Basic situation:

Everyone sits around a table with a plastic drinking "glass" (hereafter called cups). (Paper works OK, no handles, glass or ceramics, unless you want to do some sweeping. The cups may be of any size (C, D, training, etc.) Most of the moves involve moving a cup from one side to the other. At that point, each person has a new cup. Everyone should try to sit so that the right hand cup of their left-hand neighbor is within easy reach.

Rules of etiquette:

1. Cupping is a living folk tradition. You can do anything you want with it, except laugh at cuppists. We are serious artistes and are heavily funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. (Note that as artistes, we sound more French and have one more 'e' than artists. Why and if this is important is entirely unclear).

2. If you mess up, you can try to recover by getting the cup to the proper place by the end of the move. HOWEVER, extreme caution must be exercised in attempting to retrieve cups that fall of the table. Accidents could result in serious injury or children.

3. You must be willing to be stared at by non-participants who will be enthralled and confused by the rhythmic magic emanating from the cupping table.

4. You must train the curious if they ask you. Remember, once you learn this you are a master of a valuable folk tradition. Why you are practically a village elder (or younger if you prefer), and are viewed as a dexterous expert (dexpert??) by the uninformed masses.

Other notes about this edition:

This was written by a crazed folk dancer. If you do not folk dance, or do not care to be in the same time zone as folk dancers, please ignore all folk dancing references and just enjoy the cupping anyway.

Brief historical note:

According to legend, this folk tradition was developed by 2 jugglers from New Jersey, who demonstrated and taught it at a juggling convention in 1991 at the University of Massachussets, Amherst. At the convention was a member of the MIT folk dance club, who taught it to several members back in Cambridge. It is probable that it was these people that took it to folk dance camps, from which it has spread to other parts of the nation. The author learned the tradition from a Dallas folk dancer at a folk dance camp in Bastrop, Texas. The Dallas folk dancer then taught it to other Texas folk dancers at Texas Camp in 1992 at Greene Family Camp, Bruceville, Texas. Late night sessions and variations developed there prompted the writing of this manual. I am still actively researching the roots of this national treasure.

Moves

(This moves the cup from the right to the left)

Sequence: (Cup starts upside down on your right.)

Measure 1:

Measure 2:

(This starts and ends with the cup on the left)

Sequence: (Cup starts upside down to your left)

Measure 1:

Measure 2:

Cup Dances

Now, we have the elements of a basic Cup dance (The term dance is used because the author feels that cupping has all the elements of dance. This principle was discovered during a simultaneous all-night cup session and Romanian folk dance review).

For this dance, you may either find a good 4/4 tune, or just be your own rhythm. A good exercise for advanced cuppists is to pick a dance tune that accelerates (such as Raca). Start with a cup to your right, do a Drumming Left Cross followed by a Tapping Left Stay. Now, starting with the cup that your right hand neighbor just put down on your right, do it again. If you have no music , you will find yourself speeding up until confusion and shouting and much humor occurs.

Advanced Topics

Now, learn a couple of new moves, very similar to the ones we have already learned.

(This moves the cup from the left to the right)

(This starts and ends with the cup on the right)

(This moves cup from left to right)

Sequence: (start with cup upside down on your right)

These trivial crosses can be used if you are doing this to a piece of music which has an irregular rhythm (e.g. a piece with 4/4 measures has a 2/4 measure as a bridge).

The basic form of a dance is a combination of crosses and stays.

A couple more dance sequences to try.

1. Six-measure sequence:
Drumming Left Cross
Tapping Left Stay (Twice)
Drumming Right Cross
Tapping Right Stay (Twice)

2. Seven measure sequence:
Drumming Left Cross (Twice)
Trivial Right Cross (Four times)
Tapping Right Stay

You can key different sequences to different parts of the music (e.g. do sequences which move the cups to the left during one part of the music, then do sequences which move the cups to the right when the music changes to a new part.) You could even have people do their own sequences independently. The only stipulation would be where the cups need to end up at the end of the phrase. (For example the Drumming Left Cross moves the cup from right to left in eight beats.) This has the disadvantage that you lose the unity of sound of everyone tapping at the same time, but you could get some really great rhythms. The possibilities are endless.

There are also possibilities for 3/4 rhythms:

(This starts and ends with the cup on the left)

Sequence: (Cup starts upside down to your left (L))

Measure 1:

Measure 2:

(This moves the cup from the right to the left)

Sequence: (Cup starts upside down to your right (R))

Measure 1:

Measure 2:

Really really easy moves for the rhythmically challenged:

First, find out what the combination of crosses and stays is for the dance. Then, use these four moves. For example, the Simplest Any Rhythm Left Cross can replace any Left Cross. You just need to figure out how often to do them.

At some point in the measure, move the cup from your right to your left.

At some point in the measure, move the cup from your left to your right.

Do nothing.

Do nothing.

The Cup Dance Society

This non-profit organization consists of people who are avidly devoted to Cupping. The requirements for membership are simple.

Rule 1: You must learn a Left Cross move and a Right Cross move (the Simplest Any Rhythm moves above will do). This makes you cuppable of participating in any dance.

Rule 2: There are no more rules.

Rule 3: Just kidding.

Rule 4: No, seriously, Rule 1 is the only important rule.

Any new ideas, dances, comments, jokes, or anything associated with cupping should please be sent to:

I am not the president, just a humble caretaker of the society and an occasional dance manual author. This society has no president, just willing members organized in a non-hierarchical, equal-opportunity, recyclable, community-based, CFC-free, dolphin-safe, cholesterol-free co-operative that is not tested on animals.

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