Lully lullay thou little tiny Child,

A

2h turn partner cw, then all take hs in one large circle.

By-bye lully, lullay.

All circle left.

Lully lullay thou little tiny Child,

B

All circle right back to place, then all take hs with partner.

By-bye lully, lullay.

2h turn partner acw and open out, W on M's right, facing up.

O sisters too, how may we do

A

1s, followed by others, cast outto star on own side.

For to preserve this day,

Switch to other star, M going behind partner to change places.

This poor youngling for whom we sing
By-bye lully, lullay.

B

Switch back to original star, M going behind partner again. Taking inside hs with partner, tops arch and retire to bottom while others lead forward under arch to new position.

This tune and text are based closely on ones found in a 16th century source. The carol possibly goes back still further to the 15th century - making it one of the oldest extant ones in the English language. It used to be sung towards the end of the Pageant of the Shearman and the Tailors, part of the cycle of mystery plays performed in the streets of Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi. In the play the mothers of Bethlehem try to send their children to sleep lest their crying alert Herod's soldiers to their presence. Their lullaby is, however, in vain and Herod's men charge in upon the children. There is some debate as to whether this massacre of the infant boys of Bethlehem ever happened. Some observe that neither Roman nor Jewish records contain any mention of such an event (despite the great interest writers such as Flavius Josephus had in recording Herod's abuses) and that although mentioned in Matthew 2:16 the rest of the New Testament is silent on the topic. Others suggest that such a massacre fits well with all that is known of Herod and that the underreporting was simply due to the fact that Herod was responsible for so many deaths in so many places. Whatever the case, this carol offers a rare insight into the type of biblical story that had resonance for the common folk of renaissance England.  The refrain, as in many of these older carols, appears to have been an opportunity for fuller community participation in the song and the expression of feeling it carried.

This dance attempts to capture the carol's story of love and grief. The chorus of the dance is charged with tender cradling and being-pulled-in-different-directions motifs. The verses of the dance use a small scale version of a German folkdance mill figure to generate images of searching, bewilderment and loss - couples parting, casting this way and that, then retiring helplessly to the bottom of the set. To assist in smoothly switching between stars the two stars should be as close as possible, even interleafed - like a pair of cogs. To fully capture the poignancy it is suggested dancers use an unfaulting smooth walking step throughout and make all turns as wide as possible. It is almost too sad to dance.

The Little Drummer Boy

(extracted from The Christmas Carol Dance Book)

Non lo dirò col labbro
Che tanto ardir non ha;
Forse con le faville
Dell'avide pupille,
Per dir come tutt'ardo,
Lo sguardo parlera

I will not say it with my lips
Which have not that courage;
Perhaps the sparks
Of my burning eyes,
Revealing my passion,
My glance will speak

A1

With 2 waltz steps for each hand W rights and lefts with other W, starting r.h. to opposite till all back in place while M r.h. turn each other with 4 waltz steps then turn with 2 waltz steps and come back with l.h. turn ½ way with 2 waltz steps finishing retaining l.h. with opposite M and taking hold of opposite two W’s joined l.hs (on their own base-line) with his free r.h.

A2

With 4 waltz steps promenade thus ½ way around the set (W to opposite side, M to home side), towards the end M turn completely about over l.sh. switching hs behind his back so as to have lead W’s l.h. in his l.h. and following W’s l.h. in his r.h..

With 4 waltz steps, the three do a counter orbit knot – M raises both hs to guide the W on his left in a wide acw orbit behind him while guiding W on his r.h. under his raised r.h. and, with her turning over l.sh as she does so, cw inside under arch with other woman, so as to finish W in exchanged place, M’s hs crossed l.h. on top

B1

M slides into holding both Ws l.hs in his r.h. M promenade W with 4 waltz steps acw ½ way back to own base-line, turning, towards the end of the promenade, over l.sh. taking front W’s l.hs in his r.h. and rear W’s l.h in his right to form a kind of triangle / Repeat knot so W return to original order on original

B2

All promenade, but this time M don’t turn about they l.h. turn each other to switch stars, till W are in opposite place with their original M / W cross set to pass opposite by l.sh. while M go forward with 2 waltz steps to greet opposite M and back with 2 waltz steps to collect own W who have now caught him up.

A1

Sides 1½ r.sh. do-si-do while tops 2 hand turn 1½ 

Sides turn over l.sh. into opp. place, take hands in line (r.h. palm up, l.h.palm down) and set down and up while tops balance down & up then galop down with 4 slip steps

A2

Sides same to home side but set up and down while tops same with same foot at bottom of set but balance up first and galop up

B1

Sides 1/2  r.sh. gypsy with 4 steps, 2 hand push back from partner with 2 steps and stomp 3 times on opposite side line while the tops right hand turn and pull past by the r.sh.

Sides move up with 2 step-togethers and w. 4 steps mirror t.s. while tops ½ fig. 8 around 2s – starting going outside 2s

B2

Sides same to home side but start with opposite foot while tops, starting same foot as before, cast wide with 8 counts around 2s then, with next 8 counts, weave on own side inside 3s (touching partner’s inside hand) & outside 4s