The Flying Scotsman (Thurston/Original)
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE FLYING SCOTSMAN (J8x32) 3C (4C set) Hugh A Thurston 16 SCDs and Let's All Dance1- 8 1L followed by 2L+3L cross, cast behind 1M, in front of 2M, behind 3M, cross and dance up to places
9-16 1M followed by 2M+3M repeat around Ladies
17-24 1s slip step down the middle and up to 2nd place
25-32 2s+1s+3s slip step down and back. 213
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
The Flying Scotsman (Thurston/Original)
Hugh Thurston Sixteen New Scottish Country Dances 1946-57
Jig 8 x 32 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set
1-8 1L followed by 2L3L cross, cast behind 1M, dance down in front of 2M, cast behind 3M, cross and dance up to places;
9-16 1M2M3M repeat bars 1-8 around Ls, all finishing in places;
17-20 1s take both hands and slip down the middle;
21-24 1s slip up to finish in 2nd place;
25-32 all take hands on the sides and slip down and back.
(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)
Dance Notes
This original version is suitable only for agile, experienced dancers; for all others, choose The Flying Scotsman (Thurston/RSCDS) in preference.1-8 Ls have only 8 bars in which to dance figures requiring 12 bars in aggregate; they must dance quickly.
9-16 Mn must be equally quick.
17-20 1s take large steps.
21-22 On the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th repeats, 2s step up, normally; on the 2nd, 4th and 6th repeats, 2s3s take hands on the sides and step up so that 1s can finish in 3rd place on bar 24.
25-32 As an alternative, all take both hands with partners and slip down the middle and back.
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
The Flying Scotsman (Thurston/Original) - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
Also see the dance The Flying Scotsman (Thurston/RSCDS) by Hugh Thurston, adapted by RSCDS.Also see the dance The Flying Scotsman (Thurston/RSCDS, 3-Couple Version) by Hugh Thurston, adapted by Reuben Freemantle from the version in RSCDS Medal Tests for Young Dancers.
Also see the dance 60103 by Brian Fee.
The Flying Scotsman is the major express passenger train service that has plied over the railway between London and Edinburgh since 1862 (though this name came into use only about ten years later) on a route now known as the East Coast Main Line.
Especially in the days before road and air transport became commonplace, this high-speed link between the capitals of England and Scotland has always needed an extremely long and heavy train in order to accommodate the passenger numbers and so the Flying Scotsman has required very powerful locomotives. Many different types, initially coal-fired steam-driven, then diesel-electric and now overhead-wire electric locomotives have been used to haul the Flying Scotsman. Some of the steam-driven locomotives were designed specifically for the route and so the name is often casually used just for some of these locomotives, rather than for the whole train.
The Flying Scotsman - Information Video
The Flying Scotsman - Music Video
The Famous 'Flying Scotsman' In Full Steam
Image selection by SCDD automotive consultant, A.C. Pearson.
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Flying Scotsman article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright jimd2007 licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.