Grim Reaper
This dance is really our version of the well known border dance Twiglets, which was written by Planet Morris in 1995. According to morris folklore the name of the dance stems from the fact that the dance was originally choreographed by moving twiglets around a table in their local. However we thought it was a silly name for a border dance so we changed it.
Tune - Theme Vannitaise
Set - A square set with a fifth (the slapper) in the middle
1 2
Music S
3 4
Order of Dance - Chorus, Hey, Chorus, Clover, Chorus, Gateposts,
Charge, Chorus, Linked Hey, Aardvark, Rounds
and charge off
Chorus - 1: All clash on the floor
&2: Slapper & No. 1, Nos. 3 & 4, 2 forehand clashes, No. 2 rest:
3: All clash on the floor
&4: Slapper & No. 2, Nos. 1 & 4, 2 forehand clashes, No. 3 rest
5: All clash on the floor
&6: Slapper & No. 3, Nos. 1 & 2, 2 forehand clashes, No. 4 rest
7: All clash on the floor
&8: Slapper & No. 4, Nos. 2 & 3, 2 forehand
clashes, No. 1 rest
1-7: Repeat as above
8: Slapper & No. 4, Nos. 2 & 3, single forehand
clash, No. 1 rest
Hey - 1-8: Slapper starts a straight hey with Nos. 1 & 3,
once round and back to place
1-8: Slapper pretends to start a hey with No.4 but immediately turns and starts with No. 2 instead, once round back to place
Clover - Nos. 1-4 stick together as in the chorus, i.e. once on
the ground followed by two forehand clashes.
Nos. 1 & 4 and also Nos. 2 & 3 stick together first. Then Nos. 1 & 2 and Nos. 3 & 4, finishing with a
single forehand clash
Meanwhile the Slapper dances around the four
outside dancers.
First going out of the set between Nos. 3 & 4,
then in between Nos. 4 & 1,
out of the set between Nos. 1 & 2,
then into the set between Nos. 4 & 1,
out of the set between Nos. 1 & 2,
into the set between Nos. 2 & 3,
out of the set between Nos. 3 & 4,
and finally into the set between Nos. 2 & 3
Gateposts - Nos. 2 & 3, the 'gateposts', stand in place turning on
the spot to watch the last dancer go past.
No. 1 leads the Slapper and No. 4 in a figure of
eight around the gateposts. No.1 stops in place in
the middle of the set after going round No. 2
The Slapper leads round No. 3 followed by
Nos. 4 & 1, then round No. 2 stopping in the middle of the set
No.4 leads round No. 3 followed by No.1 and the
Slapper, then round No.2 stopping in the middle of
the set
No. 1 leads the Slapper and No. 4 round No. 3 and
back to place
Charge - The Slapper dances on the spot as the four outside
dancers charge diagonally across the set passing just
behind the dancer to their left
Each charge lasts for a count of 4 and there are four
charges in the figure
Linked Hey - Nos. 1 & 4 link arms and face down the set.
Nos. 2 & 3 link arms and face up the set.
The Slapper faces up the set and starts a hey with the
top couple passing right shoulders, going round once
and ending up back in place.
Aardvark - At the end of the linked hey form into a straight line down the middle of the set. Nos. 1 & 4 facing one
another, the Slapper has his back to the music and
faces No. 2, No. 3 is beside No.2
4 1 S 2
3
The two pairs facing one another do four clashes,
alternating forehand and backhand, while the odd
dancer (No. 3 in the first instance) charges to the top
of the set.
Everyone then turns 180 degrees to face their next
partner and repeats the clashing. The dancer at the
bottom of the set charges to the top.
This is repeated until the Slapper comes to the
bottom of the set for the second time. Instead of
charging to the top he then begins to walk towards
the top of the set. The other dancers join in this walk
as they reach the bottom of the set.
Once the last pair have finished the Aardvark all
dancers begin to dance round, holding sticks pointing
down into the middle of the set, before charging off.
Set - A square set with a fifth (the slapper) in the middle
1 2
Music S
3 4
Order of Dance - Chorus, Hey, Chorus, Clover, Chorus, Gateposts,
Charge, Chorus, Linked Hey, Aardvark, Rounds
and charge off
Chorus - 1: All clash on the floor
&2: Slapper & No. 1, Nos. 3 & 4, 2 forehand clashes, No. 2 rest:
3: All clash on the floor
&4: Slapper & No. 2, Nos. 1 & 4, 2 forehand clashes, No. 3 rest
5: All clash on the floor
&6: Slapper & No. 3, Nos. 1 & 2, 2 forehand clashes, No. 4 rest
7: All clash on the floor
&8: Slapper & No. 4, Nos. 2 & 3, 2 forehand
clashes, No. 1 rest
1-7: Repeat as above
8: Slapper & No. 4, Nos. 2 & 3, single forehand
clash, No. 1 rest
Hey - 1-8: Slapper starts a straight hey with Nos. 1 & 3,
once round and back to place
1-8: Slapper pretends to start a hey with No.4 but immediately turns and starts with No. 2 instead, once round back to place
Clover - Nos. 1-4 stick together as in the chorus, i.e. once on
the ground followed by two forehand clashes.
Nos. 1 & 4 and also Nos. 2 & 3 stick together first. Then Nos. 1 & 2 and Nos. 3 & 4, finishing with a
single forehand clash
Meanwhile the Slapper dances around the four
outside dancers.
First going out of the set between Nos. 3 & 4,
then in between Nos. 4 & 1,
out of the set between Nos. 1 & 2,
then into the set between Nos. 4 & 1,
out of the set between Nos. 1 & 2,
into the set between Nos. 2 & 3,
out of the set between Nos. 3 & 4,
and finally into the set between Nos. 2 & 3
Gateposts - Nos. 2 & 3, the 'gateposts', stand in place turning on
the spot to watch the last dancer go past.
No. 1 leads the Slapper and No. 4 in a figure of
eight around the gateposts. No.1 stops in place in
the middle of the set after going round No. 2
The Slapper leads round No. 3 followed by
Nos. 4 & 1, then round No. 2 stopping in the middle of the set
No.4 leads round No. 3 followed by No.1 and the
Slapper, then round No.2 stopping in the middle of
the set
No. 1 leads the Slapper and No. 4 round No. 3 and
back to place
Charge - The Slapper dances on the spot as the four outside
dancers charge diagonally across the set passing just
behind the dancer to their left
Each charge lasts for a count of 4 and there are four
charges in the figure
Linked Hey - Nos. 1 & 4 link arms and face down the set.
Nos. 2 & 3 link arms and face up the set.
The Slapper faces up the set and starts a hey with the
top couple passing right shoulders, going round once
and ending up back in place.
Aardvark - At the end of the linked hey form into a straight line down the middle of the set. Nos. 1 & 4 facing one
another, the Slapper has his back to the music and
faces No. 2, No. 3 is beside No.2
4 1 S 2
3
The two pairs facing one another do four clashes,
alternating forehand and backhand, while the odd
dancer (No. 3 in the first instance) charges to the top
of the set.
Everyone then turns 180 degrees to face their next
partner and repeats the clashing. The dancer at the
bottom of the set charges to the top.
This is repeated until the Slapper comes to the
bottom of the set for the second time. Instead of
charging to the top he then begins to walk towards
the top of the set. The other dancers join in this walk
as they reach the bottom of the set.
Once the last pair have finished the Aardvark all
dancers begin to dance round, holding sticks pointing
down into the middle of the set, before charging off.