Wedding Day Celebration

This dance has never been in Banbury Cross's repertoire, but may be someday.

Tune: Wedding Day Celebration, by Jeff Bigler (1991)
Source: Adapted from the Bledington dance by Jeff Bigler / Middlesex Morris (1991)
Chorus #1: 4 plain capers: clashing (forehand-backhand-forehand) on the last 3. Repeat sequence. Half hey. Repeat chorus.
Chorus #2: Plain caper, clash, toss, clash. Repeat sequence. half hey. Repeat chorus.
Choruses #3 & 4: 1^st corners toss while 2^nd corners clash with middles; 2^nd corners toss while 1^st corners clash with middles; middles toss while tops & bottoms clash across, all clash across. Repeat sequence. Half hey. Repeat chorus.
Figures: once to yourself, foot up & down, half gyp, back-to-back, rounds

Detailed Description

This dance was written in 1991 as a wedding for present for Middlesex Morris team founders Sue Jick and Dan Groher.

Choruses

First Chorus ("capers")

4 plain capers. The stick is raised up in the air on the first one, and clashed tips-butts-tips (forehand-backhand-forehand) on the remaining three. Perform this sequence twice, followed by a half hey. Repeat.

Second Chorus ("short tosses")

One plain caper, then stand in place. The sticking is the same as the first time, but toss the stick to your partner in place of the second clash. (i.e., clash (tips, forehand), toss across, clash (tips, forehand).) Perform this sequence twice, followed by a half-hey. Repeat.

Third and Fourth Chorus ("long tosses")

There are no capers in this chorus–the entire chorus is done standing in place. Think of a 4 beat sequence, where each beat is where a caper was in the “capers” chorus. Here's the breakdown by beat:

First corners toss to each other. Second corners clash with middles.
Second corners toss to each other. First corners clash with middles.
Middles toss to each other. Tops and bottoms clash across (tips, forehand)
Everyone clashes across. (Tips. Tops and bottoms backhand; middles forehand.)

Perform this sequence twice, followed by a half-hey. Repeat.

Figures

Once to Yourself

Hankie dances: stand in position, trying not to look stupid. Five beats before the end of the tune, bring the hankies up to chest-level and rise onto your toes. Then two hop backs and a foot-together-jump.
Stick dances: stand in position, trying not to look stupid. Two beats before the end of the tune, do a foot-together-jump.

Foot Up & Down

Face up. Two double steps in the “up” direction (one stationary, one in place). Galley (out from the center). Foot-together-jump to face down.
Face down. Two double steps in the “down” direction (one stationary, one in place). Galley (out from the center). Foot-together-jump ¾ of the way around to face across.

Half Gyp

Face across. Two double steps, one to cross to your partner's position (starting on the left foot¹⁾ and passing by the right shoulder) and one in place. Hop backs to return to place. Foot-together-jump.
Face across. Two double steps, one to cross to your partner's position (starting on the right foot²⁾ and passing by the left shoulder) and one in place. Hop backs to return to place. Foot-together-jump.

Back-to-Back

Face across. Two double steps: on the first one cross to your partner's position (starting on the left foot and passing by the right shoulder), and on the second one slide to your right. Hop backs to return to place, this time passing your partner by the left shoulder. Foot-together-jump.
Face across. Two double steps: on the first one cross to your partner's position (starting on the right foot and passing by the left shoulder), and on the second one slide to your left. Hop backs to return to place, this time passing your partner by the right shoulder. Foot-together-jump.

Rounds

On the catch-step (“and”) before the downbeat, hop into a circle and face clockwise. Middles will need to move outwards (“bulge”). One double step around the circle (clockwise). On the second double step spiral into a clump, ending halfway around the circle but closer to the center. Hop backs to your corner's place (halfway around the circle). Foot-together-jump.
On the catch-step (“and”) before the downbeat, all dancers turn a little more than 180° over their left shoulders (“hard turn”) and go back the way they came (counter-clockwise). Again, on the second double step spiral into a clump, ending halfway around the circle but closer to the center. Hop backs to your original place. Foot-together-jump.

Tune

%%stretchlast no
X:1
T:Wedding Day Celebration
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:C/4=138
C:Jeff Bigler (1991)
A:Bledington (adapted to Fieldtown)
P:A.(AB)4.A
K:G
V:1     clef=treble
%%MIDI channel 1
%%MIDI control 7 50	% volume = 50
%%MIDI program 41       % General MIDI violin
%%MIDI transpose 0
%%MIDI gchordoff
P:A
D2 |: G2 GA BGAB | c2 e2 A4 | B2 Bd gdBG | D2 F2 G4 :|
P:B
|: g2 gg d2 B2 | c2 e2 A4 | g2 gg d2 B2 | D2 F2 G4 |
g2 gg d2 B2 | cdec A2 GA | BGBd gdBG | D2 F2 G4 |]

¹⁾

this will be the outside foot as you pass

²⁾

this will again be the outside foot as you pass