Traditional Competition - Earsdon

(Cecil Sharp Notation/Various films available. Duke and Duchess Garden Party Alnwick 1922)

The Royal Earsdon Sword Dancers 1906

Characters

• Tommy and Betty
• Elaborate calling on song

Music

• Fiddle
• Many tunes prescribed by Jimmy McKay
• 160 beats per minute

Stepping

• Distinctive stepping; singles and doubles with clog break. 8 bars

Chorus

• Single guard and formerly lock and line out
• Later teams had continuous dancing

Style

• Neat & dignified
• Plenty of space without haste
• Nut held horizontally and stepping underneath (except at end in line)

Figures

• Single guard
• Twos and threes: Figure 8
• Fixy: giving a Haymarket-like display
• Prince of Wales: Mary-Ann type
• Dr Parry: Jumping figure
• Raffally: Complex moving figure
• Changy
• Followy
• Old Fiddler
• Dr Cook: Multi-tumble
• Face up