Lady Around the Lady, and the Gent Also ~ Smoky Mountains

Chase the Squirrel ~ The Running Set Figure Eight - Dozier Lady Around the Lady, and the Gent Also ~ Smoky Mountains Lady Around the Lady ~ Kentucky Square Dances Lady Round Lady ~ Dunlavy The Lady Round the Lady ~ Shaw

Frank Smith's Square Dances of the Great Smoky Mountains, 1939 describes a form of "square dancing" done in large circles.

There are two types of figures: whole set figures where every couple in the circle does something different and small set figures where all the couples pair up and each group of two couples does the same figure.

Before the small sets can be formed, the couples count themselves off, beginning with the head couple as, number 1, the couple to their right as number 2, the next couple to the right as 3, and so on. Small sets are formed by having all the odd couples move right to face the even couple on their right (ending in configuration similar to doing a becket dance in a sicilian circle, with the odd couples on the inside of the circle facing out, and the evens on the outside facing in). The odd couples progress around the set dancing with every even couple. The figure finishes when the odds return home. The evens never get a chance to dance the active role.

Generally several figures make up a dance (that is before people retire to the side to rest and find new partners). The dance starts with a common introduction, and then each figure starts with a "Change Figure" sequence. Then a figure will be called, another "Change Figure", another figure, and so on.

BALANCE ALL

Introductory Figure

This is the opening figure of the Square Dances of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The Call

1. Get your partners.
2. Number off.
3. All join hands and balance all.
4. Balance in.
5. If you like that, let's do it again.
6. Circle all the way around and half way back,
   Make your feet of whickety whack.

Description

1. The leader walks with his partner to any position on the floor. He gives encouragement, if it is needed, to other couples to join the quickly forming circle, Gentlemen have their partners on their right. The lady on a gentleman's left is his "corner lady" or "opposite."
2. The leader calls "one," the next gentleman to his right "two," etc. The couples with odd numbers are odds, those with even numbers evens.
3. All the dancers join hands and dance towards the center of the circle. The now dance backwards opening the circle out to full.
4. Repeat No. 3.
5. Repeat No. 3.
6. The Change Figure is now danced. Since the dancers are already in large circle formation Call No. 1 of Change Figure is omitted, and Call No. 2 is changed from "All join hands and circle left" to "Circle left."

CHANGE FIGURE

Danced before each change or figure.

The Call

1. Back in that grand old circle.
2. All join hands and circle left.
3. Half way back,
   Make your feet go whickety-whack!
   — or — Half way back,
   Take your head out o' that sugar sack.
4. Swing your corner lady, now your own little baby.

The Change Figure Should be danced when changing from dancing in small circles to dancing all the in the large circle, of vice-versa. It should also be danced between different figures in the large circle, i.e. Wagon Wheel, Promenade, Raise the Window, etc.

Description

1. Dancers return to the large circle.
2. Dancers join hands and dance to the left.
3. Dance to the right.
4. Gentleman swings his corner lady and then swings his partner.

Frank Smith also defines the "Swing"

The oldtimers use a two-hand swing, i.e. join both hands and turn once around clockwise. The younger generation is inclined to take a social dance, or waltz, position.

This particular animation shows two figures, first a small set figure, and then a whole set figure:

LADY AROUND THE LADY, AND THE GENT ALSO

The Call

1. Lady around the lady and the gent also.
2. Lady around the gent and the gent don't go.
3. Swing your opposite and now your own.
4. And on to the next.

Description

1. The even couple sand in position. The odd lady passes between them and behind the even lady; the odd gentleman follows her around, stopping almost facing the even lady. The odd lady is now ready to pass again between the even couple
2. With odd gentleman in above position the odd lady passes between even couple and behind the even gentleman.
3. Each gentleman swings his opposite or corner lady and then swings his own partner.
4. The odd couples move to the next even couples.

And the whole-set figure...

THE OPEN TUNNEL

The Call

1. We'll go through the open tunnel
   Watch your head and watch it close,
   If you don't watch out, we'll double the dose.
2. Back in the grand old circle.

Description

1. This figure follows a "promenade". As the dancers promenade (page 25), the leader and his partner stop, turn quickly inwards and face in an opposite direction, stoop, and pass beneath the arms of the approaching couple. They continue until they have passed beneath the arms of all the approacing dancers. The second couple, as soon as the leading couple has passed beneath their arms, turns and follows. In this way all the couples pass beneath the arms of the others, thus going through the tunnel. When the leading couple has passed beneath the arms of the last couple, the stand erect, turn, and make the return journey holding hands joined over the approaching couples. In this way couples again follow the leader.
2. The dancers return to circle formation and join hands.

(The text never describes "promenade" that I can find. In particular there is nothing on page 25 about promenading. In my animation I have couples promenading counter clockwise, but this means that it is the last couple not the second couple who turn back after the lead couple passes under them. So perhaps the promenade figure ended up with people promenading clockwise, unnatural as that seems to me.

< Prev Top Next >