Fitzroy Fancy

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Strathspey
1- 4 Men dance clockwise ½ round set while Ladies set advancing, circle 4H ½ round to Left, pull back RSh to face partners
5- 8 All set to partners and turn 2H to end in opposite place to start position
9-16 All couples set and link, Ladies face in, Men face out and all turn corners LH to end facing partners
17-24 All dance interlocking reels of 4 back to place, Ladies facing in, Men facing out
25-32 All dance 4 bars of Schiehallion reels and all turn partners RH to end with Ladies on left of partner

Reel
33-64 Repeat bars 1-32 in Reel time - Men advancing and Ladies dancing ½ round
65-128 Repeat bars 1-64 (Strathspey and Reel) to end with all dancers in original places

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

1 - 4 All four ladies set advancing towards the centre, dance four hands round to the left half way and pull back their right shoulders to face their partners who have danced clockwise halfway round the set.
5 - 8 All set to partners and turn with two hands to finish in places opposite to their starting position.
9 - 16 All couples set and link with partners to finish ladies facing in and the men facing out. All turn corners once round with the left hand to finish facing partners.
17 - 24 All dance interlocking reels of four to finish where they started with the ladies facing in and the men facing out.
25 - 28 All dance Schehallion reels for four bars. (i.e. The ladies dance to places one place to their right passing left shoulder in the middle while the men dance one step out and one in to the places vacated by their partners: repeat with the men travelling one place to their right while the ladies dance into the adjacent place).
29 - 32 All turn partners with the right hand once round to finish with the ladies on the left of their partners.

Repeat the dance in reel time with the men advancing and the ladies dancing halfway round.

Repeat until all dancers are in original places.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Brian Charlton on 9 April 2003)

Dance Information

The first formation has what I believe to be a 'new' twist. It therefore symbolises the Strathspey discussion forum, which has brought Scottish Country Dancing even more into the modern era.

While I was injured and unable to dance, I speculated while watching a Class at the Fitzroy Centre, Burwood (in Sydney) that a 'burl' or 'burrell' could be performed in a square set. This medley, Fitzroy Fancy, is the result.

(Dance information by the deviser, Brian Charlton)