# dance

created: 2005-04-09 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:30.851346+00
name: Lady in Red
ucname: LADY IN RED
intensity_bars: 88888 08080 88888 84884
notes:
  Dedicated to Leslie Dawes of Gleneagles Scottish Country Dance Club, West Vancouver and
  Vancouver Branch.

  Misprint. The dance description in the Highlander Collection vol 1 says that this is a Strathspey, but the music is a Jig.   ETF 30 oct 2011

  Malcolm Brown writes on the Strathspey List:

  "The dance was first published in the Vancouver Branch Ruby Collection in
  2005, where the accompanying tune is Gentle Shepherd.

  It was then published in Simon's own collection of dances as part of the
  Branxholm Hall Suite / Lady in Red Collection in 2007, where again the tune
  is Gentle Shepherd, and where Simon says "the dance was inspired by, and
  written to the beautiful tune The Gentle Shepherd as recorded on St Andrews
  Ball by Ron Kerr", and where it is also described as a "32 bar slow jig"."

  (As slow jigs go, the Ron Kerr recording in question is not particularly slow.)


created: 2015-07-31 14:00:15.410892+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:30.911393+00
name: Orpington Caledonians
ucname: ORPINGTON CALEDONIANS
intensity_bars: 802/808/840/888
devised: 1987-01-01
notes:
  The dance was written in 1987 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Orpington and District Caledonian Society.


created: 2015-07-31 14:06:07.921762+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:30.940101+00
name: First Rain of Spring, The
ucname: FIRST RAIN OF SPRING
intensity_bars: 820/880/808/828
notes:
  Those who live in the drier parts of the world, especially in areas of predominantly summer rainfall, will appreciate the joy of those first spring showers after three or four months of "drought".


created: 2015-07-31 14:08:56.336503+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:30.967823+00
name: Ruby Rant, The
ucname: RUBY RANT
intensity_bars: 880/866/866/844
devised: 2015-01-01
notes:
  To mark the 40th Australian Winter School in 2015, hosted by Queensland Branch.

  On [1-8] we have a modified formation "Set and Rotate": set, cast clw half round, cross with P.


created: 2015-07-31 14:25:36.181695+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.016918+00
name: Library of Birmingham, The
ucname: LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8888/8888/8888
devised: 2013-09-03
notes:
  A new public library for Birmingham, the largest in Europe, was opened by Malala Yousafzai on 3rd September 2013. The Dutch architect, Francine Houben, designed a building whose exterior is extensively covered with black and silver circles.

  Note: The rose progresion was devised by Downey, New Zealand, who specifies that the figure should be danced in as round a shape as possible


created: 2015-07-31 14:36:26.317703+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.056685+00
name: Countess of Dunmore's Reel, The
ucname: COUNTESS OF DUNMORES REEL
intensity_bars: 800/844/888/888
devised: 2012-10-01
notes:
  In the mid 19th century, the Earl of Dunmore owned the whole of the Island of Harris. After the passing of the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act, Catherine, Countess Dowager of Dunmore, gave lands in favour of the School Board of the Parish of Harris for the building of schools. These included Finsbay School, which was attended by members of the deviser's family.


created: 2026-04-09 21:50:22.815753+00
last_modified: 2026-04-09 21:50:22.815753+00
name: Land of the Long White Cloud, The
ucname: LAND OF THE LONG WHITE CLOUD
devised: 2016-01-01
notes:
  This is an adaptation of <<ddd:Aotearoa - The Land of the Long White Cloud#23584>> by the same deviser.


created: 2022-01-09 19:17:14.567358+00
last_modified: 2026-04-12 21:58:36.875353+00
name: Miss Lawson's Reel
ucname: MISS LAWSONS REEL
devised: 1988-01-01
notes:
  "For Jennifer"

  In the book the recommended tune is given as "Jennifer Lawson's Reel" (no composer mentioned). The Irvine Valley SCD band recorded a track <<ddrec:Miss Lawson's Reel>> which includes a tune entered there just as "Jennifer's Reel" by Barbara A. Ramsay. Edwin Werner says: "I do confirm that Jennifer’s Reel is the original tune. It is the one provided by Nan Lawson herself and ‘handed over’ to Derek Hamilton and his one-piece band Irvine Valley. [..]"


created: 2015-05-01 23:06:59.733336+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.078207+00
name: Spring Fling Reel, The
ucname: SPRING FLING REEL
intensity_bars: 800/888/844/844/888
devised: 2014-09-01
notes:
  Spring Fling 2015 was held over the weekend of April 17th to the 19th in Hounslow, London.

  On the last day of Spring Fling a dance competition was held to choose a dance for the upcoming Book 50. In total, 46 dances from around the world were submitted and trialled, with 7 finalists chosen to be voted on by Spring Fling attendees.

  The winning dance, shown here, was the culmination of many hours of devising, dancing and deliberation. It was danced by Spring Fling attendees who, after a long weekend of dancing, with a lot of energy spent (and sleep lost), were up for one more dance!


created: 2016-07-11 16:01:06.717458+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.142114+00
name: Doonhamer Delight, The
ucname: DOONHAMER DELIGHT
intensity_bars: 88/88/88/88
devised: 2014-11-01
notes:
  The title celebrates the deviser’s home town, Dumfries, where locals are referred to as Doonhamers.


created: 2016-07-11 19:16:02.482006+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.17663+00
name: Wandering Wallaby, The
ucname: WANDERING WALLABY
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8888/8888
devised: 2014-11-01
notes:
  The wallaby is a pest which eats the native vegetation where the deviser lives in rural New Zealand. It was introduced to the town as a present for a lady who lived there years ago.


created: 2016-07-11 19:23:56.248182+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.216979+00
name: Trip to Applecross, A
ucname: TRIP TO APPLECROSS
intensity_bars: 80/88/88/84
devised: 2013-10-01
notes:
  This dance was written on the way back from a trip to the Applecross peninsula in Scotland. The first eight bars recall the deviser wandering up and down, waiting, while her partner photographed the beautiful landscape.


created: 2017-07-16 11:50:46.275348+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.296756+00
name: Save the Children
ucname: SAVE THE CHILDREN
intensity_bars: 880/844/844/888
devised: 2015-09-01
notes:
  This dance was devised to inspire young dancers to give demonstrations in villages and towns to raise money for children's charities.


created: 2015-10-25 12:58:52.526584+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.308683+00
name: Fair Enough
ucname: FAIR ENOUGH
intensity_bars: 8888/0880/8008/8888
devised: 2014-07-01
notes:
  “Devised for a performance at the Clark County Fair in Vancouver, Washington, USA.”

  You can find instructions for 3-couple and 5-couple variants of this dance on <<http://www.rscds-swws.org/news/stories/Book-51-FairEnough-Variants.pdf>>.

  DEVISED:2014-07


created: 2017-07-16 12:02:35.379167+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.320746+00
name: Summer on the Beach
ucname: SUMMER ON THE BEACH
devised: 2012-06-01
notes:
  This dance was devised for Laura in my children's class in Ghent, Belgium. She was nine years old at the time and, although a very enthusiastic dancer, was looking forward to her summer holiday at the seaside.

  - bars 1–8 represent the parasols being set up on the beach;
  - bars 9–16 represent the children jumping over the waves that roll onto the beach;
  - bars 17–24 represent the children diving into the water and swimming back to the shore; and
  - bars 25–32 represent the children playing with their kites.


created: 2017-07-16 12:21:23.268319+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.369721+00
name: Hello-Goodbye
ucname: HELLOGOODBYE
intensity_bars: 800/888/822/888
devised: 2012-10-01
notes:
  The dance was devised to introduce the formation ‘set to corners and partner’ in either strathspey time or in quick time. In *Won't You Join the Dance*, Jean Milligan offered the following advice to teachers: ‘It has been found very helpful to make them (the class) say “How do you do” – “Goodbye” to each person as they set.’


created: 2022-07-07 10:29:43.517604+00
last_modified: 2026-04-16 17:45:33.86331+00
name: Missing Friends
ucname: MISSING FRIENDS
intensity_bars: 800/888/844/844
devised: 2021-08-01
notes:
  First found in dance list <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/list/34802/>> but now published.

  Inspired by Marian Anderson's tune, composed during Covid, "Missing Friends".  Bars 1-20 represent keeping apart during Covid; Bars 21-32 represent normal social contact post Covid.


created: 2002-03-03 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-14 10:44:35.468344+00
name: Chrysanthemum
ucname: CHRYSANTHEMUM
intensity_bars: 4444/4444/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888
devised: 1986-01-01
notes:
  This dance was presented to the Tokyo Scottish Bluebell Club, when a large number of dancers, mainly from Canada, visited Japan. The chrysanthemum is the emblem of the Japanese Imperial Family and is truly a flower that symbolises Japan. For this reason, the dance was created with the chrysanthemum as its theme. It is not only beautiful in its figures, but the music and the dance itself are enjoyable and accessible to everyone. Since then, this dance, 'Chrysanthemum', has become a favourite at the Tokyo Scottish Bluebell Club.


created: 2001-10-21 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-14 15:40:21.922312+00
name: Knottah ('nother dance)
ucname: KNOTTAH NOTHER DANCE
intensity_bars: 8888 8888 8228 8008 8888
devised: 2001-01-01
notes:
  Published on <<sspey-thread:25854|Strathspey>> 29 April 2001 by Norman Dahl at the deviser's request. »we think that the »Linked double half figure of 8« may be a new formation«.

  The original name on the <<sspey-thread:25854|Strathspey>> mailing list was given as "Knottah ('nother dance)" but in the <<ddpub:2001: A Dance Odyssey (2nd edition)#1809>> publication it has a longer subtitle "Knottah ('nother dance by David Le Broque)" which is added as an alias.

  The publication explains that it was devised before anyone else had the chance to say “Not another dance by David Le Broque!”, and that is why the music is “Why Not?”!


created: 2024-02-04 22:06:12.710671+00
last_modified: 2026-04-14 22:08:51.59398+00
name: Barcelona
ucname: BARCELONA
devised: 2011-01-01
notes:
  Dedicated by the deviser and composer to "their good friends in Barcelona, who invited them to their first weekend school to teach and pipe."


created: 2026-04-14 15:34:43.526166+00
last_modified: 2026-04-17 08:48:16.939394+00
name: Moore's Fly Past
ucname: MOORES FLY PAST
devised: 2022-01-01
notes:
  When Harvey and Laura Moore celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Catherine Bennett devised this dance as a tribute to all they have done for both SCD and the greater community (Salt Lake City area) at large.


created: 2026-04-15 20:28:09.546591+00
last_modified: 2026-05-19 05:40:27.908427+00
name: Beanstalk, The
ucname: BEANSTALK
intensity_bars: 880/808/888/484
devised: 2023-08-01
notes:
  > This dance is for RSCDS Saitama Branch 25th Anniversary. They have made me very welcome many times and I wish them every success for the next 25 years and beyond. The dance title refers to the Beanstalk object (Silver Monument) in Omiya station, the busiest railway station in Saitama prefecture,
  reflecting the busy nature of the dance. Thoughts might also turn to the beanstalk which grew to be very big in the story “Jack and the Beanstalk”.


created: 2022-03-07 18:48:07.110095+00
last_modified: 2026-04-16 17:11:28.225171+00
name: Kawagoe Matsuri Strathspey
ucname: KAWAGOE MATSURI STRATHSPEY
devised: 2018-11-01
notes:
  "In honour of the Alba Scottish Country Dance Groups in Japan, taught by Masako Nomura and who made me so welcome."

  Many 8 metre tall floats are pulled through Kawagoe city during the annual Matsuri.


created: 2026-04-15 20:45:48.861464+00
last_modified: 2026-04-23 14:19:57.051354+00
name: Toki No Kane
ucname: TOKI NO KANE
notes:
  For Nerima Alba and Kiyose Alba SCD groups' 25th Anniversary.  The dance title is the famous 400 year old bell at Kawagoe which tells the time with its beautiful sound 4 times a day.


created: 2026-04-12 20:03:23.852113+00
last_modified: 2026-04-29 08:33:01.551651+00
name: Sagrada Familia
ucname: SAGRADA FAMILIA
intensity_bars: 800/844/844/808
devised: 2025-01-01
notes:
  The dance is inspired by the structure of the Sagrada Familia by Gaudi in Barcelona. The first eight bars represent the tallest tower, dedicated to Christ. The next eight bars represent the four towers of the
  Evangelists. The following bars are danced in groups of three people, symbolizing the Holy Family (Mary, Joseph, and Jesus) and also the concept of three in one (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The dance ends
  with a figure representing stone's enduring solidity.


created: 2026-07-19 21:09:09.760022+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 21:09:09.760022+00
name: Lord Wellington's Reel
ucname: LORD WELLINGTONS REEL
devised: 2011-01-01
notes:
  >  This dance was originally written as a warm-up exercise utilizing
  >  the three basic quick time steps. It was later revised and used for “first night” dancers or as an audience
  >  participation dance.
  >  Wellington is a loveable standard, white French poodle owned by former Los Angeles Branch member
  >  Angela Tennyson. At the time I first met Wellington, he was a bouncy, 8-week-old ball of white fluff. Today
  >  Angela and Wellington live in New Market, Maryland.


created: 2026-07-19 21:22:15.776142+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 21:22:15.776142+00
name: On the Skids
ucname: ON THE SKIDS
devised: 1994-01-01
notes:
  > At the time this dance was devised, my son Michael was working
  > as a videographer specializing in aerial photography of power boat racing. In order to get footage of all
  > participants in a race, the helicopter had to quickly dart from boat to boat. When shooting, Mike was
  > usually sitting at the open door of the helicopter secured by a harness, his feet just above the skids of the
  > helicopter.


created: 2026-07-19 21:44:39.154797+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 21:44:39.154797+00
name: This One's for Norm
ucname: THIS ONES FOR NORM
notes:
  > Devised for Norm Plotkin, a long-time member of my Thursday night class. Norm
  > loved to pass right shoulders when dancing the half diagonal reels of four in Mairi’s Wedding and
  > Polharrow Burn. Since I insisted that the class pass left shoulders in these dances as the devisers had
  > specified, Norm made me promise that if I ever used the formation in a dance, I would allow a right
  > shoulder pass. This dance is for Norm, who sadly passed away in 2020. He is greatly missed.


created: 2026-04-15 20:29:56.989572+00
last_modified: 2026-06-10 22:15:28.800913+00
name: Blue Eyed Doll
ucname: BLUE EYED DOLL
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/844
devised: 2023-10-01
notes:
  > The blue-eyed doll was a gift from the United States to promote goodwill between Japan and the U.S. Eiichi Shibusawa (from Saitama Prefecture, known as the father of the Japanese economy and the portrait on the new 10,000 yen bill) was instrumental in obtaining the doll.  
  About 280 of these dolls, which suffered a tragic fate during World War II, are still in existence, protected by people with kind hearts.  
  We hope that peace will come to the hearts of those still suffering from the war as soon as possible.


created: 2018-07-16 23:54:47.294676+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.421992+00
name: Ullapool Ferry, The
ucname: ULLAPOOL FERRY
intensity_bars: 8800/8880/8008/8008
devised: 2015-01-01
notes:
  A ferry sails daily between Ullapool in Wester Ross and Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, providing access to the remote and beautiful islands of the Outer Hebrides.  

  Note: The hello-goodbye poussette was devised by Rod Downey, Wellington, New Zealand, inspired by a similar formation in the dance Lang May Your Lum Reek by Barry Priddey.


created: 2016-11-01 17:25:57.821531+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.444252+00
name: Slytherin House
ucname: SLYTHERIN HOUSE
intensity_bars: 880/800/888/888
devised: 2016-09-01
notes:
  For teaching her class Sue Ronald wanted a strathspey with two snake pass chases in it and couldn't find one, so Chris wrote this one.


created: 2001-03-13 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.476803+00
name: Scallywag, The
ucname: SCALLYWAG
intensity_bars: 800/866/844/866/800
devised: 1997-02-01
notes:
  The notes say this is an "appropriately flirtatious dance, composed February 1997 to honor Mikkel Thompson on reaching his half century."

  An early SCDDB comment suggested that *the demonstrations by the Alamo dem team show that there is an error in the original instructions for bars [33-34]: 1c meets with Rsh, not Lsh as stated, and then joins RH.* However current versions of the instructions  just mention joining RH.


created: 2018-07-17 00:14:31.288961+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.531828+00
name: Ysobel Stewart of Fish Hoek
ucname: YSOBEL STEWART OF FISH HOEK
intensity_bars: 880/844/844/866
devised: 2016-10-01
notes:
  In 1955, Mrs Ysobel Stewart (co-founder of the RSCDS) moved to South Africa, where she found the climate more agreeable to her rheumatism. During a trip to Cape Town, the deviser visited the suburb of Fish Hoek (also known as Vishoek) where Mrs Stewart lived.


created: 2012-01-21 08:07:05.051717+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.544804+00
name: Aviator, The
ucname: AVIATOR
intensity_bars: 800/846/846/822
devised: 2011-01-01
notes:
  Note in Carola Fischer's original instructions:  NB.  It is up to the dancing couple how far down they dance down and in which place they dance out between the standing men.  Where there is more than one set, the dancing couple may dance out through the gap in the men’s side in the set below.

  Devised by Carola Fischer for Hans Prade on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Hans used to be a keen glider and my father nick-named him „The Aviator“. Hans once had the wonderful experience of being joined by a buzzard which took advantage of the thermal, flying at his wingtip and mirroring his movements. This dance depicts Hans taking off, banking round, enjoying his flight with the buzzard and then landing again safely. May the movements of this dance bring back those happy memories!


created: 2016-07-02 22:25:37.025059+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.56194+00
name: Triple Happiness
ucname: TRIPLE HAPPINESS
intensity_bars: 800/880/844/888
devised: 2016-01-01
notes:
  The dance was written to celebrate the special ball of SCD group ’Mie SCDF’. ‘Mie’ is a prefecture name and means ‘Triple’.


created: 2026-07-18 21:35:10.185847+00
last_modified: 2026-07-18 21:35:10.185847+00
name: Acadia
ucname: ACADIA
devised: 1998-01-01
notes:
  > Devised in 1998 following a trip to Nova Scotia to attend the Halifax International Scottish Country Dance Workshop.
  > 
  > Acadia was a French colony in northeastern North America. Originally settled by the French in the early
  > 1700s, the land was later ceded to England. Thousands of Acadians were deported, scattering them
  > throughout the New World. Many of the French settlers found their way back to Nova Scotia, settling
  > largely in the Annapolis Valley on the shores of the Bay of Fundy. My husband’s ancestors, who emigrated
  > from France in the early 1700s to what is now Quebec Province, were Acadians.


created: 2026-07-19 21:49:37.783698+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 22:30:46.552007+00
name: Double Bubble
ucname: DOUBLE BUBBLE
intensity_bars: 84/88/88/84
devised: 2020-08-01
notes:
  > This was devised during the Covid-19 pandemic as a hands-free dance which should work
  > in wider than usual sets. However it can of course be done taking hands.
  > If preferred it may also be danced as a strathspey.


created: 2026-04-15 14:28:01.801037+00
last_modified: 2026-04-17 20:36:49.262621+00
name: 14-year-old Kitten, The
ucname: 14YEAROLD KITTEN
devised: 2026-02-01
notes:
  Nearly a year ago we adopted a 14-year-old cat from a shelter wanting to give her a good home for her last years. We figured she’d be quiet but we were wrong; she races up and down the stairs, is very vocal when she wants to be fed or even when we walk by, and chews plastic bags and electrical cords when she feels we are ignoring her desires. We love her and find her amusing and are very glad we added her to our family.


created: 2026-04-19 11:52:12.407602+00
last_modified: 2026-04-19 11:52:12.407602+00
name: Forty Years Between
ucname: FORTY YEARS BETWEEN
devised: 2025-01-01
notes:
  This was devised by Lesley in 2025 to celebrate 2 milestone birthdays - one for Lesley,
  and one for her father, as their birthdays are close in date, but 40 years apart.


created: 2004-10-21 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-19 12:09:59.200057+00
name: Chanronry Chase
ucname: CHANRONRY CHASE
intensity_bars: 888/844/888/840
notes:
  > Chanronry is the original name of Fortrose, on the Black Isle.
  > Chanronry Point protrudes into the Moray Firth
  > and a small school of bottlenose dolphins can sometimes be seen here.


created: 1998-07-08 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-19 15:13:28.456038+00
name: Ben Wyvis
ucname: BEN WYVIS
intensity_bars: 4884/8448/8448/8008
notes:
  The heading in the instructions has "Ben Wyvis - 6th hole - Nairn".

  See for example <<https://nairngolfclub.co.uk/the-championship-course/#hole-6>>.


created: 2002-10-15 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-19 15:56:37.539661+00
name: Celtic Square
ucname: CELTIC SQUARE
devised: 2001-01-01
notes:
  This dance has been published in several collections. In the Sydney <<ddpub:50 Anniversary Book of Dances#843>> (2002) bars 25-26 specify that the men dance out right shoulder around their standing partners into the promenade whereas <<ddpub: Waratah Collection - Edition 2010#1070>> says each couple should half turn RH at that point.


created: 1997-09-11 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-20 00:44:24.571796+00
name: Poussie, Poussie, Bawdrons
ucname: POUSSIE POUSSIE BAWDRONS
notes:
  Used to say “12 bars” but changed to “32 bars” as that sounds more likely. If you have a description of this dance, consider sending us a copy so we can fill in the missing information.


created: 2002-03-04 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-20 16:43:47.938275+00
name: Ddraig Goch
ucname: DDRAIG GOCH
intensity_bars: 840 844 844 804
notes:
  > "Y Ddraig Goch" (The Red Dragon) can be seen all over Wales, particularly after closing time.
  > It is well known for chasing its own tail up and down and round and round (rather like the dance).
  > Unfortunately, the horizontal rain prevalent in these parts has a habit of putting the flames out.


created: 2024-06-29 08:33:39.832177+00
last_modified: 2026-04-21 08:54:50.222055+00
name: Elegant Man, The
ucname: ELEGANT MAN
notes:
  Source: <<https://youtu.be/ljYQ1uEDGBk|youtube video>>.

  The video comments say "This dance was written in memory of Jonathan Lovell, who always danced very elegantly and helped me learn the Strathspey step when I was a beginning Scottish Country dancer".


created: 2026-04-09 19:03:12.502345+00
last_modified: 2026-04-21 16:04:43.381513+00
name: Cromach and the Cairns, The
ucname: CROMACH AND THE CAIRNS
intensity_bars: 80/88/84/88
devised: 2026-04-01
notes:
  > This dance has been written for Mike Cameron on the occassion of this 75th birthday.
  > Mike is a gentleman who’s every word and action is well considered.
  > Cromachs and Cairns are related to both walking and to guidance, and are used in the title
  > as a symbol of both the many thousands of kilometers of footprints that Mike has left on mountain trails,
  > as well as the many young lives that he has enriched by his gentle guidance.
  >
  > Mike serves on the committees of both RSCDS Cape Town Branch and the Lynfrae Scottish dance club.


created: 2002-07-21 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-22 10:25:42.255479+00
name: Brecon in March
ucname: BRECON IN MARCH
intensity_bars: 84044 80404 88080 88888 88888
notes:
  The Bristol <<ddpub:40th Anniversary Book of SCD, The#832|40th Anniversary Book>> attributes this dance to Peter Wright.

  However information received from <<ddp:Entwistle, Geoff#12280>> is that the dance was devised more collectively in the bar during an SCD week in Brecon - in particular the insistence that "bars 31 & 32 should be 'Set and Turn about', not Set having turned about".


created: 2026-04-22 22:58:37.322719+00
last_modified: 2026-04-22 23:12:35.829603+00
name: April at the Castle
ucname: APRIL AT THE CASTLE
devised: 2026-04-23
notes:
  For the 2026 FSCDC e.V. “Dance and Fun” weekend at Burg Fürsteneck, near Eiterfeld in the Rhön hills.
  On the preceding Tuesday, I had taught <<ddd:Lochmaben Castle>> and told the class that there
  are only three known dances that feature The Whirligig.
  Now there is one more.


created: 2003-01-02 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:34.850753+00
name: Hyperactive Reel, The
ucname: HYPERACTIVE REEL
intensity_bars: 800/880/888/888
devised: 1990-01-01
notes:
  Devised at Pinewoods Camp, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA in 1990.   
     
  For "1st couple down and up" in bars 1-8, "Simply Dancing" published by Newcastle RSCDS in 2007 uses the word "dance", and the RSCDS Graded Book 2, 2010 changes it to "lead".  


created: 2013-09-28 22:20:03.263751+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:34.966122+00
name: Captain's House, The
ucname: CAPTAINS HOUSE
intensity_bars: 800 888 844 888
devised: 2010-02-01
notes:
  "I wrote this for my daughter Leah and her boyfriend when they got engaged.  They are married now.  Best move she ever made!"


created: 2026-04-15 20:47:25.455145+00
last_modified: 2026-04-27 08:10:52.39008+00
name: Great Inspirations
ucname: GREAT INSPIRATIONS
notes:
  The deviser writes: "For Happy Meeting and Frisky SCD Groups.  I always feel inspired when I am welcomed to these highly successful SCD groups run by Kanako and Kobby Kobayashi."


created: 2026-04-23 11:23:20.011383+00
last_modified: 2026-05-04 10:56:03.187455+00
name: T-Shirt Twins, The
ucname: TSHIRT TWINS
intensity_bars: 8886/8888/8688/8008
devised: 2026-04-01
notes:
  > This is for Achim Mahnke and Robert Krause who have a similar taste in amusing science themed T-shirts.
  > They have at least two (almost) identical ones but do not coordinate wearing them at the same time.
  > Hence 1st and 4th men are dancing the same pairs of figures but at differing points in the dance.
  > The subtitle refers to the phenomenon of quantum entanglement coupling two particles.

  > One of these common T-shirts shows a computer progress bar stopped with "Thinking... Please wait".
  > For this it makes sense for the dancing men to skip the first 4 bars of a non-progressive hands across and back.
  > The other T-shirt shows a Tardis crushing a car foolishly left in a space clearly marked as "Tardis parking only".
  > It does not seem wise or desirable to represent this crushing choreographically,
  > so instead the dancing couples move one place, in time and space, by means of a chain progression.


created: 2015-12-16 10:55:47.845492+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.580856+00
name: Bon Viveur, The
ucname: BON VIVEUR
intensity_bars: 8888/8080/12 12 12 12/4444
devised: 2015-12-01
notes:
  Written for <<ddp:Adam, Stewart#518>> in recognition of his award of the RSCDS Scroll of Honour at the AGM in Perth in November 2015 and first danced at the Edinburgh Branch Christmas Party in December.

  The dance was originally submitted to the RSCDS with <<ddt:Wing Commander Donald Mackenzie's Reel>> as the suggested tune for the reel part. Since this tune was deemed too difficult and it wasn't possible to obtain copyright clearance for reprinting it in the book, Iain MacPhail (a good friend of Stewart Adam's) was asked to compose a reel tune for the dance. This tune – <<ddt:Stewart Adam – Bon Viveur#13932>> – is the one that is now in the RSCDS book.


created: 2013-05-27 16:46:01.669666+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.597677+00
name: Trip to Timber Ridge
ucname: TRIP TO TIMBER RIDGE
intensity_bars: 844/844/866/888
devised: 2010-09-01
notes:
  The original dance notes say this was "devised in September 2010 for Scottish Weekend Workshop at Timber Ridge Camp, West Virginia. Linda is from the county of East Lothian, birthplace of the Saltire, Scotland’s national flag. The Saltire is flown throughout the weekend at Timber Ridge. Corners pass & turn and double triangles depict the diagonal cross on the flag."


created: 2002-12-16 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.712014+00
name: Bonnie Gallowa'
ucname: BONNIE GALLOWA
intensity_bars: 8080 8888 8888 8222 8888
devised: 1997-01-01
notes:
  The dance notes say this was devised "In memory of Mrs M.T.W. Rae, (Peg) one time music arranger of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and revered pianist of the Castle Douglas Branch."


created: 2010-10-08 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:34.70152+00
name: Hedwig's Reel
ucname: HEDWIGS REEL
intensity_bars: 800/800/888/888
notes:
  In reply to a question on how 1W moves on bar 8 and bar 16, the deviser answered "This dance was written for children, but a slightly older group, and we were doing the Society's Medal Tests.  It is a while since I was teaching children and I can't quite remember how we did it, but I suspect it was the easy way - dance out to place & face down, not finishing facing in then turning to face down. As you say, it could very easily turn into a twirl round, if someone is late. I have danced it in the Dundee Branch General class & I don't think the class teacher has ever made any comment on this point.  Again, my purpose in writing the dance was to teach & practice a 3 couple grand chain in an easy dance & that is what I concentrated on."


created: 1998-09-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:35.181189+00
name: Captain Mackintosh
ucname: CAPTAIN MACKINTOSH
intensity_bars: 444 444 880 880 866
notes:
  Note: TACnotes says: On [31-32] 1M guides 1W LH across him, and 1c flow into the reels.  The most recent edition of MMM specifies LH.  A variation with crossing RH & twirling is considered more fun by some [ETF].


created: 1998-04-08 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:35.251985+00
name: Countess of Lauderdale's Reel, The
ucname: COUNTESS OF LAUDERDALES REEL
intensity_bars: 660/660/822/888/888
notes:
  This was erroneously published as a jig (see the Errata section in the October 2008 issue of *Scottish Country Dancer*).


created: 2026-03-10 17:02:05.117343+00
last_modified: 2026-05-06 09:01:07.287668+00
name: Janice's Jaunt
ucname: JANICES JAUNT
intensity_bars: 800/844/844/866
devised: 2026-03-01
notes:
  This dance is a nod to Mairi’s Wedding ensuring a left shoulder or in this case a three-quarter left turn occurs, when passing in the centre in the half reels of four. Note: 1st couple move around the corners in a clockwise direction.

  Janice’s Jaunt is dedicated to Jan Jones who has made a large commitment to SCD. She is a member of RSCDS Milton Keynes, International Branches (IB) and the Thistle Club, who with the support of Michael Plumley, has organised many successful SCD events over many years including Dances. Hogmanay, Day Schools, Musician’s workshops, SCD Tours abroad for the benefit and enjoyment of others. Jan is also currently, Assistant Editor of IB quarterly Newsletter.


created: 2018-08-26 23:28:34.095626+00
last_modified: 2026-04-29 09:32:52.308542+00
name: Littlecroft Strathspey
ucname: LITTLECROFT STRATHSPEY
intensity_bars: 8800/8080/8484/8008
notes:
  This dance was devised to mark the 60th birthday of Ingrid. Littlecroft is the name of the home which Ingrid and Christopher have shared for over three quarters of their married life.


created: 2026-04-30 07:24:45.68939+00
last_modified: 2026-04-30 07:24:45.68939+00
name: Braids of the Waimak
ucname: BRAIDS OF THE WAIMAK
devised: 2025-10-14
notes:
  Devised 14/10/2025. The dance extends the fugal idea from a dance ”Waves on the Waimak” by Julie Leith from the ”Canterbury Tales” collection. Her theme was loop, set twice and loop. The recommended tune is ”Katie’s Fancy” (traditional) and recommended recorded music is ”O’Neill’s 48” from the album ”On Track” by The Sound Company. Most of the dance is in four bar phrases, so alternative music should respect this.
  The Waimak, that is, the Waimakariri River is one of the longest in the South Island of New Zealand, and is a classic braided river. It enters the Pacific Ocean just north of Christchurch.


created: 1997-11-18 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:35.558547+00
name: Lady C Bruce's Reel
ucname: LADY C BRUCES REEL
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/880
devised: 1801-01-01
notes:
  <<scddb-not-identical:3594>>

  The description in the 2007 edition of <<ddpub:Miss Milligan's Miscellany of Scottish Country Dances>> states:

  > In the first edition of The Miscellanies, this dance is a reel. In the second edition the dance is given
  > as a jig. However, it has continued to be danced as a reel and, accordingly, this edition reflects
  > that practice.


created: 2026-04-26 17:39:16.535586+00
last_modified: 2026-04-26 17:39:16.535586+00
name: Everybody Dancing
ucname: EVERYBODY DANCING
devised: 2005-04-29
notes:
  This is described as a dance for 3 couples (in a 4 couple set) and is danced 8 times. But all 4 couples join the final circle.


created: 2026-04-29 23:17:09.249092+00
last_modified: 2026-04-29 23:18:49.103019+00
name: Kowhai, The
ucname: KOWHAI
devised: 2025-09-28
notes:
  Devised 28/9/2025 and modified 30/3/2025 as part of a teaching programme for lead change reels. Putting the dance into a longwise 4C set means that the reels of three are longer than usual, and the entry is natural.  
  A Kowhai (approximately pronounced ”kow-fai”, ”kow” as in ”doe”, ”fai” as in ”eye”) is a New Zealand native tree with beautiful yellow flowers and as I write this we have one flowering outside of my back window.  
  Recommended tune is “Wee Willie’s Strathspey” (by W. Porteous Junior) and there is a nice recording by Peter Elmes and his Band, for the track ”The New Plymouth Strathspey” on ”The Lochiel Collection”. Should this not be available, for recorded music, I would recommended tune ”Miss Janet Laing’s Strathspey” by Nan Main, and either of the society’s recordings for book 22 would be good. Failing that use any reasonable recording of ”The Balmoral Strathspey”.


created: 2026-04-28 07:13:36.662956+00
last_modified: 2026-04-30 07:42:27.042822+00
name: Irish Breakfast Tea
ucname: IRISH BREAKFAST TEA
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/888
devised: 2026-02-27
notes:
  > Devised as teaching dance for teapots and also to be used for an upcoming St Patrick’s Day themed programme. Recommended tune is ”Crawford’s Jig” as recorded by the Wick Scottish Country Dance Band, in the album ”The Sound of the North” (although the music is only 4×32). Suitable alternative music would include any reasonable recording of Rory O’More or The Blackthorne Stick.


created: 2025-08-04 14:45:40.638201+00
last_modified: 2026-04-30 07:44:55.961874+00
name: Left-Handed Caterpillar, The
ucname: LEFTHANDED CATERPILLAR
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8000/8000
devised: 2024-05-20
notes:
  > This is a modification of Dottie Carr’s dance “<<ddd:Caterpillar, The#8041>>” (from “Let’s All Dance Too”) as the playful name suggests.


created: 2026-04-29 22:54:51.069001+00
last_modified: 2026-04-30 07:47:25.371035+00
name: Tribute to the Corners
ucname: TRIBUTE TO THE CORNERS
intensity_bars: 800/844/844/888
devised: 2025-09-24
notes:
  > Devised 24/9/2025, and last 8 bars modified 7/10/2025 after dancing. Reinforcement for teaching corners pass and turn. The central figure resembles that of Mairi’s Wedding, but using corners pass and turn. In teaching I did on the same night as Mairi’s Wedding. Recommend tune ”The Lass o’Livingston” played ABBA, but you won’t be able to get this structure without a musician. So for recorded music, I prefer the recording of Ron Gonella and George MacIlwham from ”Scottish Dance Masters Vol. 3”. Chosen music should have well-defined 4 bar phrases. Alternative recorded music (and with the correct structure) is the Peter Elmes recording of ”The Laird of Milton’s Daughter”.


created: 2026-07-05 12:53:36.613152+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 16:41:59.147245+00
name: Half Century Not Out
ucname: HALF CENTURY NOT OUT
intensity_bars: 886/844/888/888
devised: 2025-01-01
notes:
  > Written to celebrate Lizzy Conder’s 50th birthday on 27th November 2026.
  > 
  > Lizzy started Scottish Country Dancing when a student at the University of St Andrews and especially remembers
  > the Celtic Society Highland Balls dancing to the music of Sandy Nixon and his band.
  > Lizzy has been Treasurer of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society since 2022.
  > The dance is written to remind Lizzy of cricket, her other great passion.
  >
  > Birling in bars 13-16 is encouraged by Lizzy.


created: 1997-09-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-07 10:24:01.215046+00
name: Guide Patrol, The
ucname: GUIDE PATROL
intensity_bars: 800/866/866/844
devised: 1990-01-01
notes:
  > This dance is dedicated to the 1A New Lambton Girl Guides Unit
  > where my daughter Moira is a patrol leader.


created: 1997-08-24 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-08 21:49:01.261497+00
name: Tappie Toorie
ucname: TAPPIE TOORIE
intensity_bars: 8484/8888/4848/8888/4848/8888/8488/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888
devised: 1990-07-01
notes:
  Inscribed "For Anita Mackenzie and her group of dancers who were the first people to do this dance".


created: 2026-07-18 21:52:57.430984+00
last_modified: 2026-07-18 21:52:57.430984+00
name: Casey Shaye
ucname: CASEY SHAYE
devised: 2019-01-01
notes:
  > Devised in 2019. Casey Shaye, the youngest of my three grandchildren, is the
  > daughter of my son Daniel and his wife Michelle.


created: 2026-07-19 21:27:04.908318+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 21:27:04.908318+00
name: Sixth of October, The
ucname: SIXTH OF OCTOBER
devised: 2014-01-01
notes:
  > In 1994 I started a beginner class in Granada Hills, California. Our first class was held on Thursday, Oct. 6,
  > 1994. This dance was devised in 2014 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the class.


created: 2025-08-04 14:51:24.202787+00
last_modified: 2026-04-30 08:17:52.247872+00
name: Robert Stevenson
ucname: ROBERT STEVENSON
devised: 2025-06-09
notes:
  > Devised as a teaching dance with both set to and turn corners followed by reels of three on the side, as well as simple crossover reels. Though there may be one, I could not find a simple dance with these elements. It is 40 bars (i.e. there is an additional circle at the end) to allow the newer dances to orientate themselves during the last circle. Recommended tune is ”The Ferry” and a suitable recording is ”The Express” as recorded by Jimmy Shand (on ”Jimmy’s Fancy”) if you have it; otherwise any reasonable
  recording of ”The Express” will do. Robert Stevenson was famous for designing many of Scotland’s lighthouses. These included the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse.


created: 2005-07-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-04-30 12:11:44.444848+00
name: Curlicue
ucname: CURLICUE
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/888
devised: 2005-07-01
notes:
  I love dancing consecutive half reels where you can loop between half reels; this dance is named for those loops.


created: 2021-11-05 19:18:43.550512+00
last_modified: 2026-07-06 08:39:39.861078+00
name: Best Set Squared
ucname: BEST SET SQUARED
intensity_bars: 4444/8888/8888/8888 = 88
devised: 2020-05-01
notes:
  This dance is derived from <<ddd:Best Set in the Hall>> by Helen Greenwood. I was curious if the dance, and in particular, the set to corners and cast away formation, could be ‘doubled’. The result was a square set dance, hence the name.  

  This dance was devised in May 2020 during the physical distancing times of COVID-19.


created: 1997-09-28 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-01 07:05:23.040874+00
name: Officer And a Gentleman, An
ucname: OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
intensity_bars: 800/888/808/880
devised: 1984-01-01
notes:
  > The title of this dance is a reminder that the Seattle Branch Weekend is held at the same location, Fort Worden, as the movie, "AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN", was filmed. Also, what better place to find a gentleman and a lady than a Scottish Country Dance Ball.

  > Bars 9 - 16 should be danced slowly and with nice curving loops to assure the dancers take 8 bars to complete the reel.  
  Bars 17-20, the turns for cpls 1 and 3 need to be phrased so the dancers pass shoulder to shoulder in a sweeping manner as in the tournee figure. Cpl 1 should continue dancing up to the top during bars 24 to 28 rather than stopping after the turn.


created: 1998-11-14 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-01 11:15:30.450453+00
name: Quaich, The
ucname: QUAICH
intensity_bars: 888 884 888 880
devised: 1967-01-01
notes:
  This dance is dedicated with permission to Miss J.C. Milligan. It illustrates her connection with the R.S.C.D.S. right from its inception (Petronella is Book 1 No. 1) up to the present. The "Rondel" my new progression, which Miss Milligan herself named, is due to appear officially this year in Book 23 in the dance "Mrs. Hamilton of Wishaw".


created: 2026-04-30 19:56:20.769183+00
last_modified: 2026-05-02 08:39:06.553998+00
name: Dancing Clown, The
ucname: DANCING CLOWN
intensity_bars: 80/88/88/88
devised: 2026-01-01
notes:
  > This dance was devised for the 70th birthday of Gérard, who has been dancing with the Méaudre Reel for many years.
  > I have great affection and admiration for Gérard, a clown with a big heart, who always sets aside his troubles
  >  to show only a mischievous look and a playful smile.
  > Gérard, a clown but also an acrobat, never misses an opportunity to show his talents, with or without a kilt. 
  > His tricks and performances are always filled with poetry, hence this strathspey full of charm, elegance and magic moments.


created: 2026-07-18 21:40:57.95914+00
last_modified: 2026-07-18 21:40:57.95914+00
name: Bri
ucname: BRI
devised: 2019-01-01
notes:
  > Devised in 2019 for my granddaughter Brianna. Brianna, who is known in our family
  > as Bri, is the daughter of my son Michael and his wife Tanya and is the younger sister of my grandson
  > Tyler. Bri was married in December 2022 to Daniel Quintana and resides in Florida.


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-07 11:04:08.641205+00
name: Closebourne House
ucname: CLOSEBOURNE HOUSE
intensity_bars: 844/888/888/844
notes:
  > Closebourne House built by Lieutenant Charles Close was completed in 1829.
  > The restoration to Its original condition was an endorsed [Australian] Bicentennial Activity.
  > It Is the core building of the Closebourne Conference Centre the
  > venue of the annual Hunter Valley Branch Weekend School held during March.


created: 2026-07-18 21:58:37.463309+00
last_modified: 2026-07-18 21:58:37.463309+00
name: Daniel's Love
ucname: DANIELS LOVE
devised: 1995-01-01
notes:
  > Devised by Deanna St. Amand for the wedding of her son Daniel and his wife Michelle, who wed on July 22,
  > 1995. Dan and Michelle have one child, <<ddd:Casey Shaye#24024>>.


created: 2026-04-30 15:08:15.44115+00
last_modified: 2026-05-23 08:12:04.339677+00
name: Australian Nurses
ucname: AUSTRALIAN NURSES
notes:
  The <<https://www.ballaratscd.com/dances.html|dance notes>> suggest the recording <<ddrec:Tribute to Peter McBryde, A#6902>> but subsequently David South has composed an original tune for the dance.


created: 2002-04-19 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-03 11:21:31.630525+00
name: Tom's Tears
ucname: TOMS TEARS
notes:
  This is now considered to be a duplicate of <<ddd:Asilomar Romantic#3791>>. If confirmed this entry should be deleted.


created: 2015-07-07 13:17:55.607049+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.775639+00
name: Chased Lovers
ucname: CHASED LOVERS
intensity_bars: 800/844/844/844
devised: 2013-08-01
notes:
  Music: Fun, flirty jigs with flight.

  Note: You may notice that 1st couple do not actually touch in this dance. I liked the play on words with "chased" and "chaste", and tried to incorporate both ideas. The dance was first taught to the combined class at the 2013 International Branch Weekend in Killarney, Ireland.


created: 1998-11-07 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.728049+00
name: Luckenbooth Brooch, The
ucname: LUCKENBOOTH BROOCH
intensity_bars: 880 808 888 844
devised: 1968-01-01
notes:
  <<imgt:luckenbooth-brooch.jpg|Luckenbooth Brooch|200x300:right>>
  In the Old Town of Edinburgh, from the 15th century or so, there used
  to be enclosed stalls/workshops along the main street (today often called »Royal Mile«), near
  St Giles Cathedral,
  where various tradesmen such as goldsmiths and silversmiths offered their wares.
  For obvious reasons these stalls could be locked up at night and were thus referred
  to as »luckenbooths« (as in, »locking booths«). The city got rid of them in the 1810s.

  The »Luckenbooth brooch« is a traditional Scottish piece of jewellery that
  symbolises love and devotion and is produced and sold by jewellers in Edinburgh.
  It is generally made of silver and features a crown above a heart (or two
  intertwined hearts). Posher versions of the brooch can sport (semi)precious stones and/or
  are made of gold instead, and variations of the design include thistles or St Andrew's crosses.
  The name exists since approximately the 18th century.

  In addition to serving as love tokens, Luckenbooth brooches were also used as charms
  to fend off the »evil eye« or protect babies from harm.
  Interestingly, from the mid-18th century these brooches were a popular trade/barter object
  with American Indians such as the Iroquois, and ended up as part of various traditional
  Native American outfits of the 18th and 19th century.

  *Photograph by Anselm Lingnau. Thanks to Marie Schwarz for the loan of the brooch.*


created: 2022-06-23 13:32:10.491454+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.763506+00
name: Something in the Air
ucname: SOMETHING IN THE AIR
intensity_bars: 80/66/88/88
devised: 2019-01-01
notes:
  Devised August 2019, Revised October 2019

  This dance was inspired by the wonderful <<ddrec:Set of Song Airs#10275>> on <<dda:Dancer's Best Friend, A#1118>> by the trio, Terpsichore.  Since this set of airs is 6x32 bars, the dance was envisioned for a three-couple set.  However the dance could be done as a standard two couple dance in a four-couple set.

  As reported in <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/3460/|issue 3460>>, when adopted by the RSCDS and published in Book 53 the RSCDS chose to describe it as for a four-couple set and also replaced the deviser's original choice of music by a completely different set of tunes.

  Both the <<ddrec:Set of Song Airs#10275|original>> and RSCDS recordings are linked to the dance entry.

  Note:  The Rose Progression was devised by Rod Downey of New Zealand.


created: 2000-04-25 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.801828+00
name: Ysobel
ucname: YSOBEL
intensity_bars: 880 888 844 888
devised: 1973-01-01
notes:
  John Drewry added this note when publishing »Ysobel«: »This dance, devised in 1973, was used by the Publications Committee in that year as the basis for the reel <<ddd:Mrs Stewart of Fasnacloich>> – a dance which has always disappointed me – I do not like left shoulder reels of four and I think that setting should come at the beginning of a phrase rather than at the end. My feeling, for a long time, has been that Mrs. Stewart was never the same woman again after she was interfered with by the committee! I am publishing the dance in its original form in the hope that dancers will enjoy it this way.«


created: 2016-11-01 12:48:01.71573+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.821803+00
name: Toast to the Mousies
ucname: TOAST TO THE MOUSIES
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/888
devised: 2016-09-30
notes:
  Notes from the leaflet:

  Devised by Sara Gratiot, San Francisco Branch, Sept. 2016 Inspired by the tune “Toast to the Mousies” composed by Keith Smith in 2008 The tune has always tickled me and it needed a dance!

  When asked what prompted the tune, Keith responded: “There have been a number of mice incidents over the years but one in particular was trying to humanely catch and eject small cute field-mice that were making rather loud munching noises in my house whilst a pal and I were trying to record Scottish music...”

  About the dance, Sara shares: “I first heard Keith’s tune “Toast to the Mousies” in a set by the same name on the CD, Highland Shortbread, with Keith Smith and Muriel Johnstone, released by Scotscores in 2009. The tune just makes me happy, and I thought it needed a light, fun, whisker-wiggling, tail-twitching dance. The dance was finally devised for the Sunday morning combined class at the San Francisco Branch’s Annual Asilomar Weekend Workshop in 2016. Bars 9–16 honor our kept creatures that get their exercise on a wheel. Bars 17–24 depict the skittering into and out of mouseholes and hidey-holes.”


created: 2011-07-24 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-08 22:09:18.214211+00
name: Wizard of Binghamton, The
ucname: WIZARD OF BINGHAMTON
intensity_bars: 8668/8888/8448/8888/8228
devised: 2010-08-11
notes:
  Dedicated to <<ddp:Glasspool, Terry#2677>>, "The Wizard of Binghamton", a wonderful deviser of Scottish Country Dances.

  A version of this dance with a simpler figure in bars 1-8 is "<<ddd:Apprentice, The#13787>>".


created: 2011-07-24 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-08 22:12:04.389607+00
name: Twisted Wizard of Binghamton, The
ucname: TWISTED WIZARD OF BINGHAMTON
devised: 2010-08-10
notes:
  This is a twisted version of <<ddd:Wizard of Binghamton, The#13786>>, for those who love a challenge. [Apart from the top rotating 90 degrees each time, those now in 2nd and 4th places are on opposite sides].

  Dedicated to Terry Glasspool, "The Wizard of Binghamton", a wonderful deviser of Scottish Country Dances. Inspired by the overlink idea of Terry Glasspool from his regrettably unpublished "Four on the Floor" Collection.


created: 2002-09-08 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-09 12:49:54.229421+00
name: North of the Grampians
ucname: NORTH OF THE GRAMPIANS
devised: 1965-03-01
notes:
  5x32 bars in six figures.

  NB there is an error in the original publication. In bar 15 of the Fifth Figure, all jeté left (not right as written).


created: 1997-09-10 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-10 21:57:06.614115+00
name: Mrs Nellie MacDonald
ucname: MRS NELLIE MACDONALD
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8888/8444
devised: 1957-01-01
notes:
  Devised: 1957.

  > Alec lived with the MacDonald family in Forres for a number of years when he held
  > Scottish Country Dance classes there and in neighbouring towns.


created: 1998-01-05 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-03 16:47:46.235434+00
name: Ingrid's Frolic
ucname: INGRIDS FROLIC
intensity_bars: 844/808/888/888
devised: 1988-09-01
notes:
  > Dedicated to Ingrid Kendall, who has contributed immensely to the Chicago Branch and the Loch Michigan Scottish Country Dance Group as member, chairman, and teacher.


created: 2026-05-03 21:23:11.108329+00
last_modified: 2026-05-03 21:23:11.108329+00
name: Culzean Castle
ucname: CULZEAN CASTLE
devised: 1987-01-01
notes:
  The <<ddpub:New Dance Party>> is not explicit about the set shape, but the dance contains the Celtic Brooch figure so is presumably a similar triangular set.


created: 2017-03-24 14:38:57.199064+00
last_modified: 2026-05-03 23:24:24.808072+00
name: Mo'ili'ili Jig
ucname: MOILIILI JIG
intensity_bars: 840/800/888/844
devised: 2000-01-01
notes:
  Mo'ili'ili (pronounce mo-eelee-eelee) is the neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Mary and David taught Scottish Country Dance for many years.


created: 2005-07-26 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-05 00:55:14.201661+00
name: Lipstick on my Knee
ucname: LIPSTICK ON MY KNEE
intensity_bars: 644/888/888/888
devised: 2004-09-01
notes:
  > The name for this dance occurred when Mady Newfield bent to check out something on Mike Fitak’s reenactment leggings just as he raised his knee.


created: 2005-07-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-05 01:44:20.784274+00
name: Cry Havoc
ucname: CRY HAVOC
intensity_bars: 844/844/844/844
devised: 2005-07-01
notes:
  > This summer my group has had a large number of new dancers join us for regular dancing. This has led to some interesting problems as often they outnumber the regular dancers. Recently we tried a dance with consecutive half reels and realized half figures are hard for those still learning timing. Barbara Parks mentioned she’d like a dance of all half figures that she’d name Havoc. I liked the idea and came up with this dance and a slightly modified name. I chose the music because it sounds busy and carries with it a slightly frenetic feeling, even though it isn’t any faster than other reels.


created: 2026-05-05 09:23:29.579256+00
last_modified: 2026-05-05 09:23:29.579256+00
name: Alexander Johnston of Castle Douglas
ucname: ALEXANDER JOHNSTON OF CASTLE DOUGLAS
devised: 2026-05-01
notes:
  > The dance was written for the occasion of Alexander Johnston - Sandy’s - 20th birthday, by his partner Alex Bonfield.
  > The jig has been borrowed from the original tune for ‘Seniors Be Full Power’ which shares Sandy’s name.
  > It was devised using some of his favourite figures, especially to be fun, spinny and technically complex.
  > Where able, dancers should complete the 2 hand turns in the Tourbillon using Pas-de-Basque.


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-05 14:22:41.564262+00
name: Grey Cairns, The
ucname: GREY CAIRNS
notes:
  > The Grey Cairns of Camster are ancient monuments in the far north of the Scottish mainland.
  >
  > Summary of bars 9-24:  
  > 1c & 3c: 1/2 RSh Reel3 on 1diag, 1/2 LSh Reel3 across, 1/2 RSh Reel3 on 2diag, 1/2 LSh Reel3 across  
  > 2W & 5M: glasgow highlanders, 1/2 Reel3 across, repeat  
  > 2M & 5W: 1/2 Reel3 on 1diag, pass L & turn RH, 1/2 Reel3 on 2diag, 1/2 Reel3 across  
  > 4c: 1/2 Reel3 on 1diag, 1/2 Reel3 across, 1/2 Reel3 on 2diag, pass R & turn LH


created: 2002-11-26 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-05 22:27:11.878448+00
name: Over the Hills and Far Away
ucname: OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY
devised: 1983-01-01
notes:
  > The dance is easily adapted to a four-couple set by modifying the last four bars to "set and cross".
  > Repeat the dance from 3rd place, then 2nd and again 3rd.


created: 2002-11-26 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-05 22:33:39.777089+00
name: Millstream, The
ucname: MILLSTREAM
devised: 1983-11-01
notes:
  > 1. The 2nd couple are the active couple.
  >
  > 2. In the first eight bars the 2nd couple can imagine dancing an anti-
  > clockwise right and. left with no hands to give in the 2nd half of the phrase.
  >
  > 3. In bars 1-4 1 st man and 3rd woman dance a half ri g ht and left and then
  > flow into the wheel. 3rd man and 1st woman after crossing, giving
  > right hands in passing, set· going to the right on bar 3 and then
  > advance on bar 4 to be ready for the wheel. Instead of going round the
  > wheel once, they allow the wheel to vanish by dancing out to the
  > corners of the set, 1st couple facing out to flow into the half double eight.


created: 2026-03-05 20:32:11.634118+00
last_modified: 2026-05-07 09:41:12.200143+00
name: Dorman Frolic
ucname: DORMAN FROLIC
intensity_bars: 800/800/844/844/844/866
devised: 2007-07-01
notes:
  As reported in <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/4247/|issue 4247>> the Dorman in question is Linda Dorman and the dance depicts her ‘letting off steam’ said, Carol Cuthbertson.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:29.22369+00
name: Trysting Place, The
ucname: TRYSTING PLACE
intensity_bars: 88 88 88 88
devised: 1985-01-01
notes:
  Notes from Book 35
  ----------------------

  The dance was devised by Iain Boyd, New Zealand, in 1985, and inscribed to Mary Murray of Vancouver B.C.

  Mary's former home in Falkirk, and still that of her parents, is in Tryst Road, opposite the traditional site of the Falkirk Tryst where cattle drovers from the Highlands, Lowlands and the north of England met to buy and sell their livestock and produce.

  The Highland Schottische poussette was created by Jackie Johnstone of Dumfries and was first used in his dance "<<ddd:S. S. Johnstone#5786>>" (Loreburn Set Volume II). In that dance, the men start back to back in the middle of the line and so progression been modified for use in "Trysting Place".


  Notes extracted from elsewhere
  -----------------------------------

  The "Falkirk Tryst" was one of the largest livestock markets in Scotland with farmers and buyers gathering from all over Scotland and beyond. At its height times as many as 150,000 cattle, sheep and horses were droved there. The tryst was held up to three times a year in August, September and October. With the arrival of the railroad, numbers declined until the late 19th century. Nowadays, you still have the annual Falkirk tryst fun fair here.

  For more also historical information on the Falkirk Tryst see <<https://falkirklocalhistory.club/around-and-about-the-area/themes/falkirk-trysts/|Falkirk Local History Society>>, <<http://ourstories.everyone-rs3.com/story/all-roads-lead-to-falkirk-gaelic-heritage-and-the-falkirk-tryst|Our Stories Falkirk>>, <<https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/opinion/falkirk-tryst-cattle-market-fun-fair-998971|Falkirk Herold>> and <<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenhousemuir#History|Wikipedia>>.


  Pronuncation
  ---------------

  The Scots pronuncation of “tryst”, according to the <<https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tryst|Dictionaries of the Scots Language>> is /trəist/. Don't let yourself be confused by English dictionaries online which usually specify /trɪst/.


created: 2015-09-26 19:27:02.304768+00
last_modified: 2026-04-23 12:34:26.389444+00
name: Breakfast with Alligators
ucname: BREAKFAST WITH ALLIGATORS
intensity_bars: 840/888/844/844
notes:
  Ann and Ron Walker are super hosts and even provided a special breakfast display of alligators, one having its breakfast while we had ours


created: 2023-01-25 14:51:27.222933+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.082911+00
name: Hundred Years Since, A
ucname: HUNDRED YEARS SINCE
intensity_bars: 808/880/888/888
notes:
  As a tribute to the centenary of the RSCDS and Glasgow Branch this dance incorporates the
  first 8 bars of the first dance in RSCDS Book 1 and the last 8 bars from the last dance in
  RSCDS Book 52.


created: 2019-10-28 18:32:07.591507+00
last_modified: 2026-05-08 02:25:13.278935+00
name: Daylesford Reel, The
ucname: DAYLESFORD REEL
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/888
notes:
  > Recording downloadable from <<https://www.ballaratscd.com/audio.html>>  
  This dance was devised as a tribute to the Daylesford Scottish Country Dance Group, with
  whom my wife Jane & I dance every second Tuesday. This has been a significant contribution
  to our dancing pleasure and development.


created: 2000-05-04 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.848854+00
name: Meeting of the Waters, The
ucname: MEETING OF THE WATERS
intensity_bars: 880 800 800 844 888 888
notes:
  "The Meeting of the Waters" was devised to commemorate the 1964-65 Summer School held in Wanganui, the 'River City'.

  In a message to the strathspey mailing list (on 23/10/2019) Iain Boyd wrote:

  *Note re bars 1-8:*

  *In the first edition of “The Strathtay Album” the diagram clearly shows first woman and second man passing by left shoulders before dancing out to the sidelines at the end of the reel of four.*

  *However, after the dance became popular with the release of Frank Reid’s recording on “Dance With The London Highland Club”, I changed the ending so that first woman and second man pass by right shoulders and dance directly across the set.*

  *I did this because I noticed that the less experienced dancers were having difficulty getting out to the sidelines. The diagram was changed in a reprint of the collection, but, at the time, there was no way I could easily disseminate the change.*

  *I prefer the second way of finishing the reel of four.*

  *However, as the original way is probably ingrained in many dancer’s minds I am prepared to accept that there are now two ways of finishing the reel of four in this dance - an original and a subsequent way.*

  *Consequently, dancers and teachers should check which ending is being danced in their local area.*


created: 1998-10-07 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.876504+00
name: Schiehallion
ucname: SCHIEHALLION
intensity_bars: no bar count made
devised: 1971-01-01
notes:
  Schiehallion (pronounced shee-HALL-i-en, from the Gaelic *sidh chailleann*) is a mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It overlooks Loch Tummel and is 1,083 m high, which makes it a <<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munro|Munro>>. Seen from the west its shape is an almost perfect cone, and it is reasonably easy to climb with great views.

  Being an isolated mountain with a very regular shape, Schiehallion was used in 1774 for an interesting experiment which was supposed to estimate the mass of the Earth by means of the deflection of a pendulum by the mass of the mountain. This experiment was proposed by Charles Mason (1728–1786, an English astronomer who was also instrumental in the definition of the Mason-Dixon line) and carried out by a commission under the direction of the Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne (1732–1811).

  The intersection of the line of latitude midway between the most northerly and southerly points on the Scottish mainland and the line of longitude midway between the most westerly and easterly points is very close to the summit of Schiehallion. This means that in a sense the mountain could be seen as the “centre of Scotland”. This, however, presupposes that the most westerly point is Corrachadh Mòr in Ardnamurchan; the completion of the Skye Bridge in 1995 makes Skye technically part of the Scottish mainland and that would throw the calculation off.

  The dance was originally devised in order to “create a new reel” (with “reel” as in “Scottish reel”, not “quick dance in 2/4 or 4/4 time” or “weaving formation”) during the early 1950s. It started out as a “self-assembly kit” which specified the “choruses” in strathspey time and reel time and left a choice of “verses” to the dancers. This did not go down well since most dancers preferred being told in definite terms what to do, so eventually Hugh Thurston picked the four most popular “verses” to arrive at the version of the dance done today. Its most popular figure was the “reel of eight” formation at the end, commonly called “Schiehallion reel” today, which Hugh Thurston originally thought was original but which is basically a version of the reel in the Orkney “Axum reel” as described by J. F. and T. M. Flett in *Traditional Dancing in Scotland* (the RSCDS version of the dance distorts this reel so that the correspondence is less easily perceived).
  The original “self-assembly kit” publication of the dance is difficult to find today but the current version was published as a leaflet by Hugh Foss (Formby) in the early 1970s.
  (**Update:** The current, ready-made, version now also appears in RSCDS <<ddpub:Book 53>>.)

  Hugh Thurston describes the origin of the dance in <<link:thethistle/48||3>>.


created: 2013-01-21 23:11:03.264239+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.887739+00
name: Niles Roberts' Farewell to Pasadena
ucname: NILES ROBERTS FAREWELL TO PASADENA
intensity_bars: 800 888 888 888
devised: 1991-01-01
notes:
  When this dance was originally published the suggested tune was <<ddt:Burns' Night#3050>>. This is now replaced by <<ddt:Doug Macdonald's Birthday#13156>> which was subsequently written for the dance as a present to the deviser from his wife <<ddp:Anthea Macdonald#3308|Anthea>>.

  Advice for Teachers (from the deviser)

  The main focus in teaching this dance should be an emphasis on smooth and natural flow between the half-reels which make up bars 9-24 of this dance. The primary rule is that there should be no sharp corners and no sudden changes of direction in these reels. The half reels of bars 9-12 and 17-20 are oriented primarily along the diagonal, while the half reels of bars 13-16 and 21-24 are primarily on the sidelines. So, it requires a little bit of thought and physical effort to make those those half reels flow effortlessly and naturally from one to the next. With that in mind, here is some advice.

  1. At the end of the first and third half reels on the diagonal, first couple should be ready to blend into a half reel on the sidelines, but they should not be in the middle of the sidelines at the end of bar 12. Keep in mind that second corners are starting from a standing start after setting, so first couple should be approaching the sideline, but not yet quite there.

  2. At the end of bars 13-16, first couple should dance as if they’re intending to come shoulder-to-shoulder to re-form the first corner diagonal, but they should not come fully shoulder-to-shoulder. That would require too sharp a turn to go out the sideline in a graceful way. Instead, first couple should BEND their motion toward the sidelines when they’re about a meter away off each other’s starboard bow. I hope that nautical metaphor makes sense.

  At the end of bar 24, first couple should end up left-shoulder-to-left-shoulder ready to give left hands for a half-turn. Their left-hand half turn should take two bars, and should be exactly a half turn, ensuring that they don’t interfere with the supporting couples crossing the set. They’ll take four bars to dance out the end of the set and cast left into the sidelines, which synchronizes them with the phrasing of the first couple.

  The dance is fairly leisurely-paced, but bars 27-30 may require careful attention to phrasing.

  1. Bars 27-30: First couple has four bars to dance from the middle of the set out the end and cast to the sidelines. They should try to gauge where the sideline is, and be in line with the corners for the final setting.

  2. Bars 29-30: Second corners are changing places on the sideline AND doing a courtesy turn before the final setting. So they particularly may need to lengthen their steps substantially to make that work gracefully.


created: 2002-08-25 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.901116+00
name: Falkirk Lass, The
ucname: FALKIRK LASS
intensity_bars: 800 888 844 888
devised: 2000-01-01
notes:
  Elaine, who was born in Falkirk, went to Dunfermline College of Physical Education in Edinburgh where she danced to Muriel, neither of them having any idea of the connection that would be made later in the USA. Elaine now teaches in Virginia and is an enthusiastic ambassador for music and dance all over North America.


created: 2007-03-13 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.91318+00
name: City of Stirling Reel
ucname: CITY OF STIRLING REEL
intensity_bars: 886 833 833 844
devised: 2006-01-01
notes:
  City of Stirling Reel was given to the Branch by Roy Goldring after he taught at a very successful day school in 2005. Stirling was given city status as one of the 6 new millennium cities hence the name given to the dance. The tune, The Nether Bailey, was composed for the dance by Nicol McLaren of the Glencraig Band. The Nether Bailey is thought to be the oldest part of Stirling Castle.
  	


created: 2015-09-21 22:02:06.120748+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.986754+00
name: Yorkshire Rose, The
ucname: YORKSHIRE ROSE
intensity_bars: 888/800/844/888
devised: 2013-01-01
notes:
  Original source: Minicrib; later published in RSCDS Book 54.

  Devised in 2013 for over 90 year old Winifred Barker. See <<https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/15973701.chester-woman-90-has-traditional-jig-named-after-her/>>.
  (NB her name is misspelled Baker in that article: see <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/2810/|issue 2810>>).


created: 2001-08-19 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.001264+00
name: Dancing Forth
ucname: DANCING FORTH
intensity_bars: 822/888/822/888
devised: 1999-01-01
notes:
  Dance devised to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the Edinburgh Branch in 1924.

  The information on the Book 54 CD sleeve is incorrect.  The  tune Dancing Forth was composed by IDreen McKerron not D Paterson


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.098058+00
name: Kinclaven Bridge
ucname: KINCLAVEN BRIDGE
intensity_bars: 8888/4444/4444/4888
notes:
  Kinclaven Bridge was built between 1903 & 1905 and crosses the River Tay at Kinclaven. Unlike the drawing on the cover of the pocket book, which shows a many spanned non-arched bridge, it is a six span single track bridge of concrete construction with Ashlar facing, to resemble bricks. It replaced a chain-operated ferry at this location. The dance mirrors the arch form in the first 8 bars. The dance is dedicated to Miss Jean C. Baillie, Muirhead of Liff, by Dundee, Angus.


created: 1997-09-04 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-08 12:58:15.591537+00
name: Jean Chaplin's Jig
ucname: JEAN CHAPLINS JIG
intensity_bars: 840/844/844/844
notes:
  > This dance is dedicated to Mrs. Jean Chaplin on the occasion of her 90th birthday.
  > Jean is a founder member of the Dundee Clarendon S. C. D. Class, which started 30 years ago and she is still dancing regularly.
  >
  > The Dance depicts the Right hand of friendship.


created: 2006-10-12 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-09 20:33:56.210698+00
name: PZ 40
ucname: PZ 40
notes:
  Penny Gay of the Penzance SCD Club wrote: The dance was written in 2002 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the Club called Penzance Scottish Country Dancers.  Hence the name PZ40.  

  However, we have also always liked the fact that there have been two boats with the Registration PZ40.   One is a small fishing boat, often anchored in St Ives Harbour.  But there used to be another boat registered as PZ40 - a Mounts Bay Lugger.  There is a small oil painting in Penlee House Museum depicting the Lugger PZ40 battling through a stormy sea.


created: 2023-05-04 17:02:16.854031+00
last_modified: 2026-05-09 20:41:30.386176+00
name: Eleanor of Kilmorack
ucname: ELEANOR OF KILMORACK
devised: 2023-04-01
notes:
  The notes say this was devised for local dance personality, Eleanor Gunn of Kilmorack, near Beauly.
  Although no longer dancing, Eleanor remains a regular attendee of Scottish Social and Scottish Country Dances and Rallies in the Inverness and Ross-Shire area. She is regularly found selling raffles at the door of Kilmorack and Glen Orrin Rallies. She organises the Kilmorack Happy Feet Scottish Social dance class.


created: 2019-10-28 21:03:36.865301+00
last_modified: 2026-05-09 21:49:20.751633+00
name: Golden Daze
ucname: GOLDEN DAZE
intensity_bars: 844/888/880/844
notes:
  > The Melbourne and District Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society was formed in 1969. It encompassed all of Victoria ( except the Mornington Peninsula which was already a Branch of the Society).  
  During the mid - 191h century, Melbourne owed its prosperity to the discovery of gold in various parts of Victoria -Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Daylesford all of which have SCD classes.


created: 2019-04-10 13:49:06.851524+00
last_modified: 2026-05-10 09:30:52.603409+00
name: Waltz of the Bells (Ceilidh)
ucname: WALTZ OF THE BELLS CEILIDH
notes:
  (Ceilidh dance)   *Line of Dance is cclw; cpls face LoD NHJ, W on R.*
  Full description to be found on the album "Are ye dancin'?" from The Glencraig Scottish Dance Band.


created: 2006-03-22 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-10 10:30:04.427229+00
name: Return to Broadford Bay
ucname: RETURN TO BROADFORD BAY
intensity_bars: 88/88/88/88
devised: 2004-01-01
notes:
  “Having spent a fortnight climbing in the Cuillins in the mid-fifties, the return visit some forty years later brought back happy memories. This dance is a two couple variation on the excellent dance 'Broadford Bay', but be warned it is strenuous, particularly when executed as a four couple set, as each couple dances three times.”

  Amongst the several versions of the description, some claim that this is a “6×32 bar Reel – a 2-couple dance in a 4-couple set”. However, even with 1s and 3s starting simultaneously, the 1st and 2nd couples get three turns as the dancing couple, but 3rd and 4th couples get just one, which is most unfair. It makes most sense to do the dance six times through in a three-couple set, or else eight times through in a four-couple set.


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-18 12:31:22.955054+00
name: Mackenzie Of Whitehall
ucname: MACKENZIE OF WHITEHALL
intensity_bars: 800/808/888/844
notes:
  The "Crown Triangles" figure in this dance is actually "Reverse Crown Triangles", moving a quarter to the left (anticlockwise) each 2 bars. 
  Dedicated, by kind permission, to Lord Provost Alex Mackenzie, OBE, JP, of Dundee, Angus.


created: 2026-05-03 21:35:59.579819+00
last_modified: 2026-05-11 09:20:27.513432+00
name: Track Court, The
ucname: TRACK COURT
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8888/6886
devised: 2025-11-01
notes:
  > When travelling by train to Budapest I arrive at what the timetable calls "Keleti pu".
  > I found that "pu" is an abbreviation for "pályaudvar".
  > This Hungarian word for railway station is a concatenation of "pálya" (track) and "udvar" (court).
  > So the literal translation is "track court".
  > The "court" part, at least in English, has legal and regal associations which make me think of the tracks solemnly deliberating
  > and arriving at a verdict on whether my train will depart on time (or at all!).


created: 2022-10-29 14:41:44.997852+00
last_modified: 2026-05-11 16:58:01.174871+00
name: Puffin John
ucname: PUFFIN JOHN
devised: 2022-06-01
notes:
  The notes say this dance was "written in memory of <<ddp:Dickson, John Bowie#101>>,
  famous dance devisor and long-term Dunedin member until his death in 1998."


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-13 16:01:14.569801+00
name: Agnes Evans
ucname: AGNES EVANS
notes:
  > Affectionately dedicated to Agnes Evans of Ealing Blind Club, who organised a Scottish Night for her fellow members. Blind members participated.
  >
  > When [a] blind dancer has to lead chains from first place, it may be necessary for a helper to assist.
  > This has been done successfully.


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-13 12:02:17.449068+00
name: Files Of Eugene, The
ucname: FILES OF EUGENE
intensity_bars: 800/888/840/880
devised: 1988-11-01
notes:
  > Dedicated to the dancers in the Eugene Country Dancers of Eugene, Oregon, who refer to the men's side of the dance as the "left file" and to the women's side as the "right file". The progressive figure in bars 25-32 is taken from the English Country Dance "Fenterlarick", which I first danced with the Eugene Country Dancers.


created: 2000-04-18 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-13 21:22:56.168703+00
name: Alva Silver Glen
ucname: ALVA SILVER GLEN
devised: 2000-01-01
notes:
  Special Y shape triangular set, the W stand BtoB in the centre, facing their partner.

  The notes say that "Alva is one af the Hillfoot villages I passed through regularly, journeying between Tillicoultry and Stirling."


created: 2020-09-30 13:38:55.866551+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.110582+00
name: Donna's Dancing Shoes
ucname: DONNAS DANCING SHOES
intensity_bars: 800/888/844/844
devised: 2014-02-01
notes:
  Devised to celebrate the wedding of Donna Rynne and John Boyle in February 2014.

  The original publication (before it was included in RSCDS Book 54) suggested the recording <<ddrec:Party Dance Reel, The #6939>>.


created: 2020-07-14 11:07:03.680429+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.1252+00
name: Kathy's Fascinator
ucname: KATHYS FASCINATOR
intensity_bars: 880/844/888/808
devised: 2020-01-01
notes:
  To celebrate Kathy Warren’s love of dance and friendship.

  For dancing during the Covid era the deviser gave an alternative for bars 25-32:  
  1c set | cast off (3c up) ; all dance BtoB (2,3,1)

  When the dance was published in RSCDS Book 54 the back to back was mistakenly changed to turn right hand.
  It is hoped this may be corrected if the Book 54 is reprinted.


created: 2020-09-24 08:49:59.267013+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.139668+00
name: Darlington Dancer, The
ucname: DARLINGTON DANCER
intensity_bars: 8008/8448/8888/8668/8888
devised: 2020-03-13
notes:
  Devised to celebrate a significant birthday for Pat Stevenson, 13 March 2020. Although Pat has lived in Western Australia for a long time she is originally from Darlington in northern England's County Durham.


created: 2024-10-30 11:36:07.334293+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.196948+00
name: Thank You Patricia
ucname: THANK YOU PATRICIA
intensity_bars: 840/844/844/888
notes:
  The notes explain that:

  >Patricia Cass played piano for the Newcastle Branch and Ladies Step classes for many years. 
  > Deb Lees wrote this dance for Patricia together with members of the Newcastle upon Tyne and District Branch class in appreciation of her skill and commitment over the years.
  > It includes a reference to the dance John Cass written for her husband, but with the lady leading into the tandem reels.

  > Patricia played a key role in the development and organisation of the Newcastle Festival, held in February each year.
  > The tune February Frost was written by Kevin Lees, who enjoyed playing with Patricia for the Newcastle RSCDS teams in the Festival.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.344638+00
name: Staffin Harvest
ucname: STAFFIN HARVEST
intensity_bars: 6666 8888 8888 8444
devised: 1976-01-01
notes:
  Staffin is a village in the north of the Isle of Skye. Near Staffin there is one of the oldest archeological sites in Scotland, a Mesolithic campsite from the 7th millennium (!) BCE.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.442336+00
name: Broadford Bay
ucname: BROADFORD BAY
intensity_bars: 880 888 880 880
devised: 1990-01-01
notes:
  Comments by Anne Taylor (formerly Grant) from the description of <<ddd:Moonen Bay>>:

  I devised Broadford Bay in 1990 and it appears in the Skye Collection Vol 1 and was adopted by the RSCDS in the Leaflet Dances in 2001. Despite the popularity of the dance, the Chase and Turn movement (Bars 17-24) still appears to pose problems with many dancers.

  I have devised Moonen Bay to try to clarify the Chase and Turn movement (Bars 9-16). I have often suggested that Broadford Bay could be taught firstly in Strathspey time which may help the dancers to understand the movement. Good Luck!

  Notes from Leaflet 32: "This dance was inspired by the memory of a beautiful sunset over Broadford Bay during the 1990 Isle of Skye Weekend School."


created: 1998-07-12 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.451949+00
name: Colonel, The
ucname: COLONEL
intensity_bars: 800 888 888 822 822
devised: 1740-01-01
notes:
  Bars 25-26 now read "... pass by the right to face first corners".  Published in Scottish Country Dancer #20, April 2015.


created: 2000-08-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.494681+00
name: Frae A' the Airts
ucname: FRAE A THE AIRTS
intensity_bars: 880 880 888 866
devised: 1978-01-01
notes:
  The RSCDS description (presumably by the deviser) notes: "Written for the 'South Pacific Fling' dancers from Canada to dance while in New Zealand and Australia" - thereby setting the stage for the idea that the society pursued in books 36 & 37.


created: 1997-11-18 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.534714+00
name: Frost and Snow
ucname: FROST AND SNOW
intensity_bars: 80 88 44 88
notes:
  Frost and Snow (together with A Trip to Glasgow) were the two new dances taught by Jean Milligan at the Palace of Art in Glasgow on 3 December 1977. Jean Milligan died in 1978 and this was the last time she taught in Glasgow.


created: 1998-09-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.592833+00
name: Leandor's Jig
ucname: LEANDORS JIG
intensity_bars: 4004/4004/4884/8888/8888/8888/8800/8008
devised: 1965-01-01
notes:
  The publication states: "Leandor's Jig was composed (i.m.o. devised) by the Currie family of Ardrossan. The name of the dance is compounded from the first letters of their names - Leslie, Antony and Dorothy."


created: 2002-02-28 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.604634+00
name: McCulloch Strathspey, The
ucname: MACCULLOCH STRATHSPEY
devised: 1966-01-01
notes:
  Dance notes from RSCDS Manual, 3rd edition, 2013:

  Bars 9 – 12
  1st and 3rd couples change places (1st couple dancing between 3rd couple), then both couples, giving left hands to their partners, dance a half turn, women finishing on the right of their partners.

  Bars 13 – 16
  2nd and 4th couples change places (2nd couple dancing between 4th couple), then both couples, giving left hands to their partners, dance a half turn, women finishing on the right of their partners.

  Bars 65 – 72
  This follows the path of a reel of four.

  Comment on McCulloch Strathspey from RSCDS Teachers Advisory Panel:

  I wonder if you can help with the interpretation of bars 65 - 72 of the McCulloch Strathspey from the RSCDS leaflets. The dance is a square strathspey and at the end of bar 64, everyone is back in their original places. My 1981 copy of the leaflet and also my 1987 edition of the pocket book for the leaflets has the following description of bars 65 - 72: "1st and 4th men dance a figure of eight round 1st and 4th women while 2nd and 3rd men dance a figure of eight round 2nd and 3rd women. Men pass left shoulders in the middle and dance round the women passing right shoulders." The 2005 edition of the Manual has no guidance on these bars. The 2008 TAC notes contains the following note: "1st and 3rd men (passing in front of partners) begin by passing 4th and 2nd men L shoulder & round women by R shoulder. Men finish by dancing round partners by R shoulder to finish facing c/clockwise, with partners on their right, ready for allemande." It seems to me that if 4th man is going to pass 1st man by the left and then dance round 1st lady by the right, that will be a very twisting route for him to take. Also, the pattern the men take is more a reel of four than a figure of eight and will be quite a stretch in 8 bars. 

  It is like a reel of four with only two dancers, starting with 1st and 4th men, and 2nd and 3rd men, passing by the left.  It is quite a tight pass by the left for the men and then by the right round a lady, and also a long way to travel, but providing the men are ready (prompt them in plenty time) there should be no problem. 


created: 1998-09-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.614904+00
name: Miss Allie Anderson
ucname: MISS ALLIE ANDERSON
intensity_bars: 666 888 888 840
notes:
  The leaflet shows no devising year/date. The "Scottish Country Dancer", issue Oct 2022, though states that "Allie's contribution to Scottish country dancing was recognised by the Saltire Society in 1980 with an award and reception. This included a demonstration of a new dance 'Miss Allie Anderson' devised by (...) Mina Corson (...)." Thus the devising year should be around 1979/1980.


created: 2026-07-20 09:01:48.535743+00
last_modified: 2026-07-20 09:01:48.535743+00
name: Together Again
ucname: TOGETHER AGAIN
devised: 2021-03-01
notes:
  > For more than a year, dancers throughout the world lived in
  > a state of isolation due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19. In early 2021, the first vaccine was released
  > and once again we could dream of the day when we would dance “together again.”


created: 2026-05-14 13:12:19.564351+00
last_modified: 2026-05-14 13:12:19.564351+00
name: Crafty Traveller, The
ucname: CRAFTY TRAVELLER
devised: 2026-04-29
notes:
  > This dance has been written for Lee-Anne Hyslop in celebration of a milestone birthday in May 2026.
  > Lee-Anne is a talented crafter and a member of the Cape Guild of Weavers.
  > She has travelled extensively, using the opportunity to learn local crafts, hence the dance title.
  > The formations convey a sense of movement in travel and weaving.


created: 2019-09-02 16:17:04.269007+00
last_modified: 2026-05-15 22:17:02.424221+00
name: Marion's Welcome (To Ottawa)
ucname: MARIONS WELCOME TO OTTAWA
intensity_bars: 484/888/888/888
devised: 2015-08-01
notes:
  Devised by Bryan Gordon to welcome Marion Hamilton to Ottawa in 2015

  Dance Crib compiled by the deviser, Bryan Gordon, Aug 2017


created: 2006-05-21 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-20 15:24:16.097785+00
name: Luke Brady's Magical Music
ucname: LUKE BRADYS MAGICAL MUSIC
intensity_bars: 888/800/844/888
notes:
  For Luke Brady, who got me into this in the first place! I have to admit. working on this book was good fun and I can now say I've met someone younger than me that likes Scottish dance music as much as l do.  And we've even made a dancer out of him!  
  Thanks to Bruce Wallace for writing the tune for this dance, it made Luke's day.


created: 2026-05-14 08:57:53.117858+00
last_modified: 2026-05-15 22:36:04.585991+00
name: Fun! Fun! Fun!
ucname: FUN FUN FUN
notes:
  > While entertaining Montreal dancers at our cottage, we decided to collaborate on a dance to submit for the Ottawa 60th anniversary book.
  > I wanted the Glasgow Highlanders setting step and a fancy circle.
  > This dance is what we came up with.


created: 2026-05-14 08:52:14.603267+00
last_modified: 2026-05-15 22:42:50.541913+00
name: CAMMAC is Calling
ucname: CAMMAC IS CALLING
intensity_bars: 880/888/822/888
devised: 2026-01-01
notes:
  > This dance is dedicated to the two other organizers of the CAMMAC Scottish Country Dance Retreat,
  > which began in 2024 supported by the RSCDS Ottawa Branch. Jody Kulas and Emily Porter, with whom I
  > am honoured to share the organizing, have been instrumental in what is becoming a very popular
  > annual event.


created: 2026-05-14 08:43:52.319774+00
last_modified: 2026-05-15 22:46:33.759968+00
name: Big Roundy Birthday
ucname: BIG ROUNDY BIRTHDAY
notes:
  > Friends talk about the dreaded big roundy birthdays when they turn 50, 60, 70, 80, etc.
  > As I was having one in 2025, I thought of devising a dance to have some fun with it instead of dread.
  > The dance opens with a happy smile to partner as we cross by the right.
  > The spoke formation seemed an ideal way to acknowledge the friends we’ve made on the wheel of life,
  > then it’s party time at either end of the set followed by quiet time with partner/best friend to close.


created: 2017-01-20 04:01:52.961994+00
last_modified: 2026-05-17 17:15:23.945716+00
name: Four Poster, The
ucname: FOUR POSTER
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8448/8888
devised: 2004-10-27
notes:
  In the notes the deviser writes: I would like to thank <<ddp:Briggs, Michael#1862|Mike Briggs>>, of Madison, [Wisconsin], for inventing the “back to back half reel of four.”


created: 2025-09-09 09:39:02.72649+00
last_modified: 2026-05-17 22:56:07.190452+00
name: Lemon Curd
ucname: LEMON CURD
devised: 2023-01-01
notes:
  Source: <<https://youtu.be/NpzTJ8U9JME|youtube video #1>> and <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/4255/|issue 4255>>.


created: 2017-10-28 20:13:13.603681+00
last_modified: 2026-05-18 22:29:28.178496+00
name: 100th English Weekend reloaded, The
ucname: 100TH ENGLISH WEEKEND RELOADED
devised: 2013-07-07
notes:
  Devised for Lothar Rummel's 100th English Weekend on 5th to 7th of Juli, 2013 in Hedersleben, Germany.
  The dance was updated in June 2014 for better flow.

  The dance description was online available at http://www.scd-chemnitz.de/tanze/ - however, the Scottish Dance Group in Chemnitz seemingly has dissolved and thus also the server does not exist anymore.


created: 2026-05-18 22:34:29.769251+00
last_modified: 2026-05-18 22:34:29.769251+00
name: Joyful TeeGee
ucname: JOYFUL TEEGEE
notes:
  > Devised in memory of Thomas Groß (1954 - 2021) of the Chemnitz SCD group
  > and former Board member of the RSCDS Central Germany Branch.
  > His cheerful personality and enthusiasm are sadly missed by all who knew him.


created: 2002-09-25 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-19 19:39:15.972293+00
name: Hey Jude Too
ucname: HEY JUDE TOO
devised: 2001-01-01
notes:
  > A dance devised to mark a significant birthday for Judy Coles, a member of the Ingleneuk Dancers.

  This is described as a jig in the Ottawa 60th anniversary book but the deviser confirms it is actually supposed to be a reel.


created: 1998-07-08 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-21 08:19:19.754423+00
name: Brisk Bob
ucname: BRISK BOB
intensity_bars: 8888/4884/4444/8008
devised: 1975-02-02
notes:
  The notes say "this dance was written at the request of Margaret Walker of Helensburgh to mark the first weekend school of the Dunbartonshire West Branch of the R.S.C.D.S."


created: 2011-08-25 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-21 23:04:49.890415+00
name: Waverley Whispers
ucname: WAVERLEY WHISPERS
intensity_bars: 800/844/888/888
notes:
  This dance is dedicated to the ‘Waverley Whispers’ editorial team – Jean Deacon and Margaret and Ross Gawler. The monthly broadsheet ‘Waverley Whispers’ is required reading for all members of the Waverley Scottish Society and any other dancer lucky enough to get their hands (or their eyes) on a copy.


created: 2026-05-14 09:01:05.77289+00
last_modified: 2026-05-15 22:19:48.917802+00
name: Marble Collection
ucname: MARBLE COLLECTION
notes:
  > Playing with marbles as a child, I always had my favourites – the cat’s eyes, aggies, the bumblebees.
  > Coincidentally, we have a cottage retreat on Marble Lake.
  > So, this dance, a collection of my most-liked formations, is a fond reminder of favourite things.


created: 2001-12-19 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-20 08:56:27.748173+00
name: Edzell Arch, The
ucname: EDZELL ARCH
devised: 2001-03-01
notes:
  Inscribed "for the SCD Weekend in the Glenesk Hotel in Edzell, 9th-11th March 2001".

  A note from John Drewry says the dance is very energetic and should probably danced in a 3C set.

  The notes also give the following detail:  
  > Edzell is a village in Angus at the foot of Glenesk.
  > It is about seven miles due north of Brechin.
  > At the south end of the village is an ornamental arch built in 1887 in memory of the 13th Earl of Dalhousie.
  > The arch is floodlit at night.
  >
  > I had seen the arch several times on previous visits to Edzell but had not read the plaque.
  > I always imagined that, like several similar arches, it had been built to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria.


created: 2016-02-29 01:16:19.85405+00
last_modified: 2026-05-22 08:46:09.146553+00
name: Gorgeous Gordons
ucname: GORGEOUS GORDONS
intensity_bars: 8008/2882/8888/8888
devised: 2015-01-01
notes:
  For <<ddp:Tyler, John#12675>> and Daniel Capron, ten years after the foundation of the Gay Gordons in London.

  NB bars 25-28 were revised in May 2017.


created: 2026-07-18 21:46:37.076531+00
last_modified: 2026-07-18 21:46:37.076531+00
name: Capt. John's Hornpipe
ucname: CAPT JOHNS HORNPIPE
devised: 2013-01-01
notes:
  > Devised January 2013, for John Allen, in celebration of John’s 80th birthday. John is
  > a retired sea captain and was a longtime member of the Clan MacLeod Scottish Country Dancers. On
  > March 18, 2023, the dance was performed by the Los Angeles Branch Demonstration Team at a party in
  > celebration of John’s 90th birthday. Despite turning 90, John remains an active participant in classes and
  > dances in the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Gabriel Valley branches.


created: 2026-05-21 18:35:37.81434+00
last_modified: 2026-06-24 12:06:42.59746+00
name: Dorothy's Favourite
ucname: DOROTHYS FAVOURITE
notes:
  Dorothy devised this dance to teach 3C rights and lefts. It didn't have a name and Jennie had asked Dorothy if she could use this exercise in her class at Duffus to which Dorothy agreed. Jennie then named the dance "Dorothy's Favourite".

  The 3 couple rights and lefts formation was devised by <<ddp:Grant, Neil M#153>>, also a teacher in Forres Branch.


created: 2000-04-05 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.675084+00
name: Mrs Stewart of Fasnacloich
ucname: MRS STEWART OF FASNACLOICH
intensity_bars: 880/888/844/888
devised: 1973-01-01
notes:
  This is one of a suite of three dances published in 1973 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Society, 1923 -1973. Mrs. Stewart of Fasnacloich was the co-founder of the Society with Miss Milligan.

  John Drewry wrote this note for his dance "<<ddd:Ysobel#7265>>": "This dance, devised in 1973, was used by the Publication's Committee in that year as the basis for the reel "Mrs Stewart of Fasnacloich" - a dance which has always disappointed me - I do not like left shoulder reels of four and I think that setting should come at the beginning of a phrase rather than at the end. My feeling, for a long time, has been that Mrs. Stewart was never the same woman again after she was interfered with by the committee! I am publishing the dance in its original form in the hope that dancers will enjoy it this way."


created: 1998-04-19 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.726743+00
name: Queen Victoria's Visit Quadrilles
ucname: QUEEN VICTORIAS VISIT QUADRILLES
notes:
  This dance is sometimes billed as a 200-bar dance. This confusion arises from the question of whether in Figures 1 and 2, bars 1-8 (»honouring« partners and corners) are part of the »repetition« done with 2nd and 4th couples leading, which would lead to an extra 16 bars altogether. The most recent versions of this dance description make it clear that the »honouring« is *not* part of the repetition, hence 184 bars.


created: 2002-01-08 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.740733+00
name: Reel of The Royal Scots, The
ucname: REEL OF THE ROYAL SCOTS
intensity_bars: 886 808 844 888
devised: 1983-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  A dance commissioned from the Society and devised by <<ddp:Goldring, Roy|Roy Goldring>> to celebrate the 350th anniversary in 1983 of Scotland’s oldest regiment. Along with all the other Scottish regiments, The Royal Scots have been merged into The Royal Regiment of Scotland with most of its traditions being carried on by the 1st Battalion of that regiment
  ##<<


created: 2002-04-19 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.764828+00
name: Sauchie Haugh, The
ucname: SAUCHIE HAUGH
intensity_bars: 80 88 88 88
devised: 1967-01-01
notes:
  The Sauchie Haugh refers to a willowy meadow by a river: in this instance the meadow which gave modern Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow its name.

  The RSCDS leaflet gives the tune as <<ddt:Lord Eglinton's Auld Man#1008>> but a presumably earlier typescript suggests both <<ddt:Mrs Lumsden of Achindores#1327>> and <<ddt:Mr Hamilton of Pencaitland#1275>>.


created: 1998-09-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.781153+00
name: Silver Tassie, The
ucname: SILVER TASSIE
intensity_bars: 888 808 888 880
devised: 1966-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  This title, meaning the silver cup, is usually referenced to the first lines of the song *My Bonie Mary* by Robert Burns:

  *Go, fetch to me a pint o’wine,  
  And fill it in a silver tassie  
  That I may drink, before I go,  
  A service to my bonie lassie*

  This, however, is probably Burns’ reworking of an older ballad attributed to Alexander Lesly of Edin, which opens:

  *Ye’ll bring me here a pint of wine,  
  A server and a silver tassie,  
  That I may drink, before I gang,  
  A health to my ain bonny lassie*
  ##<<


created: 2001-05-20 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.79101+00
name: Tribute to the Borders
ucname: TRIBUTE TO THE BORDERS
intensity_bars: 800 844 843 888
devised: 1979-01-01
notes:
  This dance is inscribed “To Alice and Joe Murphy” and is a tribute to the Carlisle and Borders Branch of the RSCDS also a recognition that the Borders are the first part of Scotland reached by travellers from the South.


created: 2026-07-11 16:24:30.230613+00
last_modified: 2026-07-13 10:12:58.561411+00
name: Auld Tortoiseshell, The
ucname: AULD TORTOISESHELL
intensity_bars: 880/880/888/888
devised: 2025-10-01
notes:
  This past spring we adopted a 14-year-old tortoiseshell cat who’d lost her original family. We just wanted to offer her a good home for her golden years and ended up with a 14-year-old kitten! We did have to provide her medications for IBS and low B12, but after that she went from a cadaverous 5.5 pounds to a healthy 8 pounds and she seems happy to be here.


created: 2026-07-10 16:46:02.507796+00
last_modified: 2026-07-13 10:14:34.059492+00
name: Maryland Monroe
ucname: MARYLAND MONROE
intensity_bars: 800/800/888/888
devised: 2025-08-01
notes:
  Years ago when I was in high school a good friend told me about a class his uncle was taking in how to use visualization to help remember a list. Then he told me about the one his uncle used to remember the original 13 colonies in the order in which they joined the union. The seventh image is described “sitting on the mass of ice is Maryland Monroe” (Maryland). It’s now 60+ years later and I still remember the whole sequence, so I decided to use the phrases as titles for some dances; this is the seventh of those dances.


created: 2026-05-14 09:05:12.526429+00
last_modified: 2026-05-15 22:00:24.777974+00
name: Nessie's Frolic
ucname: NESSIES FROLIC
notes:
  > Devised to honour The Mistress of Loch Ness, who is also the co-convenor of RSCDS Ottawa’s Wednesday Afternoon Social Class.
  >
  > Nessie enters Loch Ness for the first time and explores the loch by swimming around for a while.
  > Liking what she finds, she decides to make it her home by defining the shores of the loch with a celebratory six hands round and back.


created: 2015-02-01 21:33:18.344297+00
last_modified: 2026-05-22 19:07:15.897449+00
name: Turnham Green
ucname: TURNHAM GREEN
intensity_bars: 422/12,12,12/888/822
notes:
  "Devised in appreciation of kind folk Chiswick Scottish Dancing Club which meets at St.Michael & All Angels Church, Turnham Green, London".

  Although that was true when the dance was written, since then the Chiswick Scottish Dancing Club (<<https://www.chiswickscottish.org.uk/>>) has moved and now dances in Richmond.


created: 2026-05-22 20:58:08.751728+00
last_modified: 2026-05-22 20:58:08.751728+00
name: Bergs and Birls
ucname: BERGS AND BIRLS
devised: 2026-05-19
notes:
  > This dance was written for Julie Ward in celebration of a milestone birthday in May 2026.
  > Julie is an avid hiker and spends many hours with her hiking club walking and exploring the mountains of South Africa.
  > In fact, the Drakensberg (A.K.A “the Berg”) was where she celebrated her 70th birthday.
  > The dance depicts walking up and down peaks with ladders, zig-zags and winding paths.


created: 2019-07-30 19:42:50.566377+00
last_modified: 2026-05-23 17:45:13.386025+00
name: Ten Beach Dancers
ucname: TEN BEACH DANCERS
devised: 2019-04-05
notes:
  Obviously an homage to the late Eddie West’s ”Beach Dancer”, and inspired whilst daydreaming at the bottom of a 5C set,
  whilst the first 3 couples walking through the Beach Dancer at the Capitol City Club on the night of the 4th. Recommended music is ”A Quickstep by the Duke of Gordon” by Robert Petrie, and 5C recorded music is that for ”The Campbells are Coming” as recorded by Muriel Johnston and her band in the Society’s ”Music for Book 24”. ”Come under my Plaidie” as recorded by the Craigowl Band in the Society’s recording of the Children’s book” would work at a pinch. I would avoid pipe marches, and use a light jig suggesting flight.


created: 2020-10-06 13:38:15.5602+00
last_modified: 2026-05-25 21:03:16.484198+00
name: Robert Shaw's Strathspey
ucname: ROBERT SHAWS STRATHSPEY
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/888
notes:
  This dance is dedicated to Robert Shaw, my first pipe major when I moved to Glasgow. He taught me a huge
  amount about competing pipe bands, and led the bands I played in with him to many prizes.


created: 2026-05-26 15:54:26.569652+00
last_modified: 2026-05-26 15:55:33.739785+00
name: Roses for Ros McKie
ucname: ROSES FOR ROS MACKIE
notes:
  > This dance has been composed as a tribute to <<ddp:McKie, Ros#742>> from Newcastle (Australia), who has been a
  > passionate dancer, teacher and supporter of Scottish Dancing for over 50 years and received a Scroll of
  > Honour from the RSCDS in 2025 for her services to Scottish Country Dancing. She helped form the Hunter
  > Valley Branch (NSW Australia), has taught in all Branches in Australia, and has also taught in New Zealand
  > and the United Kingdom. She has mentored new teachers and been on the Branch and Teachers’
  > Committees for many years. She helped organise the ﬁrst Australian Winter School run by the Hunter Valley
  > Branch and been on several Australian Winter School Committees since then.


created: 2021-04-13 13:01:27.596608+00
last_modified: 2026-05-27 22:55:39.542498+00
name: Bev Tait's Strathspey
ucname: BEV TAITS STRATHSPEY
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/844
devised: 2019-07-01
notes:
  This dance was written for Bev Tait for her 80th birthday. Bev Tait was the Scottish Country Dance teacher for Werribee Scottish Country Dance Group for 30 years before retiring in 2018. Bev and her husband, Uilleam Tait, attained their teachers’ certificates in 1980. Uilleam would also attend the class. As a child, Rachel Goerke remembers Bev and Uilleam Tait teaching at teaching weekends in Bendigo, Victoria, during the 1980’s. Many of the Werribee Scottish Country Dance Group continue to catch up with Bev on regular basis.

  Published in The Spurtle, Issue 45, December 2020 by RSCDS Melbourne Branch.

  See via <<https://www.rscdsmelbourne.org.au/news/past-editions-of-the-spurtle>> or directly at <<https://drive.google.com/file/d/13FXC2cRAXuR2eO6QIl_qiEH5PxTvSiGL/view>> (page 9).


created: 2026-05-27 23:09:27.683001+00
last_modified: 2026-05-27 23:09:27.683001+00
name: My Margaret
ucname: MY MARGARET
devised: 2021-11-01
notes:
  > This dance was written for Margaret Gawler following a Unit 5 class where Margaret
  > taught a formation that inspired the first 8 bars of this dance. Rachel thought the
  > formation looked graceful and strong as well as interesting. Margaret and Rachel are
  > undertaking their final unit of their Teaching Certificate. The dance is titled My
  > Margaret as Margaret was the deviser's partner for their Unit 2 dancing exam for Part
  > A of the Teaching Certificate in 2018. As there were two Margaret's in the exam
  > Rachel referred to Margaret Gawler as “My Margaret”.

  Published in The Spurtle, Issue 46 (2021) by RSCDS Melbourne Branch.

  See via <<https://www.rscdsmelbourne.org.au/news/past-editions-of-the-spurtle>> or directly at <<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iSjIRNAw8vvKDv_ZcAKYCn1qAA5Dp5p0/view>> (pages 15-16).


created: 1997-09-09 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-27 08:57:22.408277+00
name: Rounds of the Kitchen
ucname: ROUNDS OF THE KITCHEN
notes:
  > To those of you who know John Mitchell, alias 'the Mitchell', the title of the dance needs no
  explanation, but for the un-initiated it is a fond tribute to one of the Hunter Valley characters
  by one of the most long-suffering of dancers - his wife. N M


created: 2026-05-26 18:42:26.526672+00
last_modified: 2026-05-27 12:13:23.99381+00
name: Friends at 90
ucname: FRIENDS AT 90
intensity_bars: 888/088/804/888
devised: 2025-01-01
notes:
  Devised in early 2025 for Keith Napier and <<ddp:Charlton, Brian#74>> both of whom were 90 that year.

  NB the instructions at <<https://mailchi.mp/09f4818f9a14/december-sydney-news-information-bulletin-14764806#Mortdale_-Friends-at-90>> for bars 1-4 suggest couples half turn and cast away to "own" side. Possibly this should be opposite side.


created: 1997-11-18 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-27 14:04:27.8502+00
name: Kelvingrove
ucname: KELVINGROVE
notes:
  According to <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/2392/|issue 2392>> this dance was arranged from one collected by <<ddp:MacNab, Mary Isdale#242|Mrs MacNab>> (where ‘arranged’ is surely a euphemism for changed/ devised/ choreographed).

  SCDDB originally had this as a 152 bar dance, perhaps influenced by Angus Henry's diagram. In fact it is 144 bars comprising four figures of 48+32+32+32 bars. The Angus Henry diagram shows the correct number of figures but mistakenly has "S152" in the title line.


created: 2019-08-06 09:08:04.764495+00
last_modified: 2026-05-28 09:28:30.858889+00
name: Director Jim
ucname: DIRECTOR JIM
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8288/8888
devised: 2019-07-01
notes:
  Devised by Gordon Porter Summer School Week 2 2019 commemorating Jim Stott's retiral after four years as Summer School Director, in St Andrews


created: 2026-05-14 09:06:19.102102+00
last_modified: 2026-05-15 21:56:38.20235+00
name: Parkdale Pertin
ucname: PARKDALE PERTIN
notes:
  > This dance was written for RSCDS Ottawa’s Level 3 class at the end of the 2015 dance season.
  > Pertin is a Scottish word meaning parting or leaving, as we were for the summer.


created: 2026-05-27 23:01:19.540396+00
last_modified: 2026-05-27 23:03:53.933646+00
name: Autocorrect
ucname: AUTOCORRECT
devised: 2021-08-01
notes:
  > This dance was written for Margaret Gawler, Carolyn Koger and Joyce Parsons during yet another Covid lockdown. 
  > The four dancers and teachers chat daily via messenger and often have a giggle when messages are autocorrected with seemingly random replacements.

  Published in The Spurtle, Issue 46 (2021) by RSCDS Melbourne Branch.

  See via <<https://www.rscdsmelbourne.org.au/news/past-editions-of-the-spurtle>> or directly at <<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iSjIRNAw8vvKDv_ZcAKYCn1qAA5Dp5p0/view>> (pages 11-14).


created: 2026-05-27 23:24:20.572365+00
last_modified: 2026-05-27 23:28:57.262074+00
name: Chirnside Circle, The
ucname: CHIRNSIDE CIRCLE
devised: 2019-07-14
notes:
  > This dance was written for a day of demonstrations and visitor participation held at
  > the open house for Werribee Park Mansion which was built by Thomas Chirnside and
  > his brother Andrew Chirnside between 1874 and 1877.

  Published in The Spurtle, Issue 47 (2022) by RSCDS Melbourne Branch.

  See via <<https://www.rscdsmelbourne.org.au/news/past-editions-of-the-spurtle>> or directly at <<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iSjIRNAw8vvKDv_ZcAKYCn1qAA5Dp5p0/view>> (page 18).


created: 2019-08-07 18:24:50.605906+00
last_modified: 2026-05-28 09:26:16.264794+00
name: Stephen's Found Baggage
ucname: STEPHENS FOUND BAGGAGE
intensity_bars: 8000/8888/8888/8444
devised: 2019-07-01
notes:
  Dance composed by Anne Scobie at Summer School Week 2 2019, VA Low Impact Class to the tune "Stephen's Lost Baggage" composed by our class musician, Ewan Galloway, for Stephen Kraus whose baggage had still not arrived on Tuesday morning.  

  The dance represents the plane landing, passengers disembarking, going through customs and moving on to the baggage reclaim area, the carousel and a happy ending (as Stephen's baggage did arrive Tuesday afternoon :-))


created: 2007-08-15 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.912305+00
name: Trip to Lorient, A
ucname: TRIP TO LORIENT
devised: 2007-04-01
notes:
  Bars 1-4 of the RSCDS version has a single advance and retire.  Ian's website, https://www.scottishdance.net/dances/Book/ATripToLorient.pdf has advance and retire twice.

  Ian writes: I intended the strathspey to be advance for one, retire for one twice - I really like this dynamic figure, whereas advance for two retire for two always makes me believe the set is too narrow. Unfortunately during publication by the RSCDS these bars were set to the same as the corresponding bars of the quick time, and I missed this during proof-reading.

  ln the quick time, it remains advance for two, retire for two once.

  The strathspey and reel parts each have progression 3142 and dancers may choose to repeat each part.


created: 2019-03-08 19:38:15.126089+00
last_modified: 2026-05-28 10:07:46.955158+00
name: Me and My Partner
ucname: ME AND MY PARTNER
intensity_bars: 8008/0880/8000/8888
notes:
  In this dance everyone only dances with their partner, apart from the circle at the end.

  The instructions published in the <<ddpub:Iberian Commemorative Book#1492>> have 2nd and 3rd couples setting at the start of bars 9-16.
  However in <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/4287/|issue 4287>> the deviser reports that this is a mistake and there should be no setting at that point.

  Variations of bars 17-24 are also suggested.


created: 1998-11-28 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.813627+00
name: Fugal Fergus
ucname: FUGAL FERGUS
intensity_bars: 888/888/888/888/884/000
devised: 1963-01-01
notes:
  Fugue. Men dance 8 bars behind the ladies.
  This is the only dance described in <<ddpub:#406|Roll Back the Carpet>>, a delightful and interesting book that analyses a large variety of possible SCD figures. It is in the section "Counterpoint" which was first published in <<link:thereel/75||4>>.

  See also <<ddd:Waverley>>.

  Anselm Lingnau writes: "While we're on the subject of Fugal Fergus, it's probably worth mentioning that it is a derivative of the dance Waverley (or Fergus McIver) from RSCDS Book 15. The chases from the original are fairly evident in Foss's adaptation, as is the setting and crossing (even though in Fugal Fergus it goes across the dance, while in Waverley it goes up and down).  Waverley also features the poussette and double triangles, which Fugal Fergus does not.  Fugal Fergus is dance #1 in Hugh Foss's book The Waverley Fugues, which contains 12 "fugal" dances of increasing complexity, and it is the only one in the book based on an existing dance.  As an exercise in devising dances, The Waverley Fugues remains unsurpassed, and  it offers many interesting challenges for advanced dancers.  My personal favourites are Rob Roy (#6) and Dugald Dalgetty (#9)...."


created: 1998-11-14 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.827083+00
name: John McAlpin
ucname: JOHN MACALPIN
intensity_bars: 800 822 777 888
notes:
  According to <<link:thethistle/28|The Thistle #28>> (May 1966):

  > The ideas in this dance came from fencing. But it is not a “fencing lilt”. The origin is only of historical
  > interest and does not affect the manner of dancing.
  >
  > Bars 1–4 represent a one-two, where a fencer feints on one side of his opponent's blade and
  > disengages to make the real attack on the other side. Bars 5–8 represent one-two-deceive
  > (get a fencer to explain this). When one fencer retires his opponent usually advances. This inspired
  > bars 17–24. Sometimes fencers rush up so close to each other that they have to be separated by the
  > referee. This is known as a corps-à-corps. Hence bars 25–32.
  >
  > The tune was chosen first. Then the fencing ideas were poured into the mould.


created: 2009-11-06 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.863586+00
name: Festival Interceltique
ucname: FESTIVAL INTERCELTIQUE
intensity_bars: 8 8 4 8 8
devised: 2007-04-01
notes:
  ##RSCDS-DI:bars:32+8

  When I first wrote Festival Interceltique, I had it with dancers in square sets. so the promenade has the dancers changing set.  Unfortunately, on the original dance-through with the Lorient team there were only 5 couples, so we had to dance it as a single 5-couple set. They then taught it at the festival as a single circular set for as many as will, and this is the version that was published.  Do try it with square sets - it gives a bit more meaning to the promenade. Of course, you will probably find that when the dancers re-form at the end of the promenade, you will have sets of 3 couples, 5 couples, 2 couples, 6 couples, just as happens with the Dunedin Festival Dance / Borrowdale Exchange.  This is fine and the dance allows for it.

  Cheers,  Ian Brockbank,  Edinburgh. Scotland


created: 2010-08-07 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.97108+00
name: Valentine, The
ucname: VALENTINE
intensity_bars: 800 880 888 888
devised: 2008-02-14
notes:
  Written for Fiona Mackie on St Valentine's Day, 14 February 2008.

  Linda Gaul, responding to queries about [25-28], wrote (p6 of the October 2009 edition of Scottish Country Dancer): 

  "The original instructions  for bars 25-26 state “3rd, 1st and 2nd couples, giving right hands, turn half way round and remain in the middle”.  That is correct.   The only error was that the “all facing up” instruction got put at the end of bars 25-26 instead of 27-28.  

  I often say to my class that at the end of bar 28, you can get a kiss in, if you wish. You couldn’t do that if you were setting near the sidelines!  If the dancers in the videos are shown near the sidelines they are wrong!


created: 2026-06-05 10:13:48.388698+00
last_modified: 2026-06-05 10:13:48.388698+00
name: Switchback
ucname: SWITCHBACK
intensity_bars: 8888/6666/8888/6666
devised: 2026-01-01
notes:
  > Bars 17-24 of this dance were loosely inspired by a non-progressive in/out figure from <<ddp:Drewry, John#108>>'s triangular reel <<ddd:Ronda, La#8356>>.
  > It can become a square progression in strathspey time if all start opposite their partner.


created: 2026-05-14 09:07:45.534832+00
last_modified: 2026-05-15 21:51:41.114185+00
name: Slowvannah Tea Dance
ucname: SLOWVANNAH TEA DANCE
notes:
  > I devised this dance for my former Gulfstream colleagues in Savannah, Georgia,
  > where people move slowly because of the heat and drink lots of sweet tea.


created: 2006-09-12 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-05-29 09:15:56.811889+00
name: Alphadoodle
ucname: ALPHADOODLE
notes:
  > This is a nickname I've given my cat, Alfie.
  > He's a tabby cat with white paws and the personality of a tiny baby.
  > His habit of walking on my kitchen countertop is almost impossible to control.
  > He's a funny little guy and the name seems to fit.


created: 1998-04-19 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:30.243188+00
name: Sands of Morar
ucname: SANDS OF MORAR
intensity_bars: 800 888 888 880
devised: 1983-01-01
notes:
  The »Sands of Morar« are on the west coast of Scotland, between
  Arisaig and Morar (south of Mallaig on the A830). Lovers of the cinema
  will recognise parts of the sands from the Bill Forsyth film,
  <<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085859/|Local Hero>>.
  (The village apparently near the beach as shown in the film is
  actually in a completely different part of Scotland – Pennan, on the
  east coast.)


created: 2019-04-07 15:07:15.796309+00
last_modified: 2026-06-02 14:58:12.653665+00
name: Birlin' Corners
ucname: BIRLIN CORNERS
intensity_bars: 80800/84884/84884/86846/84844
notes:
  Devised with fond memories of endlessly birling with university students in Scotland. Please note that pivot turns may be replaced by right hand turns if desired.


created: 2026-06-03 14:14:25.856969+00
last_modified: 2026-06-03 16:15:05.933546+00
name: McGuillicuddy's Rant
ucname: MACGUILLICUDDYS RANT
devised: 2026-05-01
notes:
  > A dance written for <<ddp:Anglin, Bob#2999>>. He was a good dancer and teacher and mentor in the Ottawa area.
  > Unfortunately, his isn't able to dance much any more.
  > On many occasions we would discuss teaching Scottish Country dancing. During the discussions, Bob
  > would often reference a fictitious dance named McGuillicuddy's Rant and a non-existent tune Lady
  > Turlington's Reel. The dance often included a formation called the schlep for 2 couples.


created: 2022-01-17 16:34:10.285887+00
last_modified: 2026-06-05 21:33:10.417147+00
name: Remembering Marian
ucname: REMEMBERING MARIAN
intensity_bars: 404/484/864/488
devised: 2021-01-01
notes:
  In memory of Marian Roth (1937-2021) who was a long term member of the Geneva Scottish Country Dancing Club.


created: 2026-06-05 10:04:08.736809+00
last_modified: 2026-06-05 10:11:02.805928+00
name: Encountering Douglas
ucname: ENCOUNTERING DOUGLAS
intensity_bars: 800/664/888/664/888
devised: 2025-12-01
notes:
  > This is for Douglas Bone who started the <<https://www.cadilonians.org/en|CadiLonians>> SCD group which meets close to Cadiz in Spain.
  > I dance with the London Gay Gordons.
  > After our class one evening in December 2025 I had a tap on the shoulder in the nearby pub – and there was Douglas – in the UK to visit his son who lives locally!
  > So this dance is full of unexpected meetings: everyone will leave and regain their partner and dance with both their partner and other people at different times.


created: 2022-01-17 16:46:22.215253+00
last_modified: 2026-06-05 21:46:37.986446+00
name: Liz's News Reel
ucname: LIZS NEWS REEL
intensity_bars: 774/844/844/888
devised: 2021-01-01
notes:
  "For Liz Matthews after covid-19".

  During the first lockdown Liz produced a series of colourful newsletters for the Geneva Scottish Country Dancing Club while the group could not meet in person.


created: 2026-06-05 10:25:39.131195+00
last_modified: 2026-06-05 15:43:17.9343+00
name: MMM ou M aime M
ucname: MMM OU M AIME M
intensity_bars: 88/88/88/88
notes:
  > <<http://albabihan.wifeo.com/|The AlbaBihan Scottish Dance Club>> in Séné, France, organises diagram-reading sessions once every quarter. During one of these sessions, participants are invited to draw cards bearing various formations and figures in order to create a dance, which is then adapted by <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/person/12782/|Claudine Auriacombe>>, the Club's teacher.  
  *"MMM" or "M Loves M" – 8x32 Reel*: This dance was devised in honour of our Vice-President and President, Michèle and Michel Hance (who are also husband and wife), in recognition of their dedication to the association, their willingness to help at all times, and their kindness.


created: 2025-11-08 20:26:32.45274+00
last_modified: 2026-06-06 21:47:11.356644+00
name: Sparkling Stalwart, The
ucname: SPARKLING STALWART
intensity_bars: 8008/8888/8448/8888/8448
devised: 2025-10-01
notes:
  > This dance is for Jean Guano who has long been a stalwart of several Scottish Country Dance groups in London: firstly in Wembley, then at Chiswick, Richmond and Wimbledon Reels.
  > She also frequently visited the St Columba's Monday dancers and many other events around London.
  > Jean likes wearing diamonds, hence the sparkling part of the title and the figure of bars 13-16.
  > Always elegant, she could be described as a "swish lassie" with a fondness for birling, hence the echoes of Swiss Lassie here.


created: 2002-12-16 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:32.990557+00
name: Craven Jig, The
ucname: CRAVEN JIG
intensity_bars: 8000 8484 8484 8000
devised: 1998-01-01
notes:
  Devised February 1998, and dedicated tio the North West Craven Branch of the RSCDS on the occasion of their 40th anniversary.


created: 2026-05-17 19:08:29.608622+00
last_modified: 2026-07-06 12:20:13.397366+00
name: Crossing the Meridian
ucname: CROSSING THE MERIDIAN
intensity_bars: 800/844/844/888
devised: 2024-07-01
notes:
  > This is for John Evans who regularly dances with the Gay Gordons and who liked the dance when we first tested it.
  > John lives near the <<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_meridian|Prime Meridian>> in Greenwich.


created: 2022-12-23 15:51:23.478636+00
last_modified: 2026-06-07 10:35:27.267526+00
name: Fine on Loch Fyne
ucname: FINE ON LOCH FYNE
intensity_bars: 800/866/866/844
notes:
  Having been to the Islay weekend, we stopped in Inverary on the way home. We were the only car in the car park and we went to the supermarket. With the shopping done we went back to the car to find it had a parking ticket. This dance commemorates our fine on Loch Fyne.


created: 2026-06-07 08:23:53.469746+00
last_modified: 2026-06-08 13:44:38.447348+00
name: Returning the Keys
ucname: RETURNING THE KEYS
devised: 2024-01-01
notes:
  > This dance commemorates the scramble to return room keys to organizers at the conclusion of Seattle Washington’s Fort Worden Weekend.  
  > 1-16 Lizzie and Sarah do a final call for keys, and dancers hand off keys to their housemates to avoid the trip to Erickson Hall early Sunday morning.  
  > 17-32 Sarah and Lizzie lock up, chase a few stragglers, and return home after retrieving all the keys.


created: 2012-12-31 16:33:14.492112+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.055264+00
name: Perth meets Perth
ucname: PERTH MEETS PERTH
devised: 2010-01-01
notes:
  The Perth & Perthshire Branch Newsletter "The Highland Gateway" for January 2011 has the following text:

  "From locally here in Perth, Scotland, the links spread internationally to Perth, Western Australia where the RSCDS Branch was asked to contribute a reel and a strathspey in honour of the Perth 800 anniversary. The dances “The Swan and the Tay” (which represents the two city rivers) and “Perth meets Perth” (representing dancers crossing the world to join together in the dance) were submitted. Appropriately their tunes “Mo Rutherford’s compliments to Frank Thomson” and Jim Johnston’s “The Carse of Gowrie” were arranged by Mo Rutherford, former RCDS Musical Director, and of course one of Perth‘s best known musicians."

  So this dance comes from Perth (Australia), but was published in Scotland in the RSCDS booklet "Perth 800".


created: 2012-08-15 08:23:20.65402+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.131403+00
name: Royal Patron, The
ucname: ROYAL PATRON
intensity_bars: 800 888 808 880
notes:
  »Devised as a tribute to our gracious Patron Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and dedicated to Robert H Mackay who suggested the title and the original tune.«

  There is a typo in the tune title in the book – the place is called »Ardnilly« according to the original publication by Wm. Marshall.

  ## The following notes were put forward by Andrew McConnell in the Fully Certificated Class at St Andrews Summer School 2012, Week 4:

  ##1-8:: 1st woman dances slightly in to begin to help phrasing. 1st couple should be dancing through women's sidelines at end of bar 4 and covering until end of bar 8.  
  ##13-16:: 1st couple as they are turning are slightly below 3rd couple, but must finish facing 3rd couple. 1st woman must be careful to avoid finishing facing 4th man.
  ##25-32:: At the end of the half reel of four, 1st couple must finish reasonably far apart from each other. The left hand turn is a wide, slow turn. On bar 32, 1st and 2nd men and 1st and 2nd women should cover as they dance out to the sidelines. 1st woman stays facing out to begin next turn.

  Note (additional to the book and the Manual). collected by Helen Russell from staff teaching The Diamond Jubilee book at Summer School 2012. 

  4            1st couple should be on women's sideline at the end of bar 4.

  13 -16   To begin the turn, the man takes a long step down towards his partner. 1st couple finish shoulder to shoulder facing 3rd couple, not back to back, as stated in the original instructions.

  21 -24   3rd couple need to remember to set and cross.

  29 -32   This is a tum requiring short steps. At the end of this left hand turn the 1st woman may stay facing out ready to cast. 2nd couple need to remember to set and cross.


created: 2012-08-15 09:01:47.763879+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.168318+00
name: Mist o'er the Loch
ucname: MIST OER THE LOCH
intensity_bars: 880 822 822 822
notes:
  A reliable source tells us that the author originally wanted to call the dance »The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge«, in honour of Prince William and his wife, but permission to do so was refused by the Palace (with no reason specified).

  The current title of the dance is perhaps less than 100% fortunate given its phonetic proximity to <<ddd:The Minister on the Loch>>.

  Notes (additional to the book and the Manual) collected by Helen Russell from staff teaching The Diamond Jubilee book at Summer School 2012. 

  13 - 16   1st couple, with 2nd woman and 3rd man, dance half rights and lefts on the diagonal. 

  21 - 24   1st couple, with 2nd man and 3rd woman, dance a variation on half rights and lefts on the diagonal.  To begin 1st man dances diagonally up and 1st woman dances diagonally down.  N.B. It may help to note that 1st man goes up, down down and up, while 1st woman goes down, up, up and down.

  27 & 31   Ensure that hands are released before starting to cast.


created: 2012-08-15 09:09:26.149881+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.200063+00
name: Orwell Lodge Strathspey
ucname: ORWELL LODGE STRATHSPEY
intensity_bars: 880 844 888 848
notes:
  »Dedicated to Jane Purves.«

  The author writes:  Please note there is a mistake in Orwell Lodge Strathspey as published in the Jubilee book.   On bar 16 there is no right shoulder pass - first couple just finish the second half reel on the sidelines.   See http://scottishdance.net/dances/Book/OrwellLodgeStrathspey.pdf   (This is Ian's site.).

  Note (additional to the book and the Manual). collected by Helen Russell from staff teaching The Diamond Jubilee book at Summer School 2012. 

  13 -16   1st couple dance a half reel of four with second corners and finish all on opposite sides in the order 3,1,2. 1.st couple do not pass by the right as stated in the original instructions.

  27 -28   2nd couple must turn once round in two bars.


created: 2003-02-16 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.228297+00
name: Antarctica Bound
ucname: ANTARCTICA BOUND
intensity_bars: 8800 0088 8004 8888
devised: 2002-01-01
notes:
  Goldring's original description in the Scotia Suite describes bars 5-8 as "1st couple followed by 2nd couple dance up to place."; this could be read as "up the middle". The later Leaflet Dances version says "... cast up to original places".; i.e. outside the set.

  Asked about these two versions, Christine Parker-Jones writes "As one of those lucky enough to have been taught to dance by Roy, I spent many a happy Saturday afternoon trying out his new dances prior to their publication. To the best of my knowledge and memory we always danced this dance by dancing outside the set back to place".


created: 1998-01-05 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-13 12:04:16.733265+00
name: Shetland Fiddler, The
ucname: SHETLAND FIDDLER
devised: 1967-08-10
notes:
  The notes say the dance is named for the lead tune on the suggested recording: "On Tour Selection" by Jim MacLeod on the LP "Lassie Come and Dance With Me".


created: 2026-07-18 22:03:24.499166+00
last_modified: 2026-07-18 22:03:24.499166+00
name: Do Birds Fly?
ucname: DO BIRDS FLY
notes:
  > Devised for Claudia Pedersen. In October 1999 Claudia suffered a major illness that
  > threatened her life but whenever Claudia was asked if she thought she would ever dance again, her
  > answer was always the same, “Do birds fly?” Happily, Claudia recovered and today remains an active
  > member of the Los Angeles Branch.


created: 2026-07-20 09:05:21.793379+00
last_modified: 2026-07-20 09:05:21.793379+00
name: Tyler Man, The
ucname: TYLER MAN
devised: 2013-01-01
notes:
  > Devised in 2013 for my grandson, Tyler James. From the time of his birth until he
  > entered school, Tyler was known in our family as “The Tyler Man.”


created: 2023-06-25 21:23:27.049047+00
last_modified: 2026-06-07 13:02:58.362853+00
name: Drumin Castle
ucname: DRUMIN CASTLE
intensity_bars: 888/888/484/888
notes:
  Drumin Castle stands on a rocky bluff overlooking the confluence of the River Livet and the River Avon in Glenlivet.


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-08 15:41:54.606977+00
name: Book One
ucname: BOOK ONE
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8888/0880/8888/8000/8044/8068
devised: 1973-08-01
notes:
  The notes say this was "written to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and draws entirely on elements found in Book 1 of Scottish Country Dances published In 1923."


created: 1997-09-10 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-08 16:27:08.44819+00
name: Mrs McKie's Strathspey
ucname: MRS MACKIES STRATHSPEY
notes:
  "Dedicated to Mrs Jean McKie of Walsall, Staffs., on the occasion of her visit to Newcastle, N.S.W., In 1988."


created: 2022-12-23 15:55:35.456+00
last_modified: 2026-06-10 14:48:42.097758+00
name: Nan's Dance
ucname: NANS DANCE
intensity_bars: 888/888/888/633
devised: 2018-01-01
notes:
  This dance was composed for Nan Braunschweiger on the occasion of a significant birthday, which, this year, fell on St Patrick’s Day!


created: 2026-06-11 16:07:09.761168+00
last_modified: 2026-06-11 16:09:19.102878+00
name: Flying Firkin, The
ucname: FLYING FIRKIN
intensity_bars: 800/888/844/888
devised: 2026-05-01
notes:
  Devised spring 2026 by Lara Friedman-Shedlov based on Sue McKinnell’s dance “<<ddd:Busy Box#11491>>".


created: 2026-06-13 09:07:11.562605+00
last_modified: 2026-06-13 09:07:11.562605+00
name: Forres in Bloom
ucname: FORRES IN BLOOM
intensity_bars: 88/80/80/88
devised: 2026-01-01
notes:
  "Forres in Bloom is a community led organisation which seeks to maintain the flower beds of Forres and provide year round floral displays."


created: 2026-06-14 10:00:30.033478+00
last_modified: 2026-06-14 10:00:30.033478+00
name: Pukwudgies
ucname: PUKWUDGIES
devised: 2022-01-01
notes:
  Source <<https://youtu.be/G6DwoUwDk4s|youtube video>> which has the following explanation in the comments:

  > A Pukwudgie, also spelled Puk-Wudjie (another spelling, Puck-wudj-ininee, translated by Henry Schoolcraft as "little wild man of the woods that vanishes"),
  > is a human-like creature of Wampanoag folklore, found in Delaware, Prince Edward Island, and parts of Indiana and Massachusetts,
  > sometimes said to be two to three feet (0.61 to 0.91 m) tall.


created: 2006-11-14 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-14 19:55:12.361214+00
name: Santa Fe Summer
ucname: SANTA FE SUMMER
devised: 2004-06-11
notes:
  "Devised on June 11, 2004 for those faithful dancers who came to class on time on that hot summer evening - you know who you are."


created: 2026-05-08 10:13:40.859263+00
last_modified: 2026-06-17 11:10:37.079046+00
name: Made in Lyon Branch
ucname: MADE IN LYON BRANCH
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/844
devised: 2026-04-01
notes:
  Dedicated to <<ddp:Orgeret, Raphaëlle#11303>> and presented to her, along with a Branch Award, in April 2026 at the RSCDS Spring Fling in Lyon (at the Hall des Fêtes in Saint-Fons).

  The paths or positions in each of the four 8 bar phrases are intended to represent one letter of LYON.


created: 2026-06-17 11:32:48.547428+00
last_modified: 2026-06-17 11:32:48.547428+00
name: Like a breath through air
ucname: LIKE A BREATH THROUGH AIR
devised: 2026-06-01
notes:
  > This dance is for Tricia Oliver on the occasion of her birthday with thanks for the happy smiles
  >  and graceful partnering for strathspeys over the years at parties, classes and socials.
  > (My wife Heather provided the inspiration for the dance name and the idea to convey through
  > this dance being light on the feet like a breath through air.)
  > The name also recognizes that Tricia is an accomplished Alexander Technique
  > practioner where there is a focus on restoring your natural breathing rhythm.
  >
  > Achieving movement that is light on the feet "like a breath through air" is the ultimate dance
  > illusion that Scottish Country Dancers aspire to when dancing strathspeys.
  > It requires a seamless connection between your breath, a strong core, and grounded alignment.


created: 2017-07-16 11:41:56.120562+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:31.265017+00
name: Edinburgh Toy Shop, The
ucname: EDINBURGH TOY SHOP
intensity_bars: 822/822/822/888
devised: 2016-03-01
notes:
  “The deviser went with his family to Scotland in 2006 and, although not quite four years old, remembers the toys in the ‘gift shoppe’ at Edinburgh Castle, especially the foam swords.’

  DEVISED:2016-03


created: 2010-09-16 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-07 13:04:58.288381+00
name: Riverside, The
ucname: RIVERSIDE
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8888/8822 (4C set)
devised: 1988-01-01
notes:
  The dance is danced by any number of couples, forming two long lines, each lady on her partner’s right.  For the duration, each couple is dancing in a four with the couple opposite them in the set.

  This dance was named after The Riverside Club in Glasgow – scene of many a good night’s dancing!  The dance floor there is long and narrow, hence the full, long set. It was written primarily for children or beginners, and can be easily learned which is perhaps why it has grown in popularity at Ceilidh dances.

  As with many ceilidh dances, there are countless variants; the crib and the videos show some of them.


created: 2026-06-16 20:07:49.154744+00
last_modified: 2026-06-17 21:45:31.532563+00
name: Otters' Frolic
ucname: OTTERS FROLIC
devised: 2026-06-15
notes:
  > First Couple may also take turns leading the twirl down the middle if they wish.  
  > This dance was devised to highlight mirroring, shadowing, and parallel relationships with other dancers in the set. Thanks to John Crabtree for the otter pun!  
  > Tunes to try: Shetland Fiddle Diva, The Famous Baravan(https://thesession.org/tunes/5386)


created: 2011-08-28 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.319605+00
name: Kandahar Reel (RSCDS)
ucname: KANDAHAR REEL RSCDS
intensity_bars: 84000 88320 84840 88880
devised: 2009-09-30
notes:
  This dance was recently invented by Capt. Andy Colquhoun and Lt. Rob
  Colquhoun while in Afghanistan (hence the name). It follows in the
  tradition of dances like <<ddd:The Reel of the 51st Division>> which were
  created by soldiers with time on their hands. At least this time no
  POW camp was involved.

  The dance is superficially simple but requires great presence of mind,
  good technique, and perfect teamwork if it is supposed to look
  good. Legend claims that the one-and-a-half-times-round hands across
  stand for both the big rotors of a Chinook helicopter and the fact
  that soldiers are constantly exhorted to give 150% of what is expected
  from them. The end involves a little cheating but, given the
  situation, this probably ought to be forgiven.

  Unusually for a dance involving four couples, the Kandahar Reel was
  originally choreographed for a five-couple set, but that, too, follows
  the »Reel of the 51st«. One could say with some justification that the
  dancing couple have earned their little 32-bar break after their turn.


created: 1998-10-15 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.354503+00
name: Blooms of Bon Accord
ucname: BLOOMS OF BON ACCORD
intensity_bars: 8888 8008 8888 8008
devised: 1971-01-01
notes:
  Devised in 1971 to commemorate the winning by the City of Aberdeen of the "Britain in Bloom" Competition for the third successive year.


created: 1997-12-07 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.387754+00
name: Curleywee
ucname: CURLEYWEE
intensity_bars: 88/44/88/88
notes:
  The original publications (Galloway Hills Set and Galloway Album) use the spelling Curleywee.
  In the Collins book the name is missspelled Curlywee.

  Curleywee is the name of a hill in Galloway: from the Gaelic Cor le gaoith, (Hill in the wind).


created: 1998-04-12 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.430815+00
name: Good Hearted Glasgow
ucname: GOOD HEARTED GLASGOW
intensity_bars: 800 888 800 888
devised: 1988-01-01
notes:
  Summary of a discussion on “Strathspey” in november 2013:  This dance is known as "Good Hearted Glasgow" but also as "The Good Hearted Glasgow Jig". The deviser, Peter Knapman, explains (thanks to Andrew Smith for sharing):

  "The reason for the confusion [about the correct name] arose as a result of why the dance was originally written! The Greater Glasgow Health Board ran a campaign in 1988 where they organised a series of easy and accessible forms of exercise under the general title of 'Good Hearted Glasgow' - one of these exercise activities being country dancing.  Hence, they needed a fairly straightforward Scottish country dance which became known as Good Hearted Glasgow or to distinguish it from other GHG exercise activities 'The Good Hearted Glasgow Jig. The original leaflet shows the title with the 'the' and the 'jig' in a lesser typeface.

  As far as the SCD world is concerned it has always been known simply as 'Good Hearted Glasgow' - the Bobby Brown LP is the only time the full title has been used.

  So take your pick - I would simply use Good Hearted Glasgow as that is what most SCD sources use - but if you wish to use its Sunday title then that's fine - as long as you enjoy dancing the dance select which ever title you prefer."

  [In view of the second-to-last paragraph the »Jig« alias has been downgraded to »Unofficial« for the benefit of the RSCDS Index To Dances. –Anselm]


created: 2002-02-26 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.452496+00
name: Highlandman's Umbrella, The
ucname: HIGHLANDMANS UMBRELLA
intensity_bars: 6666 6666 5555 8888
notes:
  The Highlandman's Umbrella was a nickname for the railway bridge of Glasgow Central Station which could be used to shelter from the rain.

  According to George Watt (on the strathspey mailing list) "there is a song by the Alexander Brothers, The Heilanman's Umbrella. This was also recorded by Andy Stewart (<<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX8ZKtndqtM>>). And there is, or was, a great wee music shop under the bridge that has an amazing selection of Scottish Dance CDs."


created: 2002-02-27 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.496695+00
name: Lord MacLay's Reel
ucname: LORD MACLAYS REEL
intensity_bars: 8008 8888 8888 8888 8000
devised: 1954-01-01
notes:
  This dance originally appeared in a James S. Kerr leaflet entitled: The Boy’s Brigade, Glasgow Battalion, A Scottish Country Dance composed for B.B.Fanfare 1954 (<<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/2325/|issue 2325>>)


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.603357+00
name: Bees of Maggieknockater, The
ucname: BEES OF MAGGIEKNOCKATER
intensity_bars: 8040 8888 8888 8044
devised: 1975-01-01
notes:
  In the note on the original dance instructions, John Drewry wrote:  
  *Maggieknockater is a hamlet two miles North-east of Craigellachie. In a field there beside the road is a large sign – Maggieknockater Apiary – hence the title of this dance.*  
  Some years later, John noted that the apiary had closed and the sign had been removed.


created: 1998-01-05 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-13 15:59:00.954614+00
name: Glenlomond Reel
ucname: GLENLOMOND REEL
devised: 1968-07-04
notes:
  Notes from the instructions:

  > Although this is a 2 couple dance Alec had all 4 couples starting in most of his two couple dances.
  >
  > This dance is named for the Glenlomond Band directed by Bert Shorthouse.
  > Like Hay's Australian Ladies it is a good example of Alec's ability to devise a dance
  > to music recorded for a different form of dance.


created: 1997-08-28 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-13 23:18:48.163984+00
name: Bicycle Reel, The
ucname: BICYCLE REEL
notes:
  According to the notes "The first pedal bicycle was made by Kirkpatrick Macmillan of Dumfriesshire in 1839."

  The symbolism is given as:  
  1-8: The wheels  
  9-16: Handlebars and saddle  
  17-24:Bicycle chain  
  25-32: Off on a journey


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-13 23:28:59.012559+00
name: Alloway
ucname: ALLOWAY
intensity_bars: 888/888/844/888
notes:
  To Elizabeth, who introduced me to the lasting pleasure of Scottish Country Dancing, - when in Bristol, 1947, she started a class with a few members of St. Oswald's Church.


created: 2021-12-03 20:10:25.369993+00
last_modified: 2026-06-18 09:42:10.348789+00
name: Jeanie Deans' Strathspey
ucname: JEANIE DEANS STRATHSPEY
intensity_bars: 800/888/822/800
notes:
  Originally published in 1820 by John Sutherland, Edinburgh in a booklet linked to Sir Walter Scott's novel The Heart of Midlothian. Jeanie Deans was the heroine of the novel.  This dance was reconstructed by the RSCDS in 2021 to mark the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott's birth.


created: 2026-06-17 21:55:19.107029+00
last_modified: 2026-06-18 10:38:27.448887+00
name: Pont Street To Potten End
ucname: PONT STREET TO POTTEN END
intensity_bars: 800/888/800/888
devised: 2026-01-01
notes:
  > Commissioned by Callum and Kenneth Brown to mark the 70th birthday of their father Andrew Brown.
  >
  > Andrew danced for many years at various clubs at St Columba’s Church Hall in Pont Street and,
  > after moving to Chesham, has danced with Berkhamsted Strathspey and Reel Club in Potten End.


created: 2026-06-18 13:05:15.154325+00
last_modified: 2026-06-18 13:05:15.154325+00
name: Strathspey for Twelve
ucname: STRATHSPEY FOR TWELVE
devised: 2016-10-02
notes:
  For two side by side three couple sets (a 32 bar strathspey version of the 40 bar <<ddd:Reel for Twelve#23985>>).


created: 2026-06-19 07:24:56.370097+00
last_modified: 2026-06-20 10:20:37.69844+00
name: Aranyhíd Étterem Pub Reel
ucname: ARANYHID ETTEREM PUB REEL
devised: 2025-01-01
notes:
  > Devised by Gianna Daniele & Fabrizio Galloni, RSCDS Northern Italy Branch, Bologna, 2025
  > 
  > A gift to Gabor Turi, his family, and the Budapest Scottish Dance Club, on the occasion of the Scottish
  > Dance weekend 2025. The dance was written thinking to a special dinner at the Aranyhíd Étterem Pub.
  > Recommended Music Corn Rigs and Variations (Reel 4x32) from Red Thistle Music “Jennifer's Dances” album.


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-18 21:47:41.001343+00
name: Stoney Path Tower
ucname: STONEY PATH TOWER
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8066/8000
notes:
  This dance was originally labeled as “Reel”. As the recommended tune is a jig, and hence all recordings are also in Jig time, the editors of “The Whetherly Books” felt it appropriate to change the dance type to “Jig” as well (2026-06-18).


created: 2015-05-04 11:06:18.208168+00
last_modified: 2026-06-18 22:14:38.500162+00
name: Copthorne Steamie, The
ucname: COPTHORNE STEAMIE
devised: 2012-01-01
notes:
  A 40-bar jig for 4½ couples in a longwise set.  (the ½ stands at the top of the set as the “Umbrella” with a small part-filled laundry basket )


created: 1997-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-21 09:58:31.87996+00
name: Janet's Delight
ucname: JANETS DELIGHT
devised: 1952-01-01
notes:
  This was originally entered in SCDDB as a 16 bar waltz. It is actually a 96 bar dance with a number of figures of 16 or 32 bars - though there are different versions of the instructions.


created: 2023-12-21 17:34:07.8175+00
last_modified: 2026-06-21 20:20:59.423287+00
name: Ocean Waves
ucname: OCEAN WAVES
intensity_bars: 800/880/844/888
devised: 2022-09-01
notes:
  The dance was devised to introduce dolphin reels to a class. It can be done as a jig, reel or strathspey.


created: 2021-12-19 12:27:20.188945+00
last_modified: 2026-06-23 14:51:00.929437+00
name: Breakout in Room 7
ucname: BREAKOUT IN ROOM 7
notes:
  This dance was part of the RSCDS Spring Fling event. The dance description can be found on page 14 of the online source.


created: 2025-07-12 23:00:07.075747+00
last_modified: 2026-06-23 15:05:15.84753+00
name: Judith Mi Amiga
ucname: JUDITH MI AMIGA
intensity_bars: 800/888/804/880
devised: 2023-08-01
notes:
  Dedicated to Judith Muir.  Devised whilst travelling at 37,000ft mid Atlantic.

  There is a full-length download (8x32 jig) set of music at the following web address (Craigellachie Bands Web site):

  <<https://craigellachie-band.co.uk/teacher-resources/new-dances-resource-judith-mi-amiga/>>


created: 2004-02-18 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-14 13:40:56.953481+00
name: Kiss of the Humming Bird
ucname: KISS OF THE HUMMING BIRD
intensity_bars: 800/844/888/888
notes:
  In Portuguese. the humming bird is called the kissing bird.  
  The figure used in bars 5-8 and 29-32 (half turn & twirl) suggest the kiss.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.113654+00
name: Trip to Holland, A
ucname: TRIP TO HOLLAND
intensity_bars: 880 440 800 800
devised: 1787-01-01
notes:
  The original version of RSCDS Book 19 has "Campbell 1794" and that date was duly entered in SCDDB.

  However the revised edition of Book 19 gives the source as "Wm. Campbell's 8th Book of New and Favorite, Country Dances, & Strathspey Reels c. 1787." So it must be earlier than the previously assumed 1794.

  The revised Book 19 specifies turning with both hands in bars 29-32 whereas the original version just has "turn each other one and a half times" without mentioning hands.


created: 2026-08-20 22:39:38.669669+00
last_modified: 2026-08-20 22:39:38.669669+00
name: Betelgeuse
ucname: BETELGEUSE
notes:
  > Amongst astronomers there is debate about the correct pronunciation of "Betelgeuse" (α Orionis),
  > but the name of this dance is definitely pronounced Beetle-juice


created: 2015-05-04 10:36:14.135141+00
last_modified: 2026-06-18 22:13:22.561503+00
name: London's Turning
ucname: LONDONS TURNING
devised: 1999-10-01
notes:
  Acknowledgement:
  This dance was inspired by the unusual alternating reel structure of the dance 'London's Burning' by Sue Petyt and is merely a variation on that dance. The continuous motion of the dance made me think of gear wheels and 'London's Turning' is an attempt to develop that concept.


created: 2002-01-08 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-24 15:33:26.019277+00
name: Mairi's Divorce
ucname: MAIRIS DIVORCE
intensity_bars: 800/844/844/888/888
devised: 1998-01-01
notes:
  In “Mairi’s Wedding” some dancing couples prefer to pass Rsh for [9-24], against James Cosh’s emphatically clear instructions to pass LEFT shoulder. Dance 'devised' [tongue in cheek] with this (nick)name by Angus Henry, 1998.

  For videos, please go to "Mairi's Wedding". In fact, most of the videos show the R shoulder variant.


created: 2002-02-26 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.684225+00
name: Ian Powrie's Farewell to Auchterarder
ucname: IAN POWRIES FAREWELL TO AUCHTERARDER
intensity_bars: (1s+3s; 2s+4s) (88/44/44/88 / 84/88/80/80 / 48/88/08/08 / 88/44/44/88
notes:
  If you look at the original description for the dance you may wonder about bars 25–32: The ladies are coming out of a right hands across, i.e., they're moving clockwise, but the promenade at the end of the first part goes *anticlockwise*? This is obviously completely counterintuitive, and therefore one must not wonder that it is generally – see Keith Rose's diagram – not actually danced that way, except if one is in Edinburgh and Bill Hamilton is present (he is, however, no longer in a position to complain since he shuffled off this mortal coil in 2021). To be fair, it should be mentioned that Bill Hamilton noticed quite quickly that the anticlockwise promenade perhaps wasn't the greatest of ideas, but he still insisted on the dance as written because he didn't want to change the published description. – The Society republished the dance in <<ddpub:Thirty Popular Dances, Volume Two>> and, as usual, masterfully avoids taking sides in the debate; instead, it leads its readers right into the trap by means of the completely unhelpful explanation, “All four couples dance a promenade round to own places” (which is identical for bars 25–32 and 97–104).

  The other place where the published and the popular forms of the dance differ concerns the circle at the very end. Officially, this goes first to the right and then to the left (as a mirror image of the circle at the start of the dance), but it is common to keep going in the same direction (right) throughout the final 8 bars. It may be advisable to seek a consensus before the dance starts in order to avoid struggles, collisions, or dislocated shoulders.


created: 2002-11-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.713073+00
name: Pelorus Jack
ucname: PELORUS JACK
intensity_bars: 804 844 844 862
devised: 1993-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  The dance title refers to a Risso’s dolphin, named after Pelorus Sound in Marlborough, New Zealand. From 1888 until 1912, the dolphin would pilot ships through French Pass, a particularly dangerous stretch of the Cook Strait. Although protected by an Act of Parliament of 1904, the dolphin disappeared after four Norwegian whaling ships passed through the Strait.  Wikipedia, however, offers: ‘research suggests that Pelorus Jack was an old animal; his head was white and his body pale, both indications of age, so it is likely that he died of natural causes’.

  There is <<https://youtu.be/AgFQul3rlLk|archive footage>> of Pelorus Jack himself and also of <<https://youtu.be/qIg2H6gew7Y|Barry Skelton recounting the story>>.

  Note that Risso's dolphins are not the iconic animals everyone (or at any rate everyone who watched kids' TV in the 1970s) knows from “Flipper”. They are bigger and have no “beak”.
  ##<<


created: 2006-11-10 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.7444+00
name: Torridon Lassies
ucname: TORRIDON LASSIES
intensity_bars: 844 844 844 844 888
devised: 2006-01-01
notes:
  Torridon is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. However the name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torridon. It lies on the shore of Loch Torridon.

  John Brenchley named this dance after Torridon Street in Perth, Western Australia, in an area where names of Scottish origin abound.

  The original dedication in <<ddpub:The Kangaroo Paw#1009>> publication reads: *A dance for the lassies in our house which is situated in a street named Torridon Loop.*


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.761915+00
name: White Heather Jig, The
ucname: WHITE HEATHER JIG
intensity_bars: 8000 8800 8220 8080 8000
devised: 1964-01-01
notes:
  There is a variant where on [35-36] 1c casts up to 2nd place (3c step down), making this into an 8 x 40 dance; it is called "<<ddd:#14666|The White And Purple Heather Jig>>".


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.774099+00
name: Black Mountain Reel, The
ucname: BLACK MOUNTAIN REEL
intensity_bars: 80800 82842 84884 84844
devised: 1968-01-01
notes:
  First published on a Glendarroch SCD Sheet in 1968.

  It is not entirely clear which mountain provided the title for this dance – possibly Twyn Lech on the English-Welsh border. <<ddp:Haynes, Derek>>, the author of this dance, was a passionate hill-walker.


created: 1998-11-14 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.787197+00
name: Bratach Bana
ucname: BRATACH BANA
intensity_bars: 800 888 822 844
devised: 1964-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  The dance is named for the tune of the same name which John Drewry referred to as *a Gaelic song with a very catchy tune*. This tune was, and is, used by many bands in various reel sets, in addition to being the lead tune for this dance.  

  The Gaelic name translates loosely as White Banner and is usually taken to refer to the Fairy Flag of Dunvegan kept at Dunvegan Castle, the seat of Clan Macleod on the Isle of Skye. The flag is the subject of numerous legends.

  Note by John Drewry on [27-28]:  I am indebted to Derek Haynes for suggesting this improvement in the dance, originally I had 1st couple and their second corners turning with 2 pas de basque, while retaining promenade hold. 

  ##<<

  Note on [27-28]: O. Otto says best variant is corners in PdB, 1c in SkCh.

  The name is given in the publications of the dance as "Bratach Bana" with no accent, but the gaelic song has "Bratach Bàna" with accent which is added as a spelling alias.


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.834928+00
name: Irish Rover, The
ucname: IRISH ROVER
intensity_bars: 844/844/888/844
notes:
  ##>>
  A dance written to the well-known Irish song about a mythical sailing ship:  
  *… an elegant craft, she was rigged fore and aft  
  And how the Trade Winds drove her  
  She had twenty-three masts and withstood several blasts  
  And they called her The Irish Rover*
  ##<<

  Note on “Lead or Dance on [1-4]”.  The original wording used by Cosh in “22 SCDs” was “lead”.  The RSCDS republished the dance in "Thirty  Popular Dances Vol.2" in November 2019. Page 36, and used “Dance”.  So that is now the correct handing.


created: 2012-01-06 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-18 22:14:15.973193+00
name: Courtney Jane
ucname: COURTNEY JANE
devised: 2010-02-01
notes:
  Commissioned for the anniversary of 10 years of SC dancing in Kununurra, W. Australia, and dedicated to the memory of Courtney Jane Kuiper.

  The dance can be adapted for a 4C set; 4C stpes up on bares 1-2; progression 2341.


created: 1997-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-06-26 11:51:36.915218+00
name: Rutherford House
ucname: RUTHERFORD HOUSE
notes:
  > This dance was written for Noel and Rhoda Tanner of Auckland, New Zealand,
  > in thanks for the wonderful time spent with them when teaching there in October 1988.
  >
  > I stayed with them in their house on Rutherford Way.


created: 2018-03-11 09:36:21.771524+00
last_modified: 2026-06-27 08:11:16.434153+00
name: Finnish RoMance, A
ucname: FINNISH ROMANCE
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/800
notes:
  In <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/4332/|issue 4332>> the deviser gives some second thoughts on his original version of the last two bars:

  "For a wedding dance I find the last two bars, somewhat like giving your bride/bridegroom the cold shoulder. One could turn ever closer kiss and retire, or turn another half and pass right shoulder to own sides - or something…"


created: 2026-06-27 14:44:44.434099+00
last_modified: 2026-06-27 14:44:44.434099+00
name: Circle of Eggs, The
ucname: CIRCLE OF EGGS
devised: 2026-04-01
notes:
  Source <<https://rscds.org/spring-fling-2026-scholarship-story/>>.

  Devised to celebrate the 2026 Spring Fling in Lyon. Intended to be danced once through - but the progression allows for 4x104R if desired.


created: 2015-02-01 09:02:52.175953+00
last_modified: 2026-06-29 14:40:51.444987+00
name: London Trillium
ucname: LONDON TRILLIUM
notes:
  > On the occasion of the London, Ontario Branch's 50th anniversary.
  > The triangular set and bars 9-16 mimic both the forks of the city's Thames River
  > and the petals of the trillium, Ontario's official flower.


created: 2026-06-29 20:21:59.543707+00
last_modified: 2026-06-29 20:21:59.543707+00
name: Three Squared
ucname: THREE SQUARED
notes:
  Performance piece by the Red Thistle Dancers. Source <<https://youtu.be/uJi3yqujkDI|youtube video>>.


created: 2024-09-04 08:57:09.60437+00
last_modified: 2026-06-30 15:23:28.089912+00
name: Tribute to Malcolm Brown, A
ucname: TRIBUTE TO MALCOLM BROWN
devised: 2024-09-03
notes:
  The deviser wrote, on 4 September 2024, that "yesterday morning I was thinking about <<ddp: Brown, Malcolm#635|Malcolm>> and peacefully came a dance."


created: 2026-01-27 15:33:09.300304+00
last_modified: 2026-07-01 08:25:07.335557+00
name: Stone Mountain Schottische
ucname: STONE MOUNTAIN SCHOTTISCHE
notes:
  In the original printing of the Atlanta 50th Anniversary Book this dance was misspelled with "Scottische" instead of "Schottische". This has been corrected in the online version.


created: 2026-07-01 17:01:19.866964+00
last_modified: 2026-07-01 17:01:19.866964+00
name: Jicama Jig
ucname: JICAMA JIG
notes:
  > The title of this dance was inspired by one of our dancers,
  > Lyle Ramshaw, who brings Jicama slices as a snack whenever
  > we have get togethers. He really knows how to pick a good Jicama!


created: 1997-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-02 08:43:49.954919+00
name: Tangled Web We Weave, A
ucname: TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE
devised: 1991-01-01
notes:
  "This dance has two titles; one to celebrate Ted Carson's 'semi' retirement, and the other for the tangle the dance looked like when we first tried to dance it! Ted danced this creation for several weeks without knowing that the dance was written for him. Mike Turner, who devised the dance, told Ted it was written by an anonymous person who didn't want to be identified or have the name of the dance known unless the dance worked (it was the only way to practice it without tipping him off). Changes to the dance were made as a result of the practices. We revealed the name and dedication to Ted at a party, held in his honour on February 9, 1991."


created: 2026-06-30 13:53:16.748121+00
last_modified: 2026-07-02 09:29:58.671964+00
name: Ménage à Trois – Double Trouble
ucname: MENAGE A TROIS DOUBLE TROUBLE
devised: 2025-01-01
notes:
  A version of <<ddd:Ménage à Trois#23997>> for two back to back 3 person triangular sets. The active dancers switch between sets.


created: 2016-09-03 19:46:36.214819+00
last_modified: 2026-07-03 07:37:37.869556+00
name: What Could be Easier
ucname: WHAT COULD BE EASIER
intensity_bars: 8448/8888/8888/8888
devised: 2010-01-01
notes:
  Before Anne Hueser taught Scottish Country Dancing in Jacksonville, Ron Gemmell was the instructor. He was noted for teaching complex dances then saying, “What could be easier?"


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.117697+00
name: Petronella
ucname: PETRONELLA
intensity_bars: 80 80 80 88
devised: 1808-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  The dance is named for the very old tune also known by various derivative names such as Petronelle. The tune has been memorably described by one well-known Scottish musician as more of a drumbeat than a tune.  

  The exact origin of the name of the tune is unknown but it has been suggested that it refers to the sister of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor married Louis VII of France in 1137. According to some sources, Eleanor and Petronella accompanied the King on a Crusade and Petronella regularly led troops into battle while naked from the waist up.
  ##<<


created: 2026-07-02 21:27:00.837446+00
last_modified: 2026-07-03 08:25:05.431358+00
name: Springfield Gardens, The
ucname: SPRINGFIELD GARDENS
intensity_bars: 866/888/888/848
notes:
  Mary Elizabeth Grant Dooley was born and raised in Jacksonville. She is a seasoned Irish dancer. After earning her degree at FSU, she returned to Jacksonville with her husband to the historic Springfield neighborhood where they established a community garden.


created: 1998-11-07 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.23715+00
name: Cumberland Reel
ucname: CUMBERLAND REEL
intensity_bars: 8800 8000 12 12 12 12 4444
notes:
  As with many dances of ceilidh origin, there are several variants of the "Cumberland Reel".  In the RSCDS version (Book 1 #11) the figure "dance down and lead up" is 6+6 bars [bars 17-28].  The cribs and diagram show this version.

  In one variation, this figure is 4+4 [bars 17-24], which is easier to dance.  Then "all turn partner RH" is added at the end to fill in the missing 4 bars. See for example <<https://www.scottish-country-dancing-dictionary.com/dance-crib/cumberland-jig.html>>.

  In some versions 3c+4c also dance "RHA ; LHA" for bars 1-8.


created: 2026-07-03 02:17:56.037164+00
last_modified: 2026-07-03 10:41:30.067311+00
name: Anne's Pitlochry Jig
ucname: ANNES PITLOCHRY JIG
intensity_bars: 800/844/888/888/888/888
notes:
  Anne attended the 2018 Winter School in Pitlochry. She found the Scottish scenery stunning and plans on return visits as often as possible.


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.144092+00
name: Circassian Circle
ucname: CIRCASSIAN CIRCLE
intensity_bars: 88 88 88 88
notes:
  This dance (Couple facing Couple ) has no relationship to the dance "Circassian (Big) Circle" (Single Circle) . The original source of this dance is unknown, and might not exist. 

  Many variants of "Round the Room" dances called something like "Circassian Circle" exist, both with a single circle of dancers, and two circles (Couple facing Couple).  A broad overview can be found on Andrew Timmins' website at https://www.libraryofdance.org/dances/circassian-circle/

  Supplement: The website https://www.dancilla.com/wiki/index.php/Circassian_Circle tells us that the Community Dances Manual 1, 1949, (still available from the English Folk Dance And Song Society; Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Rd, London NW1 7AY.) has the following entry where both dances are combined:

      The Circassian And The Big Circle (Collected by Maud Karpeles in Northumberland)

  PART 1: The Cercassian Circle (jig tune) Form: Progressive Sicilian Circle (couple facing couple). A.1. Right and left through or woman cross over (left) and men cross over (right), and repeat to places. A.2. Partners balance right and left. Partners swing. B.1. “Ladies Chain” B.2. Swing and change OR Promenade on to next couple.

  PART 2: The Big Cercle (reel tune) All join hands in one ring: Each man with his partner on his right facing centre. A.1.Forward and back twice. A.2. Woman to centre and back again. Men go in and back to contrary partner, i.e. the woman on his left. B.1. Swing her round. B.2. Promenade around and repeat as from A.1."

  Could this double variant be the reason why these unsimilar dances have such similar names?


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.179113+00
name: Flowers of Edinburgh
ucname: FLOWERS OF EDINBURGH
intensity_bars: 800 800 800 880
notes:
  In the old days the city of Edinburgh was less famous for its greenery
  than for the smoke and bad stench pervading the Old Town, which gave
  rise to its nickname, »Auld Reekie« (Old Smoky). The tenements of the
  Old Town did not feature the indoor sewage disposal technology that we
  are accustomed to today, and it was by no means uncommon for the good
  citizens of Edinburgh to greet the early morning by emptying the
  content of their chamber pots out of a 5th-story window with the
  cheery cry of »Gardyloo« (from the French *gardez, l'eau*, or »Watch
  out, some water«) to warn hapless passers-by. Hence, one
  interpretation of the title of this dance views it as a kind of
  super-euphemism for these »blooms« of crudity and tastelessness. More
  delicate and tender sources prefer to relate the title to the young
  ladies of the city.


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.200658+00
name: Duke of Perth
ucname: DUKE OF PERTH
intensity_bars: 800 822 844 866
devised: 1827-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  Duke of Perth has never been an official Scottish or British title. It was granted to James Drummond, then Earl of Perth, by the deposed and exiled King James II and VII in 1701, although some sources give 1695. The Drummonds remained loyal to the Stewart cause and the 2nd Duke was, as they say, »out« with the Old Pretender in 1715. Both of his sons were with Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. The 3rd Duke died on board a ship fleeing after Culloden and his brother, the 4th Duke, died in fighting in Holland in 1747.

  The family tree gets very complicated after the 4th Duke but John Drummond, currently 9th Earl of Perth is accepted as the Jacobite 15th Duke of Perth. 
  ##<<

  If you have a spare 39 seconds, here is an interesting clip of the Duke of
  Perth being danced in Glasgow circa 1964   Only one time through, alas.
  <<http://ssa.nls.uk/film/3270>>  The caption says Highland dancing. . .but it lies.  It's SCD.


created: 2000-09-20 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:36.247213+00
name: Glasgow Highlanders, The
ucname: GLASGOW HIGHLANDERS
notes:
  Tue 2020-03-10 Robb Quint <volleyballjerry@aol.com> wrote: 

  RQ  Having Marjorie McLaughlin "on the line" and knowing how knowledgeable she is about SCD history, I questioned her about something that had made me curious:

  RQ  My source information for the dance had come from the SCDDB, that The Glasgow Highlanders had been devised by one Walter F. Gillies (1851-1909) in the 1880s.   And I had consulted my own dusty old copy of RSCDS Book 2 (no printing date, but it shows "Miss M. F. Hadden" as secretary, and she retired in 1967) to see whether there was anything more, and I had been surprised to find less, in fact nothing whatsoever about any deviser.  Now I know that the folks at the SCDDB don't just make things up, so I figured that perhaps subsequent research had led to the Society's having added that source information in a later printing, and indeed Marjorie solved that particular mystery with:

  MM  My copy of Book 2 is a 1998 revised edition, and it does include the source as W. F. Gillies Manual of Dancing, or a Companion to the Ballroom, Glasgow, c. 1885.

  RQ  This still seemed odd to me, so I queried further.  I mentioned to Marjorie that there is a "deviser gap" of about 150 years in RSCDS-published books in that dances from the 1923 founding of the Society until today have either been republished from devisers (if cited at all) in old manuscripts of the latter-18th or early-19th centuries or modern devisers whose dances were published sporadically from the 1960s onward and not consistently until the 1980s.  And this RSCDS-dance deviser Walter Gillies, listed in the SCDDB with no other dances to his name (no doubt taken from the RSCDS information) from the latter 19th century, is just an anachronistic oddity with no other such that I had e'er seen from RSCDS-published materials...i.e., as previously mentioned, devisers otherwise all seeming to be early 1800s and earlier or 1960s and later with virtually none in between.

  To this Marjorie in her wisdom replied:

  MM  I have no idea who found it there and thought that to be the origin of the dance, but RSCDS Publications Committee references, particularly in the early books, are suspect or nonexistent!  It is very unlikely that Mr. Gillies can be credited with "devising" the dance; rather his 1885 publication happens to be the one to which the Society had access.  I've reread references to The Glasgow Highlanders in Thurston's Scotland's Dances, Emmerson's Scotland Through Her Country Dances, and the Fletts' Traditional Dancing in Scotland.  All of them mention The Glasgow Highlanders frequently but not one makes mention of W.F. Gillies.  It's quite clear that the dance was one of many that were in the repertoire of all of the itinerant dancing masters of the late 19th century.  And it appears in Mozart Allan's 1895 Ball-room Guide (of which I own a treasured copy), which itself is mentioned in the Fletts' book specifically with reference to The Glasgow Highlanders.  I would therefore say that Mr. Gillies was just one publisher of many who reprinted the dance.  

  Eric Ferguson (co-editor): On the basis of his information I have reset "Author" to "(unknown)", and removed the date of creation.  2020-03-10.


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.426894+00
name: Scottish Reform
ucname: SCOTTISH REFORM
intensity_bars: 86 84 80 88
notes:
  This traditional dance celebrates the movement for political and
  economic reform in Scotland at the end of the 18th century, which
  unlike its predecessors in France and the USA didn't really lead
  anywhere.

  The setting movement served as an inspiration for the middle part of
  <<ddd:The Reel of the 51st Division>>, while the dance as a whole is fairly
  typical of the early 19th century, when many dances followed the
  »Something-Something-Down-the-middle-and-up-Poussette« pattern.


created: 1998-11-09 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.469261+00
name: Jenny, Come down to Jock
ucname: JENNY COME DOWN TO JOCK
intensity_bars: 88 44 88
notes:
  Former RSCDS Archivist Marilyn Healy says:

  > The RSCDS 1985 edition called [the dance] Hey! Jenny,
  > Come Down to Jock, whereas the 2001 revised edition called it Jenny, Come
  > Down to Jock.  (The tune is given as Hey! Jenny, Come Down to Jock in both
  > versions).  The source we give for it is Allan’s Ballroom Guide (c.1880) and
  > it is also in David Anderson’s Ball-Room Guide (approx. same time) and both
  > call it Jenny, Come down to Jock  (We have Allan and David Anderson pocket
  > books in the archive.)

  In current RSCDS publications the dance is called »Jenny, …« (without the »Hey!«).


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.481725+00
name: Blue Bonnets
ucname: BLUE BONNETS
intensity_bars: 44 44 80 88
notes:
  <<scddb-not-identical:8753>>

  The dark blue bonnet, or cap, is a typical article of traditional male
  Scottish attire, and it should not come as a big surprise that the
  “blue bonnets” in this case refer to the Scots in arms against the
  English (*All the blue bonnets are o'er the border* – Sir Walter
  Scott).

  During the past few centuries, Scottish military units sported a
  variety of bonnets including the “Balmoral bonnet” (a fairly flat cap
  similar to a beret, but with a cockade and badge at the front left and
  a “toorie” or fluffy woolen pom-pom, usually red, at the centre of the
  crown) and the “Glengarry bonnet” (a more elaborate item more like a
  fore-and-aft or overseas cap, with a cockade, badge, red toorie and
  often a red-and-white diced band at the bottom, cock feathers and long
  streamer ribbons in the back). Nowadays only the Glengarry bonnet
  remains in military use, although the Balmoral bonnet is still popular
  as a part of Highland dress. In *So You're Going to Wear the Kilt*,
  J. Charles Thompson claims that “some of my Scottish advisors […] have
  no use for a Glengarry for anyone of any age who is not forced to wear
  it by military regulations”.

  The music for the dance used to be called *Lesley's March* (its
  namesake, one General Lesley, lived in the 17th century and fought,
  like many other Scots, on the Swedish side in the Thirty-Year War on
  the Continent before returning to Scotland to lead the army of the
  “covenanters” against Cromwell), but was renamed *Blue Bonnets o'er
  the Border* after Sir Walter Scott had come up with appropriate words
  to suit the tune.


created: 2002-04-28 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.57707+00
name: Foursome Reel
ucname: FOURSOME REEL
intensity_bars: 88 88 88 88
notes:
  The number of bars is fairly arbitrary, except that (a) the reel should be repeated the same number of times as the strathspey, and (b) the total number of times should be a multiple of two so that dancers will finish in original places, with own partners.

  An article about the Foursome Reel appeared in <<link:thethistle/55||2>>.


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.707692+00
name: Waltz Country Dance
ucname: WALTZ COUNTRY DANCE
intensity_bars: 88 88 88 88 88
devised: 1827-01-01
notes:
  According to the notes in the RSCDS book, this dance is derived from a longer dance called »The Guaracha, or Spanish Waltz«. However, that title has never been applied to the RSCDS dance.


created: 1999-10-27 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.797992+00
name: Jenny's Bawbee
ucname: JENNYS BAWBEE
intensity_bars: 88 80 88
devised: 1816-01-01
notes:
  A bawbee was a coin introduced by James V of Scotland and originally valued at six pence Scots (or half an English penny). The name supposedly derives from that of the Master of the Mint at the time, a laird of Sillebawby (which is a farm in the parish of Burntisland, Fife).


created: 1999-11-01 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.849349+00
name: Linton Ploughman
ucname: LINTON PLOUGHMAN
intensity_bars: 88 88 80 88
notes:
  This dance is almost identical to <<http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/3834/|The  Blue Loch>> by <<http://my.strathspey.org/dd/person/872/|Marilyn Watson>>, but ending with a Poussette instead of an Allemande.


created: 2000-09-20 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.959164+00
name: Delvine Side
ucname: DELVINE SIDE
intensity_bars: 880 800 880 822
devised: 1790-01-01
notes:
  According to the notes in the original RSCDS Book II: 

  - Delvine is near Dunkeld 

  - The dance was taken from "William Campbell's Country Dances". Published about 1790.

  There is a nice video of this dance at  http://www.rscds-atlanta.org/MovieClips/scotD2.m4v.


created: 1999-11-01 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.906931+00
name: Culloden's Fancy
ucname: CULLODENS FANCY
intensity_bars: 84 84
devised: 1754-02-01
notes:
  Walsh published a dance of this name in his Caledonian Country Dances, Vol II, part IV in C1754.  His description of the dance is:  
   -    Firft Cu. foot it and turn  
   -    Hands acrofs quite round  
   -    crofs over two Cu.  
   -    lead up to the top and caft off

  In 1929, the RSCDS republished it in Book 5 with major alterations.  The cribs, diagram and videos provided here are based on the RSCDS dance but the interpretation is open to debate, specifically the turn in bars 9-12 could be just a half turn.


created: 1999-11-01 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:24.926195+00
name: Cold and Raw
ucname: COLD AND RAW
intensity_bars: 88/66/66
devised: 1718-01-01
notes:
  Dancers should know that the text for bars 17-20 was changed in 2008.   
   
  The original text in Playford (1718) specifes that for [9-12] the M pass their P Rsh, but for [17-20] only says "the women doing the like", leaving unclear which shoulder to use.

  RSCDS book 5 (published in 1928), the Pocket Editions of 1954 and 1986, and the 2006 edition of book 5, use the wording “2nd and 1st man stand still while 1st woman dances round and below her partner into 2nd woman’s original place, and 2nd woman dances round and below her partner into 1st woman’s original place. (1st woman dances in front of 2nd woman).”  This is not unambiguous, but seems to imply that the women dance LEFT shoulder round their partner.  TACnotes (5th edition, 2008) says this explicitly.  

  The revised “combined A5 edition” of Books 1–6, uses the wording “1st woman dances across the set below her partner, behind him and across to 2nd woman’s original place.  At the same time 2nd woman dances below her partner, behind him and across to  1st woman’s original place.  1st woman dances in front of 2nd woman to begin.” This makes explicit that the women dance RIGHT shoulder round their partner.  This flows far better into the hands round that follow.

  This entry to SCDDB (Cribs and diagram) follows the currently official 2008 text.

  It has been pointed out that in bars 17-20 both the <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/dancevideo/7734/|Edinburgh>> and <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/dancevideo/7313/|Graziani>> videos show 2nd woman passing in front of 1st woman (the opposite of the official Book 5 instructions). This variant seems to work well.


created: 1998-11-11 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.078757+00
name: Mrs MacLeod
ucname: MRS MACLEOD
intensity_bars: 880 800 844 866
devised: 1827-01-01
notes:
  The revised version of Book 6 changed "lead" down & up to "dance" down & up in bars 9-16. 

  **However.** On the [RSCDS publication updates page](https://rscds.org/learn/resources-dancers/publication-updates) there is now an erratum which changes the “dance” back to “lead”.

  All the available videos show the original "lead" version with RH joined.


created: 1998-11-29 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.110907+00
name: Red House
ucname: RED HOUSE
intensity_bars: 80 80 80 84 84
devised: 1731-01-01
notes:
  The RSCDS published Red House as 40 bars. For a wide ranging discussion of the 48 bar version mentioned in some versions of Playford and implications for the music, see this <<sspey-thread:24426|Strathspey mailing list thread>>.


created: 1998-11-25 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.165583+00
name: Menzies' Rant, The
ucname: MENZIES RANT
intensity_bars: 44 88 84 88
devised: 1749-01-01
notes:
  The Gaelic version of the title is no longer officially used by the RSCDS.

  ##RSCDS-DI:omit-ta

  The dance description in older editions of Book 7 has several errors, one is making a BH turn 1 1/2 on [21-24] instead of once only.  Use a new edition or the Pocket Books.  Eric.


created: 2002-06-20 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.176791+00
name: Come Ashore Jolly Tar
ucname: COME ASHORE JOLLY TAR
intensity_bars: 88 88 88 88
notes:
  This dance »was collected in Angus and Perthshire and there called ›Jacky Tar‹«. However, this was never an official RSCDS moniker of the dance.


created: 1998-11-29 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.186861+00
name: Tartan Plaidie
ucname: TARTAN PLAIDIE
intensity_bars: 88 88 80 88
devised: 1790-01-01
notes:
  This dance used to carry the alternate title »Highland Plaid« in early RSCDS books but this is no longer being used.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.296416+00
name: Lovers' Knot, The
ucname: LOVERS KNOT
intensity_bars: 800/800/800/844/866
notes:
  For bars 9-12 some prefer to set in the middle, to make a more realistic "Lovers' Knot", but the official revised text of 2014 does not mention this variant.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.463597+00
name: Mrs Grant's Fancy
ucname: MRS GRANTS FANCY
intensity_bars: 800/800/888/888
devised: 1792-02-01
notes:
  For a while both SCDDB and MiniCrib had a mistaken additional entry for this dance with the name shortened to "Grant's Fancy". This has now been removed.


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.491556+00
name: New Rigged Ship, The
ucname: NEW RIGGED SHIP
intensity_bars: 880 888 800 800 822 866
devised: 1805-01-01
notes:
  The book 9 description tells 1c to start leading up on [33].  It is then impossible to face 1cnrs in time for setting to the corners.  The Manual (in notes for dances) recommends to 1c dance up on [31-32]. They can then reach 1cnr on [34].  


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.512306+00
name: Madge Wildfire's Strathspey
ucname: MADGE WILDFIRES STRATHSPEY
intensity_bars: 888/888/866/866
devised: 1820-01-01
notes:
  The instructions for bars 9-16 have changed more than once over the years *(details courtesy of the MiniCrib team)*.
  The original publication and some revised editions of Book 9 say the three couples cross "passing right shoulder".
  The publication "101 Scottish Country Dances" and a number of subsequent editions of Book 9 changed that to cross "giving right hands".
  In the latest RSCDS edition of Book 9 (published in 2009) they just cross "passing by the right".
  The 2013 edition of the RSCDS manual is more explicit, saying that while the original specified no hands, these days usually hands are given.


created: 2001-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.541553+00
name: Cauld Kail
ucname: CAULD KAIL
intensity_bars: 880 840 800 822
notes:
  The name derives from a Robert Burns song, »Cauld Kail in
  Aberdeen«. In former times, kail (or, more commonly, curly-leaved
  kale) – *Brassica oleracea acephala* –, a form of greenish leaf
  cabbage, formed a very important part of the Scottish diet.

  In the 1890s, Scottish writers including J. M. Barrie (of *Peter Pan*
  fame) and George MacDonald developed the »Kailyard school« of fiction,
  depicting a sentimental version of rural Scottish life. A kailyard is
  a small cabbage patch, often adjacent to a crofter's cottage.

  The dance introduces the formation »set to corners and partner« –
  today commonly referred to as »hello-goodbye setting« – and got
  connected to it to the degree that the formation used to be known as
  »Cauld Kail setting«.


created: 2002-08-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.569402+00
name: Montgomeries' Rant, The
ucname: MONTGOMERIES RANT
intensity_bars: 800 888 822 866
devised: 1749-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  The source of this dance, *The Menzies Manuscript*, is part of the Atholl Collection. In the manuscript, the name of the dance is unequivocally The Montgomerie’s Rant ie referring to the Head of the Montgomerie family. Why the change was made is unknown.

  In 1749, the date of the manuscript, Alexander Montgomerie had been 10th Earl of Eglinton for twenty years. He was prominent in London Society and a close friend of James Boswell, Samuel Johnson’s literary assistant. His main claim to fame is that he was shot to death on his estate by an exciseman claiming the right to carry arms on the estate, effectively claiming a right to hunt, or poach, depending on your point of view.
  ##<<


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.605685+00
name: Lady Jean Murray's Rant
ucname: LADY JEAN MURRAYS RANT
intensity_bars: 44 44 88 88
devised: 1750-02-01
notes:
  According to Book 10, Lady Jean Murray was the elder daughter of James, 2nd Duke of Atholl. She was born in 1730, married John, Earl of Crawford in 1747 and died the same year.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.615376+00
name: Crieff Fair
ucname: CRIEFF FAIR
intensity_bars: 880 800 822
devised: 1816-01-01
notes:
  The movements of 1st couple on [15-16] have been much discussed, als on "Strathspey" in october 2013.

  A summary of the issue can be found at http://www.rscds.org/help/technique-panel-dances/199-crieff-fair.html, which says"

  Question

  Crieff Fair  Bars 15-16.

  The wording in 101 SCD and the 1994 edition of book 10 differs from the recent compilation Books 7-12 (2009) which says "1st couple finish facing first corners, 1st woman turning under her own right arm".

  Does this mean 1st woman turns left about under their joined right hands using skip change of step rather than the pas de basque mentioned in an earlier publication?

  Answer

  Miss J. Milligan was very definite about pas de basque in 101 SCD but this can be considered a ‘private’ publication. Since then no RSCDS publications mentions pas de basque which would have been done if that had been the Society’s intention. In these circumstances both skip change or pas de basque could be considered acceptable. However, if teaching the dance today, the appropriate step to use would be skip change. Although previously agreed that the lady turned left about, the key phrase in the compilation books 7-12, “1st woman turning under her own right arm” means that she should turn clockwise or right about using skip change of step.  

   


created: 2002-01-08 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.721233+00
name: Monymusk
ucname: MONYMUSK
intensity_bars: 800 888 888 866
devised: 1786-01-01
notes:
  In *Scotland Through Her Country Dances*, George S. Emmerson writes:

  > »Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk« is one of the great Strathspey tunes, composed by that very original composer in the traditional idioms, Daniel Dow (1732-83), music teacher in Edinburgh.

  > The name is Gaelic, »moine mus(g)ach«, »nasty, filthy bog«. Not, perhaps, the most prepossessing of names. The laird of this territory in Aberdeenshire is Grant, Baronet of Monymusk. The Third Baronet, who died in 1796, is doubtless the one honoured by Daniel Dow.

  One must always be wary when Emmerson uses words like »doubtless«, but in this instance his theory seems sound. There are other conjectures about the name which are more absurd.

  Monymusk is 50 kilometers or so (30 miles) north-west of Aberdeen and can be found using Google Maps. <<http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst4089.html|The Gazetteer for Scotland>> contains more information about the place than anyone other than serious Scottish history buffs would find useful.

  <<link:thereel/16||3>> contains an article about Monymusk.

  Those curious about the historical versions of the dance might be interested in watching a more quicktime version based on <<https://olddance.org/dancelib/73/>> (from 1812) at <<https://youtu.be/9fpDS-mNLyw?t=41>> (not SCD music, nor RSCDS style and with their own "variations"). This follows the original "lead out bottom and top" in bars 25-32 rather than the RSCDS reels.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.881566+00
name: Green grow the Rashes
ucname: GREEN GROW THE RASHES
intensity_bars: 888 840 408 800
devised: 1742-01-01
notes:
  Notes:  

  1. In bars 17-20, the circle needs to break in time to allow 3rd man to dance out to his partner's place while 1st man and 3rd woman continue to dance round, finishing with 1st man in 2nd man's place and 3rd woman in her partner's place.  

  2. Bars 21-24 are danced similarly.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.919219+00
name: Laird of Dumbiedykes' Favourite, The
ucname: LAIRD OF DUMBIEDYKES FAVOURITE
intensity_bars: 880 888 888 880 880
notes:
  An alternative reconstruction of this dance was published in the Walter Scott Book by the RSCDS in 2021.  <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/20569/>>


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:25.998332+00
name: Sodger Laddie
ucname: SODGER LADDIE
intensity_bars: 888 888 800 800
devised: 1731-01-01
notes:
  The notes to the revised edition of Book 12 say the RSCDS version is abbreviated to the first 32 bars of the original in the 1731 "Caledonian Country Dances Book the Third" by John Walsh.


created: 1999-08-06 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.018583+00
name: Earl of Home, The
ucname: EARL OF HOME
intensity_bars: 8888 8000 8220 8880
notes:
  This dance has the progression of a 3-couple dance in a 4-couple set, and is danced eight times through.  However, as all four couples dance bars 1-8 it is technically a 4-couple dance.

  According to strathspey list thread <<https://www.strathspey.org/lists/strathspey@strathspey.org/t/63976/>> the name is pronounced 'Hume' (Hyoom). See also <<https://www.clan-home.org/history-of-the-homes/>>.


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.029739+00
name: Machine without Horses, The
ucname: MACHINE WITHOUT HORSES
intensity_bars: 804/840/880/880
devised: 1772-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  In his book, *Scotland through her country dances*, George Emmerson argues that the 1772 date of the dance and tune is well before the invention of any ‘horseless carriage’ and concludes that the dance title refers to a sedan chair. While the argument seems sound, it should also be noted that the first steam engines date from around 1700. 
  ##<<

  Walter Ligon has pointed out the following pertinent excerpt for 19 October 1769 from *The Life of Samuel Johnson* by James Boswell:

  There was a pretty large circle this evening. Dr. Johnson was in very good humour, lively, and ready to talk upon all subjects. Mr. Fergusson, the self-taught philosopher, told him of a new invented machine which went without horses: a man who sat in it turned a handle, which worked a spring that drove it forward. "Then, Sir, (said Johnson,) what is gained is, the man has his choice whether he will move himself alone, or himself and the machine too."


created: 1999-11-01 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.121901+00
name: Nether Bow has vanished, The
ucname: NETHER BOW HAS VANISHED
intensity_bars: 822/800/808/880/800/880
devised: 1757-01-01
notes:
  The Society’s version of this dance can be traced to Robert Bremner's "A Second Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances" of about 1757 where it is given as a 32-bar version. 


created: 2002-01-08 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.169412+00
name: Reel of the 51st Division, The
ucname: REEL OF THE 51ST DIVISION
intensity_bars: 800 833 833 888
devised: 1940-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  Reams have been written about this dance and several pages could be added here but that is not the intention of these notes.

  The dance was written by Lieutenants Jimmy Atkinson and Peter Oliver with some input from Lt Col. Tom Harris Hunter while they were prisoners of war in a camp in Germany.

  <<img:51st-division-badge.jpg|caption="Badge of the 51st Division",by="Imperial War Museum",license="public domain"|right@t:200>>
  The defining feature of the dance, the diagonal lines representing the Saltire badge of the Division, was worked out by Jimmy Atkinson while marching from the north-west coast of France to the POW camp on the German/Austrian border and was said by him to be a variation on the beginning of *Scottish Reform*. (**Note:** The badge connection is somewhat doubtful since the 51st Division's badge was not actually a saltire but the stylised letters “HD” in a circle. The use of this to mark designated marching routes brought the 51st Division the nickname “Highway Decorators”.)

  To read more about the history of the dance you may refer to <<https://my.strathspey.org/u/anselm/stories/reelofthe51st/|here>>, <<https://web.archive.org/web/20170617141349/http://www.historyinanhour.com/2014/06/04/history-reel-51st-division/|here>> or <<https://www.laird.org.uk/Scots/51st_Division_at_St_Valery.aspx|here>>. Or <<link:thereel/165|here|4>>. A recording of Jimmy Atkinson talking about the dance is part of a BBC article <<https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/sites/dancing-for-victory/|here>>.
  ##<<


created: 1999-11-01 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.17905+00
name: Bridge of Nairn
ucname: BRIDGE OF NAIRN
intensity_bars: 800 822 822 844
devised: 1757-01-01
notes:
  Nairn is a town on the Moray Firth, north-east of Inverness. It is a tourist resort famous for its golf courses, an annual jazz festival, and one of the largest Highland games in the North. Charlie Chaplin used to go there for his annual holidays.

  King James VI. of Scotland (James I. of England) visited Nairn in 1589 and used to boast afterwards that there was a town in his kingdom with a high street so long that the people at one end couldn't understand the language of those at the other. At the time Nairn consisted of two separate settlements, one Gaelic-speaking and one Scots-speaking.


created: 1999-11-01 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.196413+00
name: Ladies' Fancy
ucname: LADIES FANCY
intensity_bars: 62/84/88/88
notes:
  Though "collected in Angus", the RSCDS publication "Scottish Country Dances Books 13 to 18" also refers to "D Anderson's Ball-Room Guide c. 1886".

  An article in <<link:thethistle/30||7>> by the Fletts 
  gives some background and reconstruction of the original instructions.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.248679+00
name: Crooket-Horned Ewie, The
ucname: CROOKETHORNED EWIE
intensity_bars: 440/448/800/844
devised: 1760-01-01
notes:
  A “crooket horned ewie”, or “sheep with bent horns” is an illicit whisky still – the name comes from the shape of the still-pot's outlet. The clandestine preparation of untaxed spirits required highly mobile equipment since it was frequently necessary to pack up and move or hide the “distillery” in order to avoid overly curious gaugers (excisemen) whose job it was to curb illegal distilling.


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.266067+00
name: Miss Nancy Frowns
ucname: MISS NANCY FROWNS
intensity_bars: 880 800 888 844
devised: 1751-01-01
notes:
  Former RSCDS Archivist Marilyn Healy writes:

  > Miss Nancy  -  frowns or Frowns?  The source is Thompson’s Compleat
  > Collection of 200 Favourite CD c.1755 (there is a copy in the archive) and
  > it clearly shows ‘Miss Nancy frowns’ i.e. it’s not her surname!  


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.32073+00
name: What a Beau my Granny was
ucname: WHAT A BEAU MY GRANNY WAS
intensity_bars: 888 888 880 808
devised: 1792-02-01
notes:
  According to the RSCDS publication "Scottish Country Dances Books 13-18" this dance can be traced back to "Preston's Selection of the most favorite Country Dances, Reels etc" (c. 1800) where it was published with bars 1-8 and 9-16 in the opposite order.


created: 2000-06-12 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.378631+00
name: Lamb Skinnet
ucname: LAMB SKINNET
intensity_bars: 800 800 800 880
devised: 1751-01-01
notes:
  The Society’s version of this dance can be traced to "Thompson's Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances" (c. 1755) where it was published without setting in bars 1-4 and 9-12.

  Several meanings of the name have been discussed. A very likely on is that name traces back to a card game, since the tune is also known under similar names like "Lamb Skinnett", "Lambskinnet", "Lanquenet", "Lansquenet". Lansquenet is the French writing and pronunciation of the German term "Landsknecht" which refers to a foot soldier in foreign service. And there is also a card game with the same name likely introduced by these mercenary soldiers.

  Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) states for "Lansquenet":  
     1. A German foot soldier in foreign service in the 15th and 16th centuries; a soldier of fortune; — a term used in France and Western Europe.  
     2. A game at cards, vulgarly called lambskinnet.

  Try the 5-couple version of this - <<ddd:Skamb Linnet>>

  Some versions of the instructions for bars 17-24 of this dance have 1st couple dancing above 1st place in 4 bars, setting, then casting with 3rd couple stepping down on 23-24 (and 2nd couple not moving). This was reflected in  the original version of the e-crib. However the revised version of Book 14 has 1st couple dancing up to 1st place as 2nd & 3rd couples step down, then 2nd couple step up again as 1st couple cast. The e-crib was updated to show this version. Although not in the current RSCDS version, Stephen Webb reported that Jean Milligan's Won't You Join the Dance suggests bars 17-20 should be 1 to dance in, 2 to dance up and 1 to dance out. The e-crib shows this.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.451722+00
name: Gates of Edinburgh, The
ucname: GATES OF EDINBURGH
intensity_bars: 888 888 888 888
devised: 1750-01-01
notes:
  There are various opinions concerning the name of this dance. One school of thought claims that the »gates« are the gates of the town which are opened in the morning and closed at night – hence the giving of hands in the reels of three. This sounds very plausible if one disregards the fact that the city of Edinburgh was never fortified and thus did not actually feature such gates.

  The other school of thought notes that the word »gate«, in Scots, does not actually mean »gate« as in »big door«, but »street« (from the Scandinavian *gatan*) – as evidenced by well-known Edinburgh street names such as Cowgate or Canongate. A »gate«, the big door, would be a »port«, as in in the song about John Graham of Claverhouse, a.k.a. »Bonnie Dundee«:

  > Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can,  
  > Saddle my horses and call out my men,  
  > And it's Ho! for the west _port_ and let us gae free,  
  > And we'll follow the bonnets o' Bonnie Dundee!

  So according to this theory the »gates of Edinburgh« are really the »streets of Edinburgh«.


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.468057+00
name: Lord Rosslyn's Fancy
ucname: LORD ROSSLYNS FANCY
intensity_bars: 880/888/880/888
notes:
  The RSCDS revised edition of Book 15 claims the source is "Dances for 1813, published by Button and Whitaker, 1813."

  However in <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/3913/|issue 3913>> Meryl Thomson writes that the source is actually "Le Sylphe 1815".


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.525762+00
name: Argyll's Bowling Green
ucname: ARGYLLS BOWLING GREEN
intensity_bars: 800/888/822/884
devised: 1715-02-02
notes:
  The title of this dance refers to a mountainous peninsula on the west coast of Scotland, between Loch Goil and Loch Long. The name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic *baile na greine* or »sunny cattle pasture«, which must be considered somewhat ironic since the area is not particularly suitable for cattle.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.59209+00
name: Birks of Invermay, The
ucname: BIRKS OF INVERMAY
intensity_bars: 541 888 800 888
devised: 1776-01-01
notes:
  The Society’s version of this dance can be traced back to *Skillern's Compleat Collection of Two Hundred & four Reels and Country Dances* of about 1789 where it is given as *Birks of Endermay*. 


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.747962+00
name: Countess of Crawford's Reel, The
ucname: COUNTESS OF CRAWFORDS REEL
intensity_bars: 888/888/880/844/844
devised: 1754-01-01
notes:
  The Society’s version of this dance can be traced back to a collection *Caledonian Country Dances* published 1754.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.759758+00
name: Gentle Shepherd, The
ucname: GENTLE SHEPHERD
intensity_bars: 8060 8480 8880 8000
notes:
  The RSCDS publication "Scottish Country Dances Books 13-18" states that this dances originates from *an old book of Scottish-Irish dances (title page lost)*.  [Thus, if somebody knows more of the whereabouts of this book, please let us know by hitting the "Submit Correction/Addition" button.]

  The above mentioned RSCDS publication adds the following note: in bars 11-12, 3rd man may find it
  easier to lead partner with the left hand.

  The dance is danced as a Slow Jig.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.784061+00
name: Lucy Campbell
ucname: LUCY CAMPBELL
intensity_bars: 88 88 64 88
notes:
  The RSCDS publication "Scottish Country Dances Books 13-18" states that this dances originates from *an old book of Scottish and Irish dances (title page lost)*.  [Thus, if somebody knows more of the whereabouts of this book, please let us know by hitting the "Submit Correction/Addition" button.]


created: 2001-04-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.816406+00
name: Perthshire Highlanders
ucname: PERTHSHIRE HIGHLANDERS
intensity_bars: 800 800 822 844
devised: 1790-01-01
notes:
  This Society version of the dance can be traced back to William Campbell's *11th Book of New and Favorite, Country Dances, & Strathspey Reels* published about 1790.


created: 2002-11-14 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.838769+00
name: Twenty-first of September
ucname: TWENTYFIRST OF SEPTEMBER
devised: 1796-01-01
notes:
  21 September 1745 is the date of the battle of Prestonpans (east of
  Edinburgh). According to popular mythology, the Scots under Bonnie
  Prince Charlie, the »Young Pretender«, fought the English (under Sir
  John Cope) and prevailed, which from the Scots' point of view made the
  »battle« a major victory although even in 18th-century terms it should
  more properly be considered a skirmish.

  During the Jacobite rising of 1745, most of the British army was
  engaged fighting the French on the Continent in the war of the
  Austrian succession. For Charles Edward Stuart, otherwise known as
  »Bonnie Prince Charlie«, this provided a welcome opportunity to try to
  recover »his« kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The battle of
  Prestonpans was the Jacobite army's first encounter with a
  hastily-recruited Loyalist army consisting mostly of inexperienced and
  badly-equipped troops, and started a campaign that at first appeared
  quite victorious but found a dismal end at Culloden the year after.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.899625+00
name: Lady Baird's Reel
ucname: LADY BAIRDS REEL
intensity_bars: 888/880/888/888
notes:
  Note that the tune published by the RSCDS in Book 18 as the "own tune" for Lady Baird's Reel is in fact <<ddt:Lord St. Clair's Reel#15111>>. See <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/3201/|issue 3201>> for more details.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:26.973488+00
name: Maxwell's Rant
ucname: MAXWELLS RANT
intensity_bars: 888 888 800 844
devised: 1752-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  The Society’s version of this dance can be traced to Rutherford’s first collection of about 1755 where it is given as *Maxwill’s Rant*. 

  The Maxwells, in common with many of the great Border families, regularly changed allegiance between English and Scottish monarchs as best suited the family interest. For example, Sir Eustace Maxwell held Caerlaverock Castle, the family seat, for Edward I in 1312 but by 1320 was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Arbroath as a supporter of Robert the Bruce although five months later he was accused, and cleared, of involvement in an attempted assassination of The Bruce.
  ##<<


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.042516+00
name: Just as I was in the Morning
ucname: JUST AS I WAS IN THE MORNING
intensity_bars: 80 08 61 44 80
devised: 1757-01-01
notes:
  Originally (re)published by the RSCDS in Book 19 with the title "The Deuks Dang Ow’re My Daddie" it was later found the dance was originally called "Just as I was in the Morning" which is now used as the main title. The other is added as an alias.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.218962+00
name: Miss Burns's Reel
ucname: MISS BURNSS REEL
intensity_bars: 84 84 80 88
devised: 1794-01-01
notes:
  This dance is »Miss Burns' Reel« in *99 More Scottish Country Dances*. »Burns's« is the official RSCDS spelling.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.236908+00
name: Miss Devon's Reel
ucname: MISS DEVONS REEL
intensity_bars: 88 88 80 88
devised: 1795-01-01
notes:
  Note: with normal size 4c sets there is no space for both 1c+2c and 3c+4c to dance their reels.  TacTalk 25 #3/4 (March 2001) says »this dance should never be placed on a programme«.  However, if a 3c set is used there is no lack of space.


created: 2001-09-13 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.450288+00
name: Muirland Willie
ucname: MUIRLAND WILLIE
intensity_bars: 888/888/820/880
notes:
  The music for this dance derives from the eponymous song which appeared, for example, in the *Tea Table Miscellany* (1726) published by the Scottish poet and publicist, Allan Ramsay (1684-1758). The music and lyrics (13 stanzas) can be seen on the University of Glasgow's web site at <<http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/teach/music/home.html#ramsay>>.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.557143+00
name: Last of the Lairds, The
ucname: LAST OF THE LAIRDS
intensity_bars: 888/888/800/844
notes:
  This dance was significantly modified, in agreement with the deviser, from the version first sent in, to the version published.   
  It is said the deviser would have preferred to omit the setting on [17-18], which makes it necessary to deviate from standard phrasing on [17-28].  
  On [20-21] 1c leads down, crossing back to own side.  It would seem that a LH lead would be more convenient than the traditional RH version.  The original instructions give no information on this.   


created: 1999-04-21 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.570072+00
name: Middleton Medley, The
ucname: MIDDLETON MEDLEY
intensity_bars: 840 822 811 811
notes:
  This dance is a 16S/16J medley; the tune "Craighall", universally used for this dance, is a jig.

  In some older publications the quicktime part was wrongly said to be a Reel. This error was corrected in an earlier revision of Book 22, but has appeared again in the revised pocket Books 19-24. Just disregard these errors.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.618452+00
name: Minard Castle
ucname: MINARD CASTLE
intensity_bars: 844/888/888/888/888
notes:
  (Pronounced »MIN-nard«, not »MY-nard«, according to Linda Gaul, via Dagmar Suhm.)  

  <<http://www.minardcastle.com|Minard Castle>> is located on the north west shore of Loch Fyne near the road from Inveraray to Lochgilphead.


created: 2002-01-08 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.649148+00
name: Laird of Milton's Daughter, The
ucname: LAIRD OF MILTONS DAUGHTER
intensity_bars: 800/633/633/888
devised: 1950-01-01
notes:
  This is one of the earliest “modern” dances published by the Society
  (1963 in <<ddpub:Book 22>>).

  There are a few curious anecdotes about the origin of the title of
  this dance. George Emmerson's *Scotland Through Her Country Dances*
  used to claim that Flora MacDonald, well known from the mythology
  surrounding Bonnie Prince Charlie, was the daughter of a laird of
  Milton (on the west coast of South Uist) and that the dance was named
  after her. In the second edition of the book there is a reference to
  the dance in the index, but the page in question has been replaced by
  a facsimile of the old description of a completely different dance!
  Apparently the second edition thus corrected one of the bigger bloopers
  made in the first, in a somewhat ham-fisted manner, without also
  fixing the index.

  The correct story goes as follows: According to *Book 22*, the dance was
  “Devised by Lord Craigmyle while in India”. The Laird of Milton in
  question is known to be the late Chief of Clan Arthur, James
  E. MacArthur-Moir (1914-2004), who apparently worked in India for a
  while. The dance was invented on the occasion of the birth of his
  daughter – according to *Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th
  edition*, she is called Mary MacArthur (now Wood) and was born on 10
  October 1950.


created: 2000-05-04 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.702822+00
name: Alltshellach
ucname: ALLTSHELLACH
intensity_bars: 88 88 88 88
notes:
  ##>>
  *The Dictionary of Scottish Place Names and the elements that go to make them up* gives:  
  Allt (also ‘uillt’): a stream; burn or brook  
  -shellach (as a suffix): anglicised form of ‘seilach’, a willow tree

  No example has been found in any gazetteer of a stream or burn of this name. The only well-known use of the name other than the dance is Alltshellach House in Onich, near Fort William. This was built in the 1850s as the residence of the Episcopal Bishop of Argyll and the Isles and is now a well-known hotel.
  ##<<


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.713104+00
name: Glens of Angus, The
ucname: GLENS OF ANGUS
intensity_bars: 8888 8888 16 8 8 8
notes:
  Note that after the publication of the original Book 23, the Spurtle formation was changed to finish with »set and cross over« rather than »cross over and set« (which is what the book says).


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.736344+00
name: Miss Hadden's Reel
ucname: MISS HADDENS REEL
intensity_bars: 888 844 888 888
devised: 1967-01-01
notes:
  Muriel Hadden was secretary of the RSCDS from 1943 to 1967 (!). The
  story goes that the Society wanted to dedicate a dance to her and
  offered her several to choose from; since she was not a dancer herself
  (!!), she picked the one which looked nicest when danced.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.788205+00
name: Mrs Hamilton of Wishaw
ucname: MRS HAMILTON OF WISHAW
intensity_bars: 864 888 880 888
devised: 1967-01-01
notes:
  The instructions for 1st couple on bars 15-16 have changed.

  Drewry's original text in Book 23 says: "First couple, giving right hands cross to own sides, dance up to the top and turn to face the second couple who have danced in ready for the Rondel."

  The later Pocket Book 23 has the text: "First couple, giving right hands, dance up turning halfway round to finish  facing second couple ready for the Rondel." 

  The issue was discussed at the Technique Committee, see https://www.rscds.org/learn/resources-dancers/technique-advisory-panel-dances and search for Mrs. Hamilton of Wishaw.  Apparently the old version was specified in the "Prescribed Dances for the Teacher's Certificate Examination (2003)", the new version in the same for 2008.  

  The Committee answered: "When we reviewed the Manual [this is the 2nd. edition, 2004. EF] we looked at the latest publication (the Pocket edition in this case) and any ambiguity was referred back to the video as the final word. In this case the two are in agreement for first couple although the handing for second couple is not clear. It was felt therefore there was no need for a Manual note in chapter 7. The earlier A4 book instructions certainly imply a different way of finishing the reel in today's terminology and I doubt if there is a record of why the wording was changed - the intention may have been to change the way the reel was being danced or simply trying to "clarify" the instructions. In a further attempt at clarification, the Prescribed Dances for the Teacher's Certificate Examination (2008) now read: "1st couple, giving right hands, dance a half turn as they lead up to finish at first place on own sides in the middle of the set facing down. 2nd couple finish in the middle of the set, facing up and 3rd couple dance to places." This description now brings the movement into line with the formation shown in the video. "

  There was a discussion on this issue on Strathspey message 64873 of Thu, 17 Oct 2013 11:27:26 -0400

  The E-crib follows the new version.

  There are now two videos. 

  The one added on 2013-06-01 by Gert Werder follows Drewry's original instructions.

  The "Official RSCDS video" added on 2015-08-29 by Eric Ferguson follows the current revised instructions.

  Eric Ferguson, 2016-11-14


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.800608+00
name: Rudha Dubh
ucname: RUDHA DUBH
intensity_bars: 66 66 44 88 88 88
notes:
  The title "Rudha Dubh" means something like *Dark Headland* or *Black Point* (from gaelic *Rudha* and also "Rubha": headland, promontory, point [of land] and *dubh* meaning dark or black - rf. Carmichael et al., 2014, *Gaelic Place Names of Arrochar Parish*).

  It remains unclear which "Rudha Dubh" is referred to, because the dance description does not specify a specific one.

  There are several places named Rudha Dubh throughout Scotland like on the coast of the Isle of Islay near Lower Killeyan, a small promontory on the north-west corner of Isle of Bute, another on the East cost of the Isle of Tiree, one with a lighthouse built on near Scalasaig on the Isle of Colonsay, or the Black Point jutting into Loch Grunabhat. 

  A famous one involves the SS Politician which ran aground the cliffs of Rudha Dubh at island of South Uist in the Sound of Eriskay in 1941 with a cargo including 28000 cases of malt whisky. This event gave the inspiration for the novel "Whisky Galore" and the movie "Whisky Galore!".


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.823231+00
name: Let's Meet Again
ucname: LETS MEET AGAIN
intensity_bars: 84/88/88/88
notes:
  According to a note in Book 23, when originally published, bars 21–24 were ‘advance and retire’ (two bars each way) but this was very soon changed to one step each way twice.


created: 2000-09-05 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.857865+00
name: Balquidder Strathspey
ucname: BALQUIDDER STRATHSPEY
intensity_bars: 888 888 800 822
notes:
  Balquhidder (the modern spelling) is a village in the Highlands, near
  Stirling. Traditionally it belonged to Clan MacLaren, until during the
  16th century the neighbouring MacGregors began to encroach on the area
  and forced the MacLarens to share it with them. The famed Rob Roy
  MacGregor is buried in Balquhidder.

  The »quh« in »Balquhidder« is pronounced like »w«, so the place is
  Bal-WID-der rather than Bal-KWID-der. (The same applies to other
  Scottish names like »Urquhart« or »Colquhoun«.)


created: 2003-01-30 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:27.868921+00
name: Wild Geese, The
ucname: WILD GEESE
intensity_bars: 808 808 800 880
notes:
  ##>>
  This is generally used as a reference to Irish soldiers who fought in the service of various foreign kings and monarchs, including some who supported both Jacobite risings. The legend is that when they died abroad, their souls were transformed into geese so that they could fly back to Ireland.
  ##<<

  The 5-couple dance "A Flock of Geese" is based on this dance.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:28.091128+00
name: Lady of the Lake
ucname: LADY OF THE LAKE
intensity_bars: 86 84 80 88
notes:
  In addition to the alternative title "The Water Kelpie" the table of contents in the original Book 25 publication has the main title as "The Lady of the Lake" though it was given as just "Lady of the Lake" on the dance page and elsewhere in later publications.


created: 1997-11-18 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:28.327745+00
name: Nineteenth of December
ucname: NINETEENTH OF DECEMBER
intensity_bars: 88 88 80 88
devised: 1754-01-01
notes:
  Nineteenth of December is believed to refer to the last day that the Jacobite Army, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, spent on English soil (reluctantly deferring to his advisors).


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:28.618286+00
name: Well Done Jack
ucname: WELL DONE JACK
intensity_bars: 880/880/888/800
devised: 1718-01-01
notes:
  SCDDB originally attributed this dance to "unknown" in 1719.  However George Williams in <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/2170/|issue 2170>> reports that:

  *According to "The Playford Assembly" (Graham Christian, 2015) "Well Done Jack" was devised by Nathanial Kynaston and first published in Walsh's "Twenty Four New Country Dances for the Year 1718" (rather than 1719) which was written by Kynaston.*

  The version published by the RSCDS differs from that done in the English Country Dance tradition which is illustrated in <<https://youtu.be/jmr0SQUzqCI|this video>>. At around 1:00 the commentator describes a figure that "the Scottish dancers call Set and Link". However, curiously, the RSCDS version does not actually include that figure.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:28.648168+00
name: Charmer, The
ucname: CHARMER
intensity_bars: 802 082 840 844
devised: 1719-01-01
notes:
  The RSCDS Books Combined 25 to 30 says this was “Adapted from Walsh: Second Book Compleat Dancing Master, 1719.”


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:28.691248+00
name: Ross Meor
ucname: ROSS MEOR
intensity_bars: 440 880 808 808
devised: 1750-01-01
notes:
  The first version of Book 29 says this was published by Johnson in 1750. The notes to the revised Book 29 say it was adapted from Walsh: Caledonian Country Dances 2nd edition of 1735.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:28.703451+00
name: Collichur
ucname: COLLICHUR
intensity_bars: 800 880 888 800
notes:
  The name of this dance possibly comes from the Gaelic *coille a coire*, “wood of the corrie”.
  A corrie is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion.

  The “ch” in “Collichur” is the voiceless velar fricative found in the Scottish word *loch* or German words like *Dach* or *ach*.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:28.748303+00
name: Guidman of Balangigh, The
ucname: GUIDMAN OF BALANGIGH
intensity_bars: 62 26 44 88
devised: 1728-01-01
notes:
  The original name in Playford 1703 was "The Geud Man of Ballangigh". The spelling seems to have changed over time, eg single or double L. The name is a reference to King James V of Scotland.

  Rosamund Rawlings adds further detail (from <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/3638/|issue #3638>>):
  > This is linked to James V of Scotland. The dance is traced to 1696, 150 years after the death of James V. Caroline Bingham in her biography of James V found references to James wandering the countryside and when meeting people identified himself as the “gudeman of Ballengiech” which means a tenant in the hollow of Stirling Castle. These tales may have come to us from Sir Walter Scott. Sir Walter helped to invent many “authentic” Scottish Traditions when he arranged for George IV (Prinny) to visit Scotland in 1822. William H. Murray then developed the story into a play, Cramond Brig; or the Gudeman O’Ballangeich. <<https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2012/02/geud-man-of-ballangigh.html>>.


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:28.78485+00
name: Clutha
ucname: CLUTHA
intensity_bars: 4040 8080 8080 8080 8888 8888
devised: 1890-01-01
notes:
  Named after the passenger steamers plying the Clyde from 1884-1903, all named "Clutha" (= Gaelic for "Clyde").  


created: 1998-10-31 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:29.073133+00
name: Bedrule
ucname: BEDRULE
intensity_bars: 881 888 844 888
devised: 1984-01-01
notes:
  The slightly mystifying name of this dance comes from a village in the Scottish borders, near Hawick and Jedburgh. The late <<ddp:Grant, Betty>> of Toronto, Ontario, dedicated the dance to her great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Turnbull Dickson, who came from Bedrule and emigrated to Canada in 1834.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:29.095742+00
name: C'Est L'Amour
ucname: CEST LAMOUR
intensity_bars: 411 800 888 888
devised: 1830-01-01
notes:
  The French convention for capitalising this title would be just "C'est l'amour" or "C'est l'Amour". Capitalising every word as "C'Est L'Amour" would be considered incorrect in French but is how the RSCDS printed it in Book 34 so that is what is used here.


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:29.179112+00
name: Mrs Stewart's Jig
ucname: MRS STEWARTS JIG
intensity_bars: 800 888 880 844
devised: 1986-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  Mrs Stewart is usually referred to as co-founder, with Miss Milligan, of the RSCDS. It was Mrs Stewart who had the idea of forming a group to promote the dancing she had known as a girl and who brought together the initial group that was to be so important in creating the SCDS - Miss Milligan; Lord James Stewart Murray (later Duke of Atholl); his sister, Mrs Dorothea Ruggles-Brice and Michael Diack, the music arranger and publisher. Mrs Stewart served as the Society's first Secretary holding that position for 10 years from the beginning in 1923. She continued to take an active interest in the Society even after her move to South Africa in 1955. She died there in 1968.
  ##<<

  For a full biography of Mrs Stewart see
   *An Album for Mrs Ysobel Stewart of Fasnacloich*
  by Dr Alastair MacFadyen published by RSCDS


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:29.28187+00
name: Gang the Same Gate
ucname: GANG THE SAME GATE
intensity_bars: 800 833 833 888
notes:
  ##>>
  More usually written as 'Gang the same gait'.  It means simply, "go the same way" in both the literal and figurative senses of the expression.
  ##<<

  "Gate" in Scottish is related to the Scandinavian "Gata", meaning "Street".

  *Further information from Bruce Herbold:*

  Milton Levy dance names (at least Abbot of Unreason as well as this one) draw on the writings of Sir Walter Scott. In The Heart of Mid Lothian a prisoner is bewailing his fate… "… in the book of Job: “He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone. And mine hope hath he removed like a tree.”

  “Isna that ower true a doctrine?” said the prisoner “Isna my crown, my honour, removed? And what am I but a poor, wasted, wan-thriven tree, dug up by the roots, and flung out to waste in the highway, that man and beast may tread it under foot? I thought o’ the bonny bit them that our father rooted out o’ the yard last May, when it had a’ the flush o’ blossoms on it; and then it lay in the court till the beasts had trod them a’ to pieces wi’ their feet. I little thought, when I was wae for the bit silly green bush and its flowers, that I was to gang the same gate mysell.”


created: 1998-09-29 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:29.326285+00
name: Reverend John MacFarlane, The
ucname: REVEREND JOHN MACFARLANE
intensity_bars: 8880 8004 8008 8888
devised: 1990-01-01
notes:
  This dance commemorates the 150th anniversary of the founding in Wellington of New Zealand's first Scots Church, later known as St. Andrews.


created: 2002-08-26 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:29.345147+00
name: Gothenburg's Welcome
ucname: GOTHENBURGS WELCOME
intensity_bars: 400/12,12,12/844/888
notes:
  This dance was devised by Bobby Munro to mark the occasion of the 1st Scandinavian Scottish Weekend Course in Gothenburg by the Gothenburg Branch.


created: 2002-01-08 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.856494+00
name: Mairi's Wedding
ucname: MAIRIS WEDDING
intensity_bars: 800/844/844/888/888
devised: 1959-01-01
notes:
  ##>> This is considered by many to be the archetypal dance created to an already well known tune, in this case The Lewis Bridal Song.
  ## The words of the song *Mairi’s Wedding* were added by Sir Hugh S Robertson, founder of the 
  ## Glasgow Orpheus Choir. There is also a Gaelic song version with words by John Bannerman.
  ##<<

  John Roderick (Johnny) Bannerman (1865-1938) from South Uist wrote the original Gaelic words of the song in 1935, for 1934 National Mod gold medalist singer Mary C. MacNiven of Portnahaven, Islay. Mary's actual wedding (to sea captain John Campbell) didn't take place until 1941. Sir Hugh S. Roberton (1874-1952), founder of the acclaimed Glasgow Orpheus Choir and a leading choir master of the time, came up with the well-known English lyrics – only very loosely related to Bannerman's Gaelic ones – in 1936. Mary had been born in 1905 and passed away on 25 March 1997, at age 91.
  (See <<http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/mary-c-macniven-1.405082|Mary's obituary>>.)

  On dance programmes, the »Mairi« in the title of the dance is often spelled »Mhairi«. This does look vaguely more »Gaelic« but would have to be pronounced »VAA-ri«. It would also be grammatically incorrect.

  As a common variant,  some dancers pass by the right between the diagonal half-reels of four (contrary to the express wishes of the author, James Cosh). This variant has the nickname »Mairi's Divorce«, which is a bit disrespectful as the real Mary never divorced. In 1998 Angus Henry somewhat jokingly »devised« and <<http://www.users.on.net/~anguka/mairi.pdf|published>> the
  right-shoulder variant using that nickname.

  Since the pass only involves the first couple, they can choose the shoulder as they wish at each pass
  without disturbing the rest of the set.


created: 2001-05-03 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.867652+00
name: Miss Johnstone of Ardrossan
ucname: MISS JOHNSTONE OF ARDROSSAN
intensity_bars: 80400 80088 88800 80004
devised: 2000-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  A dance by <<ddp:Goldring, Roy|Roy Goldring>> for <<ddp:Johnstone, Muriel A|Muriel Johnstone>> who grew up in Ardrossan on the North Ayrshire coast.
  ##<<


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.880675+00
name: Shiftin' Bobbins
ucname: SHIFTIN BOBBINS
intensity_bars: 822 888 888 800
notes:
  ##>>
  The dance is to a tune of the same name by Muriel Rimmer and obviously refers to either spinning or weaving. However, there is some uncertainty as to the specific spinning or weaving involved. The chorus of the Jute Mill Song which refers to weaving in Dundee includes the lines:

  *Shifting bobbins coorse and fine  
  They fairly mak’ you work for your ten and nine*

  This has contributed to a view that the tune for the dance refers to Dundee jute weaving. However, it appears from other sources to be more likely that the composer of the tune was referring to the Lancashire cotton mills.
  ##<<

  [More information welcome]


created: 2002-02-26 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.893569+00
name: Asilomar Romantic
ucname: ASILOMAR ROMANTIC
intensity_bars: 808 880 800 822
devised: 1985-01-01
notes:
  > The Asilomar Conference Center has been the site  of the San Francisco Branch's annual Fall Workshop for many years.
  > This dance tells a story of unrequited love.
  >
  > As reported by Paula Jacobson on the strathspey mailing list, the deviser Tom Cuthbertson gave the story as follows:
  >
  > A Story of Unrequited Love
  >
  > 1-8  Double figures of eight  
  >    Swirling around among the other dancers, eyes meet and and hold in passing
  >
  > 9-16 All Around Poussette  
  >    Ah! Connection! Glorious Passionate Romance!
  >
  > 17-24  Lead down, set, cast out opposite ends to corners  
  >    Briefly together, then pulled apart... too many others watching
  >
  > 25-32 Set to corners & partner  
  >  Yearning to be together, sharing a few fleeting moments, but in the end, having to say "goodbye".

  In <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/4187/|issue 4187>> <<ddp:Zeuner, Hansmartin#2100>> reports that this dance was previously published with the name "Tom's Tears" in a booklet of dances tested by members of the San Francisco branch (<<ddpub:New Dance Party#1918>>). That name has now been added as an alias. The original entry <<ddd:Tom's Tears#8716>> is now considered as a duplicate and should be removed (after some further checks).


created: 1998-07-09 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.905121+00
name: Cherrybank Gardens
ucname: CHERRYBANK GARDENS
intensity_bars: 880 884 808 888
devised: 1991-01-01
notes:
  The original <<ddpub:#211|Bankhead>> book for bars 11-12 has *"1st couple cross over giving left hands"* presumably to the sides with the subsequent hands across starting from there though that is not specified. The more recent republication by the RSCDS in <<ddpub:#1523>> changed that to 1st couple turning 3/4 left hands.


created: 2002-04-19 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:33.992992+00
name: Gentleman, The
ucname: GENTLEMAN
intensity_bars: 860/804/846/880
devised: 1986-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  The title is a tribute by the deviser, Roz Scott Huxley, to her father, the late Group Captain David Huxley who was very active in the Society and is best remembered as MC at Summer School ceilidhs in what used to be the second fortnight. His trademark as MC was an ancient umbrella dangling from his wrist which gave rise to the name of the original tune for the dance – *The Ceilidh Umbrella*. The umbrella is preserved at HQ.
  ##<<


created: 2002-08-25 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:34.00902+00
name: MacDonald of the Isles
ucname: MACDONALD OF THE ISLES
intensity_bars: 484 484 864 048
devised: 1966-01-01
notes:
  ##>>
  John Macdonald (John of Islay) claimed the title Lord of the Isles around 1336. The title remained in the Macdonald family until 1493 when another John Macdonald was found guilty of treason for plotting with Edward IV of England and the Earl of Douglas. The title of Lord of the Isles was forfeited to the House of Stewart and is now a subsidiary title of the heir apparent to the UK throne. 
  ##<<

  According to the RSCDS website (section on Snowball Chain), first published in Scottish Dance Archives in 1966, and in Derek Haynes' 2nd Carnforth Collection in 1991.


created: 2000-02-21 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:34.054499+00
name: Wind on Loch Fyne, The
ucname: WIND ON LOCH FYNE
intensity_bars: 800 888 888 888
devised: 1986-01-01
notes:
  Loch Fyne extends north from the Sound of Bute and, at 65 kms, is the
  longest »sea loch« on the west coast of Scotland. It is noted for its
  oyster and herring fisheries, with Loch Fyne kippers widely considered
  the best available. During World War II Loch Fyne served as a training
  ground for the Normandy landings. Later on it was used by the Royal
  Navy to test torpedoes. Beside the herrings and oysters, Loch Fyne is
  home to wild life such as otters, dolphins, seals, and (in summer)
  basking sharks.

  The name »Loch Fyne« derives from the Gaelic for »Loch of the Wine (or
  Vine)«, even though there is no evidence of grapes growing in the area.


created: 1997-09-04 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:34.095017+00
name: Jig for Mrs Dunn, A
ucname: JIG FOR MRS DUNN
intensity_bars: 80/80/88/88
notes:
  The notes say the dance was "composed by the children from Mrs Norah Dunn's chiLdren's class when she left the Helensburgh district."


created: 1998-09-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:35.987785+00
name: Rosnor Abbey
ucname: ROSNOR ABBEY
intensity_bars: 44 44 80 88 88
notes:
  Rosnor Abbey

  There is much confusion about the precise execution of bars 1-2 and 9-10.

  The older variant is for both pairs (1W+2M and 1M+2W) to turn RH and face each other on the midline, W above M. This pattern is asymmetric; 1W+2M make a 7/8 turn and back, 1M+2W a 5/8 turn and back.  None of the instructions mention 5/8, 7/8 or even mentions the asymmetry

  Later instructions specify ½ turn, that would bring each pair to the same diagonal as where they started.

  The most recent instructions add an (optional?) ¾ turn. If taken precisely this brings the pairs to the other diagonal.

  For the record, here are some official descriptions; there's plenty of confusion.

  My (purple, undated) copy of MMM1 (page 38) has the following original text:  
  1-4	1st lady and 2nd man turn each other by the right hand for 2 skip change of step; facing up and down in the middle of the dance they set to each other.  
  5-8	They turn each  other with left hands back to places, and set.  
  9-16	1st man and 2nd lady do the same.  

  The 1992 Manual has a note:  
  Bars   1-4  1st woman and 2nd man turn to finish with 1st woman facing down and 2nd man facing up.  
  Bars 9-12  1st man and 2nd woman turn to finish with 1st man facing up and 2nd woman facing down.  

  The 2005 Manual does not have a note for the dance.

  The 2013 Manual has a note:  
  Bars 1-2  1st woman and 2nd man turn three-quarters to finish with 1st woman facing down and 2nd man facing up.  In earlier versions of these bars, 1st woman and 2nd man turn half way.  
  Bars 9-10  1st man and 2nd woman turn three-quarters to finish with 1st man facing up and 2nd woman facing down. Alternatively they may turn half way.  

  TACnotes 4th ed 1995 says:  
  1-2  1st woman & 2nd man three-quarters turn to finish with woman facing down and man up.  
  9-10  1st man and 2nd woman turn as bars 1-2.  

  TACnotes 5th ed 2008 says:  
  1-2  NB: In 2007 edition this is a HALF turn to face each other in middle of the set.  
  9-10  2nd woman and1st man turn as bars 1-2.  

  Read more: on the RSCDS website the Technique Panel has published a statement at <<https://www.rscds.org/learn/resources-dancers/technique-advisory-panel-dances>>.


created: 1998-09-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:36.106341+00
name: Thistle, The
ucname: THISTLE
intensity_bars: 800/800/888/888
notes:
  Can be danced in a longways set for as many as will; a new top couple begins on every 2nd repetition.


created: 1998-09-30 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:36.121883+00
name: What you please
ucname: WHAT YOU PLEASE
intensity_bars: 880/880/800/808/880
notes:
  The old MMM Vol 2 says for bars 25-40:  
  25-32: 1st and 3rd couples make a circle and dance 8 slip steps round to left and 8 back again.  
  33-40: 1st and 2nd couples make a circle and dance 8 slip steps round to left and 8 back again.

  The revised combined MMM edition 0f 2007 says:  
  25 - 32 1st and 3rd couples dance four hands round and back.  
  33 - 40 2nd and 1st couples dance rights and lefts.  
  (this is the same as in Miss Milligan's still earlier "99 More").

  The source is given as:  
  Skillern, T: *Twenty Four Country Dances for the Year 1781*  
  Customary tune: *What you please* (Skillern)


created: 1999-08-09 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:36.313309+00
name: Langshaw Lassies
ucname: LANGSHAW LASSIES
notes:
  The notes say that the original name of this dance was forgotten by the old shepherd from whom it was collected.


created: 1997-09-14 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-05 11:06:36.554551+00
name: Skyte Neuk
ucname: SKYTE NEUK
intensity_bars: 8880/8800/8880/8888
notes:
  This dance is unusual in that 1st couple repeat it from 2nd place as for a 3 couple dance in a 4 couple set. But here all 4 couples are joining in the final promenade. So the 2134 progression is appropriate.


created: 2026-07-19 21:04:55.148036+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 21:04:55.148036+00
name: Lass From Erin's Isle, The
ucname: LASS FROM ERINS ISLE
devised: 1998-03-01
notes:
  > This dance was written for Ann McBride of the Los Angeles
  > Branch. In the spring of 1998, Ann asked me to teach her class one night and, as a thank you, gave me a
  > copy of the CD Diamond Jubilee with a note that she would be curious to see what I did with one of the
  > tracks on the CD, “Fete Champetre.” This is the dance I devised to go with the music Ann had suggested.
  > Years later when I was preparing the Clan MacLeod Scottish Country Dancers for a St. Patrick’s Day
  > demonstration, I remembered the dance but decided to substitute a medley of Irish jigs in place of the
  > music Ann had given me. The dance became a team favorite and, together with the Irish music, became a
  > staple of our St. Patrick’s Day programs. Ann, who was born in the seaside town of Whitehead in County
  > Antrim on the east coast of Northern Ireland, is our very own Lass From Erin’s Isle.


created: 2026-07-19 21:13:45.086516+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 21:13:45.086516+00
name: Master Peter's Jig
ucname: MASTER PETERS JIG
devised: 2012-01-01
notes:
  > Devised in 2012 for Master Peter Husman, age 7. At the time the dance was written,
  > Peter’s parents, Laura and Matt, were members of my Thursday night class. Whenever Matt had to pick up
  > big brother Glen from one of Glen’s activities, Peter would come with his mom to join in the warmups and
  > a bit of step practice. One night I strung together a few simple formations so that he could do a simple
  > dance with us. That first simple dance became the inspiration for Master Peter’s Jig. At the Seaside
  > Highland Games that year Peter and his mom proudly demonstrated his dance for our audience
  > participation dancers. Over the years, whenever Peter visited our class, we would revisit his dance. Today,
  > Peter attends Worchester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Mass.


created: 2026-07-19 21:18:39.126534+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 21:18:39.126534+00
name: On the Oregon Trail
ucname: ON THE OREGON TRAIL
devised: 1995-01-01
notes:
  > Devised for Larry Edwards of Portland, Oregon. Larry had been assigned by
  > his employer to work in the Los Angeles area for a period of 10 months. During his time in L.A., Larry
  > danced with the Los Angeles Valley College class and as a member of the Los Angeles Branch
  > Demonstration Team. This dance was presented to Larry as a farewell gift when it was time for him to
  > return home.


created: 2026-07-19 21:38:59.136233+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 21:38:59.136233+00
name: Teddy Bear's Jig, The
ucname: TEDDY BEARS JIG
devised: 1995-01-01
notes:
  > Devised for the wedding of my son Daniel and his bride, Michelle Lavelle, July 22,
  > 1995. One day, while attending a bridal fair with Dan and Michelle, I told them I would like to write a
  > dance for their wedding. I asked them if they had any idea what they would like me to name their dance.
  > Without hesitation, Michelle said, “The Teddy Bear’s Jig.” Michelle loved teddy bears and chose a figurine
  > of a teddy bear bride and groom as the topper for their wedding cake.


created: 2026-07-19 21:55:39.669892+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 22:00:13.659557+00
name: Minestrone Soup
ucname: MINESTRONE SOUP
intensity_bars: 880/866/888/844
devised: 2026-01-01
notes:
  > The title comes from the two and three couple progressive figures in the dance which are a blend
  > of three different formations. This seems a bit like soup made by chopping up leftover vegetables.
  > Half of the Tourbillon suggests the bouillon base and the pet(ronella) and star are the added pasta.


created: 2026-07-19 21:50:21.057723+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 23:25:24.783814+00
name: What Three Words
ucname: WHAT THREE WORDS
intensity_bars: 800/844/822/822/888/888
devised: 2026-05-01
notes:
  > The concept for this dance is that all the figures can be described, at least very briefly,
  > in three words as genuine addresses in the global coordinate system developed by
  > <<https://what3words.com/>>.
  > These addresses are usually shown in the format ///what.three.words.
  > 
  > This dance is dedicated to the memory of my dear friend Ted Vidler who loved
  > the what3words idea. He was also keen on cake, hugs and campaigning for gay rights.
  > Apart from careers as an airline pilot and a physics teacher he was also a yachtmaster
  > instructor and enjoyed taking groups of young people on the Tall Ships Races
  > and other adventures. His grave just touches ///lovely.overnight.sailor.


created: 2026-07-19 21:47:40.869744+00
last_modified: 2026-07-19 22:35:42.104812+00
name: Gills and Ghillies
ucname: GILLS AND GHILLIES
intensity_bars: 884/888/888/877
devised: 2026-03-01
notes:
  > This is for <<ddp:Herbold, Bruce#1331>> who encouraged me to think about
  > a three couple version of his original two couple English Rose figure.
  > Bruce is a Scottish and English Country Dancer and devises dances in both traditions.
  > He created the English Rose as a non-progressive version of <<ddp:Downey, Rod#2682>>'s
  > Rose Progression for his English Country Dance "Bouquet for Mrs Green".
  > When he is not dancing Bruce is an academic researcher studying fish, hence the title.


created: 2026-07-20 09:10:16.765089+00
last_modified: 2026-07-20 09:10:16.765089+00
name: Up the Chilkoot Trail
ucname: UP THE CHILKOOT TRAIL
devised: 2000-01-01
notes:
  > Devised for Audrey Prest and Angela Tennyson. In July 2000, Audrey,
  > Angela and I joined fellow dancers on a Scottish Country Dance cruise to Alaska. While docked in
  > Skagway, the three of us took a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. The train route traces the 33-
  > mile trail through the mountains hiked by more than 100,000 prospectors during the Klondike gold rush,
  > 1896-1899. In the spring of 1898, a piper named Donald MacLeod led a group of his fellow countrymen
  > up the Chilkoot Trail in search of their fortunes.


created: 2026-07-20 11:31:25.892731+00
last_modified: 2026-07-20 11:31:25.892731+00
name: Wee Maggie Macdonald
ucname: WEE MAGGIE MACDONALD
devised: 2002-01-01
notes:
  > Wee Maggie Macdonald was the “adopted daughter” of
  > <<ddp:Macdonald, Doug#12243|Doug>> and <<ddp:Macdonald, Anthea#3308|Anthea>> Macdonald
  > of the San Gabriel Valley Branch and the official class mascot for Doug’s Caltech class.
  > Maggie, a loveable wee canine of unknown parentage, accompanied her “parents” to class each week,
  > often happily settling down in the middle of the dance floor during class. Each summer Doug’s class would
  > celebrate Maggie’s unofficial birthday with a party and appropriate dances such as Sleepy Maggie. This
  > dance was first danced at Maggie’s party on Aug. 28, 2002.


created: 2015-10-14 15:58:40.613557+00
last_modified: 2026-07-21 12:46:11.564448+00
name: Desiree and John
ucname: DESIREE AND JOHN
devised: 2015-04-06
notes:
  Devised 6th April, 2015, following a suggestion of Kristin which lead to the figure
  “Highland Schottische Balance with Turns”. Recommended music is “Sidlaw
  Hills” (James Watson 19th Century) played ABABAB, and a good recording
  is by the Sound Company as a “Set of Strathspeys Suitable for the Moray
  Rant” on the MC “Best Foot Forward.” (Track 3) An acceptable alternative
  tune is “Caerlaverock Castle” (Ian Homes) and an acceptable recording is to be
  found as “One for the Millennium” by Robert Whitehead the Danelaw Band in
  “Dancer’s Choice Volume 2.” (Track 6) Desiree and John Patterson are loyal
  Johnsonville members, and very keen cyclists, inspiring us to try to emulate
  them. Recently they obtained electric bicycles enabling them to do remarkably
  adventurous rides. So far we resist ge tting the s


created: 2014-06-13 23:21:51.927455+00
last_modified: 2026-07-24 10:19:09.151808+00
name: Melanie's Reel
ucname: MELANIES REEL
devised: 2012-05-01
notes:
  The dance has not been published on paper or online.  The PDF written by the authors reads in full: 

  Melanie’s Reel

  A 32 bar reel for 3 couples in a 4 couple set

  1 - 8 1C and 2C dance the Chain Progression, 1C finish facing out.

  9 - 16 1C cast to their right round 3rd corner and dance towards each other up and down the dance, turn right hand one and a half times to finish facing each other, pull right shoulder back and finish back to back, 1L facing up, 1M facing down.

  17 – 24 1C dance Double Triangles; on bars 23 and 24, 1L rotates around to face down, 1M does a
  quarter rotation to finish in the middle in 2nd place, with his partner on his right.

  25 – 32 1C with nearer hands joined, dance down the middle; on bars 28 and 29, 1L dances under
  her partners arm, 1M dancing below his partner and 1C dance up to 2nd place own side.

  Repeat from 2nd place

  "For Melanie, who brightened the Lausanne Group with her smile and especially her fits of giggles.  We will miss her but our loss will be another group's gain.  She might even learn to love the strathspey.

  Devised by Avril and David Quarrie, May 2012


created: 2026-07-19 21:52:58.661581+00
last_modified: 2026-07-24 20:51:54.461581+00
name: Three Hares
ucname: THREE HARES
intensity_bars: 444/444/444/888/888
devised: 2026-05-01
notes:
  > The dance was inspired by seeing a
  > <<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blason_ville_fr_Corbenay_(Haute-Sa%C3%B4ne).svg|triangular symbol >>
  > involving three hares (or rabbits) chasing each other.
  > Each hare has two ears but they are joined so there are only three ears.
  > The symbol is found in Germany, France and many churches in Devon.
  > It is also found in China so may have travelled along the silk roads.
  >
  > For more information see <<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_hares>>.


created: 2026-07-26 16:22:39.319478+00
last_modified: 2026-07-26 16:25:43.458007+00
name: A is for Eighty
ucname: A IS FOR EIGHTY
intensity_bars: 800/844/888/844/888
devised: 2026-07-01
notes:
  > This dance is for Alan Talbot and Angela Ross, two long time members
  > of the Epping Forest Scottish Association, who are both rapidly approaching
  > their 80th birthdays - and whose names start with A.
  > The dance has several references to 8 and ends with a circle for the 0.
  > By the end of their second turn each 1st couple will have danced a total of 80 bars.
  >
  > Bars 17-24 come from Father Connelly's Jig which I first learned when visiting the Epping Forest group.


created: 2023-01-04 23:11:13.844565+00
last_modified: 2026-07-28 14:09:13.841018+00
name: Cleo's Asp
ucname: CLEOS ASP
intensity_bars: 8888/8888/8008/8888
devised: 2022-01-01
notes:
  > The Egyptian Cobra is also known as Cleopatra’s Asp.
  > Supposedly, Cleopatra committed suicide using the venom of this famed Asp snake.
  > The asp was a symbol of royalty to the Egyptians, while the cobra
  > was associated with Cleopatra’s favourite goddess, Isis.
  >
  > The dance title was suggested by Toronto dancer Donald Holmes.

  NB the book suggests the recording <<ddrec:Queen's Jubilee, The#5837>> but that is 4x40 bars whereas this dance is 4x32 bars.


created: 2016-08-17 17:45:42.882035+00
last_modified: 2026-08-02 08:40:46.878541+00
name: Sandbox Sailor, The
ucname: SANDBOX SAILOR
devised: 2009-02-01
notes:
  > This dance is dedicated to my husband, CDR Eric MacKay, USN, SC.
  > Eric was one of many sailors who served with the Army in Baghdad, Iraq.
  > They called themselves "The Sandbox Sailors".

  One version of the instructions had the dance title as "Sandbox Sailors" but the deviser confirmed it should be "The Sandbox Sailor".


created: 2023-01-05 11:52:08.621362+00
last_modified: 2026-08-02 17:46:44.283393+00
name: Our Korean Flowers
ucname: OUR KOREAN FLOWERS
devised: 2022-01-01
notes:
  > Inscribed to Dean and Amara Shim, former students from
  > Korea who lodged with us and subsequently became dear
  > friends. They informed us that the Rose of Sharon bushes
  > in our garden are the national flower of South Korea and are
  > mentioned in their national anthem. The Rose of Sharon
  > (Hibiscus syriacus) is native to Korea.


created: 2023-10-17 19:17:51.307321+00
last_modified: 2026-07-28 09:15:51.060251+00
name: Copper Beech, The
ucname: COPPER BEECH
devised: 2017-01-01
notes:
  The chain progression in this dance is for 3 couples.

  Iain Boyd has not yet published this dance but has provided the following information about the Three-Couple Chain Progression:

  > The ‘three-couple chain progression’ occurred to me after dancing the ‘three-couple birl (bourrel)’ in Sue McKinnell’s dance “Barbara’s Strathspey” (“RSCDS Book 46”).
  >
  > I first used the formation in what is now known as “The Copper Beech” which was devised on Wednesday 23rd August 2017 and subsequently given to Helen and Malcolm Brown on Friday 18th November 2022.
  >
  > I always refer to the progression as a ‘three-couple chain progression’ because it is similar in structure to the ‘three-couple birl (bourrel)’.
  >
  > The formation the Society refers to as a ‘three-couple chain progression’ is a quite different formation and should be renamed as a ‘promenade chain progression’ (or something similar)!
  >
  > The progression may start and finish in various positions as is the case with dances which include the ‘three-couple birl (bourrel)’.
  >
  > In “The Copper Beech” dancers finish the previous figure in the following order from the top - first man, third man and second man (on the men’s side) and third woman, second woman and first woman (on the women’s side).
  >
  >   1-8	First, second and third couples dance a three-couple chain progression:
  >
  >   - 1-2	First man and third woman, third man and second woman and second man and first woman turn with right hands three-quarters round.  
                 Dancers finish in a line of six up and down the middle with first and third men facing down and second and first women facing up and third woman and second man (at the ends of the line) facing clockwise.
  >
  >  - 3-6	First man and second woman and third man and first woman turn with left hands one and a half times round  
                  while  
                  third woman and second man dance clockwise halfway round the outside.  
                  Dancers finish facing partner in a line of six up and down the middle in the order second man, second woman, first man, first woman, third man and third woman.
  >
  >  - 7-8	Second, first and third couples turn partner with right hands three-quarters round to finish on own sides.


created: 2006-10-25 22:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-07-29 09:27:48.824466+00
name: Reflections in the Lake
ucname: REFLECTIONS IN THE LAKE
intensity_bars: 880/888/888/888
devised: 2004-01-01
notes:
  > One of the pleasures in life is to observe the reflections of some rugged landscape across
  > a becalmed stretch of water, particularly in a Scottish loch or an English Lake, on an
  > autumn's evening when the sun is just setting. This dance attempts to "reflect" the imagery
  > of such occasions, being seemingly symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the dance.
  > However, there remains the question of which half is the reflection of the other half !!


created: 1997-12-28 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-08-02 22:14:34.444692+00
name: Passing Fancy, A
ucname: PASSING FANCY
notes:
  In <<ddpub:Stepping Out Part 2 – Progressive SCDs for Beginners (Revised)>> this dance was republished as a reel (<<ddd:Passing Fancy, A#17631>>).

  SCDDB previously distinguished the two by adding "(Strathspey version)" and "(Reel version)" in the titles. But this made it hard to match and upload MiniCribs as the SCDDB and original title are too different. Therefore we have reverted to the original title – it is straightforward to tell whether you're dealing with the strathspey or reel version from other details on the page or dance list in question. It is also in line with our general policiy to give the titles of dance, publications, … as given in the original source.


created: 2017-03-07 01:04:30.323923+00
last_modified: 2026-08-02 22:17:56.966479+00
name: Passing Fancy, A
ucname: PASSING FANCY
notes:
  In <<ddpub:Stepping Out Part 2 - Progressive SCDs for Beginners (Original)>> of 1997 this dance was published as a strathspey (<<ddd:Passing Fancy#8475>>).

  SCDDB previously distinguished the two by adding "(Strathspey version)" and "(Reel version)" in the titles. But this made it hard to match and upload MiniCribs as the SCDDB and original title are too different. Therefore we have reverted to the original title – it is straightforward to tell whether you're dealing with the strathspey or reel version from other details on the page or dance list in question. It is also in line with our general policiy to give the titles of dance, publications, … as given in the original source.


created: 2023-01-05 12:40:47.321976+00
last_modified: 2026-08-03 21:56:05.647415+00
name: Sunday Miscellany
ucname: SUNDAY MISCELLANY
intensity_bars: 0880/8888/8448/8888
devised: 1999-01-01
notes:
  Inscribed "For the teachers and dancers at the Sunday Miscellany class in Toronto".

  Blair Gerrie writes:

  > One of the achievements of my Sunday Miscellany class was to dance as many
  > of the dances devised by Jean Attwood as possible. They were thoroughly
  > enjoyed by the class and Jean and I became ‘dancing pen-pals’. In 1999, she
  > surprised me by sending a dance that she wrote specially for the class. I cannot
  > find that she published it elsewhere, so have included it in my collection with
  > permission from her family.


created: 2026-08-04 08:13:34.488565+00
last_modified: 2026-08-04 08:15:03.124966+00
name: Downeys of Dance, The
ucname: DOWNEYS OF DANCE
intensity_bars: 800/888/888/888
devised: 2025-04-01
notes:
  Devised "in April 2025 for Kristin and <<ddd:Downey, Rod#2682|Rodney Downey>>,
  inspired by their commitment to the Johnsonville Scottish Country Dance Club in Wellington.
  Rod has been club tutor from 1996-present and Kristin was President from 2009-2024.
  Both Rod and Kristin were made Life Members of the Johnsonville Club in 2019."


created: 2026-08-08 02:08:47.55027+00
last_modified: 2026-08-08 17:21:49.33327+00
name: SS South Carolina
ucname: SS SOUTH CAROLINA
intensity_bars: 888/844/688/888
devised: 2025-08-01
notes:
  > Years ago when I was in high school a good friend told me about a class his uncle was taking in how to use visualization to help remember a list. Then he told me about the one his uncle used to remember the original 13 colonies in the order in which they joined the union. The eighth image is described “in her right hand is a steamship the SS South Carolina” (South Carolina). It’s now 60+ years later and I still remember the whole sequence, so I decided to use the phrases as titles for some dances; this is the eighth of those dances.  
  I wrote this dance as a strathspey, but I believe it would dance equally as well as a reel if anyone wants to try it that way.


created: 2024-02-25 11:11:23.454414+00
last_modified: 2026-08-12 18:42:17.043106+00
name: Upsy Daisy
ucname: UPSY DAISY
intensity_bars: 800/844/888/888
devised: 2021-01-01
notes:
  This dance was first entered in SCDDB based on <<https://youtu.be/1eFsPKPpA6U|this youtube video>> but there are now online instructions and a better video.

  1st couple end in 2nd place opposite side, then the dance is repeated from the bottom of the set.
  After 3 repeats all are on opposite sides and the set is completely upside down.
  After 6 repeats all are back in original places.

  This dance is a revised version of <<ddd:Just for the Fun of It#14677>>.


created: 2026-08-20 22:33:38.913237+00
last_modified: 2026-08-20 22:33:38.913237+00
name: Two's Company
ucname: TWOS COMPANY
notes:
  > The first 8 bars is inspired by "Triple Happiness". 
  > This is a very genteel unhurried dance, intended specially for novices,
  > however the 6-bar circle to the left sometimes catches out the more experienced dancers.


created: 2026-08-20 22:29:57.311841+00
last_modified: 2026-08-20 22:29:57.311841+00
name: Weaving a Yarn
ucname: WEAVING A YARN
notes:
  > The first 8 bars represents the tying on of the yarn, 
  > and then the second 8 echoes the "shuttle" movement
  > from "The Kiltmaker" (but without quite so far to go).  
  > After that, dance instructors are welcome to spin their
  > own tale over the interpretation of the movements!


created: 2026-08-20 22:44:50.212633+00
last_modified: 2026-08-20 22:44:50.212633+00
name: Jack and Jill's Falconry
ucname: JACK AND JILLS FALCONRY
notes:
  > Dance is a 5-couple composition mixing elements of Pelorus Jack
  > and Flight of the Falcon, hence its name.


created: 2026-03-05 19:47:08.819765+00
last_modified: 2026-08-24 15:59:57.799342+00
name: Seppuku Sweet Apology
ucname: SEPPUKU SWEET APOLOGY
intensity_bars: 800/888/886/888
devised: 2026-03-03
notes:
  This dance is dedicated to Aya Ito. During her stay at my home in 2025, we managed to watch „Shogun“ and to discuss Japanese bussiness apology rules in great detail. This dance is about Seppuku (better known as „Harakiri“ outside of Japan) and the Seppuku Sweet, with first couple representing the knife; the first eight bars symbolise how the slit is set; the second eight bars - well, those are about how the knife affects the intestines; the Grand Chain applies the jam to the sweet and the last eight bars wrap it all up and put the sweets in the box.


created: 2010-11-10 23:00:00+00
last_modified: 2026-08-18 08:41:15.02489+00
name: Ambassadors' Reel, The
ucname: AMBASSADORS REEL
intensity_bars: 800 800 844 888
devised: 2007-01-01
notes:
  The dance was devised as a farewell present of the RSCDS Vienna Branch to John and Judith MacGregor, British Ambassadors in Vienna and Bratislava. 
  John Macgregor had been the Honorary President of the Branch for a couple of years. John and Judith MacGregor were leaving Austria in August 2007 as their appointments as ambassadors to Vienna and Bratislava came to an end. 

  The dance and tune was presented to them at the end-of-season dance at the residency of the British ambassador in Vienna.

  A Note from "The Vienna Book":  
  This is a very fluid dance. Although conventional barring is used in the description above, it should be taken only as an approximation of what happens at any given point in the dance. For the sake of convenience, couples should start and end each turn of the dance in the sidelines, facing each other.


created: 2026-08-18 14:06:25.198544+00
last_modified: 2026-08-18 14:17:57.116664+00
name: City of Halifax
ucname: CITY OF HALIFAX
devised: 2026-08-18
notes:
  This is a blatant and obvious rip-off of <<ddd:City of Belfast>> by <<ddp:Mulholland, Lucy>>. I was looking for a 3-couple strathspey which had both La Baratte and an Espagnole, but no such dance existed.

  The La Baratte formation made its debut on the SCD scene in the dance, <<ddd:The Micmac Rotary>>, by <<ddp:Drewry, John>>. That dance celebrates a notorious (and now defunct) traffic roundabout in Halifax, Nova Scotia, hence the name of this dance.


created: 2026-08-21 15:55:55.768339+00
last_modified: 2026-08-21 18:48:22.396666+00
name: St. Andrews²
ucname: SAINT ANDREWS2
notes:
  > Devised for Annina Mack on leaving Zürich for her Masters degree in St. Andrews.
  > As the Zürich Scottish Country Dancing Club (ZSCDC) meets in the St. Andrews church,
  > it seemed fitting!
  >
  > With thanks to Kristian Vestli, Marie-Laure Barret, Violaine Eysseric, Claire Nash,
  > Giorgia de Luca and friends for testing this at Summer School.


created: 2026-08-20 20:40:46.916397+00
last_modified: 2026-08-24 15:57:20.802053+00
name: Mizz Liz & All That Jazz
ucname: MIZZ LIZ AND ALL THAT JAZZ
intensity_bars: 82/88/80/77
devised: 2026-08-01
notes:
  The author states: "This dance is dedicated to Liz Douglas. We have a history in performing sparkling Jazz routines in the party room during Summer School. This dance might be the first Strathspey/Jazz/Swing hybrid, introducing the „Fossette“, a poussette style Jazz version named after Bob Fosse, whose choreographies on Cabaret and Chicago are legendary. Forget about keeping your body upright - bring it to a jazzy life, show attitude, emotions and fire off with your eyes."


created: 2026-08-25 16:44:01.501303+00
last_modified: 2026-08-25 16:44:01.501303+00
name: Don't Kick the Bucket
ucname: DONT KICK THE BUCKET
notes:
  > One holiday Monday, our Los Alamos class was dancing at an alternate location since our usual
  > Fuller Lodge venue is closed on government holidays. This particular night our venue was
  > suffering from a leaky roof, and there were buckets strategically placed around the dance floor
  > such that it was nearly impossible to orientate a set without a bucket in the middle.
  > Throughout the night we kept reminding each other to not kick the buckets, and wishing we
  > had thought ahead to pick dances that do not involve going through the middle of the set. This
  > dance was the inspired result! For the full experience, place a bucket (not full of water!) in the
  > middle of your set.
  > 
  > The tune was written by <<ddp:Byom, Clara#12805>>, to match the spirit and feel of the dance.


