Circulating Allemande For 2 Couples

For clarity, it is convenient to number the Couples in the order in which they Start this Figure rather than the order in which they Started the current Repeat of a dance containing it. All must be on the Centre line with each Lady on her Partner's right, in, or about to be in, Allemande hold.

Two variants exist. In the first, 1st couple, on Opposite sides, Start Facing Down, 2nd couple, on Own sides, Start Facing Up; both Dance as the following Couple, i.e., Bottom couple of the Allemande for 2 couples, Top couple of the Inverted Allemande for 2 couples. In the second variant, 1st couple, on Own sides, Start Facing Up, 2nd couple, on Opposite sides, Start Facing Down, i.e., they Start Back-to-back; both Dance as the leading Couple, i.e., Top couple of the Allemande for 2 couples, Bottom couple of the Inverted Allemande for 2 couples.

The first form is more compact and so is suitable, albeit with a slight adjustment to bar 2 of the precursor Figures, for the 2-couple repeat in 4-couple set format. The second is not practicable to be danced by two pairs of adjacent Couples because it encroaches far too much on the space Above and Below the Positions from which the Couples Start; indeed, some care is needed to avoid Standing dancers in adjacent Places.

For the first variant, in detail:

Bar 1
in Allemande hold, both Couples Dance diagonally forwards and to the right so that all Finish in a Line across, the Ladies in the Side lines;

Bar 2
retaining Allemande hold, 1st couple Dance Down The set, 2nd couple Up to Finish with 2nd lady in 1st lady's Place, 1st lady in 2nd man's;

Bar 3
retaining Allemande hold, both Couples rotate one quarter anticlockwise (the Men Turning On the spot in the first half bar) to Face Across The set and Dance Across The set so that they almost reach the Side line;

Bar 4
retaining Allemande hold, continue Across The set to the Side line and rotate one quarter anticlockwise to Finish with 1st man Facing Down in his Original Place, 2nd man Facing Up in his Partner's Original Place (the Men taking appropriately small Steps);

Bar 5
retaining Allemande hold, rotate one quarter anticlockwise (the Men Turning On the spot) to Face Across The set;

Bar 6
retaining Allemande hold, Dance part of the way Across The set and unwind the Hold by passing the right hands over the Lady's head to Finish Facing Partner with arms crossed, right over left, either side of the Centre line;

Bars 7-8
release Hold and individually Dance 2 small steps backwards, Finishing in the Side lines, Facing Partner, 2nd couple in 1st Place, 1st couple in 2nd Place on Opposite sides.

Note that bar 2 is slightly different from that in the standard/Inverted form of Allemande for 2 couples and bar 4 compensates for it; the extent of the Upward/Downward Travelling is reduced to half a Place in order to avoid conflict when adjacent pairs of Couples are performing the same Figure. Otherwise, Positioning and Phrasing considerations of the antecedent forms apply throughout.

The Scottish Country Dance, The Magic Roundabout (Freemantle), includes this variant of the Circulating allemande for 2 couples (and also the Circulating knot for 2 couples).

For the second variant, in detail:

Bar 1
in Allemande hold, both Couples Dance diagonally forwards and to the right so that the Ladies Finish in the Side lines;

Bar 2
retaining Allemande hold, both Couples rotate one quarter anticlockwise (the Men Turning On the spot in the first half bar) to Face Across The set and Dance Across The set so that they almost reach the Side line;

Bar 3
retaining Allemande hold, continue Across The set to the Side line, rotate one quarter anticlockwise and Dance, 1st couple Down, 2nd couple Up, to Finish with 1st man Facing Down in his Original Place, 2nd man Facing Up in his Partner's Original Place (the Men taking appropriately small Steps);

Bar 4
retaining Allemande hold, 1st couple Dance one Place Down, 2nd couple Up to Finish with 1st man in 2nd man's Place, 2nd man in 1st lady's;

Bar 5
retaining Allemande hold, rotate one quarter anticlockwise (the Men Turning On the spot) to Face Across The set;

Bar 6
retaining Allemande hold, Dance part of the way Across The set and unwind the Hold by passing the right hands over the Lady's head to Finish Facing Partner with arms crossed, right over left, either side of the Centre line;

Bars 7-8
release Hold and individually Dance 2 small steps backwards, Finishing in the Side lines, Facing Partner, 1st couple in 2nd Place, 2nd couple in 1st Place on Opposite sides.

This variant of the Circulating allemande for 2 couples appears in By the Fireside in Concourdan.

Dance Video Clip Which Demonstrates Circulating Allemande For 2 Couples

Links To Pages Related To 'Allemande'