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Taught/practised on:

FIDDLER ON THE CAPSTAN (R8x48)  John Drewry (1981)  SCDs Vol 4  1- 8 1s+3s ½ turn RH, dance RH across ½ way & turn partners RH (having changed places)  9-16 2s dance RSh reels of 3 on own sides with 3s+1s (Lady up & Man down) 17-24 2s petronella turn into centre & set as 3s+1s ½ turn RH on sides & dance ½ RH across, 3s+2s+1s turn partners RH (2s in centre) & 2s face 3 rd  corners 25-32 2s dance ½ diagonal reels of 4 with 3 rd  corners (1 st  corner persons) then with 4 th  corners (2s end in 2 nd  places) 33-40 1s+2s ½ turn RH, dance RH across ½ way & turn partners RH 41-48 2s+1s+3s circle 6H round & back

2010 June 6 th

In the days when human muscles were the only power source available aboard ship, sea shanties served a practical purpose: the rhythm of the song served to synchronize the movements of the sailors as they toiled at repetitive tasks, and singing (and listening to songs) alleviated the boredom and lightened the burden of hard work, of which there was no shortage on long voyages in those days. Despite this, the Royal Navy banned singing during work—it was thought the noise would make it harder for the crew to hear commands—though capstan work was accompanied by the bosun's pipe and it was traditional for a fiddler to play when the anchor was being raised. The capstan-step was the time or beat kept by the ship’s fiddler for this capstan work. The recommended music for this dance is “Kay’s Delight” by Bernard Dixon, which John Drewry also recommends for his dance Wellington Square.