Aug. 1, 1997, 1:28 a.m. (Message 8400, in reply to message 8382)
Jane Hewitt wrote: <Could anyone give me full insrtuctions for dance 'Witches Rant' a 5 couple <reel. I have only a crib sheet which I cannot get to work out. I, too, would be interested in learning the details of this dance. One of our club members has just completed a PhD in Witchcraft and I'd love to send it to her! Thanks, Marion Garrett Newcastle upon Tyne
Aug. 1, 1997, 4:37 a.m. (Message 8403, in reply to message 8400)
Hi, Marion. The Witch's Rant was devised by Roy Clowes, and was published in Scottish Dance Archives, as No. 113. It is copyright 1978 so I won't reproduce it on Strathspey, but suggest folks get it from TACBOOK or their own favorite source. It is a lot of fun, but takes some decoding/teaching to work out the reels for 5 people, in which the middle (3rd) person stands still and the others dance around. It is kind of like interlocking reels of three, where the interlock takes place around a standing person. I once taught the dance with only 4 couples, by letting the 3rd couple be just a pair of shoes (placed in first position, of course!). The progression just took place around the third place, so the dancers only occupied 1,2,4,5. Good fun. - Mel (Virginia, USA)