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Mirror Heys

Also known as: Reflection Reels, Grimstock Hey.

Bars: 8 bars for a full straight hey with 3 or 4 dancers.

In a mirror hey the men usually do a right shoulder hey on the sides, while the women do a left shoulder hey. This means the men and women are mirroring each other. When a woman comes into the center, so does her partner, when she moves away from the center, so does her partner. People often take hands with partners when they are in the center. In the most common version of a mirror hey, the 1s lead down between the 2s who move out.

In a Morris Mirror Hey the men pass left shoulders and the women right. In this version, the 1s cast out while the 2s lead up.

In latter half of the 18^th century many dances started with the 1s crossing into a mirror hey on opposite sides, and then crossing again when they got back to the top to dance another mirror reel on their own sides.

Some people call this a Grimstock hey. I find this slightly confusing myself, because, although Grimstock does contain a mirror hey, it also contains two others.

History

Trenchmore from the Lovelace MS may be the first example of a mirror hey:

They shall weave apace bethwene the man, and woeman, one on the one side, and the other on the other, and having weaved downe to the bottome the alone shall turne and then weave up agayne to theire places, and turne both forewards, and backwards;

Though this may be just a mirror figure eight on the sides

However Playford's version of this same dance (from 1652) is clearer (and different):

First cu. go down under the 2. cu. arms, the 3. cu. come up under the first. Do this forward and back

Though this seems to be a dip and dive variant.

While Playford's Adson's Saraband, 1651, is exactly what is meant by a mirror hey:

First cu. go down betwixt the second, they coming up, the third comes up between the first, then the second come to their places between the third

Some dances which (probably) use this figure

Dances for which I have animations
Dances in (R)SCDS Books

Note: This list may be incorrect or incomplete.

Mirror Heys

History

Some dances which (probably) use this figure

See Also