May McGregor's Strathspey
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
May McGregor's Strathspey (S1x64) 4C Sq.Set Lewis N Derrick 19821-2 All set to partners
3-4 Giving both hands, all turn partners once round, opening out to form a circle
5-6 All dance eight hands round to the left one place
7-8 Giving both hands, all turn partners three quarters round to end with the men facing in and the women facing out
9-16 All dance double interlocking reels of four across the dance, to begin the four men pass left shoulders in the middle (no hands); all end back on the sidelines facing partners
17-24 All repeat bars 1-8 except that on bars 23-24 giving both hands all turn partners once round, opening out to form a circle
25-32 All dance eight hands round and back
33-34 All four women dance a petronella turn to the right
35-36 All join nearer hands with new partners and set
37-38 All four men dance a petronella turn to the left
39-40 All join nearer hands with new partners and set
41-48 All repeat bars 33-40 back to original places and own partners
49-50 All cross right up and down the set (1st and 3rd couples with person opposite, 2nd and 4th couples with partners)
51-52 All cross left across the set (1st and 3rd couples with partners, 2nd and 4th couples with person opposite)
53-56 All repeat bars 49-52 back to original places ending facing corners
57-64 All dance a grand chain, one step to each hand, giving right hand to corners to begin and all turning to face partners with retained left hands at the end
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Lewis N Derrick 2020)
Dance Notes
Bars 49-56 are double interlocking rights and lefts.In order to make them flow there should be no polite turns and the covering should be in pairs to give a cross shape rather than a square, two long steps alternating with two short ones and vice versa.
(Dance notes by the deviser, Lewis N Derrick)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Information
This dance, May McGregor's Strathspey, was devised for May and Dave McGregor of St Andrews.Suggested tune: MacGregor's Wail.
Devised 1982 and revised (bars 1-8 and 17-24) December 1986; first published 1987; republished electronically 2020.
Copyright 1982, 1986, 1987, 2020 Lewis N. Derrick.
(Dance information reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Lewis N Derrick)
Published in The McGhie Scottish Country Dance Books, Volume 1, The McGhie's Fancy and Other Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Lewis N Derrick.
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