strathspey Archive: Schiehallion reels

Richard Walker

I would appreciate receiving a list of dances that includes
Schiehallion Reels.

There is a dance called Rangitoto in The Kauri Collection from the
Auckland Region of the New Zealand Branch which contains
schiehallion reels and the other movements in the dance are
straightforward. Rangitoto is a volcanic island off the coast of
Auckland and the dance represents the view of Rangitoto as seen
by many Aucklanders. I think the schiehallion reels represent the
water coming and going and lapping up against the shores and
beaches. (from memory)

Katharine Hoskyn
Auckland, New Zealand

Thanks for all the replies. I notice the Dance Database lists 43 dances
having "reels of eight." The Schiehallion reels for Rangitoto are listed as
"reels of eight." Here comes the leap of faith -- or whatever. Can it be
assumed that ALL dances listing "reels of eight" are actually dances having
"Schiehallion reels?" ... or is that one stretch too many?

"Richard L Walker"<rlwalker@granis.net>
Pensacola, FL USA 32504-7726

I wonder if someone has consolidated all of the replies into one list.
It would be great if this was added to the Root Formation designators in the
Dance Database.

Grant Logan

On Wed, 28 Jun 2000, Richard L Walker wrote:

> Thanks for all the replies. I notice the Dance Database lists 43 dances
> having "reels of eight." The Schiehallion reels for Rangitoto are listed as
> "reels of eight." Here comes the leap of faith -- or whatever. Can it be
> assumed that ALL dances listing "reels of eight" are actually dances having
> "Schiehallion reels?" ... or is that one stretch too many?

Hugh Thurston, the deviser of the dance Schiehallion, calls that reel
"reel of eight" in his description of the dance.

I wrote "Helen and Russell's Farewell to 10 1/2 Dan Court" (in Pinewoods
2) with a reel of eight in strathspey time because Hugh's original
instructions for the dance Schiehallion listed the reel of eight as being
either strathspey or reel time.

Incidently, in his original very limited publication version, he gave
eighteen figures: eight that could be done in either strathspey or reel
time and two that were just reel time. I'll be leading a class at
Pinewoods Week this July in which we will do this figures not commonly
done. They are fun figures whereas the four most people know turn it into
a demonstration dance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Priscilla Burrage Vermont US
(pburrage@zoo.uvm.edu)

There is also Radcliffe Square in the Oxford Silver Jubilee Book - a 64 bar
medley. It has Schiehallion reels finishing with all couples doing La
Baratte on the corners.

Todd Pierce
Asheville, NC

Richard L Walker wrote:

> Thanks for all the replies. I notice the Dance Database lists 43 dances
> having "reels of eight." The Schiehallion reels for Rangitoto are listed as
> "reels of eight." Here comes the leap of faith -- or whatever. Can it be
> assumed that ALL dances listing "reels of eight" are actually dances having
> "Schiehallion reels?" ... or is that one stretch too many?

Pretty close.

In those cases where I have received information on formations for dances, I
have input 'reel of eight' exactly as such where it has been listed. I didn't
have the exact instructions, so I have no idea if Schiehallion Reels are meant.

In those cases where I have come across Schiehallion Reels, these have been
entered as Reels-of-eight.

A lead-on question from this: Does anyone know of a formation involving eight
dancers which could be described as Reel-of-eight but is NOT a Schiehallion
Reel?

Alan

Grant Logan wrote:

> I wonder if someone has consolidated all of the replies into one list.
> It would be great if this was added to the Root Formation designators in the
> Dance Database.

I pay a lot of attention to talk about individual dances on this list and, if
any snippet of information turns up which I don't have - in it goes.

The database is updated about every 2 months (sometimes longer) and it is not
always the case that the on-line version (Anselm's baby) gets updated as quickly
as the PC downloadable (registered) version, so it might take some time for
changes to filter through.

Alan

In "Belhaven," a performance dance by Hugh Foss, there are reels of eight
which are linear and are more or less exactly like reels of four,
phrasing-wise. I have not encountered or heard of reels of eight that are
not Schiehallion reels in social dances.
Regards,
Eleanor Mulhern
RSCDS DVB

Drop the hands, and the first 16 bars of Trip to Bavaria are a reel for
eight.

Mike
--
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Michael J. Briggs Fax: 608 835 0924
BRIGGS LAW OFFICE
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I've come across several dances in square set formation that have double reels of
four through the middle of the dance, which could be described as a reel of eight.
There's also the first figure in 1314, interlocking reels around the perimeter of
the square.

- Alan Twhigg.

Alan Paterson wrote:

> Richard L Walker wrote:
>
> > Thanks for all the replies. I notice the Dance Database lists 43 dances
> > having "reels of eight." The Schiehallion reels for Rangitoto are listed as
> > "reels of eight." Here comes the leap of faith -- or whatever. Can it be
> > assumed that ALL dances listing "reels of eight" are actually dances having
> > "Schiehallion reels?" ... or is that one stretch too many?
>
> Pretty close.
>
> In those cases where I have received information on formations for dances, I
> have input 'reel of eight' exactly as such where it has been listed. I didn't
> have the exact instructions, so I have no idea if Schiehallion Reels are meant.
>
> In those cases where I have come across Schiehallion Reels, these have been
> entered as Reels-of-eight.
>
> A lead-on question from this: Does anyone know of a formation involving eight
> dancers which could be described as Reel-of-eight but is NOT a Schiehallion
> Reel?
>
> Alan
>
> --
> Alan Paterson <alanp@paranor.ch>

Michael Briggs wrote:

> Drop the hands, and the first 16 bars of Trip to Bavaria are a reel for
> eight.
>

Or drop hands in any four couple grand chain.

Harry

In his dance "Agnes and Bobby Crowe", a 96 bar strathspey danced in a
square set, Roy Goldring refers to the figure for bars 17-24 as "Reel
around the set (a grand chain without giving hands)."

btw - this, and its companion piece "The Balmullo Reel" are excellent
square set dances in a leaflet called The Crowe's Nest Set - Roy
Goldring's tribute to Bobby Crowe.

Marjorie McLaughlin
San Diego

> Michael Briggs wrote:
> > Drop the hands, and the first 16 bars of Trip to Bavaria are a reel for eight.
> >
> Harry Ways wrote:
> Or drop hands in any four couple grand chain.
>
> harry ways <hways@ix.netcom.com>

In the Contradance "The Wild Thing", there is a reel of 8. This is done by
two contra lines side by side. Definitely not a Scheihallion Reel, but also
not SCD.
Grant

Alan Paterson wrote:

> In those cases where I have come across Schiehallion Reels, these have been
> entered as Reels-of-eight.
>
> A lead-on question from this: Does anyone know of a formation involving eight
> dancers which could be described as Reel-of-eight but is NOT a Schiehallion
> Reel?
>
> Alan
>

On second thought, is a Schehallion Reel really a reel? All eight dancers are
bearing to the right throughout, never to the left. This same might be said for the
1st cpl movement in the half reels of four in Mairi's Wedding, but there the
corners are doing a right shoulder-left shoulder maneuver as in a strictly defined
reel.

Harry

On Wed, 5 Jul 2000, harry ways wrote:
>On second thought, is a Schehallion Reel really a reel? All eight dancers are
>bearing to the right throughout, never to the left. This same might be said for the
>1st cpl movement in the half reels of four in Mairi's Wedding, but there the
>corners are doing a right shoulder-left shoulder maneuver as in a strictly defined
>reel.
Well, in each two bars phrase, there are four dancers dance from man's
position to the women's places one (couple) position on their right, sort
of dancing in and dancing out movement. Each of the four dancers also, in
a way, passing all other three by the left. One can image the track from
a women place looping to the (same couple) men's place, dancing to the
women place one (couple) position to the right and then looping again to
the men's place as 5/6 (2 1/2 of the three full loops) of reel of four
with the variation that when one dances one side of the middle loop, one
dances first half same way (to the right) and continues bearing right
instead of curving in left but still passing other by the left (i.e,
bending the whole figure to the right at the middle). Of course, the
phrasing is quite different.
Shengzhang Tang

> On Wed, 5 Jul 2000, harry ways wrote:
> >On second thought, is a Schehallion Reel really a reel? All eight dancers are
> >bearing to the right throughout, never to the left. This same might be said for the
> >1st cpl movement in the half reels of four in Mairi's Wedding, but there the
> >corners are doing a right shoulder-left shoulder maneuver as in a strictly defined
> >reel.

Must say I've never heard of it as a reel. It is usually called
the Schiehallion figure or the Schiehallion chase round here.

Cheers, Ron :)

< 0 Ron Mackey,(Purveyor of Pat's Party Pieces)
'O> Mottingham,
/#\ London. UK.
l>
Ron.Mackey@btinternet.com

ron.mackey@mail.btinternet.com wrote:

> > On Wed, 5 Jul 2000, harry ways wrote:
> > >On second thought, is a Schehallion Reel really a reel? All eight dancers are
> > >bearing to the right throughout, never to the left. This same might be said for the
> > >1st cpl movement in the half reels of four in Mairi's Wedding, but there the
> > >corners are doing a right shoulder-left shoulder maneuver as in a strictly defined
> > >reel.
>
> Must say I've never heard of it as a reel. It is usually called
> the Schiehallion figure or the Schiehallion chase round here.
>
> Cheers, Ron :)
>

See comment from Alan Paterson which preceded mine in my
5 July message.

Harry

ron.mackey@mail.btinternet.com wrote:

> Must say I've never heard of it as a reel. It is usually called
> the Schiehallion figure or the Schiehallion chase round here.
>
> Cheers, Ron :)
>
> < 0 Ron Mackey,(Purveyor of Pat's Party Pieces)
> 'O> Mottingham,
> /#\ London. UK.
> l>
> Ron.Mackey@btinternet.com
>
>

As Priscilla Burrage said, Hugh Thurston calls it a "Reel of Eight" in
Schiehallion, but John Drewry refers to it as a "Schiehallion Reel" in The
Dancing Master (these are the only 2 dances containing the figure for which
I have actual writeups and not cribs). -Steve
--
Steve Wyrick <sjwyrick@earthlink.net> -- Concord, CA

Thanks Alan. It's people like you who make my life easier.

Grant

In my crib collection I have found one dance with Schiehallion
Reels that has not yet been mentioned:

TorryQuine
4C Square Set, Reel, 88 bars
by Marlene Northrop
A note adds: A Torry Quine is a young girl from the Torry area of
Aberdeen

Enjoy.

Eric

Eric T. Ferguson, van Dormaalstraat 15, 5624 KH EINDHOVEN, Netherlands
tel: +31-40-243 2878 fax: +31-40-246 7036 e-mail: e.ferguson@antenna.nl