Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

A Little Girl In Red Shoes

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

A LITTLE GIRL IN RED SHOES (R4x32) 4C Set Masako (Marchan) Okada Naitoh
2 chords - 2nd chord 3s and 4s cross to opposite sides

1- 8 1M and 4M advance and retire; 1M+4M dance RSh round partner while 1L and 4L set twice pulling back RSh to end following partner
9-10 1s and 4s (Men leading) pass RSh and curve round, 1s facing up, 4s facing down while 2s cast up to top, 3s cast to bottom
11-12 1M+4L also 4M+1L join RH and set turning Lady under Man's arm into allemande hold, 1M+4L facing Men's side, 4M+1L facing Ladies' side while 2s and 3s dance in to meet partner and dance down/up into...
13-16 1M+4L cast up (1st place), 4M+1L cast down (4th place) into centre and Man turns Lady under arm to form line of 4 up/down centre while 2s and 3s cast to ends, dance in down/up and out through original place and cast to ends. 21(4)(3)
17-20 1M+4L+1L+4M dance ½ reel of 4 up/down centre; Bar 20: 1L+4L turn ¾ LH as Men dance ¼ clockwise to face partner in line of 4 across
21-24 1s+4s dance ½ reel of 4 across ending on sides. 21(4)(3)
25-32 1s+4s dance Eddy:
 25-27 Ladies turn RH while Men chase clockwise ½ round
 28-30 Men turn RH while Ladies chase clockwise ½ round to end 1s in 3rd place own sides, 4s in 2nd place opposite side. 2(4)1(3)
 31-32 4s+1s cross RH with partner. 24(1)(3)

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


Dance Notes

Bars 28-30 - It is thought that the original instructions may be wrong here, so these bars have been amended.

(Dance notes by MINICRIB)


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

A Little Girl In Red Shoes - YouTube Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

This reel, A Little Girl In Red Shoes, was devised by Masako Okada Naitoh in 2015, in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Scottish Country Dance Club (Clara) in Yokohama and was dedicated to Mrs Yoko Takahashi who organised and taught the club at the time.

The title of this dance comes from Akai Kutsu - Red Shoes - Song. Akai Kutsu 赤い靴, means literally, "Red Shoes". This Japanese nursery rhyme was written in 1922 by Japanese poet Ujō Noguchi and is sung to music composed by Nagayo Motoori.

A young girl with red shoes
was taken away by a foreigner...

Akai Kutsu - Red Shoes Song - Information Video

Young Girl With Red Shoes
Statue - A Young Girl With Red Shoes - Shizuoka Prefecture


Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Akai_Kutsu article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Baodad, Creative Commons Licence 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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