An Daras Cornish Folk Tradition


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Cornish Dance: Plethen a Beswar - The Four Hand Reel

Four hand reel is a two couple dance, which was collected from Arthur Biddick in 1982 (see Boscastle Breakdown page. The dance has three distinct phases, the first a leisurely do-si-do, the second a reel, which has to be completed and extended by one place within the short space of only eight bars. The third, again, is leisurely but requires more complicated footwork for the shuffles.


Formation:Four people standing in a line, the two in the centre standing back to back with their partners facing them.
Steps	There are two steps: the travelling step and the shuffle step. The travelling step is a three part move, which forms a triangular motion. Whilst hopping on the left foot, cross the right foot over the left, then kick forward the right foot, and bring it back beside the left foot to land together. Repeat on the next step but hop on the right foot and cross the left foot over, and so on
Bars
1-8	Couples do-si-do using eight travelling steps
9-16	Again using the travelling step dance a complete reel but carry on one place to your partner's place, turning to face your partner on the eighth step. This reel is very fast and must therefore be as narrow as possible i.e. no big loops on the end of the reel.
17-24	Take 4 travelling steps to the right, then
	Step on the left foot, shuffle the right foot.
	Step on the right foot, shuffle the left foot.
	Step on the left foot, shuffle the right foot.
	Step on the right foot, shuffle the left foot.
	Step on the left foot, shuffle the right foot.
	Step on the right foot, shuffle the left foot.
	Stamp on the left, then right, then left foot again.
25-32	Moving to the left this time, repeat bars 17-24
33-40	Repeat bars 1-8.
41-48	Repeat bars 9-16 (you will return to your original starting place at the end of the reel).
49-56	Repeat bars 17-24
57-64	Repeat bars 25-32
	Tune: The Four Hand Reel. (Click for Mid file) The tune was collected from a fiddler called William Hocken by Richard Dimbleby, who made the recording at the Wellington Hotel in Boscastle in October 1943.247 (BBC Sound Archives). Arthur Biddick recalled that the tune was played at a lively speed by William Hocken, and Biddick encouraged dancers to maintain an equally lively speed. Bars 17 - 32 have been written and added to the arrangement shown here for the sake of variety rather than repeating the tune again for the second part of the dance.