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The 51st Country Dance (Laufen Reel), also known as St Valery' s Reel
John Clark
July 27, 2005, 11:51 p.m. (Message 41822)
Good morning from Canberra Does anyone have the steps for the original 5-couple dance "The 51st Country Dance (Laufen Reel)", also known as "St Valery' s Reel", which was devised in a German POW camp and later modified to be the 4-couple "Reel of the 51st Division"? John Clark Canberra & District Branch Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
G'Day, John from Sydney! The description of the dance written 'on a scruffy bit of paper when he was a prisoner of war' read as follows: 5 set 51 Division 1-4 First couple set & cast off 3 places 5-8 Lead up to (top?) to corners 9-12 First couple set to first corner, turning by right 13-14 First couple, second man & third lady balance in a diagonal line (Scottish Reform) 15-16 First couple turn left hand to second corners 17-20 First couple set & turn corners by right hand 21-22 First couple, third man and second lady balance in a diagonal line (Scottish Reform) 23-24 First couple turn to own side, second place 25-28 Six Hands round 29-32 Back Again Repeat The dance was devised by Lt J E M Atkinson and his name is also on the 'scruffy bit of paper'. This is taken from the re-issue of Book 13 by the Society in 1999. There is no description of steps. Brian Charlton Sydney, Australia
Brian Many thanks. I vaguely recall that when I was in Fiji we used to start with both 1st and 3rd couples as dancing couples , 4th and 5th couples stepped up as the 3s cast off, then the new couple in 3rd place had a dual role as corners for both dancing couples. The 1st couple were dancing couple three times. In the version you cite, were the 1st couple dancing couple three times? John
I've never heard this dance called "Laufen Reel" or "St. Valery's Reel." The original choreographers were probably held at Oflag VII-C, a POW camp for officers, at Laufen, Bavaria, following the debacle at St. Valery-en-Caux in 1940. -------------- Original message from "John Clark" <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx>: --------------
xxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx wrote: > I've never heard this dance called "Laufen Reel" or "St. Valery's Reel." > The original choreographers were probably held at Oflag VII-C, a POW camp > for officers, at Laufen, Bavaria, following the debacle at St. > Valery-en-Caux in 1940. The dance was originally called »The 51st Country Dance (Laufen Reel)« and went through a succession of monikers (including »The St Valéry Reel«) before acquiring today's title. I wrote up some notes on the history of the Reel of the 51st Divison at http://my.strathspey.org/anselm/stories/reelofthe51st.html The information comes from earlier Strathspey postings (most notably from Harry Ways and Alan Mair) as well as other web pages. Regarding John Clark's query, I don't think that the original 51st Country Dance used the couples-1-and-3-start method, the approach having fallen into disuse. It is fairly straightforward to modify the Reel of the 51st Division's choreography for a 5-couple dance, Black-Mountain-Reel style, with 1s and 3s starting simultaneously, but of course 1st couple will only dance twice through (once from 1st place, once from 3rd place). Anselm -- Anselm Lingnau, Frankfurt, Germany ..................... xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx Emacs can do anything ... just ask it. -- Rob Pike
This is a fascinating article. It's obvious that the Germans who ran the Oflag did not understand Scottish culture, in that they allowed a dance that prominently features the saltire--a Scottish patriotic symbol--and concludes with a victory circle to be created under their noses. I also find of interest the description of how "The Reel of the 51st Division" found its way to Scotland, where it becane popular during the remainder of WWII. Larry Orr La habra, Calif. -------------- Original message from Anselm Lingnau <xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx>: --------------
Larry Orr writes of the Reel of the 51st: >(it) concludes with a victory circle. What _victory_ circle? The wartime symbol for Victory was 'V' which is why that is on the cover of Book 13. Peter Oliver liked the circle at the end of Hamilton House so it went into the brew. As for the variations in the name, a summary of some of the these is given in my article in the most recent Bulletin. Getting the instructions to Scotland was difficult - yes. The wartime censors of any country were not about to allow through something they did not understand, hence Tom Harris Hunter's arrangment of a demonstration. There are plenty of stories of POWs (both sides) facing aggressive questioning about knitting patterns. However, the tendency for this dance to generate new and ever more abstruse myths continues to fascinate and amuse me - keep them coming. Jim Healy Perth, Scotland
What victory circle? The wartime symbol for Victory was 'V.' A dance instructor once explained to me that a circle figure often symbolizes a celebration of victory, success, etc. A quickie Internet search indicates that circular figures in dances have been used in many cultures to celebrate victory over an enemy, probably since prehistoric times. Larry Orr La Habra, Calif.
xxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx wrote:
> A dance instructor once explained to me that a circle figure often
> symbolizes a celebration of victory, success, etc. A quickie Internet
> search indicates that circular figures in dances have been used in many
> cultures to celebrate victory over an enemy, probably since prehistoric
> times.
This sounds eminently plausible in the general case, but my take on this is
that many country dances (not just the Reel of the 51st) end with a circle
not because some victory or success needs to be celebrated but because it is
a simple, exuberant figure that gives the set a great sense of
»togetherness«.
But then again, maybe that in itself *is* a success to be celebrated?
Anselm
--
Anselm Lingnau, Frankfurt, Germany ..................... xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx
There's no workman, whatsoever he be/That may both work well and hastily.
-- Geoffrey Chaucer
"...the tendency for this dance to generate new and ever more abstruse myths continues to fascinate and amuse me - keep them coming." I'll do just that. When I was in high school, a history teacher told us that all members of the 51st Division were executed after they surrendered at Dunkerque. Incidentally, when I first learned the dance, the instructor told us that it originated during World War I. -------------- Original message from "Jim Healy" <xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx>: --------------