Falls Of Lora (Johnston)
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Falls of LoraSusan M Johnston
Reel 4 x 48 bars 4 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set
3s 4s cross on second chord.
1-4 1s 4s dance in and cast, 1s down, 4s up, finishing 1M4L 1L4M in promenade hold, facing in and to the right;
5-8 1L4M with 2s, 1M4L with 3s, promenade half reel of 3 across, giving left shoulder to the facing corner to start;
9-12 giving right shoulder to the facing corner to start, 1L4M with 2L3M, 1M4L with 2M3L, promenade half reel of 3 on the sides, finishing 3s4s1s2s, 1s2s on opposite sides;
13-16 all turn partner by the right;
17-32 repeat bars 1-16 from new positions, finishing 1s2s3s4s, 3s4s on opposite sides;
33-36 1s4s chase clockwise halfway around the set, finishing 4s2s3s1s, 3s1s on opposite sides;
37-40 4M2M 4L2L 3M1M 3L1L turn by the right 1½ times on the sides, finishing 2s4s1s3s, 1s3s on opposite sides;
41-48 all 8 hands round and back.
(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)
Dance Notes
3-4 2s step up, 3s down.
8-9 Although the music may suggest a break, flow smoothly from the half reels across into the half reels on the sides.
33-40 As an alternative, more sedate version:
33-38 1s4s chase clockwise halfway around the set, finishing 4s2s3s1s, 3s1s on opposite sides;
39-40 4M2M 4L2L 3M1M 3L1L turn by the right halfway on the sides, finishing 2s4s1s3s, 1s3s on opposite sides.
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Information
The deviser was inspired by family holidays in the area adjacent to the Falls of Lora.The Falls of Lora is a tidal race which forms at the mouth of Loch Etive when a particularly high tide runs out from the loch. They form white water rapids for two to five days either side of the spring tides.
The Falls of Lora are generated when the water level in the Firth of Lorn (i.e. the open sea) drops below the level of the water in Loch Etive as the tide goes out. As the seawater in Loch Etive pours out through the narrow mouth of the loch, it passes over a rocky shelf which causes the rapids to form. As the tide rises again there is a period of slack water when the levels are the same on either side. However, due to the narrow entrance to the Loch, the tide rises more quickly than the water can flow into the Loch. Thus there is still considerable turbulence at high tide caused by flow into the Loch.
Falls Of Lora - Information Video
Falls Of Lora And Connel Bridge, Loch Etive
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Falls Of Lora article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Peter Bond under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.
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