THE OLD BA' GAME or UPPIES AND DOONIES REDUX
32 bar Reel for 4 couples in a longwise set
1-8 1C and 3C dance fig. 8 down, 1C around 2C and 3 around 4C. Finish side by side in the center of the set, facing down, 1C between 2C and 3C between 4C.
9-16 In lines across the dance, 1C with 2C, and 3C with 4C, dance down, pull back right shoulder and dance back up. 2C and 4C dance into their original places.
17-20 1C dance up to first place and cast off around 2C, into third place, while 3C dance up the middle into 1st place.
21-24 3C with 2C, and 1C with 4C, dance right hands across. All couples finish in center ready for poussette.
25-3 3C with 2C, and 1C with 4C poussette. Should finish in order 2,3,4,1.
Repeat 3 times.
Good music: Duke of Perth encore, Terpsichore, Caledonian Muse, or any good pipe tune.
Devised by Ellen Ternes (ellenter [at] comcast.net), after reading a wonderful feature in the Washington Post about the Christmas Ba' game on Kirkwall, Orkney, to evoke the up and down energy of the event. I called it Uppies and Doonies until I found out there was already a dance by that name. So I stole the Post headline, The Old Ba' Game.
UPDATED 19 December 2011 (Corrections and clarifications)