Dance

Red River Valley

This singing and swinging square dance evolved from Martha Danforth's singing call plus the West Virginia version found in a 1947 book called Folk Dances for All by Michael Herman.

Directions: Square your sets. Directions are to the head (#1 couple) that moves around the set in counterclockwise fashion to visit #2, #3, and #4. After the Grand Right and Left, the dance continues with #2 couple visiting #3, #4, and #1. The dance continues until couples #3 and #4 have led out, ending with the chorus each time.

Red River pal = partner

Girl in the valley = opposite lady

Now you lead right down to the valley
And you circle to the left and to the right
Now you swing with the girl in the valley
And you swing with your Red River pal.

Alternate pattern for second couple met:

Now you lead right down to the valley
And you circle to the left and to the right
Now the girls make a wheel in the valley
And the boys do-si-do so polite.

Now you lead right down to the valley
And you circle to the left and to the right
Now you swing with the girl in the valley
And you swing HOME your Red River pal.

Now you allemande LEFT on the corner,
RIGHT hand to your own, GRAND RIGHT AND LEFT.
Now you meet that girl in the valley
And you swing HOME your Red River pal.