Folkus Pocus        Folkus Pocus: Music in PDF/MIDI/MP3/ABC formatPrint this danceTop of page
Format: Longways duple minor.
Dance and Music:   Colin Hume, 2005.         Note: The music is in 3-time.
A1:	Right-hand star half-way (3 steps); turn single left (3 steps).  First corners left shoulder back-to-back (6 steps).
A2:	Left-hand star half-way; turn single right.  Second corners right shoulder back-to-back.
B:	Face neighbour: three changes of a circular hey with hands (3 steps for each), then pass next (previous) neighbour left shoulder to face yet
another neighbour.  Three changes of a circular hey with hands, then pass next neighbour left shoulder to face original neighbour in home place.
C:	First corners Hole-in-the-Wall cross: 3 steps to cross and face, clap both hands with opposite on beat 4, fall back on beats 5 and 6; second
corners as much.  Partners as much; two-hand turn partner.
If you're walking this dance through, you need to explain the end effects very clearly!

If you reach the end of the set during a turn of the dance, do one change with your partner while the others are doing three changes, and face into
the set: you'll rapidly be in again.  It's Rule 1 of End-effects b if there's no neighbour, treat your partner as a neighbour.
If you're out at the start of a turn you need to change sides with your partner (so the man is in the ladies' line) because the moving couples will be
improper when they come to you for the three changes so you should be too.  In fact this is the same as the previous rule: while the other couples are
doing three changes, you do one change.  After the next three changes you'll be out again and back to your proper side.  If you forget to do this, the
moving dancers may be surprised to meet someone of the same sex but they'll get over it.  The vital thing is to be back on your own side when you come
in at the start of the next turn of the dance.  My thanks for Gene Murrow for getting me clear on this.
Folkus PocusWritten for Dan and Caroline Hollingshurst, who were the band for almost all of my Wednesday Workshops for two and a half years at Cecil
Sharp House.  When they decided to move up to Staffordshire I wanted to write them a tune which would suit their style (though indeed they have many
styles), and I knew how well they played Dave Wiesler's tune for Gary Roodman's dance bMary Kb, so I took that as a model.  I then got worried and
sent a copy to Dave with a note:  bI know they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but please tell me whether you think this is too
close to your tune for Mary K.b
He wrote back, bParts are surely reminiscent of Mary K, but then parts of Mary K are reminiscent of Hambleton's Round O.  I think we all borrow and
imitate.  Nice tune, and no it's not too close at all.b

Find out all about Dan and Caroline at folkuspocus.com.


Click to play videoFirst danced at Dan and Caroline's final Wednesday Workshop on 29th June 2005, with Thomas Bending playing the music.  Thomas was
working hard to play the tune, I was working hard to call the dance, and all the dancers (including Dan and Caroline) were working hard to get through
it.  Fairly normal for a Wednesday Workshop, in fact!  It doesn't go quite as fast as you could take Mary K b it's a very busy dance and the
end-effects are very confusing.

Click the image on the right to see it being danced at Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2016 b and they were doing pretty well!