Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Irish Drover

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Irish Drover
Maggie and Duncan Keppie Haliburton School Of Arts SCD Book 1: Tenth Anniversary Book
8x32 bar Strathspey
3-couple dance in 4-couple longways set

  1-4   DOWN MIDDLE AND CAST UP: nearer hands joined 1st couple dances down middle and casts up around 3rd couple (2nd couple step up on bars 3-4);

  5-8   TEAPOTS: right hands across, 1st woman with 2nd couple, 1st man with 3rd couple (1st couple end facing 1st corners);

  9-12 PASS AND TURN WITH 1ST CORNERS: 1st corners pass 1st couple by the right shoulder, then turn opposite corner with right hand and dance back to place passing 1st couple by the right shoulder AS 1st couple dance clockwise around 1st corner position and then pass partner by the right shoulder to face 2nd corner;

13-16 PASS AND TURN WITH 2ND CORNERS: 2nd corners pass 1st couple by the right shoulder, then turn opposite corner with right hand and dance back to place passing 1st couple by the right shoulder AS 1st couple dance clockwise around 2nd corner position then dance into the middle passing left shoulders to end back-to-back: 1st man facing up and 1st woman facing down;

17-20 CIRCLE LEFT: 1st man with 2nd couple, 1st woman with 3rd couple circle to the left (on bar 20, 1st couple pull right shoulder back, and swivel to face each other in the middle);

21-24 SET AND PETRONELLA: 1st couple set to each other and petronella to own side in 2nd place;

25-32 6-HAND CIRCLE AND BACK: 2nd, 1st, and 3rd couples circle to the left and back.

Repeat from 2nd place.

(Dance crib compiled by the devisers, Maggie and Duncan Keppie)


Dance Notes

N.B. The first 8 bars are taken directly from the Irish Rover, making the Irish Drover a useful precursor to that widely popular, but more challenging dance. We recommend the Gypsy Rover in Gaelic College SCD Book #02 as a way to learn the last 8 bars of the Irish Rover.

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