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Angus Macleod- to promenade or not to promenade????????

Marie Disiewicz

Marie Disiewicz

March 30, 2006, 7:21 p.m. (Message 44925)

Hi Everyone
Maybe those who danced Angus Macleod when it first came on the dance
scene will answer this question.

My dance instructions for Angus Macleod are from the GIendarroch Sheets.
I do not have the dance book "Dances Of  An Island Clan"  that Alan
Paterson's Dance Data suggests.

The Glendarroch Sheets instructions for this dance come with a sheet
of diagrams for Angus Macleod.

On Bars 59 to 62 it shows in diagram the dancing cpls in Promenade hold ( side by side)

In the written instructions it says for these bars:

 57-64    With 3rd cpl making an arch and 2nd dancing under it. 
           2nd dance down and, together, cast up round 4th woman and
           dance up the middle to the top of the set,
          
          while 3rd dance up and, together, cast off round 1st man and
          dance down the middle to the bottom of the set.
         
          After casting, 2nd man and 3rd woman pass left shoulder (
          this is where the promenade hold seems to be correct)
        
         On 63-64 1st cpl move down and 4th cpl move up.

Locally it is danced with one dancer leading and the other following
after they have danced under the arch.
I taught this dance with the promenade hold as that is what I took from the instructions.
Personally I did like the promenade hold, but "When in Rome do as the
Romans do" is not a problem for me.

That said, where did the promenade hold in the diagram come in, and
what does "together " stand for in the written instructions?
Yes, I want to get it right and who else better than to ask this
question to ,than my favourite group "Strathspey Server".
Cheers
Marie
Marie Disiewicz

Marie Disiewicz

March 30, 2006, 7:34 p.m. (Message 44926, in reply to message 44925)

Correction: This leaflet was with my collection of the Glendarroch Sheets: 
Maybe because the diagrams look like they were done by the same 
person.OOOOPS!!
simon scott

simon scott

March 30, 2006, 9:21 p.m. (Message 44928, in reply to message 44926)

Out of interest, I note that in the diagrams with the instructions
printed by Dumfries and Galloway News, Castle-Douglas in 1969, the two
couples are show with a straight line directly connecting the man and
woman.  This would indicate "nearer hands joined".  

However in the hard cover book "The Dances of an Island Clan" published
in memory of Andrew Rankin, who composed the music, when he died in
1985, the man and woman are shown with an angled connecting line, which
could very well be seen to indicate promenade.

I'm sure "nearer hands" is correct and original.

Simon
Vancouver
Iain Boyd

Iain Boyd

March 31, 2006, 12:38 a.m. (Message 44933, in reply to message 44926)

Dear Marie,
   
  I am not surprised that you have filed "Angus MacLeod" with your Glendarroch Sheets.
   
  Hugh Foss published the original leaflet in 1969 - see bottom of
  front page and bottom of left inside page.
   
  Iain Boyd
   
  

Marie Disiewicz <xxxxx@xxxxx.xxx> wrote:
  Correction: This leaflet was with my collection of the Glendarroch Sheets: 
Maybe because the diagrams look like they were done by the same 
person.OOOOPS!!


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simon scott

simon scott

March 30, 2006, 8:50 p.m. (Message 44927, in reply to message 44925)

Hi Marie

I'm very sure I'm right in saying that the "together" in this part of
Angus MacLeod means "nearer hands joined" rather than promenade.  When
the two couples have done the arches and under they retain nearer hands
as they dance round the corner and then to top or bottom of the set.
That is how I've always know it since it came out in 1969.  I have never
seen or heard of the lead and follow that you mention (even though we
are dancing in the same area).

Simon
Vancouver


Hi Everyone
Maybe those who danced Angus Macleod when it first came on the dance
scene will answer this question.

My dance instructions for Angus Macleod are from the GIendarroch Sheets.
I do not have the dance book "Dances Of  An Island Clan"  that Alan
Paterson's Dance Data suggests.

The Glendarroch Sheets instructions for this dance come with a sheet of
diagrams for Angus Macleod.

On Bars 59 to 62 it shows in diagram the dancing cpls in Promenade hold
( side by side)

In the written instructions it says for these bars:

 57-64    With 3rd cpl making an arch and 2nd dancing under it. 
           2nd dance down and, together, cast up round 4th woman and
dance up the middle to the top of the set, 
          
          while 3rd dance up and, together, cast off round 1st man and
dance down the middle to the bottom of the set.
         
          After casting, 2nd man and 3rd woman pass left shoulder ( this
is where the promenade hold seems to be correct)
        
         On 63-64 1st cpl move down and 4th cpl move up.

Locally it is danced with one dancer leading and the other following
after they have danced under the arch. I taught this dance with the
promenade hold as that is what I took from the instructions. Personally
I did like the promenade hold, but "When in Rome do as the Romans do" is
not a problem for me.

That said, where did the promenade hold in the diagram come in, and what
does "together " stand for in the written instructions? Yes, I want to
get it right and who else better than to ask this question to ,than my
favourite group "Strathspey Server". Cheers Marie
Volleyballjerry

Volleyballjerry

March 30, 2006, 11:42 p.m. (Message 44930, in reply to message 44925)

As far as I can recall over decades it's been promenade in Southern 
California.  I've also just consulted a member of the "dem" team MacLeod Dancers, which 
does the dance, not surprisingly, quite often, and have had the same 
confirmed.  As she said, and as my own mind recalls:  nearer hands through (or making 
of course) the arch, then shift to promenade to dance around the standing 
corners and pass to the opposite sides.  I think that the support of the promenade 
hold is really needed to make that turn around the standing corners, and 
nearer hands conjures in my mind a peculiar picture of the man dragging the woman 
around the corner "whip" style, much like the Red Queen dragging Alice and 
proclaiming:  "It takes all the running you can do just to stay in the same 
place.  If you want to get someplace else, you have to run twice as fast."  In any 
case, hereabouts definitely promenade hold.

Robb Quint
Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
Iain Boyd

Iain Boyd

March 31, 2006, 12:54 a.m. (Message 44934, in reply to message 44930)

As Simon has stated, the original diagrams produced by Hugh Foss show
dances using nearer hands.
   
  On the other hand, Ann Skipper's diagrams show dancers using nearer
  hands pushed forward which I suspect may be intended to indicate
  'leading'. I suggest that the MacLeod Dancers may have changed from
  'leading' to using 'promenade' hold after the advantages of
  'promenade' hold were realised.
   
  However, if one looks carefully at the last diagram in the
  'promenade' series in Ann Skipper's publication one will see a
  straight line joining one of the couples as well as the 'pushed
  forward' 'nearer hands - possibly suggesting 'promemade' hold (or
  just careless proofreading?)
   
  Iain Boyd
   
  

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx wrote:
  As far as I can recall over decades it's been promenade in Southern 
California. I've also just consulted a member of the "dem" team MacLeod Dancers, which 
does the dance, not surprisingly, quite often, and have had the same 
confirmed. As she said, and as my own mind recalls: nearer hands through (or making 
of course) the arch, then shift to promenade to dance around the standing 
corners and pass to the opposite sides. I think that the support of the promenade 
hold is really needed to make that turn around the standing corners, and 
nearer hands conjures in my mind a peculiar picture of the man dragging the woman 
around the corner "whip" style, much like the Red Queen dragging Alice and 
proclaiming: "It takes all the running you can do just to stay in the same 
place. If you want to get someplace else, you have to run twice as fast." In any 
case, hereabouts definitely promenade hold.

Robb Quint
Thousand Oaks, CA, USA


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