The Cat House Door

Back to Border dances

Tune:

"Slip, Bob, and Jig" (original)

Origins:

Uptown-on-Calhoun, derived from "The Boghouse Door", debuted January, 2000

General:

Stick Dance, single-steps throughout (including chorus)

The Dance:

Verse 1: Once to yourselves Musician(s) walk onstage playing, ending facing the audience from upstage center.

Chorus 1: Steps 1-8: Dancers 1 and 2 spiral on, single-stepping, ¾ around (clockwise) from opposite ends of the stage, ending facing one another in the middle. 1 start from offstage to musicians' left and end facing 2 and the audience; 2 start from offstage to musicians' right and end facing the 1 and the musicians. Steps 9-16: Dancers 1 and 2 single step while striking forehand high, backhand low ("windmills"). After the last hit, quickly change sticks to left hands.

Verse 2: Dance Around Dancers 1 and 2 do Dance Around, a la Adderbury, except moving two or three circles around and with no FTJ at the end of the figure. Take 8 steps to circle clockwise, then turn quickly out (left) and change sticks to the right hands, and 8 steps to circle counterclockwise. Surge into the handhold, at the beginning and after the turn out. Hold sticks vertical with arms stretched out.

Chorus 2: Steps 1-8: Dancers 1 and 2 step and stick as in the latter half of chorus 1, while 3 and 4 spiral on ¾ around. 3 enter from musicians' left and end to 1's left; 4 enter from musicians' right and end to 2's left. Steps 9-16: On beat 1 of step 9, all step to the right, and stick-and-step with new partners: 1 with 4, and 2 with 3. All quickly change sticks to left hand after last hit, to prepare for the next figure

Verse 3: Stars Each dancer place the "starring" hand on the wrist of the next person in front around the circle, and single-step in a clockwise circle. Do not give or take weight in a handhold. Hold sticks out, as in the dance around. As in the Dance Around, surge into the handhold at the start, dance 8 steps around, turn out (left) quickly and change sticks to the right hands, then surge into the handhold for the return. There is no predetermined number of degrees to turn the star - just get back home after the second half, in time for . . .

Chorus 3: Steps 1-8: dancers 1-4 stick-and-step. Dancers 5 and 6 dance on as 3 and 4 respectively did before. Steps 9-16: All shift right on step 9 beat 1, then 1 stick-and-step with 6, 3 with 4, and 5 with 2.

Verse 4: Zipper Hey For this figure, hold sticks perfectly vertical, close to the body, in front of the right shoulder. Step1: all step forward, right-shoulder to right-shoulder with partner, on the right foot Step2: all step around partner, keeping shoulder-to-shoulder, to form 2 lines facing opposite directions. Step 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13: dancers facing out on the ends of the set step forward onto the right foot, while turning 180-degrees to the left (turn out). All others step diagonally forward to the right on the right foot, to arrive left shoulder-to-shoulder with a new dancer. Step 4, 6, 8, 10, 14: all dancers step diagonally forward to the left, onto the left foot, to arrive right-shoulder-to-shoulder with a new dancer. Steps 15-16: Two single-steps around (half a whole-gyp) to home, ready for the next chorus.

Chorus 4: As above. Dancers 1-6 stick-and-step while 7 and 8 spiral on, then all shift right, step and stick. 1 with 8, 3 with 6, 5 with 4, 7 with 2.

Verse 5: Figure Eight Steps 1, 3, 5, etc.: Whoever is standing in number 5's place, surge across the middle of the set, "upward" diagonally. Other dancers (except 3 on beat 1) step SLOWLY around the end of the figure-eight. Steps 2, 4, 6, etc.: Whoever is standing in number 3's place, surge across the middle of the set, "downward" diagonally. Other dancers step SLOWLY around the end of the figure-eight. The overall pattern of the figure eight is alternating "cross UP, cross DOWN, cross UP, cross DOWN," with the crossing dancer surging across, pausing ever-so-slightly on the other side, and then slowly stepping around the arc of the eight. Spacing is critical, in order to avoid making the dreaded "figure-three."

Chorus 5: Steps 1-8: All stick-and-step. Steps 9-16: All shift to the right on beat 9. 1 and 2 single-step diagonally outward from the set, and dance ? of a circle, counterclockwise, around the set to exit on their original sides. Meanwhile, 3 stick-and-step with 8, 5 with 6, and 7 with 4.

Verse 6: Zipper Hey (same as Verse 4 above).

Chorus 6: Steps 1-8: All stick-and-step. Steps 9-16: All shift to the right on beat 9. 3 and 4 single-step diagonally outward from the set, and dance ? of a circle, counterclockwise, around the set to exit on their original sides. Meanwhile, 5 stick-and-step with 8, 7 with 6. Change sticks to left hand quickly after last hit.

Verse 7: Stars (same as Verse 3 above).

Chorus 7: Steps 1-8: All stick-and-step. Steps 9-16: All shift to the right on beat 9. 5 and 6 single-step diagonally outward from the set, and dance ? of a circle, counterclockwise, around the set to exit on their original sides. Meanwhile, 7 stick-and-step with 8. Change sticks to left hand quickly after last hit.

Verse 8: Dance Around (same as Verse 2 above).

Chorus 8: Steps 1-8: Dancers 7 and 8 stick-and-step. Steps 9-16: 7 and 8 single-step diagonally outward from the set, and dance ? of a circle, counterclockwise, to exit on their original sides.

Verse 9: Musicians walk off stage. Variation: It is also possible, for extra bonus points, to have the dance start with one musician walking on during the first verse, and adding one musician per verse, up to four total. Then, in the second half of the dance, the musicians leave on-by-one as well. We've never done it this way, but it sounds cool!