strathspey@strathspey.org:61078

Rod Downey

Re: Tandem Reels (was Re: Reels in Bishop of Columbus)

July 9, 2011, 1 a.m. (Message 61078, in reply to message 61071)

On Fri, 8 Jul 2011, Heiko Schmidt wrote:

> SNIP

> Chris Ronald gives a nice overview over the history of the terms shadow, 
> tandem, dolphin and falcon reels in his book "12 Scottish County Dances".
> According to that Barry Skelton used the term "tandem reels" first in the 
> publication of "Pelorus Jack" in RSCDS Book 41.
>


In that account Chris says ``And the last step in the evolution came with
Pelorus Jack, by Barry Skelton which had half reels of three with changes 
of the lead in each corner.''

I am not sure that is quite correct in that, in a 4 couple dance, ``The 
Capercaille'' Barry Priddy had 4 diagonal
swapover reels (of 4), and I had similarly one  in 
the Island Bay book called ``The Silkie''(inspired by the flight of the
falcon; I did not know of the Capercaille at that time). 
As with the tourbillon, it is 
clear that this is Priddy's formation. It is unfortunate that because of
the penetration of the RSCDS books compared to privately published ones
formations often become attributed to the first RSCDS source rather than
the original place someone published. Witness inverted double triangles
which many think occurred in the nurseryman whereas they can be found much 
earlier in Garry Morris' Jig by Alec Hay who also gave us set and link. 
(On the othert hand, these are not
scientific papers and we don't need a literature review at the beginning
of each dance description! But henceforth I have decided that, if I write 
a dance ``borrowing'' a formation, or at least being inspired by one,
I will attribite this fact.)

Lately we have been doing acheological digs into many of the
earlier devisors books, particularly Hay, Foss, Priddy, Cosh, Boyd
and have found many ``recent'' ideas.

regards

Rod Downey