Details

Take hands in a long line and follow the leader - that's it! If you can walk or skip, you can do this dance!

A social dance from France/Brittany. A dance in 4/4 in a long line, moving towards the left.

Arms:

Hold pinkie fingers with the people on either side of you.

1. Trace a number 9 (or a letter g) in the air. (Roughly upwards for 2 counts and around for 2 counts.)
2. Retrace the number 9/letter g.

Legs:

1. Step left. Bring right foot to meet. Step left. Pause (leaving right foot where it is).
2. Step right and slightly back. Bring left foot to meet. Step right. Pause (leaving left foot where it is).

Tips: Take smaller steps in step 2 than in step 1 so that the line moves around to the left.

Another French/Breton social dance which travels to the left.

Arms:

Hold hands with the people on either side of you, with forearms parallel to the floor.

Legs:

1. Step left. Bring right foot to meet. Step left. Pause (leaving right foot where it is).
2. Step right and slightly backwards. Pause (raising left foot slightly to begin again).

(This is 6 counts in total.)

A French traditional dance for couples. Stand in 'long sets' - that is, standing opposite your partner so that there are two long lines of people.

For example, where a couple is comprised of 'Y' and 'Z':
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

1. Facing your partner, advance forwards with two skipping steps (comprised of left-right-left and right-left-right). (For SCA dancers: roughly equivalent to a piva.)
2. Still facing your partner, retreat backwards with two skipping steps.
3. Still facing your partner, advance forwards with two skipping steps.
4. Still facing your partner, retreat backwards with two skipping steps.
5. Repeat steps 1-4.
6. Swap places with your partner using four skipping steps. On the second skip, face each other when you pass in the middle. Use the fourth skip to turn around to face your partner across the line again.
7. Swap places with your partner back to your original side using four skipping steps, as in step 6.

A variation on steps 1-4 for the adventurous: instead of retreating, keep advancing for both steps 1 and 2. Retreat for both steps 3 and 4.

A dance with partners in 2/4.

Stand with your partner in ballroom hold. These instructions are for the leading person in the couple (whether they be a male-identifying person or a female-identifying person). The following person in the couple should swap left and right so that they are moving in the same direction as the leading person.

1. Step left. Bring right foot together. Step left. Pause.
2. Step right. Bring left foot together. Step right. Pause.
3. Take four large-ish slow steps, turning in a circle clockwise: left, right, left, right.

This dance has many variations for the courageous:

• Instead of turning with the four steps (step 3 above), travel forwards or backwards, or one or both partners can twirl.
• Instead of travelling left and then right with steps 1 and 2 (above), travel apart from each other and then together again.
• A variation on the whole thing: drop the pointy hand part of the ballroom hold and turn out to the left for step 1, so that you are standing next to your partner, then switch and turn out to the right for step 2, then twirl for step 3. (This makes more sense in person, I promise.)

A dance in partners in 3/4. You're probably familiar with this one!

Stand with your partner in ballroom hold.

1. Step left. Bring right foot together. Step left.
2. Step right. Bring left foot together. Step right.

That's it! Again, there are as many variations as you can think of!

A dance with partners in 4/4. This is basically steps 1-2 of the scottish.

1. Step left, bring right together, step left, slight pause.
2. Step right, bring left together, step right, slight pause.

This is most commonly done while turning, but can be done just forward/backward as well.

Stand next to your partner in a circle, facing anti-clockwise standing so that one partner is in an inner circle and one partner is in an outer circle. The partner is the inner circle is usually the male-identifying-person spot.

1. Walk forwards (anti-clockwise) for 4 counts. On the 4th step, turn on the spot to face the other way.
2. Walk in the new backwards direction (still anti-clockwise) for 4 counts.
   (Note that in both steps 1 and 2 you should be travelling in an anti-clockwise direction. All that changes is the direction that you face while doing that.)
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 (travelling in an clockwise direction this time).
4. Both partners jump together and then jump apart.
5. Partners swap places, with the partner on the outside (in the lady's place) going in front, both facing each other. (An alternative way to think about this is that the person on the inside/in the man's place switches the hand that they are holding with the outside person/lady as this outside person/lady travels to the inside space.)
6. Both partners jump together and then jump apart.
7. A slightly tricky step which results in everyone changing partners. Raise arms to make an arch. The lady/person currently on the inside goes under the arch and travels backwards to meet their new partner, turning as they go to end up on the outside and facing anti-clockwise to begin the dance again. The man/person who started this step on the outside stays in the same space, although moving a little to the left to make room for their new partner.

Everyone stands in a large circle, holding hands and standing next to their partner, all facing towards the centre of the circle.

1. Everyone takes 4 steps in towards the centre of the circle.
2. Everyone takes 4 steps back out.
3. 4 steps in and 4 steps out again.
4. Just the people on the right in their partners/ladies take 4 steps in, make some sort of excited noise and then 4 steps back out.
5. Just the people on the left in their partners/gentlemen take 4 steps in, make some kind of manly excited noise and then 4 steps back out, ending facing their partner.
6. Spin with your partner for 16 counts.
7. Take your partner in promenade hold and walk around anticlockwise for 16 counts.