Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Dan The Cobbler

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

DAN THE COBBLER (J8x32) 3C (4C set) John W Mitchell Whetherly Book 3

1- 4 1s+2s+3s set, 1s dance down to 2nd place (in middle) while 2s cast up and 3s set turning to face out (Man - right about and Lady left about)
5- 8 1L dances LH across on sides with 2L+3L and 1M RH across with 2M+3M
9-16 1s dance down (4 bars), Lady dances under Man's arm and 1s dance to 3rd place opposite sides while
2s+3s dance double Fig of 8 (2s cross down, 3s cast up). 3s end facing out
17-24 2s+3s+1s dance 6 bar mirror reels of 3 on sides (1s in/up, 2s in/down, 3s out/down to start). Bars 31-32: 1s cross to 2nd place own sides while 3s cast to 3rd place
25-32 2s+1s+3s dance Inverted Grand Chain (3s cross RH as 1s+2s change places RH on sides)

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)


Dan The Cobbler A thirty-two bar Jig for three couples in a four couple longwise set. Devised by John W Mitchell. Published in Whetherly Book 3.

1- 2 First, second and third couples join nearer hands and set.
3- 4 First couple lead down with nearer hand to finish in the middle of the set opposite second place; whilst second couple cast up into first place and third couple set turning to face out (man right about and lady left about).
5- 8 First, second and third ladies dance left hands across; whilst first, second and third men dance right hands across.
9-16 First couple lead down the middle with nearer hands for four bars, on bar 13 first lady dances under an arch made by their hands to face up on the men's side whilst first man dances round her to face up on the ladies' side of the set, they dance up to finish in third place on the opposite side. Meanwhile second and third couples dance a double figure of eight, to start second couple dance down crossing over to the opposite side whilst third couple cast up on own side. Third couple finish facing out.
17-22 Second, third and first couples dance a reel of three on the sides, to commence third couple cast off whilst first couple continue to lead up between them.
23-24 First couple cross back to second place on their own side passing by the right shoulder; whilst third couple cast off to place.
25-32 Inverted grand chain: to start third couple cross over giving right hand, and second and first couples change places on the sides giving right hand.

Repeat from second place.

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


Keith Rose's Crib Diagram


Dance Information

Recommended tune: Dan the Cobbler.
Published in The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances Number 3, by John W Mitchell, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell; instructions reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-ND 4.0).

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