Lesson Plan for April 2 - Beginner Class

New figures: Reel of Three

Dances from the Ann Arbor Ball: The Luckenbooth Brooch, Roaring Jelly

DOMINO FIVE (R5x32) 5 person Sq.Set with 5th person in centre 
D Haynes Carnforth IV
1- 8         5+1+2 dance RH across, 5+3+4 dance LH across
9-16        5+1+3 dance RSh reel of 3 (5 & 1 pass RSh to start)
17-24      5+4+2 dance LSh reel of 3 (5 & 4pass LSh to start)
25-32      5 changes place with 1 (pass RSh), 1 change pl with 4,
               4 change pl with 3, 3s change pl with 2 & 2 becomes new 5

THE LUCKENBOOTH BROOCH (J8x32) 3C (4C set)
J Dickson Glendarroch SD Sheets
1‐8          1s in reverse promenade hold, dance a right shoulder reel of three
               with the 2s. (2s finish in 1st place).
9‐16        1s in reverse promenade hold, dance a right shoulder reel of three
               with the 3s. 1s end facing the men’s side in second place.
17‐24      1s dance out the men’s side, cast away from partner, meet and
               dance out the ladies side, and cast away from partner to end
               1M between the 2s, 1L between the 3s
               while 2s & 3s dance rights and lefts.
25‐32      In lines of three, set twice. 1s turn right 1 3/4 to 2nd place
               (or into reverse promenade hold, ready to begin again)

Dance Information:

Antique luckenbooth brooch.
Image from Isadora's Fine Antique Jewelry.

A luckenbooth brooch is a Scottish heart-shaped brooch, often with a crown above one heart, or two intertwined hearts. The name comes from the lockable stalls of Edinburgh's Royal Mile, where jewelry and trinkets used to be sold, including this type of brooch. Like the Irish Claddagh ring with its similar heart and crown motifs, this brooch is a traditional Scottish love token, often given as a betrothal or wedding brooch. It might be worn by a nursing mother as a charm to help her milk flow, and/or be pinned to a baby's clothing to protect it from harm and the evil eye.

LIGHT ON THE WATER (S8x32) 3C (4C Set) S Kass Let’s All Dance
1- 8         1s cast down behind own sides & back to places
9-16        1s dance reels of 3 on sides (in & down to start)
17-24      1s lead down for 2 bars, set, lead up & cast to 2nd place
25-32      2s+1s+3s Advance+Retire 1 step, dance BtoB round partner & turn 2H

FRIARS REEL (R8x32) 3C (4C set) J Rhodes Snowdon Bk
1- 8         1s cross RH & cast 1 place, cross LH & cast Lady up Man down
9-16        1s dance reels of 3 across Lady with 2s & Man with 3s
               1s end facing 1st corners
17-24      1s turn 1st corner RH, partner LH, 2nd corner RH &
                partner LH to end 2nd place own sides
25-32      2s+1s+3s circle 6H round & back

ROARING JELLY (J8x32) 3C (4C set) H Foss Glendarroch SD Sheets
1- 8         1s cross RH, cast 1 place, cross RH & cast (Man up & Lady down)
                into centre
9-16        1s+2s+3s circle 6H round & back (1s end in centre)
17-24      1s change places RH & dance to right into figs of 8
                (Lady round 2s as 1M dances round 3s)
25-32      1s dance reels of 3 on opposite sides giving RSh to 2nd corners &
                cross RH to places

Dance Information:

There is some debate over where the name Roaring Jelly came from.  It is often thought to refer to gelignite, an explosive material consisting of a type of or gun cotton dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and saltpetre.  Gelignite was invented in 1875 by Alfred Nobel, who had earlier invented dynamite, but unlike dynamite, gelignite does not suffer from the dangerous problem of sweating, the leaking of unstable nitroglycerine from the solid matrix. Its composition makes it easily moldable and safe to handle and store because it cannot explode without a detonator.  That may very well be what Hugh Foss had in mind when we wrote the dance. He was one of the first modern dance devisers, but the tune predates him, and reference to it in the Gow Collection of 1919 shows that it's older than the invention of dynamite in 1867, and even older than the invention of nitroglycerine in the 1847.  So, what the name of the tune refers to is anyone's guess, really.

Lesson Plan for March 26 - Beginner Class

New Figures: Corner, Partner; The Knot

Dances from the Ann Arbor Ball: Miss Gibson's Strathspey

THERE CAM' A YOUNG MAN (J8x32) 3C (4C Set) J Mitchell Whetherly Bk 7
1- 4      1s dance down below 2s & cast up to place,
            1s+2s turn RH into prom hold
9-16     1s+2s Promenade
17-24   1s dance down below 3s, cast up 1 place,
            dance up between 2s & cast to 2nd place
25-32   2s+1s+3s circle 6H round & back

'ALLO 'ALLO (R8x32) 3C (4C set) H Rhodes Snowdon Bk 3
1- 8      1s+2s Set+Link, 2s+1s circle 4H round to left
9-16     1s+3s Set+Link, 3s+1s circle 4H round to left
17-24   1s dance up to top, cast to 2nd places & turn LH to face 1st corners
25-32   1s turn 1st corners RH, partner LH, 2nd corners RH &
             partner LH to 2nd places

MISS GIBSON'S STRATHSPEY (S8x32) 3C (4C set) D Haynes RSCDS Leaflet
1- 8      1s+2s set, turn partners 2H opening out into 4H round
9-16     1s+2s dance the Knot, 1s turn LH to end facing 1st corners
17-24   1s turn corners RH, partners LH, 2nd corners RH & partners LH
25-32   1s dance RH across, (1M with 3s & 1L with 2s), pass partner RSh &
             dance LH across with other couple, 1s end in 2nd place

ARTHUR'S SEAT (R8x32) 3C (4C set) SCD 18th century
1- 8      1s+2s dance RH across, 1s cast down 1 place & set
9-16     1s+3s dance LH across, 1s cast down 1 place & set
17-24   1s lead up to top & cast to 2nd place, lead down between 3s &
             cast up & face 1st corners
25-32   1s dance 'Hello-Goodbye' setting, end in centre facing partner,
             set & petronella turn into 2nd place own sides

Dance Information:

Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, viewed from Pollock Halls.

Arthur's Seat is the highest point in Edinburgh and the main peak of the group of hills about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. Like the rock on which the castle is built, it was formed by an extinct volcano system, which was eroded by a glacial movement. Arthur's Seat and the adjoining Salisbury Crags helped form the ideas of modern geology, when James Hutton observed that the sedimentary deposition and formation of the igneous rocks must have occurred at different ages and in different ways than the thinking of that time dictated.

ALAN J SMITH (J8x32) 3C (4C Set) A smith RSCDS Bk 45
1- 8      1s set, dance down to face out 2nd place, 1M+3M turn LH
             while 1L+3L turn RH into double triangle positions
9-16     1s dance Double Triangles & end facing 1st corners
17-24   1s turn 1st corner RH, partner LH, 2nd corner RH &
             cross RH to 2nd places
25-32   2s+1s+3s circle 6H round & back

Lesson Plan for March 19 - Beginner Class

[Edit: Because of an unexpected influx of a large group of totally new dancers, we didn't dance the program as originally planned. I have updated this entry to reflect the program as danced. The original plan was: Joie de Vivre, 'Allo 'Allo, Asilomar Romantic, Arthur's Seat, Alan J. Smith. The original plan is being reused for March 26th, with substitutions for the dances that we actually danced on the 19th.]

New Figures: Strathspey Poussette, 'Hello-Goodbye' Setting

Dances from the Ann Arbor Ball: Joie de Vivre & Asilomar Romantic

JOIE DE VIVRE (J8x32) 3C (4C set) I van Maarseveen RSCDS Bk 39
1- 8      1s set, cast 1 place, 1s dance down between 3s &
            cast back to 2nd place on own sides
9-16     2s+1s+3s turn RH & chase 1/2 way round clockwise
17-24   3s+1s+2s dance Back to Back, set & 1/2 turn partners RH for Allemande
25-32   3s+1s+2s dance Allemande

THE MACHINE WITHOUT HORSES (J8x32) 3C (4C set) Rutherford RSCDS 12
1- 8      1s set, cast & dance RH across with 3s
9-16     1s set, cast up & dance LH across with 2s
17-24   1s followed by 2s lead down, cast up behind 3s,
             dance in & lead up to top & 1s cast off to 2nd place,
             2s finishing in 1st place
25-32   2s+1s dance R&L

THE DE'IL AMANG THE TAILORS (R8x32) 3C (4C set) RSCDS Bk 14
1- 8      1s+2s set & dance RH across 1/2 way,
             set & dance LH across 1/2 way back to place
9-16     1s lead down the middle & back to top
17-24   1s+2s dance Allemande
25-32   2s+1s+3s circle 6H round & back

ASILOMAR ROMANTIC (S8x32) 3C (4C set) 
T Cuthbertson San Fransisco Coll 2
1- 8      1s+3s dance double fig of 8 around 2s, 1s crossing down to start
9-16     1s+2s dance Diamond Poussette right round
17-24   1s dance in & down between 2s (2s step up), set to each other &
             dance RSh round 4th corner to face own 1st corner
25-32   1s dance 'Hello-Goodbye' setting, end in centre facing partner &
             petronella turn to 2nd place

Dance Information:

Rocks at Asilomar State Beach

Asilomar refers to a rocky coast and dune habitat on the Monterey Peninsula, in California. Asilomar State Beach state park includes the Asilomar Conference Grounds, a conference center built in 1913 that is now a National Historic Landmark. The name Asilomar is derived from two Spanish words: "asilo" and "mar", and means "Asylum or refuge by the sea".

Merrill Hall, Asilomar

Lesson Plan for March 12 - Beginner Class

New Figures: Set and Link, Petronella

Dance from Ann Arbor Ball: Corn Rigs

CORRYVRECKAN 1 (J8x32) 3C (4C set) M Frost Silver Thistle Coll
1- 8      1s+2s dance RH across, 1L followed by partner casts 1 place
             Lady crossing to opposite side
9-16     1s+3s dance LH across, 1L followed by partner casts down 1 place
             Lady crossing to own side
17-24   3s+1s Set+Link, 2s+1s Set+Link
25-32   1s+2s set & dance 1/2 RH across,
             2s+1s turn RH 1½ times as 3s turn once

Dance Information:

Image of Corryvreckan form Seafari Adventures

The Corryvreckan is the third largest whirlpool in the world, and is on the northern side of the Gulf or Strait of Corryvreckan, a narrow strait between the western Scottish islands of Jura and Scarba. Flood tides and inflow from the Firth of Lorne to the west can drive the waters in the narrow area to speeds up to 8.5 knots, creating whirlpools, standing waves and a variety of other surface effects when the flood tide meets seabed features including a deep hole and a rising pinnacle.

In Scottish mythology the hag goddess of winter, Cailleach Bheur, uses the gulf to wash her great plaid, and this ushers in the turn of the seasons from autumn to winter. As winter approaches, she uses the gulf as her washtub, and it is said the roar of the coming tempest can be heard from as far away as twenty miles, lasting for a period of three days. When she is finished with the washing, the cloth is pure white, and becomes the blanket of snow that covers the land. Another legend surrounds Norse king Breacan. In various stories, Breacan moored his boat near the whirlpool to impress a local princess, or fled his father across the gulf. In both stories Breacan was swept into the whirlpool, and his body dragged ashore later by his dog. Breacan may be named after the whirlpool, or its current name may be a Gaelic pun on his name.

PETRONELLA (R8x32) 2C (4C set) RSCDS Bk 1
1-16     1s petronella turn, set, repeat back to places
17-24   1s lead down the middle & back again
25-32   1s+2s dance Poussette

Petronella danced on YouTube by the Frankfurt SCD Club, showing both the dance as written, and with second couple joining in the first 16 bars.

MORNINGSIDE CLOCK (S6x32) 2C (4C set) R. Scodel
1-8        ½ RH across, petronella one place to right. Repeat
             (All are now progressed on opposite sides)
9-12      1s & 2s Set and link
             (All now unprogressed on opposite sides)
13-16    1s loop around their neighbor, 1L to the end, 1M to the middle of a line of four, facing up, set
             (The order from left to fight is now 1L, 2L, 1M, 2M)
17-20    Line of four advance up the hall; turn and dance back down
21-24    2L and 1M (in the center), half figure of eight around partners
             to pick up partners with nearer hands, woman on the right
25-28    Dance around the other couple right shoulder:
             1s dance up the set, wheel to face down and dance out to place;
             1s dance down and wheel to face up, dance to place
20-32    Circle left once round to the left

Dance Information:

Image from Edinurgh-Morningside neighborhood website.

This dance is written by our very own Ruth Scodel, and we are trying it out for the first time during class.  When she recently visited Edinburgh, she danced with the Morningside Club, and she wanted to write a dance in their honor.  The dance is named after the most prominent landmark in the Morningside neighborhood, the old station clock, from the now-closed passenger rail station.

CORN RIGS (R8x32) 2C (4C set) RSCDS Bk 4
1- 8       1s cast down own sides; turn inwards & cast back to top
9-16      1s dance full fig of 8 round 2s
17-24    1s lead down the middle & back
25-32    1s+2s dance Poussette

Dance Information:
In 1783, Robert Burns wrote lyrics to the tune Corn Rigs: "The Rigs O'Barley". Corn Rigs danced in Brisbane on YouTube.

Ceilidh Dance: the OXO Reel.

Lesson Plan for March 5 - Beginner Class

New figures: Ladies Chain, Quicktime Poussette

KENDALL'S HORNPIPE (J8x32) 2C (4C set) Bk of Graded SCDs
1- 8           1s+2s dance R&L
9-16          1s lead down for 3, up for 3,
                  cross over & cast down to 2nd place
17-24         2s+1s dance Ladies Chain
25-32         2L+1M & 2M+1L Advance+Retire on the sides,
                  1s turn RH 1.1/2 times

LADY DUMFRIES (R8x32) 3C (4C set) MMM 1
1- 8           1s+2s dance R&L
9-16          1s followed by 2s lead down to bottom & 2s lead back
17-24        2s+1s+3s set, cross RH, set & cross back RH
                 1s end in double triangle pstns
25-32        1s dance Double Triangles with 2s+3s

Dance Information:

Image of Dumfries House from Ayrshire Business Circle

Dumfries House, shown above, is the paladian country house built by the 5th Earl of Dumfries.  The market town and royal burgh of Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire, now part of the council area Dumfries and Galloway, in the southwest of Scotland. Dumfries is nicknamed "Queen of the South". People from Dumfries are known colloquially as Doonhamers.

NEW ABBEY (S8x32) 2C (4C set) R Goldring G & S Dances 2
1- 8           1s dance in, cast to 2nd place & dance 1/2 fig of 8 round 2s
9-16          1s+2s dance Ladies Chain
17-24        2s+1s set to other partner on sides, to own partner,
                 1s dance 1/2 fig of 8 round 2s
25-32        2s+1s dance RH across & LH back

CLYDESIDE LASSIES 2 (R8x32) 2C (4C set) MMM 1
1- 8           1s+2s circle 4H round & back
9-16          1s lead down the middle & up
17-24        1s+2s dance Poussette
25-32        2s+1s dance R&L

Dance Information:

Map of Scotland showing the historic district of Clydesdale

Clydesdale is a portion of the Strathclyde (Clyde River Valley) region in Scotland, and an archaic name of the Scottish county of Lanarkshire. Bordering Lennox and Stirling in the north, Renfrew, Cunninghame, Kyle to the west, Annandale, Nithsdale in the south and Lothian and Tweeddale in the east. Divided into two wards, Nether and Upper, it had historically been a district of Scotland, the largest in Scotland and a Sheriffdom in its own right. Clydesdale horses are a breed of draught horse derived from the farm horses of this area.

BLUE BONNETS (J8x32) 2C (4C set) RSCDS Bk 3
1- 8           1L+2M Advance+Retire & dance BtoB
9-16          1M+2L Advance+Retire & dance BtoB
17-24        1s lead down the middle & back
25-32        1s+2s dance Poussette

Dance Information:

"Blue bonnet" refers to the traditional Scottish hat also known as the Tam o' Shanter: a brimless, bonnet cap, usually made of wool and with a toorie (pom-pom) in the centre, which was typically made in blue cloth until recent times.   This particular blue hat was so common that the term "blue bonnets" was also used to refer to Scottish people. The traditional ballad 'Blue Bonnets Over the Border' refers to Bonnie Prince Charlie's march into England in 1745, and is the tune used for this jig, as well as a Highland Dance called Blue Bonnets Over the Border. Read the lyrics and listen to the tune here.  Watch the dance as performed by the Arkansas Scottish Country Dance Society on You Tube.  The tune is also used as an official regimental march of several military units, including the Black Watch and the Royal Highland Fusiliers.


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Danced Ceilidh Dance: The Flying Scotsman