Real life forms the best basis for world building of all sorts, even in speculative fiction genres. So, when I needed something fun to do at a celebratory party for my characters in Kayavan Rising, I turned to one way my husband and I have fun, English Country Dance.

Ok, I can hear you saying it now. How can you possibly put a dance done in the 1600’s into a Space Opera and have it make sense? Well, (1) we’re still doing it now and having fun with it, so that’s a big part of the explanation. Fun is fun, right? And (2) there’s the truth that just about every culture has some form of dance, so why not?

Armed with that, and a bit of imagination, I took one of my favorite dances, Stripping the Willow, made a few adaptations, to turn it into a dance/game/competition for my characters. I’m secretly hoping to do it as I wrote it someday.

The original dance is done in a longways set, meaning two lines of dancers face each other. Partners weave in and out of the line, spinning and swinging each other down and up the set—just how fast and energetic the turns are depends on the group. The dance is all about rhythm, teamwork, and a bit of endurance!

The music that accompanies Stripping the Willow is fast and lively, typically played on traditional folk instruments like the fiddle, accordion, or flute. The tune is usually in 6/8 or 9/8 time, giving it a bouncy feel that keeps dancers moving. Stripping the Willow can be danced by itself, or the steps can be incorporated as part of another dance. I’ve done it both ways.

If done slowly, it can be elegant and sedate, done quickly, it really is an endurance trial to get to the end of the set. There was a reason I called the dance ‘Leading in the Storm’ in Kayavan Rising.

Here’s two different videos to give you a sense of the dance. The first teaches the steps, and is definitely more on the elegant side. The second more closely resembles how I saw it working in Kayavan Rising.

The turns on this one are pretty fast and furious. Not everyone is up to that much energy, but is is amazing great fun to find a parter who is.

So, are you ready to try it at your next party? Tell me in the comments.