Black Nag

This dance is for three couples arranged longways (i.e. one behind the other).

Count Steps
First Verse
8 Up a double and back.
8 That again.
First Chorus
4 Couple 1 takes both hands and does 4 slips up the hall.
4 Couple 2 does likewise.
4 Couple 3 does likewise.
4 All turn single.
4 Couple 3 takes both hands and does 4 slips up the hall.
4 Couple 2 does likewise.
4 Couple 1 does likewise.
4 All turn single.
Second Verse
8 Side right with your partner.
8 Side left with your partner.
Second Chorus
4 Man 1 and Woman 3 trade places.
4 Man 3 and Woman 1 trade places.
4 Man 2 and Woman 2 trade places.
4 All turn single.
4 Man 1 and Woman 3 trade places.
4 Man 3 and Woman 1 trade places.
4 Man 2 and Woman 2 trade places.
4 All turn single.
Third Verse
8 Arm right with your partner.
8 Arm left with your partner.
Third Chorus
12 Men do a hey for 3.
4 All turn single.
12 Women do a hey for 3.
4 All turn single.

Step Descriptions

Doubles

A double consists of three steps with a pause at the end, often bringing the feet together on the last count. “Up a double” is a double done up the hall (i.e. forward). “Up a double and back” is a double forward followed by a double backward to where you began.

Siding

While there is no description in Playford’s book for this figure, it is commonly reconstructed as a double toward your partner, angled slightly to one side so that you meet with your shoulders next to each other, then a backward double back to place. To “side right” you angle to your left and meet with right shoulders together. To “side left” you angle to your right and meet with left shoulders together.

Arming

While there is no description in Playford’s book for this figure, it is commonly reconstructed as taking hands with your partner and circling all the way around back to place. This can be done either with two doubles or a simple walking step. To “arm right” take right hands and circle. To “arm left” take left hands and circle.

Slips

A slip is a sideways skipping step.

Hey for 3

A hey is a weaving figure for a line or circle of dancers. In a hey for 3, Person 1 faces down the hall while 2 and 3 face up the hall. 1 and 2 change places, passing by right shoulders. 1 and 3 then change places while 2 turns around to face down the hall. 2 and 3 pass by right shoulders as 1 turns, 1 and 2 pass by left shoulders as 3 turns, 1 and 3 pass by right shoulders as 2 turns, and finally 2 and 3 pass by left shoulders. It can be helpful to use hands while learning this figure, though it is not required.

Teaching Notes

Lorenzo Petrucci:
While this dance is from a later edition of Playford (the first edition was published in 1651), it is of a form similar to dances being done well before 1600 (Gelosia and Colonnese, for example).

The two most challenging parts of this dance are the diagonal passing figure in the second chorus and the heys in the third chorus.

For the passing figure, determine which way people should be facing as they pass and explicitly state it while teaching if there is confusion. Some people prefer to always lead with the same shoulder, while others prefer to lead with whatever shoulder is already pointed toward the other person. Passing is generally done face-to-face, to allow a (brief) opportunity to interact with the other person.

There is no perfect way to teach heys. There are many different methods that people use to explain how to come back into the figure after reaching the end of the line, and different ones make sense to different people. Encourage your dancers to keep moving even if they make a mistake, and to get back to their places by the end of the counts allotted. While not always pretty, learning to recover from a misstep and keep going is itself a useful skill.