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strathspey@strathspey.org:27897

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Priscilla M. Burrage

Priscilla M. Burrage

Re: Braes of Tulliemet.

Oct. 15, 2001, 10:50 p.m. (Message 27897, in reply to message 27748)

On Thu, 4 Oct 2001, Malcolm Brown wrote:

> Very interesting! (As someone used to say) - I have just looked again at my
> 2 copies of 101, and one is "January 1960", and the other is
> "October 1957 (with corrections)".
>
> Both editions state in the words that the dancing couple cast off on
> the wrong (opposite) side of the dance - presumably one of the
> "corrections", but the diagram in both editions still show the
> dancing couple casting off on their own sides to face corners!


OK, I've returned from a lovely holiday, read the nearly 400 emails
waiting for me, answered the easy ones, and collected the bits and pieces
I needed to address this quandry.

I didn't learn the dance from a book.  I learned it from Miss Milligan in
the late 1950s on one of her visits to North America.  I learned:
Bars 1-4    1s set and cast off one place.
     5-8    1s cross and cast off one place.
     9-12   3s and 1s circle once round

So far the dance is the same -- as given in all copies of 101 and Bk 7
although the wording may be different. . .

Bars 13-16  1s lead up, cross, and cast round the 2s (on their own side)
            to finish dancing toward corners and back-to-back in center.

Same as the diagram, not the words in later versions.

Bars 17-32  Traditional set to and turn corners and reels of three on the
            sides, crossing to own side on last two bars.

The same in all versions.


When I was sitting for my teachers certificate, we were given "unknowns"
to teach. Well, I went through all twenty books and made notes.  Miss
Milligan was with us for several months, and I had many opportunities to
ask her about those dances in those first twenty RSCDS books.  And I
took notes on her answers, which I was surprised to find that i still have.

When I pointed out the discrepancy in "Braes" between my early copy of 101
and Book 7, she replied that Pattersons owned the copyright on the
earlier books and that the Society couldn't make corrections.  (I suspect
that when they could make changes, they decided not to come out with a
second version of any of the dances published so many years before.)


Now, why do I cling to the "cross and cast to face corners" version?
Because I've been teaching insecure and intimidated adult newcomers for
years.  They have a good chance of learning set to and turn corners
followed by reel of three on the sides if they learn it in strathspey
time first.  (Remember, I said adult learners.)  And if they approach
their corners from their own sides of the dance.

And this is a great dance to use to teach them.  But not if you ask them
1) as first man to dance around one woman and then at the last minute
sharply pull back his left shoulder to face (Who?  Where?) his first
corner, the woman he has been taught to identify from his own side of the
set; or 2) as first woman to dance all the way around a man and then
face him, her first corner, which she also learned to identify from her
side of the set.  And she doesn't have much chance of looking at him if
she's just done a wheelie around him.

P.S.  I listed the dance in the program as "Tullimet" as given in 101.

P.P.S.  When it came time for my teachers "unknown,"  Miss Milligan
smirked at me and announced that "she had made up some dances as it
seemed to be what everyone was doing these days."  They turned out to be
from Book 21, published a few months later.

Hope this gives you a good idea for teaching a basic set of figures.
happy dancing,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Priscilla Burrage       Vermont US
(xxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx)

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