The Eightsome Jig
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
The Eightsome Jig (J4x48) 4 x 48 bar Jig for 4 couples in a 4 couple set, Ross Gawler1- 8 1st couple dance a figure of eight around 2nd and 3rd couples starting by passing the 2nd couple by the right shoulder to begin. 1st woman finishes facing out.
9-16 1st woman casts down to 2nd place followed by partner, crosses to the men's side. 2nd couple step up on bars 11-12. 1st woman followed by her partner casts to 3rd place and crosses to her own side and faces out. 1st man finishes in 3rd place facing in. 3rd couple step up on bars 15-16.
17-24 1st couple dance a left shoulder reel of three with 2nd and 3rd couples and finish between the 4th couple with the man behind his partner facing 4th woman.
25-32 1st couple dance a left shoulder tandem reel of 3 with 4th couple. 4th couple finish in 3rd place. 1st couple finish in 4th place on their own sides facing out. On bar 32, 3rd couple cast to face up on their own sides ready for the double figures of eight.
33-40 1st and 4th couples together, and 2nd and 3rd couples together dance double figures of eight. The 3rd and 1st couples dancing out and up to begin and the 2nd and 4th couples crossing down to begin. All couples finish facing in.
41-48 All 4 couples dance eight hands round to the left and back.
Finish: 2,3,4,1 ready to start again.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Ross Gawler, 2026)
Dance Information
This dance was devised by Ross Gawler of the Waverley Scottish Society in Malvern on 25th May 2023 at 5am.The theme shows various ways in which the pattern of the number eight sets the path for Scottish Country Dancing.
Recommended music: The Aird of Coigach by Colin Dewar and his Scottish Dance Band.
Ross Gawler is an Australian Scottish country dance teacher and deviser based in Melbourne, Victoria.
He has devised a number of dances, including Victorian Gold, and has held senior positions within the RSCDS Melbourne and District Branch.
Ross and his wife, Margaret Gawler, are the teachers of the Waverley Scottish Society, a long-established Scottish country dance group founded in 1968. Based in Mount Waverley, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the Society runs regular classes and social dances, welcoming both beginners and experienced dancers.
Published in The Eightsome Jig, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Ross Gawler.
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