The Cuil Aodha Set

The Cuil Aodha Set. Copyright © 1984, 1999 Brooks Academy.
Learned from Tim Dennehy and Joe O'Donovan.

The Cuil Aodha Set - Figure 1

Figure 1 - Wheel

Polka - 88 bars

Opening Position:

All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside.

A	Lead Around	All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.	8 bars
B	Figure	WHEEL: Each top couple turns to face the side couple to their left. Each group of four dancers, 1st tops & 1st sides, and 2nd tops & 2nd sides, join right hands in the centre and dance clockwise for four bars, then turn, join left hands in centre and dance anti-clockwise for four bars.	8 bars
C	Body	Couples adopt the standard position. All four couples dance together one bar into the centre and one bar back to their own positions. They then dance two bars around to the position of the couple to their right, turning clockwise as they go. The four couples repeat this movement three more times until they end up back in their starting positions.	16 bars
D	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars
E	Lead Around	Repeat A.	8 bars
F	Figure	Repeat B. On this occasion the side couples turn to the top couples to their left.	8 bars
G	Body	Repeat C.	16 bars
H	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars

Figure 2 - Ladies In

Polka - 104 bars

Opening Position:

All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside.

A	Lead Around	All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.	8 bars
B	Figure	(a) LADIES IN: Each gent holds his partner's right hand in his right hand. While the gents dance in place their partners dance past in front of them, turning anti-clockwise, until all the ladies are back-to-back in the centre facing out. They then dance back out past their partners, still turning anti-clockwise, until they are back on the outside again. The gents' right arms should now be around the ladies' shoulders, still holding the ladies' right hands in their right hands. Gents take the ladies' left hands in their left hands (4 bars). (b) LEAD AROUND: All four couples lead half-way around to the opposite places (4 bars). (c) LADIES IN: The four ladies dance into the centre and back out again, as in (a). On this occasion they dance in turning clockwise. They dance back out turning anti-clockwise, as above (4 bars). (d) LEAD AROUND: All four couples lead half-way around back to their own places again (4 bars).	16 bars
C	Body	All four couples dance the Body, as in Figure 1.	16 bars
D	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars
E	Lead Around	Repeat A.	8 bars
F	Figure	Repeat B.	16 bars
G	Body	All four couples dance the Body.	16 bars
H	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars

Figure 3 - Swing

Polka - 96 bars

Opening Position:

All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside.

A	Lead Around	All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.	8 bars
B	Figure	(a) SWING: The couples separate. Each dancer turns away from their own partner to the nearest gent to their right (ladies) or lady to their left (gents), and swings with them (8 bars). (b) SWING: The original couples re-form and swing in place (8 bars).	16 bars
C	Body	All four couples dance the Body, as in Figure 1.	16 bars
D	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars
E	Figure	Repeat B.	8 bars
F	Body	All four couples dance the Body.	16 bars
G	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars

Figure 4 - Side Step

Polka - 80 bars

Opening Position:

All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside.

A	Lead Around	All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.	8 bars
B	Figure	SIDESTEP: All couples face to centre, standing side by side. Ladies side step to left, in front of their partners, who side step to the right. Ladies and gents end up in each other's places (2 bars). All dance in place (2 bars). They all side step back to own places (2 bars), gents in front, and dance in place (2 bars).	8 bars
C	Body	All four couples dance the Body, as in Figure 1.	16 bars
D	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars
E	Figure	Repeat B.	8 bars
F	Body	All four couples dance the Body.	16 bars
G	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars

Figure 5 - Chain

Polka - 96 bars

Opening Position:

All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside.

A	Lead Around	All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.	8 bars
B	Figure	(a) CHAIN: Each couple holds right hands, gents facing anti-clockwise and ladies clockwise around the circle. Each couple dances around each other in place once, and then the couples separate and each person dances off in the direction they are facing, giving their left hands to the dancer coming towards them, and then right, left etc. until they meet their own partners half way around the circle (8 bars). (b) SWING: All four couples, who are now at opposite sides of the circle from their starting positions, swing in place (8 bars).	16 bars
C	Body	All four couples dance the Body, as in Figure 1.	16 bars
D	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars
E	Figure	Repeat B. Each couple ends up back in their original position and swings there.	16 bars
F	Body	All four couples dance the Body.	16 bars
G	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars

Figure 6 - Big Wheel

Polka - 120 bars

Opening Position:

All four couples join hands in front and face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside.

A	Lead Around	All four couples dance anti-clockwise around until back in original places.	8 bars
B	Figure	(a) LADIES CIRCLE: The four ladies join hands forming a circle and dance into the centre and out again twice (8 bars). (b) WHEEL: The four gents join right hands in centre and dance four bars around clockwise, then turn (clockwise), join left hands in centre and dance four bars anti-clockwise back to their own places (8 bars). Gents do not release hands or stop dancing but pick up their partners by placing their right arms around their waists, then wheel around with them until back in place (8 bars).	24 bars
C	Body	All four couples dance the Body, as in Figure 1.	16 bars
D	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars
E	Lead Around	Repeat A.	8 bars
F	Figure	Repeat B.	24 bars
G	Body	All four couples dance the Body.	16 bars
H	House	All four couples dance house around.	8 bars