Round Corner Round Corner

All Around My hat

All Around My Hat

An original dance created by Anonymous Morris.

Instructions

For three dancers, with hats.

The hats should be in a straight line on the ground with enough space between them for the dancers to be able to dance around their hats easily.

Dancers start in a line, parallel to the line of the hats. Distance from the hat should be close enough that you can just reach your outstretched hand directly over your hat. Dancer 1 has the other two dancers to his left.

There is no reason not to hold the stick in the middle throughout the dance, as several figures require it.

Figure Music
All Around My Hat (Chorus) A
Do-si-hat B
Chorus A
Deerstalker B
Chorus A
Crown B
Chorus A
Sheepskin Hey BA
Dance Off B
Chorus, or All Around My Hat (A)
Count Moves
1-4 Hold the stick in the middle with your right hand and position it vertically directly above the hat. Keeping the stick in that position, dance clockwise threequarters around the hat. Dancers should end up in line with the hats.
On the off-beat between four and five, right hand turn 180 degrees and switch stick to the other hand, without moving the stick from its position above the hat.
5-8 Without moving the stick position, dance threequarters anti-clockwise around hat. Dancers should end up in a line parallel to the line of hats.
On the off-beat between eight and nine, left hand turn 180 degrees and switch stick to the other hand, without moving the stick from its position above the hat.
9-16 Repeat 1-8, bringing stick back to shoulder position on the last beat.
Do-si-hat (B)
Note: Dancers in this figure should stand still when not involved.
Count Moves
1-4 Dancer 1 does a do-si-do with their hat. Two steps forward passing hat right shoulder, and two back passing left into place.
5-8 Dancer 2 does a do-si-do with their hat.
9-12 Dancer 3 does a do-si-do with their hat.
13-16 All dancers do-si-do their hats.
Chorus (A)
Deerstalker (B)
Note: Sticks resting on right shoulders. Dancers not involved in the figure stand still.
Count Moves
1-8 Dancer 2 dances round the outside of the hat to their right and continues round their own hat before returning to place.
Once dancer 2 has passed the right hat, the dancer on the right, dancer 1, will follow behind them, but only dance around their own hat.
The two dancers should time it so that they return to their places at the same time, each finishing with a right hand turn, ending up facing their own hat.
9-16 Exactly the same as above, but the middle dancer goes round the outside of the hat to their left and is followed by the left dancer, dancer 3. This time both finish with a left hand turn to face their hats.
Chorus (A)
Crown (B)
Count Moves
1-4 Sticks on shoulder, dancers 1 and 3 dance round the outside of their hats and come towards the centre hat.
On the fourth beat, dancer 2 takes a step forward, so that the dancers form an equilateral triangle around the centre hat.
5-8 Sticks positioned directly over the hat, dancers do a right hand star.
9-12 Turn in and do a left hand star. Sticks should still be in the right hand, and be held out at arm's length. Left fists in above the hat.
13-16 Dancers 1 and 3 dance around the outside of their own hats to return to place. Dancer 2 takes one step back to place.
Chorus (A)
Sheepskin Hey (BA)
Count Moves
1-24 Dancer 1 goes round their own hat to lead the dancers down the other side of the line of hats. As dancer 1 goes around the outside of dancer 3's hat at the other end, the dancers are lead into a sheepskin hey around the hats.
Sheepskin hey: weave around the line of hats, turning back into the weave when you have passed the third hat. The person at the back of the line of dancers always turns in after the second hat, placing them in front of the line. Each dancer should lead the weave at least twice, and the hey should finish with dancer 1 having returned to the front.
25-30 At the end of the hey, the dancers go around number 3’s hat for the last time, and end up their starting positions, still facing in a line.
31-32 Bend down and pick up your own hat and place it on your head.
Dance Off (B)
Count Moves
1-16 Follow dancer number 1 wherever he goes – generally leading off into the audience.
Rules of Thumb
Rules of Thumb

Unless otherwise specified, the following general rules apply:

  1. Always start right foot first.
  2. There are 4 beats to a bar. This works out as two steps.
  3. The top of the set is towards the band. Likewise, the bottom of the set is away from the band.
  4. When resting stick on shoulder, the tip of the stick should be level with the middle of your ear.
  5. Turns on the spot will usually be right-hand turns (clockwise). Common exceptions are when dancers need to turn in or out of a set the shortest way.
  6. When passing shoulders with another dancer, the first pass will be a right-shoulder pass. Many dances will have figures that alternate right and left shoulders.
  7. Where a fast turn on the spot is needed, it will be on the first beat of the bar. E.g. If you need to turn and then move across the set, you can count it as 'turn, two, three, four'.
  8. Swings with a partner will be right-hand (clockwise), with the stick held in the left hand, unless otherwise specified.
  9. Figures are usually in multiples of four beats. If you mentally keep counting 'one, two, three, four', then you'll have a good idea of when to move and change.

We are DANCING OUT generally on Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:30pm. Check our events page for details on where to find us.

Practice will resume in September at our practice hall:
St John's Heatherlands, 378A Ashley Road, Poole, BH14 9DQ

More information on the venue.