Arches
To form Arches, two Dancers raise their joined hands as high as possible to allow one or more Dancers (usually a Couple) to pass between them, under their arms. If the Dancers making the Arch are approaching the Dancer(s) going under their Arch, as in Postie's Jig, they Take Nearer hands. If they are stationary, they normally Face each other and Take Both hands, as in The Cumberland Reel.Occasionally, one of the Dancers making the Arch also Dances under it and so those making the Arch cannot Take Both hands; for example, in bars 1-8 of The Gypsy Shawl, the Arch is made by 1st and 2nd Men at one end of a long, open-ended loop of Dancers, all with Nearer hands joined, who retain the Hold as they all, except 1st Man, go under the Arch.
The moving Dancers use the appropriate Travelling Step.
Where the Dancers making the Arch are also moving, the following conventions identify which Dancers make the Arch and which go under:
- Men always make the Arch for Ladies;
- in a Longwise or Square set, those going Up make the Arch;
- in a Round the room set dance, such as The Dashing White Sergeant, it is convenient, and easy to remember, for those going anticlockwise to make the Arch (but note that it is not strictly correct to make Arches at all according to the RSCDS instructions for this dance);
- where none of these applies, as in bars 21-22 of Aird Of Coigach, the Dancing man, and the Dancer with him, make the Arch.
Here are examples of those Scottish Country Dances for which we have instructions on this site and in which the term, Arches, either appears explicitly or is implied; note that for a common term these will be a small selection; for a rare term, these may be all that exist:
Bountree Reel
Brigs Of Ayr
Caveman Of Culsh
C'Est L'Amour
Dunnottar Castle (Drewry)
Forth Bridge Jig
MacFarlane's Fiddle
Millennium Jig (Williams)
Virginia Reel
Welcome To Nova Scotia
Links To Pages Related To 'Arches'
FiguresArches
Casting
Chains
Chasing
Cross And Cast
Cross, Cast And Half Figures Of Eight
Crossing
Dance
Drop
Exchange Places
Exchange Positions
Figure Of Eight
Figures Of Eight
Hands Across
Hands Round
On The Spot
Petronella Movements
Polite Turn
Poussette Movements
Pull Left Shoulder Back
Pull Right Shoulder Back
Reel
Reel(s) Of Three
Reel(s) Of Four
Reel(s) Of Five
Reel(s) Of Six
Set And Cast
Set And Cross
Setting
Standing
Step Down
Step Up
Tandem
Travelling
Turn And Cast
Turning
While
Casting
Chains
Chasing
Cross And Cast
Cross, Cast And Half Figures Of Eight
Crossing
Dance
Drop
Exchange Places
Exchange Positions
Figure Of Eight
Figures Of Eight
Hands Across
Hands Round
On The Spot
Petronella Movements
Polite Turn
Poussette Movements
Pull Left Shoulder Back
Pull Right Shoulder Back
Reel
Reel(s) Of Three
Reel(s) Of Four
Reel(s) Of Five
Reel(s) Of Six
Set And Cast
Set And Cross
Setting
Standing
Step Down
Step Up
Tandem
Travelling
Turn And Cast
Turning
While
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