In this the step is 4/3 throughout. It should be danced something after
the fashion of "Morris-Off," but not quite so soberly; yet the step is
less vigorous than the normal Morris step. Like "Morris-Off" it has, what
with its length and staid monotony, a quaintness all its own. To teach
and to learn the right way of dancing "Bluff King Hal" is more a matter
of drill and precision than lusty _abandon_: it must be danced evenly,
seriously almost, and quite quietly, or its true effect will be marred or
lost.
The music is marked _ad libitum_: the musician simply brings his labours
to an end in whichsoever section he shall hear the warning call of "All
in." Even the Morris-men themselves do not invariably go through all the
movements. These instructions are given in order that, should audience or
dancers weary of the exercise, it can be curtailed. Where we have taught
the dance to novices, we have found, at first, curtailment to be
advisable, for the length and monotony of it palled. Later, however, when
the learners had mastered its curious intricacies, we found no weariness
amongst them, but a constant demand for every single movement to be
performed in its traditional completeness, and over and over again, as
long as we chose to play it. We shall therefore describe it here at
length, and leave it to the tact and discretion of the teacher where and
when and to what extent it shall upon occasion be abbreviated. The files
should stand as in Corner Dances--about twelve feet apart.