Going Down Town ~ The Running Set

The Kentucky Running Set is the name Sharp gave to a style of dancing he found in the Southern Appalachians when he visited in 1917. The locals called the dances square dances even though they were often danced in large circles. Sharp, however, describes squares, and this is an attempt to follow his description.

Sharp mentions that these dances are always called: Normally, the caller recites certain prescribed verbal phrases, a mixture of prose and doggerel rhyme that, in the course of time, has become stereotyped. Sharp provides an appendix with the calls used at one of the dances he saw. Sadly I don't understand the calls he gives.

This style of dance begins with a common introduction:

• Circle left
• Partner two hand turn
• Corner two hand turn
• Promenade home
• Heads circle four
• and do-si
• Left hand turn and promenade home
• Sides circle four
• and do-si
• Left hand turn and promenade home

Each time a new figure is called, it begins with a "Grand Promenade." Sharp defines this as: partner two hand turn, corner two hand turn, promenade with partner half round, reverse direction (turn inward, without releasing hands), promenade back, partner two hand turn, corner two hand turn, partner promenade all the way around.

Then starts the first figure: the first couple moves right to the 2nd couple and does some figure with them. Then they move on to the next couple (3s) and do the same figure. Then on to the last couple and do the same figure. Then they do a do-si with that couple and promenade home.

Most of the time the "Little Promenade" comes between repetions of the figure.

Then the 2nd couple repeats the whole thing, starting with the 3rd couple.

Another "Little Promenade"

Then the 3rd couple.

Another "Little Promenade"

And finally the last couple.

At this point they would do the grand promenade again, and the 1st couple would start with a new figure, and so forth.

Sharp adds a paragraph at the end of Appendix B where he mentions that in one dance he watched the progression was slightly different: the second couple would start as soon as the 1st couple reached the fourth (rather than waiting until the 1st couple had finished with the fourth and were home). This is exactly the progression that Ida Levin describes in her Kentucky Square Dances book (and is topologically the same as the progression used in longways duple minor sets from 1650 to 1850).

Sharp writes that the "Little Promenade" consists of:

Men turn their partners half-way round (four steps), turn their contraries half-way round (four steps), rejoin their partners, cross hands, and move once round the circle, with them, counter-clockwise to places, men on the inside (i.e. on the left of their partners).

For this figure, Sharp writes:

The first couple, facing the opposite (i.e. the third) couple moves forward four steps.

The first couple falls back four steps to place; while the third couple moves forward four steps.

The third couple falls back four steps; while the first couple moves forward and passes between third man and third woman.

First man casts off to his left behind the fourth couple to his place; while first woman casts off to her right behind the second couple to her place.

All the men turn their partners half way round, turn their contraries half-way round and, staying with their contraries, cross hands and dance once around with them counter-clockwise.

The above movements are now repeated three times, first man and fourth woman facing third man and second woman in the first repetition; first man and third woman facing third man and first woman in the second; first man and second woman facing third man and fourth woman in the third. The men are now in their own places.

I find the final line worrying. The men are now in their own places suggests that the men have been moving around the set. It is possible that the promenade ends at the woman's home rather than the man's. But the pattern of who is facing whom suggests that the men do not move. I suspect it is a misprint for The women are now in their own places.

Sharp says people turn their partners half, then corners half before promenading. Hugh Stewart says people two hand turn once. Since Ida Levin agrees with Stewart (in her description of "Swing home, corners too", I'm going to follow Stewart here.

This figure contains a "little promenade" as part of its progression, so there is no need for an additional one between couples.

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