Simon's Frolic

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History:

A Baxter original, with a lot of team input. Originally devised with arming (spin partner with arm across partner's midriff), this was quickly changed to better suit a mixed team, of varying heights, body morphologies, and embarrassment thresholds. A long-sticks, in-line dance for 2x, to original music.

Tune:

Original, based on the theme song from "Simon and his magic chalkboard" transposed into Dorian mode.

Stepping:

For round son and off: single, single, doublestep; repeat; repeat; single, single, together-jump. For all other figures: single, single, doublestep, four swaggering walks; single, single, doublestep, two walks, and foot-together-jump. Sticks are on shoulders when not clashing.

Figures:

Rounds on, Chorus, Half Gyp, Chorus, Whole gyp, Chorus, Cross and Turn, Chorus, Rounds Off. The figures are fairly straightforward. Line up offstage and walk the rounds off to arrive at the proper order to effect the rounds on. Half-gyp and whole-gyp are as in Bampton, but danced by three separate couples in a long line (as if by the top couples of three Cotswold sets). Cross and turn is somewhat more angular than, but similar to Bampton (Uptown-on-Calhoun style). All figures end with forehand clash (except rounds off).

Chorus:

Clash backhand, hit tips on ground to right, forehand, ground to left, backhand, ground to right, forehand with NO follow through, then entwine sticks grasping partner's stick between your stick and both your thumbs while holding your own stick at 45-degrees with two hands (you have one beat to find this grip). Take six steps, swinging your partner twice around, and then FTJ.