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The Waves of Tory

Source: Traditional; submitted by Michael Bell; published in English Dance & Song, April May 1955, Volume XIX, No.5
Formation: Five Couples; Longways; Proper

First Version
A1 All: Balance to Partner
Top Four & Next Four: Star Right — #5s can Allemande
A2 Repeat with Star Left
B1 Top Couple Gallop Down & Back
B2 Top Couple Lead Single Casts; make an Arch at the Bottom and everyone else goes up through the Arch
A3/B3 Bottom Couple (was the Top Couple) Face Up, everyone else Face Down: Bottom Couple Dive to start Dip & Dive to Place

Second Version
A1 Long Lines Go Forward & Back
Top Four & Next Four: Star Right — #5s can Allemande
A2 Repeat with Star Left
B1 Top Couple Lead Double Cast to the Left, to Place
B2/A3 Face the couple you Starred with, #5s Face Up: #1s & #3s Dive to start Dip & Dive to Place
B3 Top Couple Lead Single Casts; make an Arch at the Bottom and everyone else goes up through the Arch

John's Version
A1 From Top make Right-Hand Stars, Allemande at the Bottom:
Balance the Star x2; Star Right — switch hands
A2 Balance the Star x2; Star Left
B1 Long Lines Go Forward & Back Twice
B2 Top Couple Gallop Down & Back — all face up apart from #1s
C1/C2 Top Couple Turn & Dive — everyone Dip & Dive to place
D1 Top Couple Lead a Peel the Banana (Single Cast); Arch at the Bottom
Everyone else up through the Arch
D2 Partner Swing

Music:
48 bars.

Notes:
There are probably as many versions of this as there are villages in Ireland! I learnt it at English Ceilidhs where we Dip & Dive as fast as we can. As you can see in this video the Irish take a LOT more time on the Dip & Dives.

I often try to call this with inexperienced dancers and there are a number of challenges: Having studied many versions I came up with the one above. Turning the Balances into Balance The Stars means that you don't have to get home between Stars, and makes it easier to get home and out of the way for the Gallop. The Dip & Dive flows into the Single Cast — you know when you are finished because you are facing up and everyone else is casting ahead of you, so you just follow. The only catch is that if the top couple make the arch at the bottom too soon, then the bottom couple may try to dive down through it! The version above is 64 bars. If you have dancers who can get through the moves efficiently then you can drop B1 & D2 to make a 48 bar version. But I usually find that having lots of recovery time with Lines and Swings gives a much higher chance of success.

The First Version is in the Community Dance Manual.

From Mo Waddington:
"Most English clubs I've danced at do A1 & A2 of Version 2, then B1-B3 of Version 1 and Swing Partner if time. The Dip & Dive is rather rushed. I liked Pete Grasby's version (he called it the Cuckoo's Nest version after the university dance club that devised it) — after the cast all face UP and the new top couple start dipping.

"At the Irish Centre in Liverpool in the '90s the Liverpool Ceilidh Band had a simple version in one long set that I think went Lines Forward & Back twice, Double Cast, Single Cast, Face Up: Dip & Dive till back to place (maybe a swing?). For beginners I simplify this further and tell them to listen and Dip & Dive until I say Swing, since they never get back to the right place anyway!"


Original page from English Dance & Song, April May 1955


The Waves of Tory

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