Three Jolly Black Sheepskins
Three Jolly Black Sheepskins |
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Six dancers in a longways set without sticks
The sheepskins hey is a luscious, flowing curve. We dance it round hats;
some sides dance round people, as in the Playford dance Picking of Sticks,
where the men do a sheepskins hey round the women, then the women hey round
the men.
This is one of our earliest dances and tunes. We were taught it by Plum Jerkum. The As and Bs come in sets of 2, or 3 for the heys, the final A or B in either case is marked by a variation in the tune that carries it up to an octave above the starting note at the end. We also apply a general band habit of playing one part (usually sticking) slightly staccato, and the other part legato to present a contrast. We have to do something to make these tunes more fun to play! The band is supposed to advance to meet the dancers at the end for a final flourish before the dance off. The dance off is often a version of All Around My Hat by Steeleye Span.
Format AA BB or AAA BBB Key G
Dance off often All Around My Hat Key G
