Gateway To Northland
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
GATEWAY TO NORTHLAND (S4x32) 4C set Elaine Goldthorpe 20201- 8 1L+2L dance across, pass partner RSh, chase up behind Men, across top and down own side to change places while
3M+4M dance across, pass partners RSh, chase down behind Ladies, across bottom and up own side to change places
9-16 1M+2M dance across, pass opposite dancer LSh, chase up behind Ladies, across top and down own side to change places while
3L+4L dance across, pass opposite dancer LSh, chase down behind Men, across bottom and up own side to change places
17-24 1s+3s (Ladies following partners) dance down, Bar 20: pull back RSh and dance back up (Ladies leading). 3s dance into 2nd place own sides while 1s end in middle, 1L above 1st place, 1M between 2s in 1st place, facing up
25-32 1s cast round 2s down to 4th place (2s+3s+4s step up 27-28); 1s dance RSh round each other. 2341
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Gateway to Northland by Elaine Goldthorpe 4x32S
1-8 1st and 2nd ladies dance across set passing partner right shoulder, turn to the right and chase up behind men, across top of set and down on own side to finish in each other's place; while 3rd and 4th men dance across set passing partner right shoulder, turn right to face down and chase down behind ladies, across bottom of set and up on own side to finish in each other's place.
9-16 1st and 2nd men dance across set passing person opposite left shoulder, chase up behind ladies, across top of set and down on own side to finish in each other's place; while 3rd and 4th ladies dance across set passing person opposite left shoulder, chase down behind men, across bottom of set and up on own side to finish in each other's place.
17-24 1st and 3rd couples, (now in 2nd and 4th places) dance down the middle (ladies behind their partner), they turn about right shoulder on bar 20 to face up ladies leading and dance back up; 3rd couple dance into 2nd place; 1st couple finish in middle at top facing up, lady above 1st place, man between 1st place couple.
25-28 1st couple continue dancing to cast on own side to 4th place. To finish 2,3,4,1.
29-32 1st couple dance a gypsy turn. (Dance around each other right shoulder at a distance)
Repeat the dance again 3 times.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Elaine Goldthorpe, 2020)
Dance Notes
1- Top ladies and bottom men start.
1-16 No stepping up or down.
29-32 Gaze lovingly into the eyes of your partner as you dance around them, longing for the day when you may once again be able to hold hands.
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Information
The dance, Gateway to Northland, was devised by my wife Elaine Goldthorpe who is the tutor of the Kaiwaka SCD club in New Zealand. It was devised as a no-contact dance for our club to use during Level 2 Covid restrictions when we were allowed to gather up to 50 people but physical contact was discouraged. At the time, the Covid rules for the Northland region were different from the rules for the Auckland region and Kaiwaka is in Northland near the boundary with members about 50:50 from each region. We have felt the difference between N.Auckland and the rest of Northland more keenly in our second lockdown, hence "The Gateway".Suggested Music: we trialled the dance in both strathspey time and reel time and decided that the Strathspey danced to Marian Andersen's "The Musicians' Wedding" worked best.
(Dance information by Steve Goldthorpe, November 2020)
Wearing A Protective Mask, 2020
Image copyright (cropped) Eman arab, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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