Eight-Hand Jig
A jig for four couples
1
BA
4G............F3
H............E
CD
2
A, C, E and G are men; B, D, F and H are women. AB are leading Tops, CD opposite Top; EF are leading Sides and GH opposite sides.
BARS-----------A. Lead Round
16-------------Dancers half right turn and lead around a complete circle. Rleease hands, turn about inwards. Man takes partners right hand in his left and both lead back to place.
---------------B. Body
8--------------(a) Sides: Men side-step to right behind partner, ending with 'rise and grind', while women side-step in front and to the left. All side-step back to place, men in front and women behind, ending with rise and grind.
16-------------(b) Skip across: The four men cross to opposite women, Topas a fraction before Sides, all passing right arm to right. Turn women with left hand, pass to woman on right of original position and turn with right hand. Men cross to opposite women as before, turn with left hand, pass to own partner and turn with right hand once in place.
16-------------(b) Swing into line: Leading Tops half-turn in place to face outwarfd from the circle; at the same time the other couples swing into line behind leading Tops, the position of the dancers now is as shown:
1 AB
3 EF
4 GH
2 CD
Partners of the leading couple (AB) turn outward from each other, man to left, woman to right, and lead around to place vacated by opposite Tops (CD); the man is followed by the other men, and the woan by the women. Partners of the leading couple turn in towards each other and, taking hands, lead up to place, being followed in like manner by the remaining couples. ALl release hands, all half turn inwards to face partners and dance rising-step on both feet; partners take hands and turn into original positions.
16-------------(d) Set all-round: Partners take right hands and turn half-round; men, retaining partner's hand, take left hand of woan on left, so that the men are then all facing outwards, women facing inwards. All dance rising step. Release right hands, men turn around, woan on left and return to own partner with right hand, and turn once in place. Leading Tops and leading Sides dance around each other while opposite Tops and opposite Sides do likewise.
---------------C. 1st Figure
16-------------(a) Advance and retire: Leading and oppositeTops men take partner's left hands in their right, both advance to meet the opposite couple and retire to place [4 bars]. Repeat the movemnt. Both couples then dance a complete circle around each other.
16-------------(b) Repeat: Sides dance (a).
---------------D. Body
56-------------Repeat B.
---------------E. 2nd Figure
16-------------(a) Tops chain: The man gives his right hand to opposite woman and both move forward in a semi-circle, men clockwise and women anticlockwise. Continue to meet partner with left hand, opposite woman again with right, and on to own partner with left hand to finish in position.
16-------------(b) Right hand to oppostie woman: Leading and opposite Tops men advance to woman opposite, give right hand and turn once in place; return to own partner, give left hand and turn once in place. Both men advanceto center, take right hands, and turn once, advance to opposite woman, give left hands and turn once in place. Return to own partner and take her hands. Both couples dance around each other and back to place.
32-------------(b) Repeat: Side couples dance (a) and (b).
---------------F. Body
56-------------Repeat B.
---------------G. Finish
40-------------All dancers join hands in a circle, foreamms bent sharply upwards and elbows held in to the sides. Advance to center and retire, advance and retire again. All side-step anticlockwise and finish with two short threes; side-step back, ending with two short threes. Advance and retire twice as before. All side-step clockwise and back, ending with threes. All couples take hands and swing around to the right to finish.
