The Source (Sacred/Circle)

Formation	Circle with even number of dancers. No hold.
Dance Structure	(A + B) repeated throughout the music whilst alternate dancers do (B + A).
Music Structure	4 counts/bar, 4 bars/phrase.
Music Speed	120 counts/min.
Music	'The Mummers' Dance' by Loreena McKennitt.
Source	Ann Hyde in Youlgrave, UK, August 2009. Start & end from Calvin French (who learnt it from Ann Hyde) in Youlgrave August 2024.

Disclaimer: Mistakes are quite likely in the notes and no guarantees are made as to accuracy. There may be other versions of the same dance or other dances with the same name. Music may differ, particularly in speed, introduction and duration, between performers. The division into parts, bars & counts might not be standard. These notes of the dance are freely distributable (under GPL or CC-by-sa) in so much as the note's author's contribution but the choreography and/or collection were by other people and so their copyright might apply to the dance itself. Better than using notes, go to a dance class where it is taught.

An atmospheric dance done with the dancers divided into two groups who dance out of phase in the manner of a round.

The dancers start in a circle with alternate dancers starting with Part A (gathering) and Part B (distributing). The two parts join up every four bars as those going in & those coming out connect in a circle for swaying.

The atmosphere largely comes from the music which I had not heard before so it might not be as effective in the USA where the music is well known having become a #3 chart hit there. Although the lyrics are in English and meaningful, they are not prominent enough to intrude on the dance (and most present did not even realise the subject until reading them).

Personal note: I usually find "meaningful"/meditative Circle dances somewhat naff but I liked the patterning of this one, liked the music and found it gave me a vision of being in a big profound jungle earthy machine (something like a mix of the Metropolis movie & Swamp Thing comics, although I doubt that was quite how the choreographer would have phrased it :-) ) shifting gooey stuff out from a pool which somehow rapidly evapourates into the air. The story from Ann of what the choreography represented was less materialistic with something like some type of spiritual essence being collected and being distributed to the world by the action of the dance.

Style: Meditative, peaceful, gentle, worshipful, spiritual & working as one. Motions slow & heavy.

Introduction

Summary: Start of phrase.

The music starts with a drone. Start at the start of any four bar phrase after that. Convenient places with obvious phrase starts include when the music gains more than a drone, when the base beat starts, when the vocals start and when words start.

Part A

Summary: In (4 steps, starting R ft). Collect (crouch, scoop with both hands together). Out (4 steps). Sways (4).

Start

Facing the centre. No hold, arms loosely by sides.

1	R forwards.
2	L forwards.
3-4	Repeat counts 1-2 (R & F steps forwards).

Legs	Crouch down by bending knees.
Arms	Commence a gathering gesture by raising forearms with palms facing up & fingers together.

Legs	Remain crouched.
Arms	Continue the gathering motion by moving forearms to horizontally out infront and, keeping them parallel straight out infront, move them forwards as if gathering something loose (like stalks from a pile lying perpendicular to the arms).

3-4

Legs	Rise out of the crouch down by straightening the knees.
Arms	Bring elbows back to sides (with forearms still horizontal with palms up) as if readying to carry the stuff which has been gathered.

Repeat bar 1 but travelling backwards (R, L, R & L steps backwards). Aim to end up between the neighbouring dancers but slightly infront of the line of them.

1-2	Sway R.
3-4	Sway L.

Part B

Summary: Out (4 steps, starting R ft). Distribute (arms up, turn 360 deg cw). In (4 steps). Sways (4, with hands on backs of those doing Part A).

Start

Facing the centre. No hold, arms loosely by sides.

As Part A bar 3 (R, L, R & L steps backwards).

Legs	Turn round 360 deg cw on the spot in 4 steps (R, L, R, L).
Arms	Raise up infront keeping palms facing up like an offering to something in the sky, then opening out into a high straight-elbowed V with the wrists flexing as needed as if releasing something into the sky or doing some sort of sun worship and finally bringing the arms down on the sides ready for going in again.

Legs	As Part A bar 1 (R, L, R & L steps forwards). Aim to end up between the neighbouring dancers but slightly behind the line of them.
Arms	Gradually extend to the sides with hands raising to about lumber height with palms forward ending up on the backs of ones neighbours in a friendly supporting manner.

Legs	As Part A bar 4 (sway R & L) along with those doing Part A.
Arms	Remain supportingly on the backs of neighbours until the last sway wherein they gently drop to vertical ready to move between the other dancers at the start of the subsequent Part A.

End

It ends with both sets of dancers together after sways with one set with hands on the back of others. This does mean that one set has yet to distribute; they can do so on the spot without turning after the music ends.