Tune: Joy by Jeff Bigler (MP3 played by Jeff Bigler) Set: 6 dancers; 29“(medium) sticks; skipping (single steps) Source: Red Herring / Jeff Bigler, Laura Bigler, Jon Pfeffer and Rex Powell (2017) Chorus: middles (#3 and #4) dance clockwise, clashing with stationary dancers on the downbeats of bars 1, 3, 5, and 7 as they pass. Everyone else starts with #1 clashing with #3, #6 clashing with #4, and #2 and #5 tossing diagonally across the set. Then the inner 4 dancers rotate one person to the left and clash forehand-backhand-forehand, then rotate left again and clash outwards or toss. Continue the pattern. Figures: grand right & left on, hex bomb (hexagonal bombast), staggered starburst, through & throw, triangles off
Summary: The chorus is a clockwise solar system by the middles while the other dancers (#1, 2, 5, 6) clash or toss with the remaining dancers, rotating slightly counterclockwise to a new person every half bar.
Middles (#3/#4): Dance once around the set clockwise, clashing on the downbeat of bars 1, 3, 5 and 7 with, in turn, #1/#6, #2/#5, #6/#1 and #5/#2, ending in the same place they started.
Outsides (#1, #2, #5, #6): Bar 1: #1 & #6 turn out to clash with middles as they start their “solar system” while #2 & #5 toss diagonally across the center, then rotate slightly left to face the next person around the 4-person circle. Bar 2: Clash up & down the set (#1 with #5 and #2 with #6) forehand-backhand-forehand, then rotate left to the next person. Bar 3: #2 & #5 (now facing out) clash with the middles as they pass while #1 & #6 toss diagonally across the center, then rotate left to the next person. Bar 4: Clash across the set (#1 with #2 and #5 with #6) F-B-F, then rotate left to the next person.
Repeat the pattern in bars 5-8.
The dance-on is a grand right & left. Dancers start in an expanded circle in the following positions:
6 1 4 2 3 5
Dancers in the second triangle positions (#1, #4 and #5) start spiraling in counter-clockwise on beat #1. Dancers in the first triangle positions (#2, #3 and #6) start spiraling in clockwise on beat #3 (second half of bar #1).
Dancers continue in a grand right & left, ending in their “home positions”:
4 2 6 1 5 3
The full name of this figure should be “Bidirectional Hexagonal Bombast”.
At the start of the figure, the dancers are in the following positions:
1 3 2 5 4 6
Bars 1-4: The first triangle are the “sliders.” They dance counterclockwise to the next position within their triangle.
The second triangle are the “hookers.” They hook clockwise around each other (passing right shoulders (with a clash?) as they move through the center) to the next counterclockwise position within their triangle.
Bars 5-8: Repeat, with second triangles sliding counterclockwise and first triangles hooking clockwise.
Bars 9-16: Same as bars 1-8.
At the end of the figure, the dancers are in back in their “home” positions:
All dancers have shifted one position counterclockwise within their own triangle and are back in their “home” positions. (Once again, you can think of it as the entire set of six having rotated two positions counterclockwise.)
The figure starts with the dancers in the following positions:
5 6 3 4 1 2
All dancers face the center.
Bars 1-4: First triangle dance in on beats 1-2, jump up in the air with sticks held high and shouting “Ho!” on beat 3 (turning 60º to land on the “and” after beat 3, and turning another 60º on beat 4). Dancers are now in the next position around the first triangle.
Meanwhile, second triangle back up on beats 1-4, then come in on beats 5-6, jump up in the air with their sticks held high on beat 7 (turning 60º to land on the “and” after beat 7, and turning another 60º on beat 8). Dancers are now in the next position around the second triangle.
Repeat on bars 5-8 with first triangles backing up and second triangles coming in.
Repeat on bars 9-12 with first triangles backing up and second triangles coming in.
Repeat on bars 13-16 with second triangles backing up and first triangles coming in.
At the end of the figure, the dancers are in the following positions:
All dancers have shifted one position counterclockwise within their own triangle. (Alternatively, you can think of it as the entire set of six having rotated two positions counterclockwise.)
The figure starts in a circle:
Bars 1-2: The “first triangle” (dancers #1, #4 and #5) dance clockwise to the next first-triangle position, with all three dancers clashing with each other in the center on the second half of bar #1 as they pass through. Meanwhile, the “second triangle” (dancers #2, #3 and #6) toss counter-clockwise (also on the second half of bar #1) around their triangle.
Bars 3-4: Repeat, with first triangle tossing and second triangle dancing through.
Repeat.
At the end of the figure, the set has now rotated into the following configuration:
Bars 1-2: The first triangle (dancers #1, #4 and #5) dance into the center and dance clockwise in a tight circle. Bars 3-4: The second triangle (dancers #2, #3 and #6) dance into the center and join the tight circle. Bars 5-6: First triangle dancers exit and dance off. Bars 7-8: Second triangle dancers exit and dance off.
Joy (played by Jeff Bigler)
X: 1 T:Joy T:(Countercurrents) M:C L:1/8 C:Jeff Bigler (2008) Q:132 K:G major %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% V:1 %% %%MIDI channel 1 %% %%MIDI control 7 100 % melody volume = 100 %% %%MIDI program 22 % General MIDI accordion %% %%MIDI transpose 0 %% %%MIDI gchordoff %% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% P:A D2 | G2 Bc d2 G2 | edce d4 | G2 Bc d2 Bd | cBAG A4 | G2 Bc d2 G2 | edce d4 | cdec d2 B2 | cB A2 G4 || P:B g2 eg f2 d2 | ed c2 d4 | g2 eg f2 d2 | AB ^c2 d4 | g2 eg f2 d2 | gfeg f2 d2 | cdec d2 B2 | cB A2 G4 |]
