Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Fair O' Feir

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Fair O' Feir
Maggie and Duncan Keppie Haliburton School Of Arts SCD Book 3: Corners
5 x 32 bar reel
5-couple dance in 5-couple longways set

  1-8   1ST AND 3RD COUPLES SET ADVANCING, TURN, AND CAST: 1st and 3rd couples set to each other, turn by the right once round (Bars 3-6), and cast off one place (2nd couple stepping up on Bars 7-8);

  9-16 TURN CORNER, PARTNER, CORNER, PARTNER: 1st and 3rd couples turn 1st corners with left hands, partner with right hand, 2nd corner with left hand, partner with right hand - end in diagonal lines facing partners' 1st corner ready for:

17-24 ½ DIAGONAL REEL OF 4 TWICE: 1st and 3rd couple dance a ½ reel of 4 with partners' 1st corners (start by passing partners' 1st corner by the right shoulder), active couples pass partner by the right shoulder in the middle dance into a half reel of 4 with partners' 2nd corners (active couples end in 2nd or 4th places on own side);

25-32 ACTIVES TURN as OTHERS CHASE CLOCKWISE, SET IN DOUBLE TRIANGLES AND TURN: 1st and 3rd couples turn by the right once around ending back-to-back in the center AS others dance clockwise to own side (2nd couple to top place, 4th couple to 3rd place, and 5th couple to bottom place), all set as in double triangles, active couples turn ¾ with person below them (1st man with 4th man, 1st woman with 4th woman, 3rd man with 5th man, 3rd woman with 5th woman) - ending order 2, 4, 1, 5, 3.

1st couple repeat from 3rd place as new top couple starts.

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


Dance Information

"Fair O' Feir" is Scots for "fair of bearing".

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