Video: Miss Milligan’s Strathspey
Miss Milligan’s Strathspey
RSCDS Leaflet — No. 20
1 – 4 1st and 2nd couples dance four hands round to finish, 1st couple facing down, 2nd couple facing up, nearer hands joined.
5 – 6 1st and 2nd couples set. On the second step, 1st couple turn towards each other to face up.
7 – 8 1st couple cast off to second place, while 2nd couple dance up to first place and face out.
9 – 16 2nd, 1st and 3rd couples dance reels of three on own sides, all joining nearer hands with partner where possible. (Fig. 1). 2nd and 3rd couples turn the long way round to places.
17 – 18 2nd, 1st and 3rd couples set.
19 – 20 2nd and 1st couples turn partners by the left hand halfway round, to finish facing down the dance.
21 – 24 1st couple, followed by 2nd couple, lead down, cross over below 3rd couple (Fig. 2) and cast up to original place.
Progression: “The Knot”
25 – 26 1st and 2nd couples turn partners halfway round by right hand to finish in the centre, facing down, the woman turning clockwise under her partner’s arm to allemande position. (Fig. 3).
27 – 28 2nd couple, followed by 1st couple, dance up the woman’s side of the dance to positions as in Fig. 4.
29 – 32 2nd and 1st couples turn partners by the left hand to own sides.
Video: The Galloping Carousel
The Galloping Carousel
25 DANCES FOR 25 YEARS, RSCDS Ottawa Branch, 1991
32 bar jig for 4 couples
The dance tells the story of painted horses on a carousel who tire of prancing in endless circles and dream of breaking away to gallop freely. But even in their dreams they always return to the carousel.
1 – 4 1st couple with 2nd couple, and 3rd couple with 4th couple, dance right hands across once round, ending with 1st woman and 4th man facing out.
5 – 8 1st woman, followed by her partner, dances behind the women’s side of the dance into fourth place on opposite sides, while 4th man, followed by his partner, dances behind the men’s side into first place on opposite sides.
9 – 12 Top two couples and bottom two couples dance right hands across once round, ending with 4th man and 1st woman facing out.
13 – 16 4th man, followed by his partner, dances behind the women’s side of the dance back to place, while 1st woman, followed by her partner, dances behind the men’s side back to places, ending with the 1st couple facing down the dance and 4th couple facing up. On bar 16, 2nd couple faces up and 3rd faces down.
17 – 20 On the sidelines, 1st and 2nd couples set and change places right hands, while 3rd and 4th couples do likewise.
21 – 24 On the sidelines, 1st and 4th couples set and change places left hands. (The order is now 2, 4, 1, 3.)
25 – 28 4th couple dances up between 2nd couple and casts back down to second place, while 1st couple dances down between 3rd couple and casts back up to third place.
29 – 32 All four couples turn partners once round back to places with right hands.
Devised by John de Chastelain
Music: “Killearn”, or “Genevieve’s Jig”, Music for Book 32
Video: The Scallywag
The Scallywag
RSCDS Book 51
40-bar jig for three couples in a four-couple longwise set
1 – 4 1st couple dance in towards each other almost to touch shoulders and cast off one place. 2nd couple step up on bars 3 – 4.
5 – 8 1st couple, giving left hands, turn one and a quarter times to face first corners.
9 – 12 1st couple set to first corners and, giving right hands, turn to finish 1st woman facing 2nd woman and 1st man facing 3rd man.
13 – 16 All dance half reels of three across the set, passing left shoulders to begin and finishing in lines of three facing up and down the set.
17 – 20 Taking hands, all advance and retire.
21 – 24 1st couple dance round each other by the right shoulder to finish facing third corners (second corner person in partner’s first corner position).
25 – 32 Repeat bars 9 – 16 from new positions. 2nd and 3rd couples finish the half reels of three on own sides facing in, while 1st couple finish facing each other up and down the set.
33 – 34 1st couple set advancing and take right hands.
35 – 36 1st woman turns under her partner’s right arm while setting (pulling back her right shoulder) as 1st man sets moving slightly towards the women’s side. They finish side by side in the middle of the set, facing up, 1st woman on her partner’s left, retaining right hands.
37 – 40 1st couple lead up, cross over above 2nd couple, and cast off to second place on own sides.
Repeat, having passed a couple.
On the last two bars of the second time through, 1st coup1e cast to the bottom of the set.
Devised by Jennifer P Kelly, RSCDS San Francisco Branch, February 1997.
An appropriately flirtatious dance devised to honour Mikkel Thompson on reaching his half century.
Video: The Black-Haired Lassie
The Black-Haired Lassie
Let’s All Dance, Too
32/R or S/3
by Carolyn Hunt (1993)
San Francisco Branch
1 – 8 1st, 2nd and 3rd couples dance mirror reels of three on the sides. To begin, 1st couple dance in and down, 2nd couple dance out and up, and 3rd couple dance in and up.
9 – 12 1st couple cross over with right hands and cast off one place. 2nd couple step up on bars 3-4 of the phrase.
13 – 16 1st couple dance a half figure of eight crossing up between 2nd couple to begin.
17 – 20 1st couple turn 1st corners with right hands, then pass partners with right shoulders to approach 2nd corners. Corners use all four steps.
21 – 24 1st couple turn 2nd corners with right hands, then pass partners with right shoulders to own sides of the dance in 2nd place. Corners use all four steps.
25 – 32 2nd, 1st and 3rd couples circle 6 hands round and back.
Repeat from new places.
Music: Any good ree] or strathspey
Note: As a new 1st couple begins at the top, 3rd couple dance up into the reel from 4th place and the former 1st couple step to the bottom.
The black-haired lassie is Julie Osborne, who was in the Stockton beginners’ class. (CH)
Video: On The Quarter-Deck
ON THE QUARTER-DECK
Scottish Country Dances from THE HARBOUR CITY.
A 32 bar hornpipe for 2 couples in a 4 couple longwise set.
1 – 4 1st couple set once and cross over giving right hands.
5 – 8 1st couple set once and turn with right hands just over halfway round.
9 – 12 1st couple and 2nd man dance right hands across once round.
13 – 16 1st couple and 2nd woman dance left hands across once round.
17 – 20 1st woman, followed by her partner, dances down the middle for two steps, both turn right about and 1st man, followed by his partner, dances back up the middle.
21 – 24 1st man casts down behind 2nd woman and crosses over into 2nd man’s place while 1st woman dances up the middle and casts down behind 2nd woman to finish in 2nd woman’s place.2nd couple move up on bars 23 and 24.
25 – 32 2nd and 1st couples dance right and left.
Repeat, having passed a couple.
“On the Quarter-deck” was devised by Iain Boyd.
