The Dashing White Sergeant is a

Scottish country dance Scottish country dance (SCD) is the distinctively Scottish form of country dance, itself a form of social dance involving groups of couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns. A dance consists of a sequence of figures. These dances are ...

, performed to a similarly titled piece of music. The dance is in 4/4 time, thus it is in the form of a

reel A reel is a tool used to store elongated and flexible objects (e.g. yarns/ cords, ribbons, cables, hoses, etc.) by wrapping the material around a cylindrical core known as a '' spool''. Many reels also have flanges (known as the ''rims'') arou ...

. The dance is performed by groups of six dancers and is progressive.

History

The title comes from the original lyrics, traditionally attributed to the 18th century General,

John Burgoyne General (United Kingdom), General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British Army officer, playwright and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1792. He first saw acti ...

. It was set to music by the English composer, Sir

Henry Rowley Bishop Sir Henry Rowley Bishop (18 November 178730 April 1856) was an English composer from the early Romantic era. He is most famous for the songs "Home! Sweet Home!" and "Lo! Hear the Gentle Lark." He was the composer or arranger of some 120 dramat ...

in 1826. The song was to be part of one of Bishop's operas, but there is no evidence it was ever incorporated into one. It was adapted into a military march and was the

regimental march A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's ...

of the

Royal Berkshire Regiment The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), by ...

. It quickly became very popular in the United States both as a song and a dance tune, and was added to the repertoire of the

West Point Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, where it is still played today at certain events.Andrew Kuntz, ''The Fiddler’s Companion: A Descriptive Index of North American, British Isles and Irish Music for the Folk Violin and other Instruments'' – Alphabetical Files: DASH–DAY
/ref> It has been suggested that it was the inspiration for " I Wish I Was in Dixie", as the opening bars bear a resemblance. The dance steps come from the tradition of Swedish circle dancing, that was popular in Victorian Britain. The better known lyrics shown below, were written by the Scottish composer, Sir

Hugh S. Roberton Sir Hugh Stevenson Roberton (23 February 18747 October 1952) was a Scottish composer and, as founder of the Glasgow Orpheus Choir, one of Britain's leading choral-masters in the first half of the 20th century. Life Roberton was born in Glasgow, ...

for the

Glasgow Orpheus Choir The Glasgow Orpheus Choir was founded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1906 by Hugh S. Roberton. It originated in the Toynbee Musical Association, which had been created in 1901. The Glasgow Orpheus Choir came to be considered without peer in Britain, an ...

. The earlier version by Bishop and the later arrangement by Sir Hugh Roberton bear no relationship to one another.

Steps

The six dancers form a circle, traditionally of three men and three women standing alternately, which will break apart into two sets of three dancers. All six join hands and the circle turns anti-clockwise for eight counts, then clockwise for eight counts. The circle then separates into the two sets of three. The dancer in the middle (''leader'') of the three turns to the partner on the right, sets to (dances with) them for four counts and turns them for four counts, then repeats this with the partner on the left. The ''leader'' then turns the partner on the right again, followed by the partner on the left, the partner on the right, the partner on the left. He then joins hands with both partners so the three form a straight line facing the other set of three. Both sets walk towards each other for two steps, and stamp their feet three times (over the course of two counts, therefore including one off-beat), then retreat for two steps and clap their hands similarly to the stamping. They then walk towards each other again (again holding hands), and one set raises its arms to form archways under which the other dancers pass to meet the next set of three coming from another circle, with whom the dance is repeated.Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary – Scottish Country Dance Instruction – The Dashing White Sergeant
/ref>

Lyrics

General Burgoyne's lyrics

If I had a beau for a soldier who'd go, Do you think I'd say no? No, no, not I! For a soldier who'd go, Do you think I'd say no? No, no, no, no, no, no, not I! When his red coat I saw, Not a sigh would it draw, But I'd give him eclat for his bravery! If an army of Amazons ere came in play, As a dashing white sergeant I’d march away. ''Chorus:'' A dashing white sergeant I’d march away, march away, march away, march away. March away, march away, march away, march away, march away, march away.

Sir Hugh Roberton's lyrics

Now the fiddler's ready, let us all begin So step it out and step it in To the merry music of the violin We'll dance the hours away. ''(Repeat first 4 lines, then)'': Katie and Peggy and Patsy and Paul, Callum and Peter and Flora and Moll, Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance away the hours together! Dance till dawn be in the sky, What care you and what care I? Hearts a-beating, spirits high, We're gonna dance, dance, dance!

References

External links

Dance instructions
*{{YouTube, 8JpymZZxQ0E * The earlier version of the song is available o
Levy Sheet Music Collection
web site. A modern edition and audio file are available o
IMSLP
Scottish country dance British military marches