strathspey@strathspey.org:3049

Priscilla M. Burrage

Re: French meanings of "bourrel"

Nov. 9, 1995, 4:09 p.m. (Message 3049, in reply to message 3047)

On Thu, 9 Nov 1995, Kent Smith wrote:
(snip)
>     As faithful readers of the strathspey list know, there has been a
> continuing and now unraveling thread on strathspey about "birl" vs "bourrel"
(snip)
> >From: "Elizabeth Wright" <xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxx.xxx>
(snip)
> >    So anyway I think there does seem to be some reason for the 
> >French name.  It is also interesting because there is a French dance 
> >baroque step called the "pas de bourree" and a well-known 19th-20th 
> >century French dance called the "bourree", which don't resemble each 
> >other very much as far as I can tell, and whose name I assume comes 
> >from the word "stuffed" but I can't really figure out how the name 
> >applies to either the step or the dance.  However, I guess that is 
> >another question for another discussion list.  I haven't found out 
> >anything about the origin of that one yet.                

Pas de bourree in classical ballet is the similar to the "grapevine" 
step in folk dancing (Israeli) or aerobic dancing.  In the Glasgow 
Highlanders setting step, the "behind, side, in front" are part of a 
bourree movement.  I can't relate this movement to a hollow circle or 
stuffed concept, but the "grapevine" idea does express the pattern of 
this movement with feet being placed like alternating leaves on a 
grapevine.  Musically speaking (I'm quoting, not an authority) a 
bourree denotes a dance in 2/4 time.  Maybe bourree and bourrelet/bourel 
are moved apart in meaning from bourree?

Sorry to have added confusion to this discussion,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Priscilla Burrage	(xxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxx@xxx.xxx)
Vermont USA		(xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx.xxx)