Bloody laptops, mind of their own! mutter, mutter!


Gerry
Whitby Seaweed Dance was made up many years ago at one of the early Whitby festivals as a spoof ritual dance in 6-man morris formation in the Fringe Events. The 6 male dancers wore swimming trunks, were draped in seaweed and old nets and instead of sticks or swords carried large kelp stems from the beach still with the wet wavy bits attached.

The tunes used are The Oyster Girl and New-rigged Ship, but any steady jigs will do.

All the figures have something to do with fishing.

3 couple longways.
A1: The Crab. All six take both hands across to partner and scuttle(steady gallop) down the set and back.
A2: Starfish. Six-hand star left and right (waving loose arm at everybody else.)
B1: Lobster Pot. (like an upside down six person basket), arms round each other's shoulders, lean in and slip round the left, all one way.
this is probably the hardest bit. You need to emphasise to the dancers that they need to end up in their starting places back in their longways six.
B2: Weaving the nets: Dip and dive but starting with number 1 couple at the top facing down, other 2 couples facing up. Whoever is in the
middle always makes the arch.
C1: Repeat B2
C2: Top couple swing down (Usual progression)

As we use this for social dances rather than dancers' dances B2 and C1 invariably run into C2 so the swing down often has to be quick and there is some fun in being alert and not being knocked over by the swinging top couple, but you get this in other dances like Oxo Reel.

As you can see 48 jigs would be better for the 6 part dance but we used to play 2 As 1 B repeated.

The dance is not copyrighted so anyone can use it.