Galopede

A simple but very popular country dance from revived English folk dance sources, not known in Australia until the popular folk dance revival under the somewhat ’erroneous’ but fashionable title of ’bush dance’ during the 1960s and 70s. It takes its name from the use of the forward galop step in the ’swinging’ and in other versions such as the Galopede Country Dance where the gliding or chasse step from the old Galop couple dance is a feature. In Britain the signature tune for this dance is the ’Persian Dance’ more commonly known by the collected folk tune name ’Yarmouth Reel’. In Australia the universal and popular signature tune known as ’The Galopede’ was actually a set tune collected by John Meredith from Herb Gimbert who played it for a figure of the First Set. Video footage by dancers and friends of Bush Dance & Music Club of Bendigo, directed by Peter Ellis at Sedgwick, Victoria Australia, October 2014.