Greenwich Hill

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 8 1s dance Figs of 8 on own sides (in and down to start)
9-16 1s dance reels of 3 on own sides (in and down to start)
17-24 1s cross down and cast down behind 3s, lead up to top crossing and cast to 2nd place. 213
25-32 Top couple (2s) cast to 2nd place and cross RH, cast to 3rd place and lead up to top crossing to own side
while middle couple (1s) cross, cast to 3rd place, lead up to top crossing to own side and cast to 2nd place
while bottom couple (3s) lead up to top crossing to opposite side and cast to 2nd place, cross and cast to 3rd place

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

Keith Rose's Crib Diagram

Greenwich Hill - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Instruction Videos

Dance Information

"Greenwich Hill" is an English country dance tune in C major, first published in Niel Gow's Second Collection of Reels (1788) and later in the Complete Repository series compiled by his son Nathaniel. Written in 2/4 time with an AABBCC structure, it was one of the fashionable dances performed in Edinburgh during the 1787-88 season, showing how English dance music spread quickly into Scotland.

The tune's simple, lively phrasing and lack of accidentals make it well suited for social dancing. The Gows' collections, which combined Scottish and popular European pieces, helped establish them as major publishers of dance music and preserved tunes like "Greenwich Hill" within the shared British repertoire. Today, it survives in traditional music archives and continues to be played by enthusiasts of historical dance music.