Niols’s Collection of (Mostly Unpublished) Scottish Country Dances

Emmy & Matt's Wedding

Medley of 32-bar strathspey and 32-bar reel for four couples in a four-couple longwise set

Get the description of the dance as PDF.

See this dance in the Scottish Country Dance Database.

Strathspey
1–4
1st couple cast off one place while 4th couple cast up one place. 2nd couple step up and 3rd couple step down on bars 3-4.
5–8
1st couple dance a half figure of eight round 2nd couple while 4th couple dance a half figure of eight round 3rd couple.
9–16
1st and 4th couples set and rotate.
17–20
1st couple, giving both hands, turn one and a half times.
21–24
4th couple, without giving hands, cross down to fourth place while 3rd couple cast up to second place, to finish in the order 2, 3, 1, 4.
25–32
3rd and 1st couples dance a poussette.
Reel
33–40
1st couple dance the »figure of love«: 1st woman dances up between 3rd couple and casts off round 3rd man, while 1st man dances down between 4th couple and casts up round 4th woman. 1st couple meet in the middle of the set, touch both hands, then, pulling back left shoulders, 1st woman casts off round 4th man, while 1st man casts up round 3rd woman. 1st couple finish in third place on own sides facing out.
41–48
3rd, 1st and 4th couples dance a chain progression for three couples. 1st couple finish back to back in the middle of the set, 1st woman facing 4th man and 1st man facing 3rd woman.
49–52
1st couple dance a half diagonal reel of four with 4th man and 3rd woman, passing by the right at the end to finish, 1st man facing 4th woman and 1st woman facing 3rd man.
53–56
1st couple dance a half diagonal reel of four with 4th woman and 3rd man, passing by the right at the end to finish, 1st man facing 3rd woman and 1st woman facing 4th man.
57–60
1st couple dance a half diagonal reel of four with 3rd woman and 4th man, passing by the right at the end to finish, 1st woman facing 3rd man and 1st man facing 4th woman.
61–64
1st couple dance a half diagonal reel of four with 3rd man and 4th woman, to finish in third place on own sides in the order 2, 4, 1, 3.
Repeat from new positions.
Devised by Emmy Wilkinson and Matthew Stuart Dunn.

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