Circassian Circle/ Ladies chain .. some what short

Caberfei

Jan. 25, 2002, 2:23 p.m. (Message 29293)

Thank you Richard, Sorry Ron

  One point of interest with regards to the ladies chain two of the book # 
I's that I have seen (reprint of Mrs. Stewart's and one that I date not 
before  1933 or from before book VIII) both list this for the ladies chain in 
Circassian circle: 
  bars 17-20 "ladies chain that is, women give right hands to one another, 
cross over and turn opposite man round by the left hand. " bars 21-24  the 
same again, this time the women turn there own partners" 
 The second thing I found of interest is the foot note at the bottom : "right 
and left " maybe done without taking hands . 
 the book I  that Richard talks about seems like one that I think was 
published after book XIV (only a guess) where as the ladies chain becomes 
more Scottish, and sadly the foot note on right and left is gone.

Happy dancing 
Ralph Stoddard

SallenNic

Jan. 25, 2002, 7:56 p.m. (Message 29301, in reply to message 29293)

It's interesting how the footnotes disappear. I once saw what I took to be a 
first ed. of BkI (or is it II) when I was looking up Jessie's Hornpipe. The 
diagram at the top shewed couple no's as being 1234.... (presumably 
longways?) and a footnote at the bottom said (from memory) "When there is 
only one couple below the first couple, the figure of eight is done across 
the set"! I think there was a further note to say the dance had been 
collected in Aberdeen and Banff.
    I later had access to a more recent printing of the same book and found 
the ubiquitous diagram at the top for couples 1234, and no notes at the foot 
of the page: sad, as this implies that traditional dances collected 'in the 
field' are or have been 'tidied up' and their collected versions obliterated.
Nicolas B., Lanark, Scotland.