L' Écossaise
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
L' Écossaise (The Scottish Lady) 40-bar strathspey for four couples in a four-couple square set. Marcia Litchfield1-2 1st and 3rd couples, giving right hands to corners, turn them once round to finish in lines of four, 1st couple and their corners facing down and 3rd couple and their corners facing up.
3-6 All four couples, dancing in line, advance for two steps and retire for two steps.
7-8 1st and 3rd couples, with two hands, turn corners once round to face them.
9-16 All four couples dance reels of four across the dance. At the end of the reel, 1st and 3rd couples take nearer hands to face into the set while the corners remain in their new positions facing across the dance.
17-20 1st and 3rd couples advance towards the centre for two steps and, taking nearer hand with the dancer opposite, dance out to second and fourth places.
At the same time, 2nd woman and 4th man, also 2nd man and 4th woman, set to each other and dance towards each other to meet in first and third places.
21-24 1st woman with 3rd man, also 1st man with 3rd woman, giving two hands, half turn to face each other and, pulling back right shoulders, dance out to corner positions to face their partners.
At the same time, 2nd woman and 4th man, also 2nd man and 4th woman, advance towards the centre for two steps and, taking nearer hand with the dancer opposite (their original partner), dance out to second and fourth places.
25-26 1st and 3rd couples set advancing to partner across the dance while 2nd and 4th couples, giving two hands, turn once round to face into the set.
27-32 1st and 3rd couples dance la baratte to finish in third and first places respectively facing into the set.
33-40 All four couples dance eight hands round and back.
Repeat three times, with 2nd and 4th couples starting on the second and fourth repetitions.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Marcia Litchfield)
Dance Instruction Videos
L' Écossaise - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
This dance was devised by Marcia Litchfield for Catherine Bonner, who, for 24 years, taught the Gosford Class.Catherine was born in France of Scottish parents and la baratte was one of her favourite formations.
(Dance information by the deviser, Marcia Litchfield)
The Scottish Lady - Catherine Bonner
Published in Hunter Valley Dances Book 2, reproduced here with the kind permission of Allyn Douglass, Secretary RSCDS Hunter Valley Branch.
Image copyright (cropped) Catherine Bonner, all rights reserved, 2024.
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