High Society
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
HIGH SOCIETY (R4x40) 4C set John Brenchley RSCDS Book 462s and 4s start on opposite sides
1- 8 All dance reels of 4 on sides but middle couples do not pass LSh and end turning about to face corners. 13(2)(4)
9-16 1s+3s also 2s+4s dance R&L starting RH on sides. At end 3s and 2s remain in centre facing partners joining 2H ready for...
17-24 3s+2s dance Poussette
25-32 2s and 3s dance ½ Figs of 8 round end couples, all turn partners RH and end in middle 1s+2s facing up 3s+4s down. 12(3)(4)
33-40 All dance interlocking Allemandes:
1s and 2s dance normal Allemande but end in 3rd/1st places while 3s+4s Allemande (down) and up to 4th/2nd places. 2(4)1(3)
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Dance Notes
It should be noted that in this dance, arms are raised at the start of the allemande and not during the end of the previous right hand turn.This is the preference of both the deviser, John Brenchley and of Barbara Boyd, for whom the dance was written.
(Dance notes by the deviser, John Brenchley, 2020)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagram
Dance Instruction Videos
High Society - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
This dance was written for Barbara Boyd, RSCDS Western Australia branch, on the occasion of "a significant birthday".The dance instructions tell us that this dance title reflects Barbara's preference for teaching RSCDS (The Society) dances and formations (perhaps an SCD equivalent to "high church").
High society is a normally a term from the English-speaking class system: it refers to the elite, people of rank, the prestigious, those in the top echelons of social class, often associated with "old" money (inherited wealth or social over many generations).
Oxford English Dictionary's earliest evidence for the term high society is from 1782, in the writing of Dennis O'Bryen, Irish dramatist and political pamphleteer.
The deviser will no doubt have had in mind the famous film High Society starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Kelly played a wealthy Rhode island socialite Tracy Samantha Lord, her last film before marrying Prince Rainier III and becoming Princess consort of Monaco.
"The Diversions Of High Society" Albert Levering (1869–1929), photo-mechanical print, c. 1905
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Text from this original High Society article on Wikipedia.
Text from this original High Society (1956_film) article on Wikipedia.
Image from Albert Levering, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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