Kindness And Marmalade
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Kindness And Marmalade 48 bar reel for three couples in a longwise set, Murrough Landon, 20201st couple start on the opposite side.
1- 8 1st couple slip down the middle, open out and dance back up to end, nearer hands joined, facing 2nd woman on the diagonal. 2nd couple step up on bars 3-4.
9-16 1st couple dance a diagonal Hand-in-hand reel of three with 2nd corners, starting by passing 2nd woman right shoulder. The corners dance a normal reel of three. 1st couple, as they loop at the corners, drop nearer hands and each pull right shoulder back (bar 2) or left shoulder back (bar 6) and take nearer hands again to continue the reel. 1st couple each stay nearer their starting side and end in the centre facing 2nd man on the diagonal.
17-24 1st couple dance a diagonal Hand-in-hand reel of three with 1st corners, starting by passing 2nd man left shoulder. At the end they turn away from each other to face out in 2nd place on the opposite side.
25-32 2nd, 1st and 3rd couple dance an accompanied (three couple) chain progression:
1-2: 1st couple cast clockwise to the ends of the centre line. Meanwhile 2nd and 3rd couples turn three quarters with the right hand.
3-6: 2nd and 1st women also 3rd and 1st men dance hand in hand (or promenade hold if preferred) half way round clockwise. Meanwhile 2nd man and 3rd women turn one and a half times with the left hand.
7-8: 1st couple cast clockwise to 2nd place opposite side. Meanwhile 3rd and 2nd couples turn three quarters with the right hand.
33-38 1st man with 3rd couple at the top and 1st woman with 2nd couple at the bottom each circle three hands round to the left. 1st couple release their right hand, form a circle of six and circle half way left. All end on opposite sides in the order 2,1,3.
39-40 All set on the sides.
41-44 All turn partners once round with both hands using skip change of step.
45-48 1st and 3rd couples dance half rights and lefts. The final order is 2,3,1 with 2nd couple on opposite sides.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA December 2020)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagram
Dance Instruction Videos
Kindness And Marmalade - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
Kindness and marmalade were the two essentials in life for writer and transgender pioneer Jan Morris (from her obituary at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26924906).In keeping with her gender transition, this dance starts with 1st couple feeling they are on the "wrong" side and the progression eventually takes them to their preferred side.
This dance is for Marjorie and Nickie Roome whose lives include a similar journey.
The Hand-in-hand reels (from Duncan and Maggie Keppie) denote kindness as they seem both companionable and egalitarian with no one being in the lead. The two small circles peeling off into one circle can be taken to represent oranges being made into marmalade.
Recommended music: Suggested tune Sneug Of Foula by Tom Georgeson; suitable recording (with two chords): Never At Sea (Colin Dewar: Special Requests Vol 8).
(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA December 2020)
Published in Kindness And Marmalade, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.
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