Jamie Allen
Tune: same
Triple improper

A1	Couple one take inside hands, lead down a step or two and turn left to lead between the two inactive ladies; the active gent turns left around lady two and his partner turns right around lady three to come back to the middle Now the actives face the two inactive gents (the lady is on the left and the gent on the right) and lead through; the active lady turns left around gent three and her partner turns right around gent two They end in the middle of lines-of-3 facing up and down the hall (gent one between couple two facing down, lady one between couple three facing up)
A2	Balance in those lines (4); actives turn by the right hand 3/4 until proper, make lines-of-3 at the sides (8); balance again (4)
B1	Actives turn contra corners
B2	Actives balance and swing, end facing down

Jamie Allen is a rare chestnut, much less commonly encountered than some of its cousins that we have considered in earlier Cracking Chestnuts columns. It combines some of the engaging features of a few other chestnuts (including Money Musk and Chorus Jig) into a well-constructed sequence, and we feel that it deserves to be danced much more frequently.

Sometimes called "Jimmy Allen" or "Huntsmen's Chorus," (it fits either tune beautifully), our best guess is that Jamie Allen is English in origin. It looks very much like a version of a dance from Somerset and Devon called Bonny Breast Knot, which was collected by Maud Karpeles and is published in her revision of Cecil Sharp's Country Dance Book, as well as in the English Folk Dance and Song Society's Community Dance Manuals. Bonny Breast Knot is proper, and there is no hand turn in A2. Instead the lines of three balance twice facing up and down the set, and then, with actives leaping into their progressed and proper place on the first beat of the phrase, all balance twice more facing across. Other stylistic differences are that the contra corners are done with arm turns instead of hand turns, and in B2 the actives lead down 4 steps and back before everybody swings. Similar as it is to Jamie Allen, Bonny Breast Knot is a much more boisterous sort of dance, as you might guess listening to its exuberant tune.

Our version of Jamie Allen is adapted slightly from a more traditional version, which is triple proper. The adaptation, which we learned from the calling of David Kaynor, may be easier for contemporary dancers, because partners end their swing on the expected side of each other (lady on right, gent on left). If you choose to dance it proper, actives will need to pay attention to be sure to end the swing progressed and in their own line. In a dance like Chorus Jig, you manage this by ending facing the music, ready to cast out for your trip down the outside. In Jamie Allen this solution is less satisfactory since you begin the dance moving down and to the left to split the two ladies. So you must simply end where you belong and then start the next round by leading down with the lady on the left. Note also that in the traditional version the gent weaves around couple three in A1 and ends between them facing up, while the lady weaves around couple two and ends facing down - just the opposite of what is written above. The three-quarter turn in A2 must then be by the left hand to leave the actives proper for contra corners.

Both Jamie Allen and Bonny Breast Knot are often taught in "triplet" formation, that is as a set dance for three couples rather than a triple minor contra (or longways) dance. To make the dance work for only three couples, the actives must end at the bottom instead of second place, and the new top couple immediately becomes active. In Jamie Allen this is accomplished either by simply swinging to the bottom (i.e., moving down the set as you swing), or else with a quick lead down in place of the balance at the top of B2. Bonny Breast Knot already has a quick lead down and back which can be adjusted such that you lead back only as far as third place rather than to the center of the line. In either case end the swing facing up (proper). In fact, as a triplet, the improper adaptation of Jamie Allen we suggest here, which would require the new actives to cross over while the old ones swing, is largely unnecessary. Dancers' being trained to leave the lady on the right at the end of a swing is no longer a problem.

We would suggest that Jamie Allen (improper version), with its pleasing geometry and interesting pacing might make a strong triple minor dance to add to your repertoire. Bonny Breast Knot (proper), because of its more vigorous action, may fare better as a triplet, which need not be repeated as often in order to give everyone chances at the active role. However, we would encourage you to adapt either of these fine dances to the needs and preferences of your local community.

Sources:
Kaynor, David, personal communication
Kennedy, Douglas, Ed., The Community Dances Manual, Princeton, NJ: Princeton Book Co., 1986 (a reprint in one volume of the seven volume series by the EFDSS)
Luken, Robert, Twenty-Eight Country Dances As Done at the New Boston Fair, 449 Hidden Valley Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45215: Sara Lee Johnson, 1988
Park, Frederick, personal communication
Also, see Hugh Stewart's transcription of the dance, Bonny Breast Knot