King In The Ring

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

King In The Ring 40 bar reel for four couples and a 'King', Square Set, Zoltán Gräff, 2007
The king is sitting in the centre of the set, the others dance around him.

1- 8 All: Set advancing (towards the king) and back - joining nearer hands;
All: Set to partner and ¾ turn with RH, finish in promenade hold facing clockwise
9-16 All: Clockwise promenade, back to own places
17-24 All: Grand chain, finish facing partner
25-32 All: Set to partner, half turn with right hands - facing corner;
Turn corner with left hands - facing partner, half right hand turn with partner
33-40 All: Half circle to the left, set - with joining hands, ¼ circle to the right.
Everyone finishes one place to the left from original places

Repeat the dance three times more until couples are back to original places.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Zoltán Gräff, 2007)

Dance Information

Zoltán Gräff's friend György Lajtos (nickname: Gyuri) became 40 years old in 2007 (that's why it is a 40 bar reel), and this dance was a present for him.

One summer (just for fun) we decreed the place where we usually spend our holiday to be a kingdom and that everyone could choose a position in the kingdom for himself. Gyuri appointed himself to be the king, which demonstrates just how shy he is! Nobody refused his appointment, and he has been king there ever since.

Note: If the king has other engagements while dancing, then a chair can be put in the middle of the set to represent him.

Tune: any 4x40 bar Reel

(Dance information from A Reel Goulash 1, Budapest Book of Scottish Country Dances (2011), reproduced here with the kind permission of Zoltán Gräff)

King In The Ring
Procession Of The Middle King By Benozzo Gozzoli

Published in http://bstk.hu/en.htm
Image from Benozzo Gozzoli, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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