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Five-Count—
4 beats/measure, 40 measures/minute
The name "five-count" describes the "slow, slow; quick, quick, slow;" stepping pattern to many of the two-measure figures. Round and country dancers are also familiar with the "two-step," which steps "quick, quick, slow; quick, quick, slow;" and the One-Step, which dances "slow, slow;" or "quick, quick, quick, quick;" and many dances contain figures from all three rhythms.
(For additions figures, see the Two Step page.)
Figure Name, Phase Level, & Timing
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Steps and Actions That Make Up the Figure
These descriptions are primarily based on Roundalab's Standards For Round Dancing and on cue sheets written by many choreographers (see Links page). |
Here are some sequences to help you visualize the figure in context.
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NOTE: There are many technical terms and abbreviations that are widely used in round dancing. For instance, if you encounter non-standard punctuation, I am probably trying to indicate the musical timing of a figure, where a comma separates two beats of music, a semi-colon marks the end of a measure, and a slash (/) indicates a split beat, two things occuring in a single beat. Elsewhere, you can find descriptions of dance positions; basic dance steps, actions, and directions; and other dance abbreviations. WOMAN'S FOOTWORK — I try to describe what the man does and then in parenthesis what the woman does. In this way, you can read in one sentence what each partner is doing during that beat of music, rather than read about the man in one place and maybe the woman in another paragraph. I don't want to encourage the man to read only about his part and the woman only about hers.
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| Walk Two
ss;
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In any position beginning with either foot, step fwd, -, fwd, -; |
You can walk two and a triple and then repeat with trail foot. |
| Skate
ss;
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In open position or perhaps facing but somewhat apart, swivel to the left (woman right) and step forward on the lead foot, swinging the arms to the left. Swivel to the right and step forward with the trail foot, swing the arms to the right. Mimic the pushing and the arm and body movements of ice- or roller-skating. |
From semi-closed position, walk two apart; two-step to face; skate two with trail feet to bjo; and scissors thru to semi; |
| Scissors Thru qqs;
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In closed position, step sd turning RF, woman LF, close, xif, -;
Both cross in front.
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Do a scissors thru to reverse; walk two; scissors thru to line; walk, -, pick up, -; dip back, -, recover, -; |
| Dip
s
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Step back or to the side, relax knee, and leave the free leg extended and toe pointed. |
In closed position, line of dance, dip back, -, recover, -; fwd, lk, fwd, -; rock fwd, -, rec, -; bk, ld, bk, -; |
| Recover
s
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Shift weight back to the free foot. Normally, that free foot has not moved during the previous step. |
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| Pickup
s
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In semi, step fwd on trail feet woman turning LF 1/2 to face man in closed position line of dance, -, |
In semi position, lead feet free, try a forward, -, pickup, -; and a triple; forward two and a triple;; |
| Lock
q or s
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Cross free foot in front of supporting foot and take weight a bit behind that foot so that the newly free foot has to move back. Performed as the second step in a measure. |
In semi, walk, -, pick up, -; fwd, lock, fwd, -; rock fwd, -, recover, -; bk, lk, bk, -; |
| Two Step or Triple qqs;
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In any position, step, close, step. In semi-closed position, both can dance: fwd, cl, fwd, -; One can two-step back or to the side. |
Unchained Five Count, by the Scotts, includes a pretty sequence: In semi, do a forward two-step; thru with trail feet, -, flare lead feet to a facing position and touch, -; If you blend to a banjo position, then you can wheel two and a triple;; wheel two and a triple;; |
| Hitch Forward
qqs;
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In closed position, fwd, cl, bk, -; (woman mirrors man) May be done in any other position; in open, man and woman's footwork is the same. |
Hitch forward three; walk back two; hitch back three; walk forward two; |
| Scissors
qqs;
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In closed position, line of dance, step sd turning rf, cl, xif woman xib to scar; |
Do a scissors to sidecar; walk toward diagonal wall two slow steps; scissors to banjo; walk in two steps; |
| Lace
qqs;
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With lead hands joined, step fwd, cl, fwd, -; the man turning to the right and passing on a diagonal path behind the woman and the woman turning to the left and passing in front of the man, under his lead arm. The man moves from the inside of the circle to the outside. |
Lace out; walk two; lace back; walk two; |
| Forward Lock Forward
qqs;
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Step forward, cross the free foot behind the supporting foot and take weight, step forward again, -; |
Walk two; forward, lock, fwd, -; repeat;; |
| Face to Face and Back to Back
qqs; qqs;
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In butterfly position facing wall, step sd, cl, sd turn away half, -; sd, cl, sd turn to face, -; |
Do a face to face; and in the back to back position rock side, -, recover, -; do the back to back; rock side recover again; |
| Wheel Two and a Triple
ss; qqs;
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In bjo step fwd turning CW, -, fwd turning, -; fwd, cl, fwd, - ; (full turn) |
Repeat;; |
| Broken Box
qqs; ss; qqs; ss;
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In closed position, step sd, cl, fwd, -; rock fwd, -, rec, -; sd, cl, bk, -; rock bk, -, rec, -; |
Follow with a traveling box;;;; |
| Traveling Box
qqs; ss; qqs; ss;
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In closed position, step sd, cl, fwd, -; walk two to reverse in reverse semi; turn to face sd, cl, bk, -; walk two to line in semi; |
into a basketball turn;; |
| Circle Away Two and a Two-Step;; Together Two and a Two-Step;;
ss; qqs; ss; qqs;
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In semi, turn away from each other and step fwd, -, fwd, -; fwd, cl, fwd, -; lunge on trail feet and turn LF woman RF, -, fwd back toward partner, -; fwd, cl, fwd to closed, -; |
Then do a strolling vine;;;; |
| Sand Steps
ss; qqs; ss; qqs;
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In bfly point lead big toe to trail instep, -, place lead heel to trail instep, -; xif, sd, xif, -; now with trail feet toe, -, heel, -; xif, sd, xif, -; |
then a traveling door;;;; |
| Sliding Door
ss; qqs; ss; qqs;
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In open both rock side away from each other, -, rec, -; xif woman passing in front of man, sd, xif to left open, -; rock side, -, rec, -; xif, sd, xif back to open, -; |
Do a sliding door;;;; walk, -, pickup, -; scissors to sidecar; walk toward diagonal wall two slow steps; scissors to banjo; walk in two steps; |
| Traveling Door
ss; qqs; ss; qqs;
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In bfly both rock side, -, rec, -; xif, sd, xif remain facing, -; rock side, -, rec, -; xif, sd, xif bfly wall, -; |
then a strolling vine;;;;
(The strolling vine feels the best of all of them, to me.)
In the Scotts' Only You, part A starts with a traveling door twice to closed position;;;; twist vine 3 and manuver (four slows);; to a pivot 2 to line; dip back and recover;
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| Strolling Vine
phase III
ss; qqs; ss; qqs;
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In closed position, line of dance, step sd turning RF to scar diag wall, -, XIB woman XIF turning LF back to line, -; sd turning LF, cl, sd to diag cntr, -; sd, -, XIB, -; sd, cl, sd turning back to diag wall, -; |
Do a strolling vine to banjo diag wall;;;; rk fwd, -, rec, -; back triple; slow rock four;;
In the Woodruffs' Around the Christmas Tree, there is a strolling vine to semi;;;; traveling box;;;; broken box to banjo;;;; to two forward two-steps;;
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| Strolling Box
ss; qqs; ss; qqs; ss; qqs; ss; qqs;
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In closed position, line of dance, do a strolling vine one-half to face center;; step side, -, XIB (woman XIF), -; back chasse to face reverse; strolling vine half to face wall;; and again twisty vine two and back chasse to face line again;;
It's a four-part figure over 8 measures, each part turning 1/4 LF. In the first part, do a twisty vine two and a turning chasse. Then a twisty vine two and a back chasse. Repeat.
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This is not a standard, round dance figure, but it comes from the classic, Apres L'Entreinte, by Hank & Mary Dahl (1979). Thanks to Dick and Pat Winter for showing us the smooth, boxy organization of an otherwise challenging sequence (Dick likes to call it an "Aggravation Box"); and thanks to Anne Gupton for the more positive figure name (notice that it is "Anne" with an "e," like the Queen). |
Go beyond this manual. Good instructional books and videos, both new and used, are available at low prices at Amazon. Find other references on our Sources and Links pages.
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