The Jimp Waist
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE JIMP WAIST (S10x32) 3C (5C set) RSCDS book 92 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 VideoDance Information
"Jimp" is Scots for "small, slender, dainty, neat, graceful, slim".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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