41       % General MIDI violin  %%
P:A
B, |: E>B B B | c/B/ c B2 | A>A G A |1 B/c/B/A/ G/F/E/D/ :|2 B4 ||
P:B
A>A G A | B G E2 | A>A G A | B2 B2 |
A>A G A | B G E>F | G G F/E/ D | E E/E/ E |]