A little late in posting these. This week we will cover some more dances from the Beginner Ball. We hope to cover all of them by mud march. This will give us time to cover them again before the end of the year.

The Wellingtonia Reel
12 Scottish Country Dances  devised by Mervyn Short
32 bar Reel for 3 couples

Bars
1 – 4    1C & 2C set and link, 1M finish facing out.

5 – 8    1M, followed by partner, casts up and dances down the middle to finish facing 3M, 1W faces 2M.

9 – 16    1M with 3C and 1W with 2C dance reels of three across, passing right shoulders to begin; finish as started.

17 – 20    1M & 3M and 1W & 2M turn right hands.

21 – 24    1M & 3W and 1W & 2W turn left hands, 1C finish in the centre facing down, (1M between 3C, 1W between 2C).

25 – 28    1M followed by partner, casts up one place on men’s side and dances across to the opposite side in second place. 1W finishes in second place on the men’s side.

29-32    1C turn right hands one and a half times, to finish in second place own sides.

Repeat having passes a couple.

This dance was inspired by the magnificent Wellingtonia trees near Finchampstead, Berkshire which I regularly travel past on the way to class.

Tune:  The Burnt Leg

Balmoral Strathspey  (Strathspey)
RSCDS Book 22 – No. 3

MUSIC                    DESCRIPTION
Bars
1 – 8    First couple with second, and third couple with fourth, dance right and left.

9 – 12    First couple with second, and third couple with fourth, set and dance right hands across half way  round.

13 – 16    All set, and, giving right hands in passing, cross to own sides. (The order is now 2, 1, 4, 3.)

17 – 24    Reels of four at the sides, second couple facing first, and fourth couple facing third.(Fig. 1.)

25 – 32    First, fourth and third couples allemande to finish, first couple at bottom, fourth couple in third, and third couple in second place.  (Fig. 2.)

Repeat, with a new couple leading.

Devised by John A. Charles, Kawerau, New Zealand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Manual of Scottish Country Dancing:
Bars 17-24    1st, 4th and 3rd couples should complete the reel in seven steps using the eight to dance towards partner for the allemande.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TACNotes:’
17-24    1st, 4th & 3rd cpls dance reel in 7 bars &, on bar 24, dance into position for allemande.

Petronella
RSCDS Book 1 – No. 1
32-bar reel for two couples in a four-couple longwise set

Bars                        Description
1 – 2    1st couple dance a petronella turn, i.e. they dance a three-quarters turn, moving diagonally to their right into the middle of the set and pull back right shoulders to face partner.(Fig.)

3 – 4    1st couple set to each other.

5 – 16    1st couple repeat bars 1– 4 always moving to the right until they are back in original positions.

17 – 24    1st couple lead down the middle and up to finish facing each other in the middle of the set with both hands joined. 2nd couple step in.

25 – 32    1st and 2nd couples dance a poussette.

Repeat, having passed a couple.

Introduced at Nathaniel Gow’s Annual Ball in Edinburgh, 1820. J P Boulogne:  The Ball-Room or the Juvenile Pupil’s Assistant, Glasgow 1827.

Original tine:  Petronella (Traditional)