Alan Maxwell's Farewell

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 2 First and second couples join hands on the sides and set.
3- 4 First and second couples dance four hands round in a circle half way to the left.
5- 6 First and second couples turn with both hands.
7- 8 First and second couples continue to circle round to the left to original places.
9-12 First and second couples Shuffle Right*:
 9-10 first lady and second man change places giving right hand; at the same time, first man and second lady set to each other;
 11-12 first lady casts up into first man's place and second man casts off into second lady's place; at the same time, first man and second lady turn three quarters with the left hand to opposite sides and finish facing their partners.
13-16 First and second couples dance half rights and lefts.
17-24 First couple turn partner and corner:
 17-18 first couple turn three quarters with the right hand to face their first corners;
 19-20 first couple turn their first corners with the left hand;
 21-22 first couple turn with the right hand;
 23-24 first couple turn second corners with the left hand: finish with first man between second couple all facing down and first lady between third couple all facing up.
25-28 All join nearer hands and advance and retire.
29-32 First couple turn with the right hand one and three quarter times, to finish in second place on own side of the set.

Repeat from second place. At the end of the repeat the original first couple continue to dance bars 1-16 again to finish at the foot of the set as the new top couple commences. Recommended tune: Alan Maxwell's Farewell to Balmerino * The Shuffle Right is described in the appendix of this book.

(Dance crib reproduced from The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell)

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