17: St Johns
only for 8 (in a square)
mms pages 32 to 35
Playford version: from 1st edition to 18th edition.
Music: Shepheards Holyday by the Wandering Hands
Part 1
Verse 1, Part A
1: Couple 1 lead forward [a double]
2: Couple 1 cast off and return to your places, man 1 between couple 2, woman 1 between couple 4
3: Couple 3 lead forward [a double]
4: Couple 3 cast off and return to your places, man 3 between couple 4, woman 3 between couple 2
Verse 1, Part B
1: Couple 2 lead forward [a double]
2: Couple 2 cast off and return to your places, man 2 between couple 3, woman 2 between couple 1
3: Couple 4 lead forward [a double]
4: Couple 4 cast off and return to your places, man 4 between couple 1, woman 4 between couple 3
Chorus 1, Part A
1-4: Couples 1 and 3 hey all the way round in the center of the square, falling back to the edges of the square when they have returned to their starting positions
Chorus 1, Part B
1-4: Couples 2 and 4 do the same, but when they are done, they should end up standing so that the men are behind the women, not next to each other.
Part 2
Verse 2, Part A
1-2: Couple 1 and couple 3 switch, with couple 1 going right through the middle, and couple 3 splitting and going between the to people in the couple on their side who are now standing perpendicular to their path
3-4: Return to places with couple 3 going through the middle and couple 1 splitting and going through the side couples.  The odd couples need to end up standing with the men behind the woman at the end, like the even couples did before.
Verse 2, Part B
1-2: Couples 2 and 4 switch places, couple 2 going through the middle, couple 4 splitting and going through the even couples on their side.
3-4: Couples 2 and 4 switch back, couple 4 going through the middle, couple 2 splitting.  Everyone ends up standing normally on the borders of the square by the end of the verse.
Chorus 2, Part A
1: Man 1 and man 3 change places, ending up sort of in the middle of the square
2: Woman 1 and woman 3 do the same
3-4: They all 4 take hands around and go halfway around [to the left] until everyone is on the correct side and place.
Chorus 2, Part B
1: Man 2 and man 4 change places, ending up sort of in the middle of the square
2: Woman 2 and woman 4 do the same
3-4: They all 4 take hands around and go halfway around [to the left] until everyone is on the correct side and place.
Part 3
Verse 3, Part A
1-2: The men cast off left and walk around to end up in the man's place on the opposite side of their partner
3-4: The women do the same, ending up to the right of their partner again
Verse 3, Part B
1-2: The men cast off left again, moving one more space and ending up on the opposite side of the square from where they started
3-4: The women do the same, ending up to the right of their partner again
Chorus 3, Part A
1: Couples 1 and 3 set to each other
2: Couples 1 and 3 fall back [a double] from each other
3-4: Couples 1 and 3 take hands and circle back to the correct side of and place in the square, returning to the edge at the end
Chorus 3, Part B
1: Couples 2 and 4 set to each other
2: Couples 2 and 4 fall back [a double] from each other
3-4: Couples 2 and 4 take hands and circle back to the correct side of and place in the square, returning to the edge at the end
Comparison to the Playford version (1st to 18th editions)
Despite small differences (switching the first and second choruses, eliminating the do-si-do in the 3rd chorus for the set and fall back, etc), these are largely the same dance.
Other Conclusions:
The complexity of this dance, and its non-conformity to the "base standard" ECD format, shows that the form in general had already started breaking out of its box well before Playford imposed his own rigidity on it.