Video: The Faraway Isle
THE FARAWAY ISLE
THE CANADIAN BOOK OF SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCES by John Drewry
A dance for the visit to Majorca
Jig – 4 couples – 48 bars.
Tune – “Tam’s Hunting Horn” by I Munro – from Kerr’s Thistle Collection Page 32.
In this dance 3rd and 4th couples start on the wrong sides.
1–8 1st couple, giving right hands, cross over and cast off to second place on wrong sides (2nd couple step up on Bars 3-4), then 1st couple dance half a figure of eight round 2nd couple to finish in second place on own sides. 4th couple, similarly, cross over and cast up to third place (3rd couple step down), then dance half a figure of eight round 3rd couple to finish in third place on wrong sides.
9–16 1st and 4th couples dance right hands across, after four steps the ladies turn and join left hands to return, but each man dances out from the wheel, and round his partner, to enter the left hand wheel behind her. Finish with 1st lady facing 2nd man; 1st man, 2nd lady; 4th man,3rd lady; and 4th lady, 3rd man.
17–24 Double diagonal reels of four, with left-hand half-wheels in the centre. At the end, 1st and 4th couples do not dance left hands across but curve in as at the end of a foursome reel to face the opposite end of the diagonal from that faced at the beginning of the reel. That is, 1st man is facing 3rd lady; 1st lady, 3rd man; 4th man, 2nd lady; and 4th lady, 2nd man.
25–32 All set twice to the person facing, then turn that person by the right hand to finish in two lines across the dance in top and fourth places. 4th couple are between 2nd couple in top place, and 1st couple are between 3rd couple in fourth place, ready for reels of four across the dance.
33–40 Two reels of four across the dance. At the end, 1st and 4th couples pass partners by the right to finish in the positions from which they began the reels, but facing partners.
41–44 4th couple, joining right hands, lead up crossing over and cast off to second place on own sides. 1st couple, similarly, lead down crossing over and cast up to third place on wrong sides.
45–48 All turn partners once by the right hand.
The final order is 2, 4, 1, 3 and 1st and 3rd couples are on wrong sides.
Repeat with a new top couple.
Video: The Whiteadder Jig
The Whiteadder Jig
The Whiteadder Collection
1–4 First and second couples set and link.
5–8 First and second couples dance right hands across once round.
9–10 First couple set.
11–13 First man dance a half reel of three across with third couple, giving left shoulder to third lady to begin while first lady dances a half reel of three across with second couple, giving left shoulder to second man to begin.
14–16 The three men dance a half reel of three on the ladies’ side, first man giving right shoulder to second man to begin, while the three ladies dance a half reel of three on the men’s side, first lady giving right shoulder to third lady to begin. Finish in the order 3, 1, 2.
17–20 All three couples set and link for three.
21–24 All three couples turn the opposite person once round with the right hand.
25–28 All three couples set and link for three.
29–32 All three couples turn partners once round with the right hand.
Repeat having passed a couple.
Dance devised by Muriel Johnstone.
Muriel’s enjoyment of the figure “link for three”, as in Gang the Same Gate, led her to incorporate it in jig time for this dance.
“Pearlin’ Jean” was an ill-fated lady crossed in love, who became the subject of several versions of a local ghost story. The house where she met her untimely death overlooked the River Whiteadder just outside Allanton.