[Callers] Cornish 6-hand reel timing

[Rickey]

Hi All,

In the dance Cornish 6-hand reel there is a hey for 6 (not a surprise given
the name of the dance).  Several sources agree that this gets 32 beats of
music (B1 and B2), which seems like too much music.  In our contras a hey
for 4 (over and back) gets 16 counts.  Reasoning from proportions (probably
a dangerous thing) it would seem that 32 beats (B1,B2) would be enough music
for a hey for 8 (God forbid), and that  a hey for 6 should take 16+8 or 24
counts and leave ½ of a B undanced.  I ask because I called the dance in
Exeter last Saturday and several dancers seemed to be getting through the
hey early.  The tradition is to use B1 and B2 to do this hey.  It’s English.
How do they do it? Perhaps it would be more danceable for us if an 8 count
move were added at the end of the hey – but what move would this be.  It
would need to be a move done only with your partner and do-si-do, allemande
left and right, and 2-hand turns are all already used. It’s a puzzle.  Do
you call this dance? It’s a great dance.  Have you had this problem?

Rickey Holt.