Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Charlotte's Web

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Charlotte's Web (R5x32) 32 bar Reel for 5 couples Rod Downey The Tuatara Collection
A five couple, 32 bar reel.

1-2 Second and fourth couples half turn giving right hands, and finishing staying in the middle with nearer hands joined facing third and fifth men respectively.
3-4 Second and fourth couple set to third and fifth men respectively.
5-8 Second couple and third man, fourth couple and fifth man dance right hands across with third and fifth men finishing in original positions, and second and fourth couples in original positions, but on opposite sides.
9-16 Second and fourth couples repeat 1-8, but use left hands and with the third and fifth women respectively. At the end the second man with his partner behind him finishes facing the first man, and the fourth man with his partner behind him finishes facing the third man.
17-20 Second couple, first man and third woman dance a lead change (tandem in the manual) half reel of three beginning by second couple giving right shoulder to first man. Second couple finish (lady in front of partner) facing third man's position (which will be occupied by fifth lady). Similarly fourth couple, third man and fifth lady, with fourth couple, lady in front, facing fifth man.
21-24 Second couple dance another lead change half reel of three, this time with the first lady and fifth lady, and similarly fourth couple with fifth man and first man. Second couple finish facing third lady's position, this time with man in front, and similarly fourth couple facing fifth lady's position.
25-28 Second couple dance a lead change half reel of three with fifth man and third lady, and fourth similarly with the third man and first lady. Second and fourth couples finish in the middle on own sides with nearer hands joined facing up.
29-32 Second couple cast (2) and dance to fourth place (2), and fourth cast (2) and dance to fifth place (2). Third couple dance up to second place and fifth couple up to third place on bars 31 and 32.
Finishing order 5,3,1,2,4.

Repeat with a new top couple.

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


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Information

This reel, Charlotte's Web, was devised 19 July, 2010, for Charlotte Williams (nee Dunn), a local dancer of great passion.

The first 16 bars are taken from a dance devised by Iain Boyd (which it turns out borrows from an earlier idea of Alec Hay).

Recommended music is "Colonel L. Stewart's Reel" (William Marshall) played AABB, or ABAB and an acceptable alternative tune would be "Miss Forbes' Farewell to Banff" (Isaac Cooper), is the lead for any reasonable recording of the dance "Earlstoun Loch".

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


It is highly likely that when Rod Downey chose the title of this dance he was well aware that Charlotte's Web is also the name of a children's book written by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams.

Published on October 15, 1952, by Harper And Brothers, the novel follows the story of Wilbur, a livestock pig, and his bond with Charlotte, a barn spider. When Wilbur faces the threat of being slaughtered, Charlotte weaves messages into her web, praising him with words like "Some Pig", "Terrific", "Radiant", and "Humble", in an effort to convince the farmer to spare his life.

Charlotte's Web is widely regarded as a classic of children's literature, cherished by readers of all ages. One frequently cited example of rhythmic writing in the book is the description of swinging on a rope swing at the farm, where the sentence structure mirrors the motion of the swing. In 2000, Publishers Weekly ranked the novel as the best-selling children's paperback of all time.

Plot Summary.
The Arable family, led by John Arable, are farmers who raise and sell animals. When a runt piglet is born, John decides to kill it, but his young daughter Fern begs him to spare its life. Relenting, John lets Fern keep the pig, whom she names Wilbur. Fern cares for Wilbur as a pet, and the two form a close bond. However, as Wilbur grows, John decides to sell him. To Fern's relief, Wilbur is sent to live at her uncle Homer Zuckerman's farm, allowing her to visit him regularly.

At Zuckerman's barn, the animals are portrayed as anthropomorphic. Wilbur struggles to fit in among the barn's inhabitants, receiving kindness from some, like the goose, and disdain from others, such as the ram. One day, the ram reveals that Wilbur is being raised for slaughter, leaving him devastated. Distraught, Wilbur is comforted by Charlotte, a wise and caring barn spider whose web hangs near his pen. Charlotte promises to save him, taking on a motherly role. Meanwhile, Fern observes the animals' interactions and conversations, which concerns her mother, who fears Fern's imagination is running wild.

As summer unfolds, Charlotte devises a plan to save Wilbur by making him famous. She weaves words like "Some Pig" into her web, astonishing the Zuckermans and drawing visitors who believe the web is a miracle. When the initial excitement wanes, Charlotte continues weaving new phrases, including "Terrific" and "Radiant", often with the help of Templeton, a selfish but resourceful rat who scavenges for words in the nearby dump. Despite Wilbur's growing fame, Zuckerman's intent to butcher him does not waver.

Wilbur's fortunes take a turn when Zuckerman enters him in the county fair. Charlotte and Templeton accompany him, while Fern, now showing signs of growing up, spends much of her time with her friend Henry Fussy. At the fair, Charlotte weaves the word "Humble" into her web. Though Wilbur does not win the grand prize, he is awarded a special prize by the judges. This accolade convinces Zuckerman to spare Wilbur's life permanently.

By this time, Charlotte has laid her egg sac and is nearing the end of her natural lifespan. Satisfied that she has fulfilled her promise to save Wilbur, she chooses to remain at the fairgrounds, dying peacefully after asking Wilbur to take her egg sac back to the barn. Heartbroken, Wilbur honors her final request, carrying the sac home with the help of Templeton.

Wilbur spends the winter caring for the egg sac until Charlotte's children hatch. While most of the spiderlings leave the barn, three stay behind, keeping Wilbur company. Over the years, Charlotte's descendants continue to comfort him, but none ever take her place in his heart.



Published in The Tuatara Collection, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey.
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Charlotte's Web article on Wikipedia.

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