Tune: “Scotch Polka” (MP3 played by Jeff Bigler & A.J. Liuba) Set: groups of 3 dancers; 28 ¼“ (medium) sticks; skipping (single steps) Source: Martin Gosling, Grimspound Border Morris (brought to us via Orange Peel Morris) Chorus: clash around triangle: (1-2, 2-3, 3-1) 4 times, then everyone strike the ground 3 times. Figures: #1 hey (around #2 and #3), left-hand star, #2 hey, “rabbit traps”, #3 hey, rounds & off (If dancing with multiple sets, all sets join into one large rounds)
Detailed dance notes are available from the Grimspound Border website.
More information about where the name “Tinner's Rabbits” comes from can be found on the Internet Encyclopedia of Science.
Dancers stand in circular groups of 3. Dancers are number clockwise.
Dancer #1 clashes with #2 (beat 1), then #2 with #3 (beat 2), then #3 with #1 (beat 3). Repeat until the clash has gone around 4 times, then hit the ground 3 times.
Dancer #1 dances in a figure 8 around dancers #2 & #3. (Or, optionally, dancer #1 dances wherever they want, returning to their home spot at the end of the figure.)
Dancers put their left hands into the center and grasp the wrist of the dancer to their right (going counter-clockwise). Dance in a counter-clockwise circle until the end of the figure.
Dancer #2 dances in a figure 8 around dancers #1 & #3. (Or, optionally, dancer #2 dances wherever they want, returning to their home spot at the end of the figure.)
This figure is often called “rabbit traps” (or “wabbit twaps” for fans of Looney Tunes).
After the end of the chorus, dancers lift the tip of their stick and place it into the hand of the dancer to their left (clockwise). (Each dancer ends up holding their own stick and the tip of their neighbor's stick in their right hand, and the sticks form a triangle.) Dance clockwise until the end of the figure.
When teaching this as an audience participation dance, the figure is simplified by having dancers hold their own stick by the middle and making a triangle out of the sticks.
Dancer #3 dances in a figure 8 around dancers #1 & #2. (Or, optionally, dancer #3 dances wherever they want, returning to their home spot at the end of the figure.)
Bars 1 & 2: Dancers in each group dance in a clockwise circle.
Bars 3 - end: Dancer #1 from each group leads the group out of their circle and the sets merge into one large circle. After dancing around in a large circle for “long enough”, dancer #1 from one of the groups leads the other dancers off into the audience.
Scotch Polka, played by Jeff Bigler & A.J. Liuba
Red Herring uses the tune Scotch Polka, because that's the one that Orange Peer Morris uses, and we learned the dance from them:
X:1 T:Scotch Polka T:(Tinner's Rabbits) C:traditional M:4/4 L:1/8 K:G major V:1 clef=treble P:A Bc |: d2 G2 G2 AB | c2 E2 E2 G2 |1 FGAB c2 A2 | e2 d2 d2 Bc :|2 \ FGAB c2 F2 | A2 G2 G2 Bc || P:B d2 g2 g2 fg | f2 e2 e2 AB | c2 c2 c2 A2 | e2 d2 d2 Bc | d2 g2 g2 fg | f2 e2 e2 G2 | FGAB c2 F2 | A2 G2 G2 |]
The Ladies of the Rolling Pin use the tune Strike the Bell:
X:2 T:Strike The Bell C:traditional N:by ear, APBW I:abc2nwc M:12/8 L:1/8 K:G P:A B3B2A G3B2d|g3g2f e6|d3d2e d3B2G|A3A2B A6| B3B2A G3B2d|g3g2f e3f2g|a2g f2e d2c B2A|G3g3 g6|| P:B a3a2g f2g a3|g3b3 g6|e3e2f g2f g2e|d2e d2B A6| B3B2A G3B2d|g3g2f e3f2g|a2g f2e d2c B2A|G3g3 g6|]
There are many other tunes used by other sides, including Uncle Bernard's Polka and Winster Gallop.
