The aim was to start off with a description of a dance which nobody at the workshop had seen, but where the original was known. Steve Cunio and I then set up conditions like Maud Karpeles' collection of the Upton dances. Stags learnt the dance in one evening, then a dancer from Jackstraws who had done a fair amount of Cotswold but never seen any Border, visited and notated the dance from a single performance. I topped and tailed the description with real quotes from Karpeles, but out of context, and we used it as the handout for a one-hour session where groups had to "reconstruct" the dance.

Stags liked the dance, so we kept it. There are several versions around, Woad Works in the UK and Bassett Street Hounds in the US both have versions. We call it "The Prisoner" after the cult TV series of the same name. When the musicians play from the side of the set and there is a dispute about who is calling, the cry goes up "Who is Number One?", invariably answered by the response "You are Number Six". Well, you'll understand the name if you watch the series. You may not understand the series, though.

Formation

Chorus

Overall, the structure is slow sticking whilst stepping, with the ends casting to the middles. The chorus is notorious for moving around since the people you'd conventionally line up on can't see where they are, so it has to be cooperative.

Sticking is alternately forehand-tips-high and backhand-butts-low. To get to the 'tips high' position, throw the stick up slightly through the fingers and catch it near the bottom. Clash above head height. To get to 'butts low' let the stick drop through the fingers and catch it near the top. Clash butts somewhere between groin and knee level. The sticking goes at half the rate of the stepping, so that each clash occurs on a right foot stamp and each ris eor drop on a left foot stamp: (from high) step onto right and clash high, hop, step onto left and drop stick, hop, step onto right and clash low, hop, step onto left and throw stick up, hop...

Everyone does this for one high and one low sticking, then the ends (1 and 6) cast out right to the centre, joining in btween 3 and 4, with 2 and 3 moving up, 4 and 5 moving down, to make room. Finally 3 and 4 turn over right shoulders to stick with 2 and 5. Next time 2 and five cast, and so on.

Figures

Out and Swing

Turn left and dance out of the set for four steps, then turn over right shoulder to face back into the set. Dance four steps back to face partner, remembering to transfer the stick into the left hand, and stepping on the spot until the end of the phrase if you arrive back early.

At the beginning of the phrase, reach around partner's waist with your right arm and swing, probably about three times round, breaking cleanly and ending up back in place, facing up and down the set.

There and Back Again

All face the center of the set. Each group of three moves as a unit, passing the other group by right shoulders. When past, turn over the right shoulders individually, and face back, to pass the other group right shoulders again.

Hey in a Line

A straight hey for six in the line, beginning by passing right shoulders with the person you've just sticked with. When this was notated before the workshop, the lady in question spotted that one of Stags was going right up to the opposite dancer and moving either left or right as required on the last step each time. This was because the dancer in question had seriously lost track of where they should be, but some sides at the workshop made a feature of the effect. Done snappily, it does look very good, but if it gets sloppy, it just looks a mess.

"D" Into Ring

Everyone faces the top of the set, which is the music if the music is at one end. The dancer closest to the musician (which should normally be "number one") leads the line around to the right to form a ring.

The figure only looks good if the dancers dance straight up the centre-line and turn at the top, rather than lazily turning right into rounds.

To finish, dance round in a circle for a while, pointing the sticks into the centre. Then lead off, putting the stick back onto the shoulder as each dancer leaves the circle.

Sequence

(Once to Yourself)
Chorus
Out and Swing
Chorus
There and Back Again
Chorus
Hey in Line
Chorus
D into Ring.

Music

Red Stags use "Off to California"