The Honey Smuggler
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
The Honey Smuggler (J4x32) 32 bar jig for four couples in a longwise set, Devised By Murrough Landon, 2025.1st and 2nd couples start on opposite sides.
1-4 2nd and 3rd couples dance right hands across about seven eighths of the way round.
5-8 2nd woman with 3rd man dance left hands across with 4th man then lead up with the left hand to end facing out on the men's side in promenade hold (in their original places). Meanwhile 3rd woman and 2nd man dance similarly with 1st man and end facing out in promenade hold on the women's side.
9-12 3rd man and 2nd woman dance half a promenade reel of three on the men's side while
2nd man and 3rd woman dance similarly on the women's side, starting right shoulder to 1st and 4th women respectively. On bar 12 the pairs separate and take promenade hold with their partner. 2nd and 3rd couples face out on the men's and women's sides.
13-16 2nd and 3rd couples dance half a promenade reel of three on the men's and women's sides respectively, starting left shoulder to 1st and 4th women.
On bar 16 3rd and 2nd couples separate to face out singly on the nearest side while 1st and 4th couples each come in to take promenade hold with their partner.
17-20 1st and 4th couples each dance half a promenade reel of three across with 3rd and 2nd couples at the top and bottom respectively, starting right shoulder to 3rd and 2nd women. On bar 20 1st and 4th couples swap their promenade partner. 4th man and 1st woman face out towards the men's side. 1st man and 4th woman face out towards the women's side. 2nd and 3rd couples loop to face in.
21-24 4th man and 1st woman, also 1st man and 4th woman, each dance half a promenade reel of three on the side, starting left shoulder to 2nd and 3rd women respectively.
1st and 4th couples end in the centre, nearer the women's and men's sides and release hands. 2nd and 3rd couples end in 1st and 4th places with 2nd couple on opposite sides.
25-28 1st and 4th men turn one and half times with the left hand and end facing down and up. Meanwhile 4th and 3rd women, also 1st and 2nd women, each turn once round with the right hand. 4th and 1st women end in tandem behind 1st and 4th men respectively.
29-32 1st man and 4th woman, also 4th man and 1st woman, dance alternating tandem figures of eight on the men's and women's sides, left shoulder to 3rd and 2nd men respectively.
Meanwhile 2nd and 3rd men advance and retire (diagonally or on the sides). The final order is 2,4,1,3 with 2nd and 4th couples on opposite sides.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA June 2025)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagram
Dance Instruction Videos
The Honey Smuggler - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
This is for Ulla Peters-Mueller, the longest standing member of the Erlangen group, who kindly invited me to stay with her when I visited their group.Ulla likes travelling but she cannot live without honey. So she always takes a small pot with her wherever she goes, including across international borders.
Appropriately enough, one of her favourite dances is The Bees of Maggieknockater. Bars 9-24 of this dance are a variation of the Maggieknockater reels which are here done both on the sides and across.
Recommended music: Suggested tune: Wee Corrie (Ian Powrie); suitable recording The Phantom Piper (Colin Dewar and his SDB: Special Requests Vol 6).
(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA June 2025)
Published in The Honey Smuggler, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.
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