Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Dancing Fool

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

The Dancing Fool (Denise Cunningham) 4x32 bar Hornpipe for 4 Couples Rod Downey They Stole My Wife From Me last Night Collection
A 32 Bar Hornpipe for four couples in longwise set.

1-8 First lady following second lady and man following second man, dance a modified tandem reel of three on opposite sides with the third and fourth couples.
To begin: second lady dances in front of second man, then first lady in front of first man. They cross through third place down to begin, third couple dance out and up, fourth couple in and up, fourth couple being careful taking care not to be too hasty. Note that both the first and second couples must dance in and across on bar one.
At half way: the second and first couples swapover, so that the first man and first lady become the leading dancers, and so that at the end of bar 8, all will be in original places, except that first and second couples will be on opposite sides. (as per Maxwell's Rant if the tandem was not there)
9-16 Repeat 1-8 back to original places. At the end third couple finish facing up, and first and second couples finish facing down.
17-24 First couple follow second couple dancing (with nearer hands joined) down between fourth couple, second couple cast up around fourth couple, with nearer hands dance up through second place, and cast into third place. First couple follow finishing in second place. First couple should curl into place.
On bars 17 and 18 third couple dance up on the sidelines into first place.
25-32 First, second and fourth couples dance a three couple set and rotate.
 25-26 All set.
 27-28 All cast clockwise, pulling back right shoulder and finish in two lines of three across the set.
 29-30 All cross giving right hand to partner.
 31-32 All chase clockwise to own side.
Finishing order 3,4,2,1.

Repeat with a new top couple. Note that the third couple must anticipate the new repeat as they have a direction change.

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


Dance Information

This hornpipe, The Dancing Fool, was devised in 2nd November, 2009, and modified 23 February 2010.

Denise is a friend from Vancouver met through Scottish Country Dancing at various TAC Summer Schools and AGM's.

Denise insisted that I call it "The Dancing Fool" as indeed Denise is one of the keenest dancers you could ever meet and has the energy for dancing of the Energizer Bunny.

Recommended music "Robertson's Hornpipe" played AABB, and a suitable recording is on "The Legendary Angus Fitchet" Track 10, CDELM 4146.

(Dance information from They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection Of Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey)



Published in They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey.

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