The Bowls Club Reel

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1-4 1C dance in to face up shoulder to shoulder and then cast into second place (i.e. the long cast, 2C step up on 3 and 4.
5-8 Setting advancing 1C turn with 2 hands and Pas de Basque 1¼, man releasing left hand and 1L releasing right, to finish with nearer hands joined and facing ladies' side, with 1M having partner on right. 1L has a "pivot" at the end of the turn. (This turn requires some technique and could be done in skip change (as in the "Duke and Duchess of
Edinburgh") if necessary.)
9-16 Mirror reels across, 1M with 2C giving LS to 2W, and 1W giving RS to 3L. Finish 3 and 3 across; that is 1M between 2C all facing down and 1W between 3C facing up.
17-20 1M with 2C and 1L with 3C advance and retire.
21-24 1C set advancing and turn with 2 hands in Pas de Basque ¾ releasing 1M's RH and 1L's left hand, to finish left shoulder to left shoulder facing down. This time 1M has the extra pivot.
25-32 1L giving LS to 3W and 1M giving RS to 3M reels of three on own sides, finishing with 1C in second place.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser Rod Downey, Johnsonville SCD Club Tutor)

Dance Information

Johnsonville Bowls Club was where Johnsonville SCD club danced in 2020. The school we had danced at for 50 years carpeted the floor at the end of 2019.

Recommended tune is "Unnamed Stallion" by James Macqueen, and the recording in mind is "Excited States" by Stringfire. Otherwise use a driving reel with good 4 bar phrases, such as "Captain Macbean's Reel", "The Man from Skye ye" (the lead tune for "Broadford Bay"), or "Bobers o' Brechin" (the lead tune for "Brechin Fancy").

(Dance information from The Golden Bear Collection Of Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey)

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