Dronningens dans, Nordfyn, Avernakø

Country: Avernakø & Nordfyn, Denmark
Type: set dance
Formation: varies

    Dronningens dans, Nordfyn
Formation: 3 couple longways set. M stand to the R, W to the L, as seen from the music (top of the set). 
              music
             M1   W1
             M2   W2
             M3   W3
Steps: balancé (pas de basque), hopsa
Sheet music:
(1) 358:97 [rakes of London/rakes of Mallow, 1753, played AABB];
(2) Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme (FFF)/ Gamle danse fra Fyn og Øerne. 4th ed. København: Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme, 1984, pp. 26-27. [a two-part variant of 'Soldier's joy', also used in ottetalsdans, Himmerland, pigernes fornøjelse, Sydslesvig, and enkelt kæde fra Salling]
Recordings: Fiedel Michel Retrospective track 09 [YouTube]; R. Osterholz mm [Dancilla]; Spillemandsgruppen Lunterne track 15; Tramp 'rakes of London' Tramp 3 track A6; Trunderup Spillemændene Dansk spillemandsmusik track 15; The new Columbia fiddlers Fiddle tunes of the Lewis & Clark era track 12 [YouTube]; unattributed 2013 [YouTube].
See also numerous recordings of 'rakes of Mallow' in collection of the Internet Archive.
Bars Part Dance progression:
1-8 (a) R/L elbow hook turn: Couple 1 takes R-elbow hold and dances CW, 8 hopsa steps (beginning with L foot).
1-8   Couple 1 takes L-elbow hold and dances CCW, 8 hopsa steps.
9-12 (b) Elbow hook chain: W1 R-elbow hold with M2 while M1 does same with W3. Once round CW, 4 hopsa steps.
13-16   Couple 1 dances L-elbow hold in the centre of the set, 1-1/4 turn round, 4 hopsa steps.
9-12   W1 R-elbow hold with M3 while M1 does same with W2. Once round CW, 4 hopsa steps.
13-16   Couple 1 dances L-elbow hold in the centre of the set, 1/2 turn round, 4 hopsa steps.
1-8 (c) Balancés: M1 in front of and facing W3 and W1 in front of and facing M2, dance 8 balancés on the spot. All begin on L foot, crossing R foot in front.
1-8   Repeat (c), but now with M1 in front of W2, and W1 in front of M3. Switch facing own partner.
9-12 (d) Elbow hook all round: M1 and W3, and W1 and M2 dance with R-elbow hold once round CW, 4 hopsa steps.
13-16   M1 and W2, and W1 and M3 dance with L-elbow hold once round CCW, 4 hopsa steps.
9-12   Passing own partner on the left (passing R shoulders) M1 crosses set to take R-elbow hold with M3, and dance once round CW. 4 hopsa steps.
Meanwhile, W1 crosses to dance with R-elbow hold with W2 once round CW, 4 hopsa steps.
13-16   M1 and M2 dance 1/2 round CW, then M1 dances behind M3 and finishes below M3, 4 hopsa steps.
Meanwhile, W1 takes L-elbow hold with W3, and dances 1-1/2 times round CCW, to finish below W3, 4 hopsa steps.
    As couple 1 swings into couple 3's place at the end of (d), couples 2 and 3 move up one place. The dance continues, without interruption, with couple 2 as the active couple, followed on the 2nd repeat by couple 3 as the active couple.

See videos from/with KØST2017, Brøndby Spillemandslaug med venner 2018, Brøndby Spillemandslaug med venner 2019, Roskilde Spillemandslaug 2013.

Source: Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme (FFF)/ Gamle danse fra Fyn og Øerne. 4th ed. København: Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme, 1984, pp. 26-27

   
    Dronningens dans, Avernakø
Formation: progressive longways set. M stand to the R, W to the L, as seen from the music (=top of the set).
Steps: balancé (pas de basque, 2 per bar), hopsa, løbetrin (run)
Sheet music: Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme (FFF)/ Gamle danse fra Avernakø og Korshavn. 1 udg. København: Foreningen til Folkdansens Fremme, 2001, p.54.
[a two-part variant of 'Soldier's joy' ottetalsdans, Himmerland, pigernes fornøjelse, Sydslesvig, and enkelt kæde fra Salling]
Recordings: Fiedel Michel Retrospective track 09 [YouTube]; R. Osterholz mm [Dancilla]; Spillemandsgruppen Lunterne track 15; Tramp 'rakes of London' Tramp 3 track A6; Trunderup Spillemændene Dansk spillemandsmusik track 15; The new Columbia fiddlers Fiddle tunes of the Lewis & Clark era track 12 [YouTube]; unattributed [YouTube].
See also numerous recordings of 'rakes of Mallow' in collection of the Internet Archive.
|:1-8:| (a) Cross down, figure-8, etc: Couple 1 (=active couple) crosses down to opposite side between couples 2 and 3, dances around couple 3 [M1 dancing CW around W3, W1 dancing CCW around M3],
M1 dances CCW around W2 while W1 dances CW around M2,
active couple again crosses down to own side between couples 2 and 3, dances around couple 3 [M1 dancing CCW around M3, W1 dancing CW around W3],
M1 dances CW around M2 while W1 dances CCW around W2, to original place,
holding inside hands, active couple dances down the set, and casts up around couple 3 on own side, finishing between couples 2 and 3 on own side.
[Ie, active couples crosses down, dances mirror image figure-8 around couples 3 and 2 on opposite side, crosses down again, repeats figure-8s on own side, dances down and casts up around couple 3.]
Total 64 running steps, beginning with L foot.
9-10 (b) Balancé & hopsa: Active couple takes 2-hand hold with partner at shoulder height, and dances 4 pas-de-bas steps on the spot,
Notes: (1) throughout part (b) active M faces W line, and active W faces M line of dancers; (2) two-hand hold with partner is high, at shoulder height.
11-12   Active couple drops hold, advances passing partner on L (passing R shoulders). Finish with M1 facing W3 and W1 facing M3, 4 hopsa steps.
13-14   Without holding hands, M1 and W3, and simultaneously W1 and M3, beginning with L foot, dance 4 pas-de-bas.
15-16   Active couple retires, passing partner on L (passing R shoulders). Finish facing partner, 4 hopsa steps.
9-10   Active couple takes 2-hand hold with partner at shoulder height, and dances 4 pas-de-bas steps on the spot,
11-12   Active couple drops hold, advances passing partner on L (passing R shoulders). Finish with M1 facing W2 and W1 facing M2, 4 hopsa steps.
13-14   Without holding hands, M1 and W2, and simultaneously W1 and M2, beginning with L foot, dance 4 pas-de-bas.
15-16   Active couple retires, passing partner on L (passing R shoulders). Finish facing partner, 4 hopsa steps.
Both lines step up, 1 small step towards top of the set.
    When the music repeats, the active couple dances with couples 3 and 4. When, in the second repeat, couple 1 begins dancing with couples 5 and 6, couple 2 begins dancing with couples 3 and 4.
In the first and all following repeats, the active couple begins by taking R-elbow hook with partner and turning on the spot 1-1/2 times round with running steps, and then continuing with part (a).
When the active couple reaches the last couple in the lines, the active couple and the last couple dance 'knude' through parts (a) and (b), ie R-hand chain, beginning with R hand to partner across the set, a total of 128 running steps. Finish with couple 1 at the bottom of the set.
If lines of dancers are long, they may be broken into sets of 3, in which case couple 1, on the last 4 hopsa steps, retires into couple 3's place, and couple 2 begins as the active couple with the next repeat.

Provenance: documented by both Viggo Hertel and H.C. Michelsen in 1911. The tune is called "Dronningens dans - og en lang dans" and is after Ole Chr. Rasmussen.

Source: Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme (FFF)/ Gamle danse fra Avernakø og Korshavn. 1 udg. København: Foreningen til Folkdansens Fremme, 2001, pp. 54-56.

See also:
-- 'Dronningens dans' Nordic harp meeting: tune archive Denmark
Translation: Laine Ruus, Oakville, 2011-10-18, rev. 2023-05-11.

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