The Running Set

The Running Set is an Appalachian Circle Dance. It was published by Cecil Sharp & Maud Karpeles in 1918 in The Country Dance Book (Part 5). It is a Square dance. It is a multipart dance. The minor set lasts 2015 bars.

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.

According to Sharp the dancing had no break, it would always start with a standard introduction. Following that would be as many figures as the caller chose to present. Each figure was preceded by something called "the grand promenade". Most of the figures were visiting couple style dances so the figure would be danced giving each couple a chance to be lead couple. Between each iteration of the same figure the dancers would perform "the little promenade" (except where the dance ended with a promenade figure.

One common figure is something called "do-si-do" (which is nothing like the back to back figure I grew up with). I use the term "do-si" for the figure "do-si-do" to distinguish it from the modern usage, (Sharp also did this).

Sharp's version of the "do-si-do" is different from that Ida Levin describes in Kentucky Square Dances, 1928, and different again from what Lloyd Shaw describes in Cowboy Dances, 1939

Two couples face. Men turn their partners half-way round with left hands, pass each other by the right (moving sideways, right shoulders forward, back to back), turn their contraries half-way round with right hands and return to places, passing each other by the left (back to back, left shoulders forward). This movement, which is known as the Do-si-do or the Do-si, is then repeated.

At the conclusion of the repetition, men turn their partners once round with left hands, cross hands with them and dance round a small circle, counter-clockwise, each couple breaking off and proceeding to its original station.

The half turns in the Do-si-do must be executed at great speed and with bent arms, each performer describing as small a circle as possible. In crossing over between the turns the men should arch there backs and pass as closely to each other as they can.

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.

The standard introduction was:

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 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).

In this example I show a subset of the figures Sharp saw danced at Hayden, Ky.

The animation plays at 120 counts per minute normally, but the first time through the set the dance will often be slowed down so people can learn the moves more readily. Men are drawn as rectangles, women as ellipses. Each couple is drawn in its own color, however the border of each dancer indicates what role they currently play so the border color may change each time through the minor set.

An online description of the dance may be found here.

Intro
 
1-6Introduction: Circle left
7-8Partner two hand turn
9-10Corner two hand turn
11-16Promenade partner home
17-20Heads circle four
21-28Do-si
29-34Left hand turn and promenade home
35-38Sides circle four
39-46Do-si
47-52Left hand turn and promenade home
Grand Promenade
 
1-4Grand Promenade: Partner two hand turn
5-8Corner two hand turn
9-12Promenade half round
13-16Turn inward to face back and promenade home
17-20Partner two hand turn
21-24Corner two hand turn
25-32Promenade once around
Circle Four
 
1-4$1 couple lead right and circle four
5-8On to the next and circle four
9-12On to the last and circle four
13-20Do-si
21-26Left hand turn and promenade home
Little Promenade
 
1-4Little Promenade: Partner two hand turn
5-8Corner two hand turn
9-16Promenade once around
Circle Four
Little Promenade
Circle Four
Little Promenade
Circle Four
Grand Promenade
Hands Three
 
1-4$1 couple left turn into the middle
5-7$1 man circle three with the %2
8-10$1 couple partner left hand turn
11-13$1 woman circle with the %2, $1 man with %3
14-16$1 couple partner left hand turn
17-19$1 woman circle with the %3, $1 man with %4
20-22$1 couple partner left hand turn
23-26%1+%4s circle left four
27-34Do-si
35-40Left hand turn and promenade home
Little Promenade
Hands Three
Little Promenade
Hands Three
Little Promenade
Hands Three
Grand Promenade
Shoot the Owl
 
1-4$1 couple left turn into the middle
5-7$1 man circle three half with the %2 and pop through (as they finish the circle)
8-10$1 couple partner left hand turn
11-13$1 woman circle half with the %2, $1 man with %3, then pop through
14-16$1 couple partner left hand turn
17-19$1 woman circle half with the %3, $1 man with %4, then pop through
20-22$1 couple partner left hand turn
23-26%1+%4s circle left four
27-34Do-si
35-40Left hand turn and promenade home
Little Promenade
Shoot the Owl
Little Promenade
Shoot the Owl
Little Promenade
Shoot the Owl
Grand Promenade
Chase the Squirrel
 
1-1$1 lady, followed by partner, out to the right
2-4Active lady, still followed by her partner, loops the inactive lady by the left shoulder while the inactive lady moves forward and back
5-8Lady loops inactive gent by right shoulder as her partner stops and does a little dance of his own, and the inactive man does a turn single following the active lady
9-12Circle four
13-13$1 lady, followed by partner, out to the right
14-16Active lady, still followed by her partner, loops the inactive lady by the left shoulder while the inactive lady moves forward and back
17-20Lady loops inactive gent by right shoulder as her partner stops and does a little dance of his own, and the inactive man does a turn single following the active lady
21-24Circle four
25-25$1 lady, followed by partner, out to the right
26-28Active lady, still followed by her partner, loops the inactive lady by the left shoulder while the inactive lady moves forward and back
29-32Lady loops inactive gent by right shoulder as her partner stops and does a little dance of his own, and the inactive man does a turn single following the active lady
33-36Circle four
37-44Do-si
45-50Left hand turn and promenade home
Little Promenade
Chase the Squirrel
Little Promenade
Chase the Squirrel
Little Promenade
Chase the Squirrel
Grand Promenade
The Wild Goose Chase
 
1-1$1 gent leads his partner to the right
2-4Go between the outside couple, loop left around the $2 lady
5-8Cross in front of the gent and cast right to come back between the outside couple
9-11Go between them again, looping left around the $2 gent's place, meanwhile $2 gent follows behind $1 lady back to place
12-14Circle four
15-15$1 gent drop his left hand and lead the line of four to the %3
16-18Left around the lady
19-23In front of the gent and cast back
24-26Loop around the $3 gent's place as he follows the $2 lady back to his place
27-29Circle six
30-30$1 gent drop his left hand and lead the line of six to the %4
31-33Left around the lady
34-38In front of the gent and cast back
39-41Loop around the $4 gent's place as he follows the $3 lady back to his place
42-46Circle eight
47-51$1 gent drop his left hand and cast left, leading the circle counter-clockwise (with his back to middle)
52-57$1 gent cast right, leading the circle clockwise again back to places
Little Promenade
The Wild Goose Chase
Little Promenade
The Wild Goose Chase
Little Promenade
The Wild Goose Chase
Grand Promenade
Box the Gnat
 
1-2$1 couple right turn half into the middle of the set
3-6$1 couple left turn once and a quarter to face the $2 couple
7-8Opposite right turn half
9-12Left hand turn once
13-14$1 couple right turn half into the middle of the set
15-18$1 couple left turn three quarters to face the $3 couple
19-20Opposite right turn half
21-24Left hand turn once
25-26$1 couple right turn half into the middle of the set
27-30$1 couple left turn three quarters to face the $4 couple
31-32Opposite right turn half
33-36Left turn once and a half
37-44Do-si
45-50Left hand turn and promenade home
Little Promenade
Box the Gnat
Little Promenade
Box the Gnat
Little Promenade
Box the Gnat
Grand Promenade
Bird in the Cage
 
1-1$1 couple lead right
2-4$1 gent and %2 circle three around $1 lady
5-7$1 gent break take hands with $3 lady and circle 5
8-12$1 gent break take hands with $4 lady and circle 7
13-13Actives switch places
14-18Seven circle continues as the gent dances alone
19-19All home
Little Promenade
Bird in the Cage
Little Promenade
Bird in the Cage
Little Promenade
Bird in the Cage
Grand Promenade
Wind Up the Ball of Yarn
 
1-8Circle eight left
9-32$1 couple lead, wind up the ball of yarn
33-40Circle eight clockwise (while locked)
Break
 
1-1Break the lock, go to places
Little Promenade
Wind Up the Ball of Yarn
Break
Little Promenade
Wind Up the Ball of Yarn
Break
Little Promenade
Wind Up the Ball of Yarn
Unwind
 
1-24Unwind the ball of yarn
25-32Circle eight left

If you find what you believe to be a mistake in this animation, please leave a comment on youtube explaining what you believe to be wrong. If I agree with you I shall do my best to fix it.

If you wish to link to this animation please see my comments on the perils of youtube. You may freely link to this page, of course, and that should have no problems, but use one of my redirects when linking to the youtube video itself:
https://www.upadouble.info/redirect.php?id=TheRunningSet

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The dance is out of copyright in the US, but I'm not sure of other jurisdictions. My visualization of this dance is copyright © 2023 by George W. Williams V and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This website is copyright © 2021,2022,2023,2024 by George W. Williams V
Creative Commons License My work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Most of the dances have more restrictive licensing, see my notes on copyright, the individual dance pages should mention when some rights are waived.