Niols’s Collection of (Mostly Unpublished) Scottish Country Dances

Praha Matka Měst

Medley of 16-bar strathspey and 16-bar reel for three couples in a three-couple longwise set

Get the description of the dance as PDF.

See this dance in the Scottish Country Dance Database.

Two chords. On second chord, 2nd and 3rd couples cross.
Strathspey
1–8
1st couple set advancing and turn both hands, dance down the middle and turn halfway with both hands to face down in promenade hold. 2nd couple step up on bars 5-6. 2nd and 3rd couples join in on bar 8.
9–16
2nd, 1st and 3rd couples dance an allemande down the dance. On bars 15-16, 1st couple stays in the middle and set advancing to face first corners in third corner position.
Reel
17–24
1st couple dance corners pass and turn and cast away: Same as corners pass and turn, except that corners turn halfway right hand and cast away to opposite positions. On bars 23-24, 1st couple slow down to finish in the middle on own sides in poussette hold; 3rd man curves to stay in the middle on own side; 3rd woman joins in in poussette hold.
25–32
1st and 3rd couples dance poussette and petronella: Same five first bars as the poussette. On bar 6, 3rd and 1st couples dance a quarter. On bars 7-8, 3rd and 1st couples dance a petronella turn to opposite lines, finishing with 2nd couple in first position and 3rd and 1st couples on opposite line in second and third position.
Repeat from new positions.
Devised by Nicolas “Niols” Jeannerod in Prague in April 2019 . The title translates to “Prague, Mother of Cities” and refers to Prague's motto during the twentieth century. It was a symbol of the mission of Prague to protect the independence and prosperity of the Czecho-Slovakian state.