Upton Skirmish

Hook Eagle Morris Men

What a fine bunch of men!

Upton Skirmish

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Source:

A variation on the (traditional) Upton on Severn stick dance. (1995)

Tune

Brighton Camp, slow and ponderous, with lots of repeated notes and, if anything, a sort of Cajun feel.

Formation

Ordinary set of 6, as for normal Upton.

Long sticks.

Step

Single (cycle) step.

Clash once with partner on first step of each figure.

Sequence

Morris
Chorus
Upton Hey
Chorus
Allemand Right
Chorus
Allemand Left
Chorus
Three tops right
Chorus
Morris and all in

Morris

Clash and back out for 4 steps, then rounds clockwise once for 12 steps and back to position.

Chorus

'Fighting chorus': Clash sticks high forehand and low backhand first in pairs 1&6, 2&4, 3&5, then 1&3, 2&5, 4&6, Then high, low, high - with partner. (High forehand, low backhand always). Then do individual loops to the left for 8 steps, clashing once with partner on first step.

REPEAT.

Upton Hey

(or 'sides'): All clash on first step and use the first 4 steps for ends to back out with 1&2 facing down, rest up. Then 1&2 dance between 2&3 and outside 5&6. All do whole hey back to place.

Allemand Right

Back-to-back but ALL moving: Clash on first step, and all back out on the first 4 steps to make WIDE set, then 4 steps on the spot. Then all yell loudly and SURGE into a right shoulders dozy doe for remaining 8 steps, clashing sticks to the right on second step as the lines pass.

Allemand Left

As for Allemand Right, but pass Left shoulders.

Three tops right

Clash on first step and all back out on first 4 steps, then surge into large three tops hey, with middles going to the right, round once (12 steps).

Morris and all in

As before: back out then whole rounds clockwise, but turn out and jump in to middle to finish.