Ottetalsdans


Country of origin: Himmerland, Vestjylland, Denmark
Type: set dance for 3 couples
Formation: 2 couples, one behind the other, facing a 3rd couple. Three steps distance between each couple. Seen from the front, 1st couple stands with back to the front, 2nd couple opposite 1st, and 3rd couple behind the 2nd. Open waist-shoulder hold. When turning, W moves forwards, M backwards. 
                       W3  M3
                       W2  M2
                       M1  W1

                       front

Steps: running steps. Tempo is very slow to begin with, but speeds up to very fast running steps.
Sheet music: 358:650 fra Hygum. or 358:97 (rakes of Mallow, see Dronningens dans).
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.

Bars Part Dance progression:
1-2   All 3 couples beging running simultaneously.
Couple 1 begins by dropping waist-shoulder hold and crossing: W runs to the L in front of her partner, and M to the R behind his partner, passing outside couple 2.
Meanwhile couple 2, in waist-shoulder hold, turns CCW while moving through couple 1 into couple 1's original place.
Similarly couple 3 follows couple 2, turns CCW and moving into couple 2's original place.
3-4   Couple 1 again crosses: W runs to the R in front of her partner, and M to the L behind his partner, passing outside couple 3 to the bottom of the set.
Meanwhile couple 2 turns 1/2 turn CCW to face down the set.
Similarly couple 3 turns CCW, following couple 2, and moving into couple 1's original place.
    All 3 couples move simultaneously.
Couple 2 is now in couple 1's original place, couple 3 in 2's place, and couple 1 is in couple 3's orignal place.
The dance continues as in the first 4 bars, as couple 2 crosses as above in front of couple 3, and couples 3 and 1 are moving towards couple 1's original place.
Then couple 3 crosses as above, while couples 1 and 2 are continuing towards couple 1's original place, and so on.
[Approx. 8 bars=16 running step per 'round trip' from couple 1's original place, to the bottom of the set, and back up to couple 1's place again.]

See YouTube video from Nordlek 1994 (at 1:34).

Sources:
-- Vesteregnens gamle danse. s.l.: Skjern-Egevad Museumsforening "Bundsbæk Mølle", 1982, p.46.
-- Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme (FFF)/ Beskrivelse af gamle danske folke danse hefte II. 6:e opl. København: Foreningen til Folkdansens Fremme, 1995, pp. 9-10.
Translation: Laine Ruus, Oakville, 2014-08-27, rev. 2022-05-30.

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