English Country Dances
This is my collection of English Country Dances that I have choreographed.
If you’d like to see my contra dances, you can find them here. I also have a collection of dances for virtual/Zoom dancing, which you can find here.
Special thanks to fellow Toronto callers Cathy Campbell and Alan Rosenthal, who have provided valuable, and thorough, feedback on the dances I’ve written.
Epping Upland
I developed this dance after a failed mission to find a dance that I liked with only partner and neighbor interactions, that would be good for teaching as the first dance to a group of beginners.
In my search for music to use, I stumbled across Linda Leslie’s poor rating of the dance Epping Forest (1 out of 5 stars!), and thought, well, if folks generally don’t like calling that dance, why not use that lovely and interesting tune for a new dance?
And so Epping Upland was born. Epping Upland, is in fact, a real place. When pondering a name for the dance, I searched for Epping Forest, and discovered Epping Upland nearby!
Tune: Epping Forest – Playford, 1670
Longways Set, Proper Formation
A1 – Neighbour Set, Turn Single; Neighbour back to back
A2 – Partner Set, Turn Single; Partner back to back
B1 – 1s Lead Down through the 2s and Cast Back to Place; 2s Lead Up through the 1s and Cast Back to Place
B2 – Circle Left 1x; Circle Balance, Pass Through Up/Down (Pass Neighbour by the Right Shoulder on to New Neighbours)
CC BY-SA 4.0, 2024 – This dance may be used and share freely, with attribution.
Joker in the Pack
The phrase “joker in the pack” is particularly common in Britain, and refers to someone or something different from others in a group that might cause unpredictable effects.
The joy of this dance is that invariably a shadow looks the wrong direction, and dancers have to tap them on the shoulder in the A1 & A2. Setting this up as the *fun* of the dance makes it okay, and laughter ensues.
I discovered that A1 & A2 sequence in the dance Christmas Hornpipe, and wanted to develop a more flowy B-section that would allow it to be called throughout the year.
Tune: Christmas Hornpipe (trad.)
Longways Set, Proper Formation
The active dancers in the A section are the 1s.
A1 – (4) [Lark/Gent/First Corner from the 1s] travel towards your first corner while setting; (4) Active dancer continue to the next in line, your shadow – while setting (this is the Robin/Lady/Second Corner of the 1s from the next set below); (6) Those three Circle left 1x; (2) Active dancer return to place
A2 – (4) [Robin/Lady/Second Corner from the 1s] travel towards your second corner and balance; (4) Active dancer continue to the next in line, your shadow – while setting (this is the Lark/Gent/First Corner of the 1s from the next set below); (6) Those three Circle left 1x; (2) Active dancer return to place
B1 – (8) 1s cross and go below, while the 2s lead up; (8) All partner two hand turn 1x;
B2 – (8) 1s Half Figure Eight through the 2s above; (8) Left Hands Across Star 1x, giving the [Lark/Gent/First Corner from the 1s] momentum towards their new first corner.
CC BY-SA 4.0, 2025 – This dance may be used and share freely, with attribution.
The Whimsical Wizard
The Whimsical Wizard is an English Country Dance that I choreographed in early 2025. I’ve always loved the dynamic tune, Wizard’s Walk, by Jay Ungar.
On occasion when I’ve danced a contra with the wizard’s walk figure, I have thought, the figure is actually more English-feeling than contra, as it starts out similarly to a mirror hey.
So, I wrote an English Country Dance with the figure – and now can share the joy of both the tune and that dynamic figure with my ECD dancing friends.
Tune: Wizard’s Walk, Jay Ungar
Longways Set, Proper Formation
A1 – Balance the Ring; Circle Left Halfway (x2)
A2 – Neighbour Set Forward and Back; Two Quick Changes of a Circular Hey starting with the right shoulder; Face Out & Lead Out, Turn Alone & Lead Back
B1 – Partner Back to Back; Partner Two Hand Turn 1.5x; End Facing New Neighbours
B2 – Wizard’s Walk: 1s split 2s to start
Detail of the Wizard’s Walk is as follows:
(4) N2 neighbour mirror pass through along (ones split twos)
(4) N3 neighbour mirror pass through along (twos split ones)
(4) N3 neighbour mirror pass through along (ones split twos) (all backwards)
(4) N2 neighbour mirror pass through along (twos split ones) (all backwards)
CC BY-SA 4.0, 2025 – This dance may be used and share freely, with attribution.