Dashing White Sergeant
Encyclopedia
The Dashing White Sergeant is a Scottish
folk dance
, performed to a similarly titled piece of music. The dance is in 4/4 time, thus it is in the form of a reel
. The dance is performed by groups of six dancers and is progressive.
So step it out and step it in
To the merry music of the violin
We'll dance the hours away.
(Repeat first 4 lines, then):
Katie and Peggy and Patsy and Paul,
Callum and Peter and Flora and Moll,
Dance, dance, dance,dance, dance away the hours together!
Dance till dawn be in the sky,
What care you and what care I?
Hearts a-beating, spirits high,
We're gonna dance, dance, dance!
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
folk dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
, performed to a similarly titled piece of music. The dance is in 4/4 time, thus it is in the form of a reel
Reel (dance)
The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. In Scottish country dancing, the reel is one of the four traditional dances, the others being the jig, the strathspey and the waltz, and is also the name of a dance figure ....
. The dance is performed by groups of six dancers and is progressive.
Steps
The six dancers form a circle, traditionally of three men and three woman standing alternately, which will break apart into two sets of three dancers. All six join hands and the circle turns anti-clockwise for eight counts, then clockwise for eight counts. The circle then separates into the two sets of three. The dancer in the middle (leader) of the three turns to the partner on the right, sets to (dances with) them for four counts and turns them for four counts, then repeats this with the partner on the left. The leader then turns the partner on the right again, followed by the partner on the left, the partner on the right, the partner on the left. He then joins hands with both partners so the three form a straight line facing the other set of three. Both sets walk towards each other for two steps, and stamp their feet three times (over the course of two counts, therefore including one off-beat), then retreat for two steps and clap their hands similarly to the stamping. They then walk towards each other again (again holding hands), and one set raises its arms to form archways under which the other dancers pass to meet the next set of three coming from another circle, with whom the dance is repeated.Lyrics
Now the fiddler's ready, let us all beginSo step it out and step it in
To the merry music of the violin
We'll dance the hours away.
(Repeat first 4 lines, then):
Katie and Peggy and Patsy and Paul,
Callum and Peter and Flora and Moll,
Dance, dance, dance,dance, dance away the hours together!
Dance till dawn be in the sky,
What care you and what care I?
Hearts a-beating, spirits high,
We're gonna dance, dance, dance!