Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Jimp Waist

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

THE JIMP WAIST (S10x32) 3C (5C set) RSCDS book 9
2 chords - 2nd chord 1s cross to 2nd place opposite sides, 2s step up to top place own sides

1-2 1M+2L and 1L+2M in Allemande hold cross the dance, Men passing LSh, face down on Men's side, up on Ladies' side
3-4 Lady turns under Man's right arm, Man turns under own right arm, Lady turns left under own left arm to face across set
5-8 Repeat 1-4 back to places
9-16 2s+1s dance R&L
17-24 1s set Highland Schottische, turn 2H and cast down to 3rd place (3s step up 23-24)
25-32 2s+3s+1s circle 6H round and back

Repeat, 1s dancing with 3s. Bar 23-24 1s cast 2 places to 4th place, return to own sides at start of new repeat. New top couple cross to 2nd place opposite sides bars 31-32

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


The Jimp Waist
Anon RSCDS Book 9
Strathspey 5 x 64 bars 5 Couple Repeat 5 Couple Set Longwise Set

On the second chord, 1s cross down to 2nd place WHILE 2s step up to top place.

  1-2   2M1L 2L1M take allemande hold and cross, giving left shoulders, finishing in line across, 2L1M facing down, 2M1L facing up;

  3-3   retaining hands, 2L1M 2M1L unwind the allemande hold to face "partner" with arms crossed, Mn continuing clockwise under raised right arms;

  4-4   retaining hands, 2L 1L turn on the spot clockwise under raised left arms, both "couples" finishing in the sidelines, back in allemande hold, having exchanged places;

  5-8   1M2L 1L2M repeat bars 1-4, finishing as at bar 1;

  9-16 2s1s rights and lefts;

17-20 1s set (Highland Schottische);

21-22 1s turn both hands;

23-24 1s cast to 3rd place on opposite sides WHLE 3s step up;

25-32 2s3s1s 6 hands round and back;

33-54 with 3s dancing as 2s, 3s1s repeat bars 1-22;

55-56 1s cast to 5th place on opposite sides WHLE 3s4s step up;

57-62 4s5s1s 6 hands round to the left and halfway back;

63-64 2s cross down WHILE 3s step up WHILE 4s5s1s continue 6 hands round to the right, finishing 3s2s4s5s1s, 2s 1s on opposite sides.

(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)

Dance Notes

Although often characterized as having the format 3-couple repeat in a 5-couple, longwise, set with 10 repeats of 32 bars, this is not a satisfactory description; the, mostly, standing couples are involved a great deal more than simply stepping up when the dancing couple drop to the bottom of the set (as they would in a 3-couple repeat in a 4-couple set). It is better characterized as a 5-couple, longwise, set with 5 repeats of 64 bars, as in the MaxiCrib.

  1-2   In all except the first repeat, 5s (the former dancing couple, now on opposite sides) cross to own sides.

63-64 In the last repeat, 2s 3s may stay on own sides in the top two places.


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

The Jimp Waist - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

"Jimp" is Scots for "small, slender, dainty, neat, graceful, slim".
Jimp Waist
Jimp Waist
"Auguste Strobl From The Beauty Gallery" Joseph Karl Stieler (1781-1858), Oil On Canvas, c. 1827


Image copyright Joseph Karl Stieler, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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