Sellenger's Round

The Beginning of the World

Sellenger's Round or The Beginning of the World is an English Country Dance. It was published by John Playford (website) in 1657 in The Dancing Master, 4th ed., London. It was interpreted by Cecil Sharp (website) in 1916 and published in The Country Dance Book (Part 4). Found in The Playford Ball. It is a Circle as many as will dance. There is no progression in this dance. It is a USA dance. The dance lasts 120 bars.

Playford writes:
Take Hands and go round twice, Back againAll set and turn S. that again.

Lead all in a D. forward
and back That again
Two singles and a D. back
Set and turn single That again

Sides all That again
Arms all That again
As before
As before

The tune was published by Playford with the dance, and the music was synthesized by Colin Hume's software.

The animation plays at 116 counts per minute. Men are drawn as rectangles, women as ellipses. Each couple is drawn in its own color.

I,V.A1-8Take hands circle 8 steps left and 8 back
II.A1-4Take hands: forward a double (into center) and back
5-8That again
III.A1-4Partners right shoulder siding
5-8Left shoulder siding
IV.A1-4Partners arm right
5-8Arm left
B11-2Set forward (no hands)
3-4Fall back a double
5-8Partner set and turn single
B21-8That again: Set forward, fall back, 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.

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=SellengersRound

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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.