Halfe Hannikin ~ Sharp

Halfe Hannikin ~ Sharp Halfe Hannikin

Halfe Hannikin ~ Sharp is an English Country Dance. It was published by John Playford (website) in 1651 in The English Dancing Master. It was interpreted by Cecil Sharp (website) in 1916 and published in The Country Dance Book (Part 4). Found in The Playford Assembly. It is a Circle as many as will dance. The minor set lasts 32 bars. It is in the key: G Major.

There is a record that a dance with this name was danced in 1623, but who knows if it used the same figures.

The dance works well in a sicilian circle, but that would not be period.

Callers often suggest that every other couple be improper.

Playford says the tune should be played AAB, but some people throw in a second B, where the B1 has right shoulder siding followed by left, and B2 has set/turn single followed by the two hand turn and progression.

Here at the end of one iteration of the dance two dancers will be out for the next iteration (top man/bottom woman). Many callers have the progression skip one person, make it double progression, so no one is ever out.

Playford writes:

Lead up all a D. forwards and back That again Sides all Turn your own First man stand alone, and the last wo. stand alone, the rest of the men take all the next we.

Lead up as before Sides all Turn your we. First man take 2. man with his left hand, last wo. taking the next wo. with her right hand.

Lead up as before Sides all Turn your we. Then the 2. man stand alone, the first man take third man, last wo. taking the next change thus every time till you come to your own places.

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.

A11-4Up a double and back
A21-4That again
B1-4Sharp siding
5-8Two hand turn and move half a position left (meet the next). Top man, bottom woman wait out.
A11-4Up a double and back
A21-4That again
B1-4Sharp siding
5-8Two hand turn and move half a position left (meet the next). All back in.

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=HalfeHannikin-Sharp

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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 © 2020 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.