Maybe We Can Hey This Way

Maybe We Can Hey This Way

Source: Composed by John Sweeney
Formation: Three Couples; Longways; Proper

A1/A2

All Single Cast, #1s Leading - #1s tight, others wide
#1s Lead a Full (nearly) Progressive Hey with hands, across the line of the #2s (start Right hand)
When #1s get back to their own side they Cast to the Bottom and Lead Back to the Top (all are Home)

Long Lines Fall Back (4); Ends Face Middles - Middles Face Up: Set (4)
Double Ovals: #1s Gypsy #3s (8)

#1 Lady Leads a Dolphin Hey to the bottom:
#1s Lead to the Ladies’ Wall WHILE #2s Lead to the Men's Wall - all Turn Right (4)
Lead back to Progressed Places (4)
#1s Lead to the Men’s Wall WHILE #3s Lead to the Ladies' Wall - all Turn Left (4)
Lead back to Progressed Places (4)

Alternate B2

#1s follow the path described in B2 WHILE
#2s and #3s Face Partner then Mirror Set Up & Mirror Turn Single Up (moving together) as #1s pass them

Music:
I use Albireo's "The Gallery; The Venus of Levenshulme" or Steamchicken's "Gar the Rigger; In The Toyshop (Polkas)". Any suitable 32 bar tune will do. I like it at about 108 bpm.

The A1/A2 sequence is quite tight so I have been experimenting with 34 bar tunes. 18 bars for A1/A2 would make it slightly more easy. But if the dancers dance the sequence it is not difficult to make it in 16 bars. One of the reasons for the Long Lines Fall Back in B1 is to provide some recovery time.

Notes:
Double Step/Polka Step/Skip Change Step is recommended for the A part.

The first half of the dance is one flowing sequence, a Cast and Lead Up, interrupted by a Hey. #1s need to Cast in a narrow arc to start the Hey as soon as possible. #2s and #3s Cast wide so that they form a line of six across the set with #1s in the middle of the line and the #3s at each end of the line. #1s may need to hold back slightly on the Lead Up in order to let the others finish the Hey.

In the Double Ovals #1 Man is doing a Gypsy with #3 Man around a stationary #2 Man, the Ladies likewise. #2s can interact by dancing on the spot, making eye contact, spinning, etc. The Double Ovals is a figure from Thomas Wilson's "The Complete System of English Country Dancing" (1815) (page 123). We have yet to find a documented dance with this figure, but, since Wilson's book was a tutorial to allow dancers to create their own dance sequences, it may have been used extensively in that period... or not at all!

In the Dolphin Hey #1 Lady keeps facing out at the end of the Double Ovals and flows straight into four steps out, #1 Man following, turn right so that the man is leading and take four steps back to the #2 position. Repeat with #1 Man leading to get to the #3 position.

The Long Lines Fall Back in B1, while allowing recovery time, also means that there is plenty of room for the Double Ovals. As the dancers finish the Dolphin Hey they should adjust back into normal set spacing, likewise, if the variant is used, then the Turn Single should be used to get back closer together.

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