Greenwood or The Huntsman is an English Country Dance. It was found in the Lovelace Manuscript (written somewhere around the 1640s) and later published in The English Dancing Master. It was interpreted by Cecil Sharp (website) in 1916 and published in The Country Dance Book (Part 4). It is a 3 Couple Longways dance with the 2s improper. There is no progression in this dance. It is a multipart dance. The dance lasts 240 bars.
Lovelace writes:
Let them stand in this posture here over head, and note also that the double prickes stand for men, and the single for woemen,
and then standing soe they shall leade up towards each other, and then backe againe, and then that person that stands in the middle, be it either man, or woman, shall congee to both that shall be next unto him, first on the right hand, and then on the left, and then all turne halfe round with their faces from each other, and then holding hands shall leade up that way, and backe agayne, then the midle must congee againe first on the left hand and then on the right, and then turne round againe as they stood at first, and then they shall dance their hays, all ways as you may 3: or 4: or 5 times, and then all into you places after you have dancd it as many ways as you can;
Noe fading at all but leade up up againe the same way both forwards and backwards like as before, then three shall take hands, and goe round once, and then backe againe into their places, the other three doeing that like at the same time, and having done it soe all manner of ways like before the hayes, which in three in one company, and three in the other then every man shall return/retire to his place;
Meet all back again, set and turn S. Lead from each other, change hands, meet again, set and turn S.
The middle cu. sides, while the two men side with each other, and the two we. sides, set and turn S. As much with the we. on their right hands, set and turn S. ·:
Meet all as at the first Arms all as you sided ·:
Meet all as at first Each three as you stand hands and go round, set and turn S The middle man take the two on his left hand and go round, while the other do the like, set and turn S As much with the two on the right hand, the other doing the like
Meet as at the first Then the S. Hey all as you handed round
Meet as at the first ·: Men hands and go round, set and turn S. ·: We. as much ·: :
Meet all as at the first Men the S Hey ·: We. as much ·: ·:
Meet all as at the first
Playford's little picture of the arrangement of the set shows the 2s improper.
I have taken the liberty of making several changes to Sharp's interpretation:
The animation plays at 120 counts per minute. Men are drawn as rectangles, women as ellipses. Each couple is drawn in its own color.
I.A1 | 1-4 | Lines of three lead in, fall back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
I.A2 | 1-4 | M2 leads women 1+3 out a double, turns, and leads back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
I.A3 | 1-4 | 2s side right as do other men and other women |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
I.A4 | 1-4 | 1s+2s side left with neighbor, 3s with partner |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
9-12 | 2s+3s side right with neighbor, 1s with partner | |
I.A5 | 1-4 | Partner set and turn single |
II.A1 | 1-4 | Lines of three lead in, fall back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
II.A2 | 1-4 | M2 leads women 1+3 out a double, turns, and leads back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
II.A3 | 1-4 | 2s arm right as do other men and other women |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
II.A4 | 1-4 | 1s+2s arm left with neighbor, 3s with partner |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
II.A5 | 1-4 | 2s+3s arm right with neighbor, 1s with partner |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
III.A1 | 1-4 | Lines of three lead in, fall back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
III.A2 | 1-4 | M2 leads women 1+3 out a double, turns, and leads back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
III.A3 | 1-4 | Same sex circle three on the sides |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
III.A4 | 1-4 | 1s+M2, 3s+W2 circle three |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
III.A5 | 1-4 | 1s+W2, 3s+M2 circle three |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
IV.A1 | 1-4 | Lines of three lead in, fall back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
IV.A2 | 1-4 | M2 leads women 1+3 out a double, turns, and leads back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
IV.A3 | 1-8 | Right shoulder heys for three on the sides, W1+M2, W2+M3 starting |
IV.A4 | 1-8 | Right shoulder heys on the right diagonals, W1+M2, W2+M3 starting |
IV.A5 | 1-8 | Left shoulder heys on the left diagonals, M1+W2, M2+W3 starting |
V.A1 | 1-4 | Lines of three lead in, fall back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
V.A2 | 1-4 | M2 leads women 1+3 out a double, turns, and leads back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
V.A3 | 1-4 | W2 to center, men circle three around her |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
V.A4 | 1-4 | M2 to center, women circle three around him |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
VI.A1 | 1-4 | Lines of three lead in, fall back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
VI.A2 | 1-4 | M2 leads women 1+3 out a double, turns, and leads back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
VI.A3 | 1-8 | W2 falls back, M2 crosses the set to start a right shoulder hey for three with the other men |
VI.A4 | 1-8 | M2 falls back, W2 crosses the set to start a right shoulder hey for three with the other women |
VI.A5 | 1-4 | Lines of three lead in, fall back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single | |
VI.A6 | 1-4 | M2 leads women 1+3 out a double, turns, and leads back |
5-8 | Partner set and turn single |
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.
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The dance itself is out of copyright, and is in the public domain. The interpretation is out of copyright, and is in the public domain. My visualization of this dance is copyright © 2021 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
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.