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Country Dances, Ancient and Modern

Set

Also known as: Balance, Foot It, Dance Address.

Bars: 2.

Set Setting describes a general class of movements which usually end with the dancer going nowhere, and often involving a display of footwork.

At it's simplest a set is a step to the right¹ and a close followed by a step to the left and a close. That is step out with the right foot, close with the left, then step with the left foot and close with the right. You end where you started.

Often you will be facing someone and it can be confusing to see them move to your left; do not be taken in by this. Move to your right.

Set became balancé when it moved to France, and just balance when it moved back across the channel. Various other names have been given which I think of as variants of "set": "foot it", "rigadoon", etc. Perhaps even Playford's "backs and faces".

In the March, 1955 edition of Northern Junket, Ralph Piper gives 50 variations of the balance (setting) step); while the Fletts in Traditional Dancing in Scotland give a similarly large number of setting steps, with different kinds of steps depending on the music.

Occasionally the term "set advancing" will be used. In this case you do not end where you started but move slightly forward while setting.

Variants

In modern Scottish Country Dancing there are several standard forms of setting. The most common for jigs and reels is pas-de-basque. While strathspey dances use a setting step which involves: stepping out to the right, closing with the left, stepping right again, and hopping the left foot to behind the right. Finally there is Highland Schottishe setting.

History

The term "sett" appears in the Lovelace MS (1621~1649), and in Playford.

¹ Cecil Sharp actually defines setting:

This is a movement of courtesy, addressed by one dancer to another, or more frequently by two dancers to each other simultaneously. It consists of a single to the right sideways, followed by a single to the left back to position (two bars).

Note: this differs from Arbeau's definition of "two singles" which starts to the left. But in the English speaking world people follow Sharp.

Some dances which (probably) use this figure

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