The annotated Dr Fauster's Tumblers

This dance occasionally appears into the eceilidh repertoire in John Kirkpatrick's rewritten and robustified form.

It was originally a longways dance, where you sorted yourselves into circles of six going down the room.

Cut this longways up into 3 couple sets, as per John Kirkpatrick, you get a more straightforward dance where more people are dancing more of the time.

A1: The First Man and Second Lady, Second Man and Third Lady...

You don't start dancing with your partner, you start with someone diagonally opposite you...

Look at your partner, then look to the right of them to the next person. You'll be looking diagonally across the sets at someone and you'll be dancing with them. If you are at the end of the set and there's no-one to look at, wait as the other people will be dancing first and you'll join in the with the next bit of music.

... Stamp and Turn Single

Could be a Set and Turn Single but the music is going to be more energetic...

  • You are looking into the eyes of your diagonal person; you stamp with your left foot three times, step right towards them and stamp with your right three times.
  • Turn rapidly away with a 'turn single' to get you back to where you started; that's a step back to the left, turning as you go (it's a whole turn so you are facing your partner again).

... then Back to Back.

  • Pass your partner by the right shoulder, step sideways behind him/her and back into place.

A2: The Second Man and First Lady, Third Man and Second Lady, do the same...

Repeat the move, only turn left to look for someone on the other diagonal. The people waiting out will now join in, the middle couple will turn and dance with someone else, if you find you don't have anyone facing you, wait and watch...

B1: Cross and Weave...

The top couple cross and weave their way to the bottom of the set....

They make a pattern a little like a pair of shoelaces

  • The top couple cross, passing each other with a whoosh and turn behind the second couple...
  • They cross back between the second and third couple, again with a whoosh, and turn behind the third couple...
  • Head towards each other at the bottom of the set, give inside hands and dance up the middle, casting out at the top and heading round to the bottom for a swing...

B2: Swing...

The music's a likely to be thumpy and your feet will probably be doing a step hop so step hop swing would work best.

The top couple are now at the bottom and the music is about to start again with a new pair of couples dancing on the diagonal

Origins: Playford

This dance has had many lives, a Triple Minor in Playford, simplified elsewhere as a Duple Minor (your normal 'Longways for as many as will; hands four from the top') and John Kirkpatrick's 3 couple set version above.

The original description for the Playford version:

  • The first Man sets to the second Woman and turns single and then Back to Back with her. The second Man and the first Woman do the same. Then the first and second man fall back to the Wall and the two Women the same at the same time and change into their Partners places, then all all four fall back and change into their own places. Then cast off and go the whole Figure with the third Couple and turn your Partner into her proper Place.

There's a lot that this description doesn't say or assumes you know, there's a 'Longways for as many as will' but you don't get the hint that you are not dancing in little circles of four until a 'third Couple' creeps in the last sentence. And, assuming the 'whole Figure' means the the top couple has to dance a complete figure of eight through that third couple (who don't seem to do anything else) together with a 'turn your partner', then they have to fly...

Variations: The Duple Minor simplification...

This version from 'A Frolick', a collection by Audrey Town, 1979, simplifies the fall back and the same at the same time into a balance and cross over and replaces the 'whole figure with the third couple' with a half figure of eight with the second and a two handed turn to get back to place.

A1:

  • First Corners; Set and Turn Single followed by Back to Back

A2:

  • Second Corners; Set and Turn Single and Back to Back

B1:

  • All balance back on the sides, forward and cross over with partner...
    Repeat back to place

B2:

  • First Couple cast, half figure of eight through the second couple...
    ... second couple move up afterwards
  • 2 hand turn with partner, back to place.

More information: Music...

Dance...

See also...