Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Corrie Na Ciche

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Corrie Na Ciche (Corrie Of The Pap - A Great Rock)
Maggie and Duncan Keppie Gaelic College SCD Book 12: Corrie Dances
Reel 2x64 bars 4 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Square Set

  1-8   CIRCLE AND BACK: all circle to the left and back;

  9-16 HEAD COUPLES DANCE DOUBLE LOOP: 1st and 3rd couples dance a double loop around side couple on their right (1st woman followed by 1st man dances round behind 4th couple, loop anticlockwise around 4th woman and 4th man, respectively, then chase anticlockwise to opposite place - 3rd couple dance similarly around 2nd couple);

17-20 ADVANCE, SET AND RETIRE: all join nearer hands with partner and advance one step towards center, set to left then right, and retire one step;

21-24 MEN DANCE AROUND PARTNER INTO SKYE HOLD: men dance clockwise around partner (who stands still) into Skye Hold (4 bars): end with man's right hand around partner's back at shoulder level, woman with left hand passing in front of her to her right shoulder where it is joined with man's right hand;

25-32 CORRIE: All unwind rotating ¼ around partner (2 Bars), then chase one place clockwise around the set with women leading (2 Bars), change places with partner with right hands (2 Bars), and all set to partner (2 bars)(1st and 3rd couples end one place anticlockwise of original places AS 2nd and 4th couples end one place clockwise);

33-40 CIRCLE AND BACK: all circle to the left and back;

41-48 SIDE COUPLES DANCE DOUBLE LOOP: 2nd and 4th couples dance a double loop around side couple on their right (2nd woman followed by 2nd man dances round behind 1st couple, loop anticlockwise around 1st woman and 1st man, respectively, then chase anticlockwise to opposite place - 4th couple dance similarly around 3rd couple);

49-52 ADVANCE, SET AND RETIRE: all join nearer hands with partner and advance one step towards center, set to left then right, and retire one step;

53-56 WOMEN DANCE ANTICLOCKWISE AROUND PARTNER INTO SKYE HOLD: women dance anticlockwise around partner (who stands still) into Skye Hold (end with woman's left hand around partner's back at shoulder level, man with right hand passing in front of him to his left shoulder where it is joined with woman's left hand;)

57-64 CORRIE: All unwind rotating ¼ around partner, men swivel anticlockwise (2 Bars), then chase one place anticlockwise around the set with men leading (2 Bars), change places with partner with left hands (2 Bars), and all set to partner (2 bars) (all end opposite original places);

65-128 REPEAT Bars 1-64 ending in original places.

(Dance crib compiled by the devisers, Maggie and Duncan Keppie)


Dance Information

"Coire na Ciche" in Gaelic means "Corrie of the Pap" where a "Corrie" is a bowl-shaped depression of glacial origin in a mountain valley and "Pap" refers to any great rock which is rounded like a woman's breast. There are corries with this name between the sea Loch Nevis and Loch Cuaich and also on the Isle of Arran and in the Cairngorms.
"Coire na Ciche" should be pronounced as "Ko~r~ nah Keech~" in English, with stress always on the first syllable and where:
  "~" represents the , vowel sound;
  "ah" is as in "shah";
  "ee" is as in "beet"; and
  ch is as in the German "ich".
See Gaelic Dance Names for more information on Gaelic spelling and pronunciation.
Corrie Na Ciche
Cairn In Coire Na Ciche (Above The Head Of Loch Nevis)


Image copyright Toby Speight under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.

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