Trip to the Cottage

I remember at my first Qualifiers, the most repeated phrase was "Team number x, dancing Trip to the Cottage". I nearly died of boredom while waiting for my results, but now that I'm actually learning it I'm a big fan. No movement names to learn is always a bonus!

Here's my attempt at typing it out from memory - I'm not aiming for perfect terminology at this point, just checking my understanding. My original work is in black - any corrections are in a tasteful shade of orange.

Cross Over and Lead ARound
All couples are holding inside hands. Tops exchange places, gents passing shoulder to shoulder and turn into places without releasing hands. Sides exchange places in the same way. Tops return to original places in same way and all dance two threes in place (8). All perform a half-lead round anticlockwise for 4 bars then tops exchange places returning to original places once more; all dance two threes in place (8). All the above is repeated with sides going first (16).

Body
Top gentleman takes inside hands with partner and lady on left. All advance to centre (diagonally across the set) and retire (4), and repeat (4). Each trio now forms a ring of three and sidesteps to the left finishing with two short threes (4), then takes the remaining gentleman into the ring between the two ladies and sidestep to the right finishing as before (4). Each ring breaks into couples who take both hands and swing around each other anticlockwise back to place (8). All the above is repeated with side gentlemen taking inside hands with partner and lady on left (24).

First Figure
Lady of 2nd tops advances towards 1st tops and takes gent's left hand in her right. 1st tops make an arch under which 2nd lady passes, gent turns under and they form an arch under which 1st lady passes, gent turns under. Top couple form a final arch under which 2nd lady and gent pass, then the 2nd gent is taken into a ring of 4 between the ladies (8). All sidestep to the right finishing with two short threes (4) then perform the following movement without releasing hands: Top couple form an arch under which 2nd tops pass. 2nd tops then turn outward under their own arch and tops pass under own arch then 2nd tops arch, falling back into a ring (4). All sidestep to the left and finish with two short threes (4) then couples take both hands and swing back to place (4). Repeated by lady of 1st tops, lady of 2nd sides and lady of 1st sides.

Second Figure
Tops advance towards each other twice, retiring each time (8). Ladies of top couples promenade between couple on left, dancing around gentleman then passing between couple on right and again dancing around the gentleman, back to place. Gents of top couples perform the same movement but dance first around lady on right then lady on left (8). Gents allow ladies to pass before them at all times. [WRONG - Couples take both hands and swing a complete circle anticlockwise back to place (8) - WRONG]. Repeated by sides.

Finish
Cross Over and Lead ARound.



I'm well pleased with that, not too many mistakes. And the best thing is that is now only have five ceilis left to learn! Four of them I'm really not worried about - Eight Hand Jig, The Three Tunes, St Patrick's Day and The Sweets of May. I've read through them and seen them danced at competitions a fair few times; I understand most parts and they should be simple enough. I am petrified of the Sixteen Hand Reel, just because there are so many people, but hopefully by the time I get round to it I will have calmed down (having already learned 29) and can devote as much time as necessary to it.

In other news, my poor little blue book has finally become detached from its cover. Sniff. It was so neat and lovely when I bought it way back in April - six months later and it's well-thumbed, scarred with accidentally creased corners, and stained with the odd bit of food or dead fly. Poor book. Need to get an industrial-sized stapler.

Next up then, the Sweets of May.