Goathland Square Eight
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This dance is from the village of Goathland in the North Yorkshire Moors. The dancers are arranged in a square formation and the couples are given numbers, 1 to 4, as shown in the linked diagram of a
4 Couple Square Set.
This formation is also known as a Square Eight (because there are eight dancers in a set).

The tune for the dance is Old Mrs Wilson.
It comes from the playing of the Goathland blacksmith Billy Pennock and the dance begins with a short song to the first part (the 'A' part) of this tune. The words are:
Old Mrs Wilson how d'you do
Very well thank you how about you?
Some folk laugh and some folk cry
But you'll never do the dance if you never try

Each dance movement or 'figure' is danced to its own part of the tune.

A description of each figure is shown on the music notation below to help you to see how the figures fit with each part of the tune when you watch and listen to this video.

Dancers use any step which fits the rhythm of the tune, commonly stepping '1 2 3 hop' or '1 2 3 lift'

First of all learn the figures for
the 'A music' - the first half of the tune played twice: A1 & A2.

Click here
to view, save & print the music and calling prompts from a PDF file

(Go to the site map page if you need to download Adobe Reader)

The figures for the 'B music' (the second half of the tune, played twice: B1 & B2)

The figures for the second half or 'B part' of the music include a grand chain.
The first video clip below shows the movement of a grand chain walked slowly.
The second video clip shows how the grand chain fits to the music including a 'swing with your partner' half way round and at the end.
GO TO
Caller's Notes
to print a summary of the dance notation

If you now watch the whole dance again
notice how it finishes:

After several times through the dance there is an extra swing at the very end.

The musicians play an extra A music for the final swing (i.e. A1 without the A2 repeat).

For more information about village dances, help with learning and teaching them, and notes for musicians, click on 'Learning and teaching notes' below.
More about village dances
Help with learning and teaching this dance
Notes for musicians
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