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The first, the Official Bransle (pronounced Brawl), is now known as Ding Dong Merrily on High, and the second, Female Saylor, is danced to the tune of Masters in this Hall. Both were popular dance tunes long before Christmas lyrics were added to them.
The Official Bransle is a very simple dance that was popular in the late 16th-century, and which was recorded in Arbeau's Orchesography. It is done in a circle with the woman on the right of her partner. All take hands and do a double (step left with your left foot, then left with your right foot, twice) and a double right. Repeat this three more times. Take six left steps to the left. The lady then turns (on the 7th beat) to her partner and places her hands on his shoulders. He places his hands on her wrist, picks her up, and places her on his left side (all this on the 8th beat). The lady helps by hopping to her right (his left). The dance is then repeated, except that each man has a new partner to his right, and so on. Official Bransle/Ding Dong Merrily on High [INSERT TUNE HERE] The Female Saylor began as a French dance, but was not published in English until the eighteenth century. It is a progression dance, meaning that each couple moves down the line until they reach the end. They then wait out a turn, and then progress back up the line again. The dance begins with couples lined up in two lines; women's line to the right of the men's. The couples count off down the line, with odd-numbered couples being "active" and even-numbered couples "inactive". The active couples are dancing with the next couple down the line from them. Active couples take hands and go between the next couple up the line from them (the first couple must go around an imaginary couple), and then go around this couple and back to their place. Then take hands again and go between the couple down the line and back to place. Next, they cross, the active lady going around the inactive man, and the active man going around the inactive lady. The active couple takes hands and does a complete turn. The active couple now faces the inactive couple (opposite sexes facing each other), and does a do-si-do with them (pass left shoulder, step left, and back up to place) and a two-handed turn with them, then the couples face their partners and do-si-do. The inactive couple then does a complete two-handed turn, moving towards the head of the line; the active couple meanwhile does a half-turn, breaks apart, and moves around the inactives. The dance now repeats, except that each couple now has a different pair to dance with. When a couple reaches the end of the line, they wait out a turn and come back in (actives then become inactives and vice-versa). Female Saylor/Maters in this Hall [INSERT TUNE HERE] |
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