Chimney Cake
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Chimney Cake (R5x32) A 32 bar reel for five couples in a longwise set. Murrough Landon, 2021.1-4 1st couple dance down below 2nd couple and cast back to place.
5-8 1st and 2nd couples dance half a double figure of eight starting with 1st couple crossing down as 2nd couple dance up. Both are now on opposite sides.
Meanwhile 5th couple dance up above 4th couple and cast back to place.
9-12 1st, 2nd and 3rd couples dance half a mirror reel of three on the sides (in places 1-3) with 2nd couple starting out and up (all taking hands if preferred).
Meanwhile 4th and 5th couples dance half a double figure of eight starting with 5th couple crossing up as 4th couple dance down. Both are now on opposite sides.
13-16 3rd couple (in 1st place) turn with the right hand one and a half times ending in tandem, 3rd man leading, facing 2nd man (in 2nd woman's place).
Meanwhile 1st, 4th and 5th couples dance half a mirror reel of three on the sides (in places 3-5) with 4th couple starting out and down.
17-20 3rd couple dance half a tandem reel of three across with 2nd couple giving left shoulder to 2nd man. 2nd couple end in 1st place on their own sides as 3rd couple face 5th woman (in 3rd man's place).
Meanwhile 1st couple (in 5th place) turn with the right hand one and a half times ending in tandem, 1st man leading, facing 4th woman (in 4th man's place).
21-24 3rd couple dance half a tandem reel of three across with 5th couple giving right shoulder to 5th woman. 5th couple end in 2nd place on their own sides as 3rd couple separate and face down in 3rd place on opposite sides.
Meanwhile 1st couple dance half a tandem reel of three across with 4th couple giving left shoulder to 4th woman. 4th couple end in 5th place on their own sides as 1st couple face 3rd man (in 3rd woman's place).
25-28 1st couple dance half a tandem reel of three across with 3rd couple giving right shoulder to 3rd man. 3rd couple end in 4th place on their own sides as 1st couple face each other in the centre in 3rd place.
29-32 1st couple turn with the right hand (or birl) ending in 3rd place on their own sides. The final order is 2,5,1,3,4.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA May 2019)
Dance Instruction Videos
Chimney Cake - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
The dance was mostly devised while en route to Bratislava where unwary tourists may succumb (once!) to the temptation of Chimney Cake.This is a sweet cylindrical pastry stuffed with fruit, cream and sugar laden extras and is surprisingly larger than the pictures would lead one to expect. Since it is open at both ends, the result can be a very sticky mess.
Still the experience suggested itself as a name for this dance which has fugal figures that start from each end four bars apart.
Hopefully the dance will be more satisfying and less fattening than its namesake.
Recommended Music: Paul and Wendy Ridley (Donald Ridley).
Suitable recording: The Morrison Measure (Ian Robertson and Muriel Johnstone: Full Circle).
(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA May 2019)
Chimney Cakes Before Filling
Published in Chimney Cake, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.
Text from this original Chimney Cake article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Sándor Háaz, International Kürtősh Kalách Trade Corporation, Creative Commons Licence 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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