[SCA-Dance] Beggar Boy for 8

Tim McDaniel tmcd at panix.com
Mon Mar 25 17:33:08 EDT 2013


The local dance dom introduced Beggar Boy to us yesterday.  We liked
it.  There's some meat to it, but it's not the howling insanity of
Argeers or speedy complexity of Parson's Farewell.

It was graceful, especially since we used Country Capers, which was
slower than the other one we listened to (that French CD "John
Playford"?).

Playford says "Longways for six" on p. 5.  I noticed Chorus 2, "First
foure hands and goe round, while the other set and turn S."  I
commented that this chorus looks like, as with many dances, Playford
specified for 6 only when Pattricke and Sloane say 6 or 8 or more.

So I suggested we try it again but for 8.  There are at least two ways
to adapt it.  The dance leader suggested odds and evens -- new couple 4
does like couple 2.  A couple of us lobbied for ends v. middles -- new
couple 3 does like couple 2, and new couple 4 is like old couple 3.
We did the latter only.

That chorus we did like The Boone Companion (Sloane): the top 4
circled while the bottom 4 circled.  Several people liked it more.
There's still meat to it: I suspect that like with Lull Me Beyond
Thee, you learn a middle role or else you learn an end role but then
have problems switching.  But without Playford's circling while
set-and-turn, there's more symmetry.  Otherwise, it's a
straightforward adaptation.  Even with more couples, we had plenty of
time (although, as I mentioned, it was Country Capers' slower
version).

Danyell de Linccolne
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com


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