The Jenny Lind Set

The Jenny Lind Set.  Copyright © 1984, 1999 Brooks Academy.
Learned from Timmy McCarthy.

This transcription of the Jenny Lind comes from two sources. The four jig figures are as taught by Timmy McCarthy on the occasion referred to earlier. Timmy had learned them from Dan O’Connell and others in west Cork/Kerry. They are identical to the figures demonstrated the previous autumn in the premises of N.P.U. by Dan O’Connell. The fifth figure, the reel, was learned in the summer of 1985 from Dan O’Connell in Knocknagree, Co. Cork, and first published in “Ceol” (VIII). According to Dan this figure was traditionally used to conclude all jig sets with a similar structure, such as the Jenny Lind, the Victoria and the Televara.

On the occasion of his visit to N.P.U. in 1984 Dan also included as a fifth figure, between the fourth jig figure and the concluding reel figure, a figure of slides identical to the fourth figure of the Sliabh Luachra set (see “Irish Dances”). This slide figure is only infrequently danced as part of the set. 

Jenny Lind - Figure 1

Figure 1 Jigs - 264 bars
Opening Position: All four couples face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. Each lady and gent have an arm around each other’s waist, and each gent places his left hand on the left shoulder of the gent in front of him. This position is called the “lock”.
A Lock In the above position all dancers wheel around until all couples reach their starting places.  8 bars
B Square Couples adopt the standard hold. Each couple dances straight over to the next position to their right. Ladies dance: R-L- RLR-LRL-RLR. Gents: L-R-LRL-RLR-LRL. Each couple dances to the next position in two bars, and then dances two bars in that position, turning slightly clockwise so that they are ready to step off with the “wrong” feet to reach the next position.  This movement is then repeated with opposite steps to bring each couple to the position opposite their own, and then twice more to bring each couple back to their own places.  16 bars
C House All four couples dance house around. 8 bars
D Figure (a) SHOW.  1st TOPS dance around the house inside (8 bars).

(b) WHEEL.  1st tops and 1st sides join right hands and wheel clockwise for eight bars. Other two couples do likewise. (8 bars).

 16 bars
E Swing All four couples swing in place.  8 bars
F Repeat Repeat A to E.  1st SIDES show at D. (a). 56 bars
G Repeat Repeat A to E.   2nd TOPS show at D (a).  56 bars
H Repeat Repeat A to E .  2nd TOPS show at D (a). 56 bars
I Finish Repeat A to C. 32 bars

Jenny Lind - Figure 2

Figure 2 Jigs - 296 bars
Opening Position: All four couples face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. Each lady and gent have an arm around each other’s waist, and each gent places his left hand on the left shoulder of the gent in front of him. 
A Lock In the above position all dancers wheel around until all couples reach their starting places.  8 bars
B Square All four couples dance the square as in figure 1.  16 bars
C House All four couples dance house around. 8 bars
D Figure (a) SHOW THE LADY.  1st TOPS dance around the house inside (8 bars).

(b) BALANCE. Dancing couple and opposite slide in to the centre towards each other, and back out again, once (4 bars). 

(c) CROSSOVER. Top ladies change places, passing back to back in the centre (2 bars), and then top gents change places, passing back to back in the centre, (2 bars). 

(d) BALANCE AND CROSSOVER.  Repeat (b) and (c) (8 bars).

 24 bars
E Swing The two couples involved in the figure swing in place.  8 bars
F Repeat Repeat A to E.  1st SIDES show at D. 64 bars
G Repeat Repeat A to E.   2nd TOPS show at D.  64 bars
H Repeat Repeat A to E .  2nd SIDES show at D. 64 bars
I Repeat Repeat A to C. 32 bars

Jenny Lind - Figure 3

Figure 3 "Grand Circle" Jigs - 328 bars
Opening Position: All four couples face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. Each lady and gent have an arm around each other’s waist, and each gent places his left hand on the left shoulder of the gent in front of him. 
A Lock In the above position all dancers wheel around until all couples reach their starting places.  8 bars
B Square All four couples dance the square as in figure 1.  16 bars
C House All four couples dance house around. 8 bars
D Figure (a) SHOW THE LADY.  1st TOPS dance around the house inside (8 bars).

(b) CIRCLE.  All dancers face to centre, joining hands in a circle, and advance and retire twice (8 bars). 

(c) LADIES CIRCLE.  The four ladies join hands in a circle and advance to the centre and retire twice. As they go in the second time the whole circle makes a quarter turn anti-clockwise so that the four ladies come out beside the next gent to their right (8 bars). 

(d) GENTS IN.  The four gents advance to the centre and retire twice (8 bars).

 32 bars
E Swing All four couples swing in place.  8 bars
F Repeat Repeat A to E.  2nd sides (the couple to the left of 1st tops) show at D (a). 72 bars
G Repeat Repeat A to E.   2nd tops show at D (a).  72 bars
H Repeat Repeat A to E .  1st sides (the couple to the right of 1st tops) show at D (a). 72 bars
I Finish Repeat A to C. 32 bars

Jenny Lind - Figure 4

Figure 4 Jigs - 296 bars
Opening Position: All four couples face anti-clockwise around the circle, gents on the inside. Each lady and gent have an arm around each other’s waist, and each gent places his left hand on the left shoulder of the gent in front of him. 
A Lock In the above position all dancers wheel around until all couples reach their starting places.  8 bars
B Square All four couples dance the square as in figure 1.  16 bars
C House All four couples dance house around. 8 bars
D Figure (a) SHOW.  1st TOPS dance around the house inside (8 bars).

(b) CHAIN.  Starting with a right hand to their own partners each dancer chains all the way around the circle, gents going in an anti-clockwise direction and ladies clockwise. It should take 8 bars for each dancer to get half-way around and meet their own partner, and then another 8 bars to get back to their own places again (16 bars).

 24 bars
E Swing All four couples swing in place.  8 bars
F Repeat Repeat A to E.  1st  SIDES show at D (a). 64 bars
G Repeat Repeat A to E.   2nd TOPS show at D (a).  64 bars
H Repeat Repeat A to E .  2nd SIDES show at D (a). 64 bars
I Finish Repeat A to C. 32 bars

Jenny Lind - Figure 5

Figure 5 Reels - 272 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 Turn The Lady The four gents, their backs towards the centre of the set, turn their partners clockwise four times, left hand to left hand, while dancing on the spot themselves. 16 bars
C Swing All four couples dance house around. 8 bars
D Figure (a) SQUARE.  The two TOP COUPLES square all the way around (8 bars).

(b) HOUSE. The two TOP COUPLES dance around the house inside (8 bars). 

(c) SWING OPPOSITES.  The two TOP GENTS leave their partners and cross over to the opposite ladies and swing with them (8 bars). 

(d)  LINK ARMS.  The two TOP GENTS return to the centre, link left arms and dance around each other, doubling the last two bars (8 bars).

 32 bars
E Repeat Repeat A, B and C.  24 bars
F Figure SIDE COUPLES repeat D. 32 bars
G Repeat Repeat A, B and C. 24 bars
H Figure TOP COUPLES repeat D. 32 bars
I Repeat Repeat A, B and C. 24 bars
J Figure SIDE COUPLES repeat D. 32 bars
K Repeat Repeat A, B and C. 24 bars
L Finish (a) SQUARE.  All four couples square all the way around (8 bars).

(b) HOUSE.  All four couples dance around the house (8 bars).

 8 bars