Preface

Uptown-on-Calhoun Morris, a mixed side founded in 1989, dances in a number of styles, among them one created especially for the team at its founding, by Dave and Kim Seibert. Though reportedly intended as a variation of the Bampton style, the Uptown-on-Calhoun "tradition" incorporates elements of Adderbury, Fieldtown, and other styles, along with elements unique to our group.

The style has evolved, as all living things must, but it retains its original charm and character. Dances in our "tradition," include variations of other traditions' dances, either with the same or a different melody, as well as new original dances to both old and new music. In this, we are proud to stand in the tradition of the old teams, with their oranges in blue and/or bloom; their lads bunching, lads a-bunchum, and laudnum bunches; and their diverse incarnations of Black Joke and Trunkles. As member Beth Nelson has commented, "We do it like they did in the old days - we make it up." That said, here follow descriptions of our basic style and a handful of our favorite dances.

Style

Basic Step:

Uptown-on-Calhoun style is built around contrasts of motion, and contrasts between motion and stillness. The sharp upward flick of thes hankie juxtaposes its floating descent, while an initial surge forward at the start of the foot up contrasts with a double-step in place, and the whole sequence contrasts with the whole-gyp, in which the surge of motion takes place during the double-step, rather than the singles.

Feet:

The basic footwork, consists of two single-steps and a double-step, followed by four walking steps. While not as odd as Sherbourne, it takes a bit of getting used to. As there is no foot-together-jump in the figure stepping, the pattern is necessary to facilitate the change from right-foot-start to left-foot-start for the second half of a figure (inside foot, on all except foot-up). The basic Uptown step is thus:

sh sh dbsh / w- w- w- w- (h)

read as "step, hop, step, hop, dou-ble-step, hop; walk, walk, walk, walk (hop). The /w- w- w- w- / is used as the tag-back to begin a dance.

Arms:

Arm motions depend upon the implements used.

With hankies, the arms flick straight up on the preparatory half beat to the first single-step and again on the preparatory half beat to the double-step

(flick-/ Step, hop, step, flick, dou-ble-step, hop).

The motion is more or less straight up, not angled out in any direction, and should look like the jointed arms of a marionette being pulled up on strings, not the stiff arms of a mannequin or holiday nutcracker sweeping through space. After the flick, the hands and hankies are allowed to float gracefully down - there is no downward snap. On the walking steps, the hands swish front and back as in some flavors of Bampton, or as in Fieldtown Step Back, with the right hand swishing back (to the lumbar area) on the first walking step, and the left hand forward at about navel height. The four steps are then with hankies right-back, left-back, right-back, left-back (and probably a flick up to prepare for the next single-step). Note that the right hand is back first, regardless of which foot moves first.

With sticks, the stepping pattern begins with both hands raising straight up, as they did with hankies, on the preparatory beat to the first single step. The sticks then fall forward, arms straight (like the nutcracker this time), to the dancers' sides during the first single-step. Sticks are raised in the same arc to a shoulder-lever (horizontal and not above), and allowed to fall again in the first half of the double-step. In the last part of the double-step, both arms bend at the elbow with the right hand holding stick held by the right shoulder and the stickless left hand mirroring it. The four walking steps are as follows: both hands up, both arms fall forward and down to sides, right arm only to raises to right shoulder, and dancers clash forehand with partners. The stick should be in constant motion, pausing no more than a pendulum may appear to pause at the end of its arc. In summary, during the stepping:

h / sh sh dbsh / w- w- w- w(h) /

the stick motion will be:

up/ fall down, point out, fall down, to shoulders / up, down, shoulder, clash ( - up).

Other Steps

Other steps include: a sidestep, which is closed, low to the ground, and not always executed in a sideways motion; a galley in a couple of dances; and various capers.

Sidestep

The sidestep is like the double-step, except that the trailing foot crosses behind the leading foot, and the hand motion is with one hand only. Raise the hankie in the hand of the direction of the step, to shoulder level, with a saluting flick, on the preparatory hop, then sweep the hand and hankie in the direction of motion, to "point the way," as it were, horizontally. I don't believe there are any sidesteps in our stick dances.

Capers

Uptown plain capers are simply leaps from one foot to the other, generally in pairs, generally onto the right foot first and then onto the left. The hands and hankies lift up to face level to provide extra lift, then fall out and down as the dancer falls to earth. The landing is punctuated with a sharp forward motion of the hankies a waist level. If these are ever danced with sticks, and no cases come to mind, the sticks should be held upright at the right shoulder, for safety. I won't go into detail on the other capers here. "Foray" capers are as in Bampton, Tap capers (RTF or Beetle Stompers) are as in Sherbourne, and Uprights are as in Fieldtown except that there are usually two preparatory slip-back steps rather than one. This depends upon the dance Galleys are more or less as in Fieldtown, but they are so rarely used that I won't bother with them here.

Footedness:

Originally a "non-footed" side, we have fallen into conventions over the years. All figures start on the right foot, and repeat on the left foot. The tag back begins on the right. If a chorus ends with a half-hey or half-rounds, then that pattern should start on the left. There are occasions where an extra foot switch is required.

Figures

Verse Figures:

OY: Once-to-yourself.

Line up with the squire (number 1) standing close to the musicians. Stand until the last tag back, after the squire calls "this time," then proceed with four walking steps backward. In hankie dances, the hankies should be raised, hands together to about face level, one full beat before the first walking step, as a sort of gathering gesture. Where you end at the end of the tag back is considered your "original home position" for the remainder of the dance, even though you will likely not start every figure there.

FU: Foot-up-and-down.

Surge forward about the distance of the spacing between two couples, during the single-steps. Double-step in place, then walk back to where you began. With sticks, turn to face partners on beat 8, when you clash sticks. With hankies, remain facing up until the last half-beat of the first half of the figure, then turn quickly ("twizzle") in and down on the hop and flick. Note that you turn toward your partner and past - do not cast out. If you cannot maintain eye contact with your partner as you turn, you are turning the wrong way. Or else you are very shy. Repeat with a foot down, on the left foot, and return to your original place, facing partner on beat 8.

HG: Half-gyp.

This is the same as the foot up, except that it begins facing your partner, and the motion is, in the first half, passing right shoulders to reach a point just beyond your partner's starting place. Double-step in place, walk back, and repeat passing left shoulders.

WG: Whole-gyp.

Our most distinctive of non-distinctive-figure figures. The contrast of motion is inverted here from the previous figures. Step slightly forward into one line, right-shoulder to partner, on the first single-step, single-step in place, and then surge during the double-step around the point between your partner and yourself. Flip 180-degrees clockwise on the hop of the double-step, and walk backward to where you started the figure.

Repeat, giving left shoulder to partner and turning counter-clockwise. The motion is: into-line, in-place, and three-steps-around-flip, walk, walk, walk, walk, (hop). Again, if you maintain eye contact with your partner, you will not be able to turn the wrong way on the flip without breaking your neck. Take extra care when dancing this figure with sticks! Keep the sticks pointing down during the double-step and flip, for safety, bringing them up only at the last moment for the walk-back.

XT: Cross-and-turn.

Like the WG, this is different from other traditions' pattern of the same name. Step forward, to barely past your partner, with two single-steps. Turn 90-degrees on the hop before double-stepping past your partner, nearly brushing shoulders. Turn out (away from the other line of dancers), and walk along a semicircular path to partner's place. The overall pattern is like a curiously angular question mark. If dancing with hankies, take hands with your partner during the first single-step, give weight on the turn, flick the free hand only, and pull past partner, dropping hands, on the double-step. There is no special instruction with sticks, but do notice how all six sticks will form two beautiful, parallel lines immediately before the double-step.

Chorus Figures

HR: Half-rounds:

This is typically only danced as part of the chorus, though one dance in our style (G'Day Davey Jones, written by the Merry Heymakers late of Kansas City) uses it as a verse figure. All dancers single-step around in a circle, spiral into a tight ring in the center on the double-step ("up the nose"), then walk back four steps to their corner's place (relative to where they started the half-round). The middle couple is responsible for getting out onto the circle, to make the set round. Turn easy into the figure, unless you begin facing up and standing on the apprentice (right-hand) side of the set, in which case you should turn out ("hard") on the hop that preceded the half-rounds.

HH: Half-hey.

It is patterned after the Woodley hey of Bampton. The dancers at the top of the set cast out and down, but do not cross between the middle and bottom couples. Instead, they step sh sh dbsh around the outside, to meet face-to-face just below the middle position, then walk four steps backward to the bottom place, turning to face partner on the last walking step or two. Middles move up and follow the path of the top couple, ending the double-step just outside from the top position and flipping (maintain eye contact) to walk back into own places. Bottoms sh sh dbsh up the middle, without covering much ground, turn (eye contact!), and walk back into the top position. Another unusual thing is that this is always danced as a half-hey UP, and the couple that starts nearest the music is always considered the "top" couple, regardless of where the squire is standing. Thus, middles always go up, never down.

Endings:

In general, stick dances end All-up, clashing with partners and leaving sticks crossed high for a few moments. Hankie dances generally end All-in, with a pair of plain capers replacing the last two walking steps. After an all-up, the apprentice (even) side casts out to move into the walk-around. All dancers turn right (the hard way) into the walk around after an all-in.

Frequently, the choruses of Uptown-on-Calhoun dances are not repeated, even if this means that dancers will need to dance the next figure from their partner's or corner's position. When dancing an Uptown dance alongside a traditional dance to the same tune, it may be necessary to double the chorus, and some adjustments may be necessary.