Dance Repertoire
We have selected ten simple English dances that we recommend for beginning callers and/or beginning dancers. These dances cover a range of basic figures in ECD, and they are all published in the Playford Ball. Recorded music for all of these dances is available on the CDS Boston Centre English Country Dance Collection CDs, the Claremont Country Dance Band's cassette "Juice of Barley," or Marshall Barron and Phil Merrill's cassette "By Popular Demand". Dance instructions are available on this page as well as in the Playford Ball. Written music for the tunes to accompany these dances is available in the Playford Ball or in the Barnes Book of English Dance Tunes, Volume 1.
Introduction
Whether you are a beginning English dancer, an aspiring ECD caller, or a musician new to playing for English dance, this selection of repertoire provides a good place to start. Before you dig in to these dances, read about How to call ECD and/or How to Play for ECD. If you need help understanding a part of the dance or if one of the figures doesn't make sense to you, look for help in the Playford Ball or in Hugh Stewart's descriptions of ECD figures. Good luck!
Overview
Here's the list, with dance title, the formation of the dancers, the meter and key signature for the music, and where you can find recorded music. Click on the link provided or on the Dance Instructions to view a higher quality, printer-friendly PDF version.
| Title | Formation | Meter | Key | CD/Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Nag | 3 couple set | 6/8 | Dm | By Popular Demand |
| Childgrove | longways duple improper | 2/2 | Dm | CDS Vol 12 (available soon) or Juice of Barley |
| Draper's Maggot | longways triple minor | 3/4 | G | By Popular Demand |
| Duke of Kent's Waltz | longways duple | 3/4 | G | CDS Vol 12 or Juice of Barley |
| Geud Man of Ballangigh | longways duple | 6/8 | G | CDS Vol 12 or By Popular Demand |
| Hit and Miss | 2 couple set | 6/8 | Em | CDS Vol 12 |
| Hole in the Wall | longways duple | 3/2 | Bb | CDS 3: Simple Pleasures |
| Indian Queen | longways duple | 2/2 | D | CDS Vol 12 or Juice of Barley |
| Knole Park | longways duple | 2/4 | D | Juice of Barley |
| Sellenger's Round | round for as many as will | 6/8 | G | By Popular Demand |
Childgrove
Formation: longways duple improper
Meter: 2/2
Key: Dm
Music available in: Barnes Vol 1 pg. 20
Draper's Maggot
Formation: longways triple minor
Meter: 3/4
Key: G
Music available in: Barnes Vol 1 pg. 30
Duke of Kent's Waltz
Formation: longways duple
Meter: 3/4
Key: G
Music available in: Barnes Vol 1 pg. 32
Geud Man of Ballangigh
Formation: longways duple
Meter: 6/8
Key: G
Music available in: Barnes Vol 1 pg. 43
Sellenger's Round
Formation: round for as many as will
Meter: 6/8
Key: G
Music available in: Barnes Vol 1 pg. 116
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