A Year in the Life of a Penguin
By Thos Green.
For 5 (or 6) couples in a ring, partners side by side.
32-bar jigs; ceilidh.

Start by numbering the couples, and warn them to remember their numbers 
because they'll be in a different order next time. It doesn't matter where 
couples find themselves in the circle as long as they know when it's their 
turn; active couples come in order.

Penguins have four seasons in their year, as follows.

A1: Courtship : actives strut across the ring and back, bisecting it into 
    two pairs of couples. (In a 6-couple set, the 1s and one of the couples 
    beside them - whichever one feels that its turn has come.) As they go 
    they do penguin courting, whatever they think that might be - any 
    suitable struts or gestures. Meanwhile the two couples on each side 
    do a four hand reel as fast as they can. (If a reel is too hard, 
    do something else! Star right and left or a Lady Penguins' 
    (Henguins?) Chain)

A2: Rushing For Nests: with your partner, but with couples in any old order, 
    everybody form a ring and squeeze in for 4 steps, out for 4 steps, 
    in again, and stamp twice (that's your nest).
    
B1: Mating: Everyone face your partner and do penguin balances  - 
    8 short quick jumps, feet together, left and right 
    (i.e. twice the speed of the usual balance); then swing your partner.

B2: Surviving the Winter: huddle into a compact group, ones outside pushing 
    their way in and ones inside shuffling along to let them 
    (possibly grudgingly).

Then reform the ring and the next number is active, wherever they are.

Green wrote this for an 18th birthday party given by Josie Wexler of Cambridge.
It's an exceedingly squashy, huddled-up dance during the B section. They had a
grand time.