Kinesisk forvirring aka Kinesisk sammenbrud, Chinese breakdown (Danish version)

Country: USA
Type: set dance
Formation: square set of 4 couples. Couples 1 and 2 have backs to the music or face music, respectively. Couple 3 stands to R of couple 1, and couple 4 stands to R of couple 2. 

                     music

                     W1 M1
                   M3     W4
                   W3     M4
                     M2 W2

                     front
Steps: hurretrin (buzz), balancé (pas-de-basque), gangtrin (walk)
Sheet music:
(1) Folkets Hus Spillefolk Chinese breakdown;
(2) Traditional Tune Archive Chinese breakdown
(3) PEI Fiddlers Chinese breakdown
(4) abcnotation.com Chinese breakdown
Recordings: Værløse Folkemusikanter Værløse Folkemusikanter [YouTube]; Goodwyn, Frank & Manuel Salinas 1939 [U.S. Library of Congress]; Protsik, Doug [Maine Fiddle Camp].

Bars Part Dance progression:
1-16 1 (a) Circle: All form closed cirle and dance CW, 16 walking steps. Ditto CCW.
17-24   (b) Dos-à-dos: All dance dos-à-dos CW around corner, 8 walking steps. Ditto around partner, 8 walking steps.
25-32   (c) Chain: All dance R-hand chain around set to return to place. 16 walking steps.
1-8 2 (a) Actives balancé & swing: Couple 1 turns to partner, and dances 4 pas-de-bas steps on the spot (1-4).
Couple 1 takes waltz hold and dances 8 buzz steps on the spot, turning CW (5-8).
9-16   (b) Actives advance, retire, pass-thru: Couple 1 advances to opposite couple (couple 2), 4 walking steps (9-10). Retires ditto (11-12).
Couple 1 again advances to opposite couple, and passes thru. W1 turns 1/2 turn CW to finish to L of M2, while M1 turns 1/2 turn CCW to finish to R of W2. 8 walking steps (13-16). 

               M3             W4
               W3             M4
                  W1 M2 W2 M1
                     front
17-24   (c) Line advances, retires, actives pass-thru: The line of 4 (couples 1 and 2), holding inside hands, advances 4 walking steps and r etires ditto (17-18).
W1 and M2, holding inside hands, passes through couple 3 [couple to their L], while W2 and M1 pass thru couple 4 [couple to their R]. The travelling couples cross, and W1 turns CW to finish beside M3, while M2 turns CCW to finish beside W3. Likewise, W2 turns CW to finish beside M4, which M1 turns CCW to finish beside W4. 8 walking steps (21-24). 
                   W1     M1
                   M3     W4
                   W3     M4
                   M2     W2
                     front
25-32   (d) Lines advance, retire, all swing: Holding inside hands in both lines, all advance 4 walking steps, and retire ditto (25-28).
All couples take waltz hold with partner and return to place, turning CW with 8 buzz steps (29-32).
The dance repeats 3 times, from (1 (a)), with each couple in turn [moving CCW around the set, or couple to R of previous active couple] as the active couple, ie for first repeat couple 3 is the active couple, followed by couple 2, and finally couple 4.

See videos "Dobbelt op" 2010; Herlev Gamle Danse 2022.

Provenance: USA first recorded by the "Dixie String Band" in 1925.

Source: see "Dobbelt op" 2010.
Description: Laine Ruus, Oakville, 2013-04-19, rev. 2023-08-11

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