Please can somebody tell me exactly what is a "set dance"? Do they all follow a particular rhythm or number of bars and how fast would one play the music?
Searching the whole site (click on 'Home') on 'Set Dance' will give you innumerable references. That will also let you find some examples in the tune database - they cannot be listed there as 'set dances' because, in answer to part of your question, they do not all follow the same rhythm, so they are listed according to their rhythm (jig, hornpipe etc.).
There are two sorts of set dance, the solo set dances with elaborate stepping which need to be danced to their own tunes, as they are often odd lengths, for instance The Blackbird.
There is also set dancing, a different thing altogether, danced normally in sets of four couples, they do not need a particular tune for the particular dance, but they do need the right sort of tune for each figure of the dance, i.e. a polka or a slide or whatever.
A Set Dance is where certain dance steps are set to a particular tune, and there are many such dances. For example if a solo dancer said that they were going to dance 'The Blackbird' then you wouldn't get away with playing a similar tune in the same tempo. The same would apply to Set Dances such as The Drunken Guager, The Blackthorn Stick (Not the Jig) The Three Sea Captains, The Garden of Daisies, The Blue Eyed Rascal, St Patrick's Day, and The Kilkenny Races to name but a few. For instance in 'The Kilkenny Races' there is a step where the dancer paws the floor with the foot same as a horse would.
There are solo set dances like Blackbird, St. Patrick's Day, and many more, then there is set dancing where 'set' means a set of 4 couples but can be danced to a reel or jig, depending on the dance. and then there is St. Patrick's Day which can be danced as a solo dance AND as a 4 couple set, but the figures used for the 'set' part of the music cannot be interchanged with other figures because there is an unusual number of bars. Furthermore there seem to be more than one dance for this and I would like to know if anyone is familiar with the figures.
C. Nicolas
set dance
set dance
Please can somebody tell me exactly what is a "set dance"? Do they all follow a particular rhythm or number of bars and how fast would one play the music?
# Posted on April 26th 2008 by annroscon
Re: set dance
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/206
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/11972
Searching the whole site (click on 'Home') on 'Set Dance' will give you innumerable references. That will also let you find some examples in the tune database - they cannot be listed there as 'set dances' because, in answer to part of your question, they do not all follow the same rhythm, so they are listed according to their rhythm (jig, hornpipe etc.).
# Posted on April 26th 2008 by granama
Re: set dance
There are two sorts of set dance, the solo set dances with elaborate stepping which need to be danced to their own tunes, as they are often odd lengths, for instance The Blackbird.
There is also set dancing, a different thing altogether, danced normally in sets of four couples, they do not need a particular tune for the particular dance, but they do need the right sort of tune for each figure of the dance, i.e. a polka or a slide or whatever.
# Posted on April 26th 2008 by cathycook
Re: set dance
...*Set* holds the record as the word with the most meanings of any word in the English language.
# Posted on April 26th 2008 by granama
Re: set dance
A Set Dance is where certain dance steps are set to a particular tune, and there are many such dances. For example if a solo dancer said that they were going to dance 'The Blackbird' then you wouldn't get away with playing a similar tune in the same tempo. The same would apply to Set Dances such as The Drunken Guager, The Blackthorn Stick (Not the Jig) The Three Sea Captains, The Garden of Daisies, The Blue Eyed Rascal, St Patrick's Day, and The Kilkenny Races to name but a few. For instance in 'The Kilkenny Races' there is a step where the dancer paws the floor with the foot same as a horse would.
# Posted on April 26th 2008 by Free Reed
Re: set dance
There are solo set dances like Blackbird, St. Patrick's Day, and many more, then there is set dancing where 'set' means a set of 4 couples but can be danced to a reel or jig, depending on the dance. and then there is St. Patrick's Day which can be danced as a solo dance AND as a 4 couple set, but the figures used for the 'set' part of the music cannot be interchanged with other figures because there is an unusual number of bars. Furthermore there seem to be more than one dance for this and I would like to know if anyone is familiar with the figures.
C. Nicolas
# Posted on April 27th 2008 by C. Nicolas
Re: set dance
Member: lazyhound
http://www.thesession.org/members/display/3932
~ for links to visuals of the group species...
# Posted on April 27th 2008 by ceolachan
Re: set dance
The Group Species: Set Dances / Sets of Quadrilles / Square Sets
Set Dancing News
http://www.setdancingnews.net/
Check it out in your area... The solo stepping is a kick too, literally... (The Solo take on the term 'set dance')
# Posted on April 27th 2008 by ceolachan
Re: set dance
Here's a link to the St. Patrick's Day traditional set dance being performed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8FyljRdPQE
In competition, this is a solo event.
# Posted on April 27th 2008 by tatgirl67