strathspey@strathspey.org:38433

Norma or Mike Briggs

No name dance

May 6, 2004, 5:36 p.m. (Message 38433)

Here is a 32-bar four-couple strathspey, recently devised.  It has no 
name yet.  The "naming rights" were raffled at the John Muir (Wisconsin) 
Branch's ball last month, as a fundraiser.  The lucky(?) winner was 
Carol Buelow, our branch secretary.  All comments (preferably of the 
constructive kind) will be gratefully received and acknowledged as time 
permits.

Mike
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NO NAME (YET) STRATHSPEY	32 BARS	4 COUPLES

Bars	Directions

1-4	BACK-TO-BACK HALF REELS OF FOUR (OK, it’s not really a half reel, 
but try it anyway): Begin with 1C facing 2C, 3C facing 4C. On each side, 
the ends dance a reel of four halfway, while the middles dance a 
back-to-back formation (beginning by giving right shoulder to the end 
person whom they face, and ending by giving left shoulder (while dancing 
backward) to the other end person on their side).

5-6	Without taking hands, all SET facing up and down the dance, 2C to 4C 
and 3C to 1C. On bar 6, those in the middle pull back left shoulders to 
face the other middle person on their side.

7-8	On each side, middles TURN by left hand halfway to face the same end 
person they faced at the beginning of the dance (order is now 4, 3, 2, 
1). End persons TURN SINGLE (for those who don’t do English country 
dance, dance a small clockwise circle as an individual, pulling right 
shoulder back to begin)

9-16	Repeat 1-8 back to original places. End facing the same person as 
at the beginning of the dance.

17-20	GRAND CHAIN HALFWAY, begin with 1C facing 2C, 3C facing 4C. On bar 
20, 1C (instead of crossing by left hand to partner’s side) turn by left 
hand halfway to end in the middle of the dance in fourth place facing up 
with left hands joined.

21-24	1C LEAD UP holding left hands. On 24, they drop hands to end with 
1M in 1W place facing out and 1W in 1M place facing in (2C, 3C and 4C 
take hands on the sides and step down on 23-24).

25-28	All CHASE clockwise halfway.

29-32	All TURN partner with both hands once around. Ending order is 2, 
3, 4, 1.

Repeat three times to end all in original places.

Devised March 2004 by Mike Briggs. The back-to-back half reels of four, 
the turn left about on a leftward setting step followed by a left hand 
turn halfway, and the left-hand lead up, are included in honor of Terry 
Glasspool, who led the branch’s first workshop in December 2003.
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