Last dance of RSCDS Summer School 2022. Younger Hall, St Andrews, Scotland. Thanks to Liz Douglas for the video and Marian Anderson's Scottish Dance Band for the music.
So many if the traditional singing dancing games that we used to play in the school yard had these steps and choreography. It’s such a pity all that’s gone for young people.
We used to do this at school in the hall in winters when we couldn’t do PE outside (Northumberland, so Scottish and English country dances). I loved it.
Forgive me Paul Youlten, for re-entering the fray, but every time I return to this, it (the whole thing, not least the music) gets more and more magnetic. Cannot wait to return to SCD, whether here in Prague and Koprivnice, or back in Old Blighty.
FROM AMERICA: THAR'S JUS NOUGH GETTING ENOUGH O THIS I REPLAY IT OVERNOVER, "ME SCOTTISH OCCENT , MA "BRR" IS RETURNING, THIS IS JOYOUS CHEERING YEEE HAH!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE: SO THERAPEUTIC CHEERING JOYOUS I RE PLAY/ REPEAT OVERNOVERNOVERN OVER!!!!!!
Do the Scot’s have any rebel songs I know they have Flower of Scotland who was Edward’s ARMY MUST OF BEING THE English the Irish have great Rebel songs
Rabbie Burns wrote words to a few, eg Scots Wha Hae (wi Wallace bled) and Ye Jacobites By Name. Walter Scott (despite being awfae well behaved) wrote Blue Bonnets O'er The Border. And James Hogg wrote the innocuous sounding Both Sides The Tweed, which is mair assertive if you include the original last verse. Lady Nairn wrote lots of Jacobite ones.
my only "criticism" sadness is: obviously SOME have to stand idle waiting, would more./ extra people make for an extra partner, no one should not be dancing / EVERYONE should be joyously dancing???!!!!!
I just came from this link that shows how the dance works. I dont pretend to understand, but in that one it looks like certain couples don't dance as much. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vkXC9shBnYk.html, also, keep your volume low or accordion will blast your ears👂😬😂
This is a “3-Couple dance”, but the set is always made up of 4-couples. The dance is repeated twice for each couple. The Top Couple dances their first round with the two couples (couples 2 & 3) below them with the “bottom” or fourth couple waiting out the first round. the last move of the first round sets the Top Couple up to now dance with couples 3 and 4. At the end of that round, the original top couple steps to the bottom of the set and the new Top Couple now repeats the whole thing. The dance goes on until all of the couples have danced through the dance their two times, and the original Top Couple is back at the top. If you watch closely with this in mind, you’ll see that even though they are standing in long, double lines, each set of 4 couples only dances with their discrete group. Scottish Country Dancing, like English Country Dancing is social dancing, so at a Ceilidh or a Ball you are chatting with your partner, and need to be able to pace yourself if you are dancing every dance through the evening - which is usually the goal 😉 So having breather in each dance is necessary. Especially if it’s a ball and the ladies are in ball gowns and the men are in full dress jackets, you don’t want to get too sweaty! There are Round-the-Room dances like Gay Gordon’s and Dashing White Sargent where the whole room dances at once. There are also a few dances that are done with only three couples, but they tend to be short.
If you want to try, look for a Royal Scottish Dance Society near you. Also groups like Robert Burns or Caledonian Clubs or Societies often have dance groups associated with them.
Sometimes it’s quite nice to get a wee rest, although I’ve seen this dance done with all four couples; very tiring unless you’re in the first flush of youth, or very fit!
