Highland Castle
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Highland Castle A thirty-two bar Strathspey, thirty two bar Reel Medley for four couples in a longwise set, devised by John W Mitchell, Published in Whetherly Book 5.Strathspey
1- 8 All four couples dance a grand chain, one step to each hand.
9-12 All four couples set and turn partner once round with the right hand.
13-16 First and second couples dance right hands across in a wheel, third and fourth couples do the same.
17-24 Reels of four on the sides.
25-28 First couple lead down the middle to separate just below fourth couple. Meanwhile second couple cast off on own side to dance in below first couple.
29-32 Second couple lead up the middle to first place. Meanwhile first couple dance in to follow second couple up the middle and finish back to back facing first corners.
It is easier for first couple if they lead up with left hand, so that first man can guide his partner across on bar 32.
Reel
1- 4 First couple turn first corner once round with the right hand, join left hand with second corner in triangle formation and all set.
5- 8 First couple release right hand, turn second corner once round with the left hand and again join right hands with first corner in triangle formation and all set.
9-16 Dancing couple pass half round to finish in second place on own side, i.e. they cast round first corners and dance in to face up and down the set, immediately pulling their right shoulders back to cast round their partner's second corner into second place.
17-20 All three couples join hands on the sides and advance and retire,
21-24 First couple cross over and cast off into third place on opposite side, third couple stepping up on bars 23 & 24.
25-28 Third, first and fourth couples join hands and advance and retire,
29-32 First couple cross over giving right hand and cast off into fourth place. Fourth couple step up on bars 31 & 32.
Repeat with new top couple.
(Dance crib reproduced from The Whetherly Book of Scottish Country Dances, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagram
Published in The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances Number 5, by John W Mitchell, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell. Instructions reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-ND 4.0).
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