Lamplighter's Hornpipe
Contra, duple proper

A1	Actives cross the set, moving down one place as they do so, and face out to form long waves at the sides (actives are now improper, progressed, and facing out), balance there Allemande right with the person on the right to form the same waves (4), balance again
A2	Allemande left person on the left until the actives meet in the center, actives balance Actives swing
B1	Actives down the center, turn as couples Come all the way back up to cast off with couple two
B2	Right and left four

Lamplighter's Hornpipe is the original "long wavy lines at the sides" contra dance. Forming those waves at the beginning of the dance can be confusing for the uninitiated, but it is simpler than it appears. If you have not yet tried the dance, we hope the following explanation will improve your odds of nailing it the first time:

Couple one starts the dance with the first few steps of a half figure eight below, crossing the set between couple two, lady first. However, the ones do not continue the figure eight path. In fact, they do not turn at all; after those first few steps they simply continue to face the same direction as when they lined up and offer hands up on either side to make the waves, ready to balance. Once in the waves, the ones are improper, facing out, and standing just below their opposite sex neighbor. The twos are still in their original spot and facing in. Notice that the swing at the end of the A music also happens in this progressed position. So, in B1, the ones must be careful not to go too far down the center, and to turn around in time. Then they must make the return trip rapidly, with clear and unambiguous purpose, in order to cast off with their original number two couple and not someone else's neighbor. (Alert twos have identified their ones and are looking out for them at this moment. Their eye contact helps a lot.) This is challenging enough that it is extremely rare to get through Lamplighter's Hornpipe with no one trying to cast off with the wrong neighbor couple at least once.

These quirks date from when the dance was triple minor. When the minor set had three couples instead of two, the wavy lines in A1 were lines-of-three[1], and it made choreographic sense to put the active gent between two ladies and active lady between two gents. Traditional dancers have long memories, and even as dancers began dancing Lamplighter's as duple improper they retained the downward diagonal cross through. We once learned a variation from Vermont caller Fred Breunig, in which the ones start by going straight across to stand in their partner's spot (only facing out) to form the waves. Everything else is the same. This variation is eminently logical. The action in A1 becomes far easier to explain. And it allows the actives to swing in their original place, making it much less tricky to find the correct twos when it is time for the cast off. But northeast dance communities have retained the odder and more challenging version, while the logical one has largely failed to take root. How to explain this example of New England cantankerousness? Well, despite the change from triple to duple minor, we suspect a sense of "we've always done it this way" prevailed. Also, perhaps the dance's idiosyncrasies are part of its attraction. A chestnut that is hard enough to need cracking is somehow more appealing. You have to know how to get into the waves. You have to know to surge up toward the music for the cast off. Knowing these things makes you an insider.

At the 2004 Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, Fred Breunig used the dance Lamplighter's Hornpipe to illustrate the way choreography changes over time. If you are interested in a compressed description of the (count them!) five versions he offered (none of which is the "logical" version mentioned above) you can find them in the syllabus for the weekend, which is available online. Here is still another version, which contains a nice little bit of partner interaction that may well have begun the process that ended with the insertion of the modern partner swing.

A1	Cross through to the waves (4) and balance (4); turn the right-hand person by the right hand to end in the same waves (8)
A2	Balance the waves (4); turn the left-hand person by the left hand (8); actives turn by the right hand halfway (4)
Bs	Actives down the center (proper), turn alone, etc.

(Adapted from Holden et al., 1956)

Holden also includes a version that has a quicker turn with the left-hand person, and a once-and-a-half turn with your partner, further extending that partner interaction. We find this variation appealing in that each turn becomes slightly faster than the one before (once around in 8, then once around in 6, and finally once-and-a-half in 6).

As in Hull's Victory, we prefer that the balances go forward and back for this dance, rather than going first to the right and then to the left. This moves dancers smoothly into either a right-hand turn or a left-hand turn. Indeed, Lamplighter's has many similarities to Hull's Victory, and it is perhaps not surprising that both dances acquired a partner swing at the end of A2, probably at about the same time (we would guess 1950s or 60s). Ralph Page may not have approved of such shenanigans, but we don't think the quick, smooth swing does irreparable harm to this old chestnut.

You may have encountered Lamplighter's Hornpipe or one of its many variations with an alternate title: Road to Californy. The tune, however, is always called Lamplighter's Hornpipe[2]. It is a joyful and bouncy tune, with just the slightest hint of nostalgia about the B-parts.

So, now you are a Lamplighter insider. You know all its best-kept secrets. Let a friend in on them soon!