Scotland's Thistle

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

SCOTLAND'S THISTLE Strathspey 4 couple dance Miss Milligan

1–4 All four couples facing the top of the set advance for 2 steps and retire for 2.
5–8 They turn and joining hands down the line they advance and retire towards partners.
9–16 Eight hands round and back.
17–20 Following the 4th couple the ladies dance round in a half circle onto the men's side of the dance, while the men keeping outside dance around to the women's side.
21–24 Half a Grand Chain back to original places.
25–28 All turn partners with right hand and return to place.
29–32 1st Couple dance down into 4th place while the other 3 Cs step up a place.
A new couple begins

(Dance crib compiled by Miss Milligan.)

Dance Information

From the RSCDS Boston Branch's Newsletter "The Tartan Times", May-June 2007.
Re-printed from the RSCDS Perth and Perthshire Branch's Newsletter "The Highland Gateway", Sept.-Dec. 1998.

MISS MILLIGAN'S LAST DANCE?
In 1963, Miss Milligan wrote to Mrs May Brown of Perth, Australia with the words of a new Strathspey called Scotland's Thistle.

For many years, Mrs Brown had been pressing the Publications and Research Committee to publish this dance. Successive Convenors and Committees have declined to do so as they did not feel the dance warranted the full weight of the Society's publishing process behind it. Bill Clement, as a past Chairman and also past Convenor of the Publications and Research Committee agrees with that decision but believes that the dance should be in the public domain as an historic document related to one of the Society's co-founders.

The Highland Gateway has therefore been given the opportunity of the first publication of a Miss Milligan dance: the original manuscript still resides in Perth, Western Australia.

No suggested tune is given.

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