Triplets

I got briefly obsessed with writing and collecting as many triplets as possible.

Best triplets

Devil’s elbow triplet

Flowy, smooth triplet with a devil’s elbow.

Triplet, 1s improper (or start walkthrough with swing).

A1: 1s lead down, turn as a couple, lead back, and cast to middle places.

A2: Lines forward and back. 1s each star L with the couple to your L.

B1: Devil’s elbow. Same 3s star R.

B2: P meltdown swing.

1s leave the star R early, as soon as they can see their P, to get the right angle for the right shoulder round.

Petriplenella

Everyone-active petronella triplet

Triplet, proper

A1: Top couple balance and swing while bottom 4 balance and petronella x2.

A2: Bottom couple balance and swing while top 4 balance and petronella x2.

B1: Bottom 4 circle L. Top 4 circle R.

B2: Lines forward and back. P dosido.

I call the B2 as ‘Dosido, bottom 4 make a ring’ and then A1 as ‘Everyone balance. Petronella or swing’.

Supertwirl triplet

Fairly complex triplet with a supertwirl partner reunion

Line of 6 facing down, standing next to your partner

A1: Line down, turn as couples, come back, bend the line.

A2: Top 4 R/L thru, chain across.

B1: All 6 circle R ½. Middles fall back, ends N alm L ¾ (to wave of 6 across). Balance wave R/L.

B2: Slide R, passing 2 people. P swing.

The B1 is trickier than it looks. Ask the band to emphasise that B1 balance, but don’t be surprised if it takes a while for the dancers to figure out how to get there on time.

Ok triplets

The New Mrs Arrowsix

Entirely 3-way symmetrical dance for 6. Central figure is fast, can be very chaotic.

3 couples in a triangle (alternatively, triplet with 1s and 3s improper)

A1: Circle L ½. Robins star R 2/3, larks orbit 1/3. Person you started with, alm L 1/2.

A2: Larks star R 2/3, robins orbit 1/3. Same person, alm L ½. Robins star R 2/3, larks orbit 1/3. Same person, alm L 3/4.

B1: Give R to the next. Balance. Whole grand chain.

B2: Balance and swing this person. They’re your new partner.

After John Brown’s ceilidh dance ‘The New Mrs Arrowsmith’.

California Confessions

Weird. As much of the Playford dance Confess His Tune as I could fit in the constraints of a modern contra triplet

Triplet, 1s and 3s improper

A1: Lines f/b. Bottom four balance P R and square thru.

A2: Top four N balance and swing (end facing down), bottom couple P balance and swing (face up and separate).

B1: Line of 4 down, making 2 arches, while singles come up through the arches. California twirl the one you swung. Line of 4 up while singles go down through the arches and connect nearest hand to the end of the line of 4. Break into lines of 3, right hand high left hand low to face across (in progressed places).

B2: Thread the needle into a line facing down (top lark making the arch). Thread the needle back to set (same arch).

The second half of the B1 is not intuitive; think hard about how to teach it. One option is to teach in isolation California twirl, right hand high left hand low (or vice versa?), and thread the needle, as 2, 3 and 6-person variations of the same algorithm.

Cutting corners

Contra corners and contra corner heys

Triplet, 1s improper

A1: 1s lead down, turn as a couple, lead up, cast to middle.

A2: 1s turn contra corners.

B1: 1s pass 3rd corner L for half a hey, pass 4th corner L for half a hey.

B2: P meltdown swing. New 1s face down.

Swing six

Includes same-role swings; you swing everyone in your set.

Proper triplet

A1: Top couple P balance and swing, bottoms N balance and swing (connected hand from circle).

A2: 3 people on the R chain 2 places (to corner), then 2 places (to someone else).

B1: Chain 2 more places to the one you swung (but 1/2 alm flows better than courtesy turn). Corner swing.

B2: Top and bottom couples orbit CW ½. All circle L ½.

Stitched together triplet (untested)

Some bits from Ted’s Triplets stuck together in a slightly different way

Triplet, proper

A1: P balance and swing, 1s face down.

A2: 1s down the centre, turn as a couple. Return. Cast to middle.

B1: Lines forward and back. Bottom 2 couples R/L thru.

B2: Top 2 couples R/L thru. Bottom 2 couples R/L thru.

#Triplets of mostly academic interest

The King of the Weasels (untested)

Very advanced mixer triplet with weasel reel/hey.

Proper triplet, start with your partner facing up.

A1: Fall back from your partner for 6 steps, and forward for 2 (to set). P dosido.

A2: 6 circle L ½. Ends P alm R 1 ¼.

B1: Weasel hey (hey for 4 in the line passing P R, when you get to the end, orbit clockwise. The people not in the line start orbiting clockwise, and fall into the hey when they reach the end of the line. All end back where you started).

B2: Line of 4 balance the wave R and L, slide R. Meanwhile, other people orbit ~1/4 to the end of the line. All swing new P. Finish facing up.

Daisies grow anywhere (tested unsuccessfully)

A triangle formulation of Delphiniums and Daisies with a Schiehallion Reel variant. Unforgiving

Indecent triangle

A1: (New) P alm L 1 ½. Scheihallion reel…

A2: …Schiehallion reel.

B1: P balance and swing.

B2: Corner balance R, pull past R, L. P alm R 1 ½.

Reel: Those facing in look across the set (to the person facing away from them), and pass R shoulder in the middle, ending up in that opposite place. Meanwhile, those facing out loop one place L, to face in. Repeat until back to place.

The Orrery (16-bar slip jig) (untested)

Slip jig. Smooth gypsies and orbits, everyone swings every other role person once.

From a triplet, 1s and 3s improper, then open out to a line of 6 facing down (3s on the ends, 1s in the middle)

A1: Lines of 6 down. Turn alone. Lines up. Bend to a set.

A2: Middles left shoulder round ¾. With an end couple, circle L ¾ and ooze into a wavy line.

B1: Right shoulder round 1, left shoulder round ½ if you can, right shoulder P R ½.

B2: Middles P swing, ends orbit them ¼ and N swing.

In the wave, the middle person is dividing the couple. Optionally, if middles swap roles while they’re swinging, everyone should swing everyone. Nice to finish with all P swing.

The pirate tempest (untested)

An entirely unnecessary 6-person variant of Jacob Steel’s Pirate Square

2 couples facing across, 1 couple between them facing up

A1: Side couples orbit CW ¼ (to longways). Top 2 couples circle L ½. End couples orbit CW ¼ (to tempest). Side couples forward, all fall back in lines of 3.

A2: Middles alm L ¾ while ends balance R across, all star R ½. Middles orbit ¼ while ends balance R up and down, all star R ½.

B1: Repeat A2.

B2: Swing your partner.