Round O

Round O is an English Country Dance. It was published by Henry Playford (website) in 1703 in The Dancing Master, 12th ed., London. It was interpreted by Cecil Sharp (website) in 1922 and published in The Country Dance Book (Part 6). It is a proper Triple Minor dance. The minor set lasts 40 bars.

Playford writes:
The 2. cu. sett and cast off into the 2. cu PLace, then 1. Wo. cross over above the 2. cu. and the 1. Man below the 4 cu. and meet both in the middle, then the 1. Wo. cast off, and the 1. Man cast up at the same time, then both set and fall back Then 1. and 3. cu. set in between the 1. cu. and fall back, and turn S. then 1. cu. hop round one another, waving their Hands, then 1. Wo. back to back with the 2. Man, and 1. Man back to back with the 3 Wo. at the same time, then the 1. Wo. back to back with the 3. Man, and the 1. Man back to back with the 2. Wo. at the same time then the three We. go the Hey together, and the three Men go the Hey together at the same time

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.

A11-41s set and cast down as 2s lead up
5-8W1 loops clockwise around M2 as M1 loops clockwise around W3 to 2nd place improper
A21-4M1 casts up, loops W2, comes down the middle, as W1 casts down, loops M3 comes up the middle to 2nd place proper
5-81s set and fall back
B1-22s+3s face, set forward to neighbor
3-4All four fall back turning single
5-81s gypsy, facing inward, waving their hands in the air
C1-4W1+M2, M1+W3 back to back
5-8W1+M3, M1+W2 back to back
D1-8Parallel heys on the sides, 1s+2s start by right

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=RoundO

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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
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.