The Meeting Of The Waters
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE MEETING OF THE WATERS (R8x48) 3C (4C set) Iain Boyd Strathtay Album and RSCDS book 531- 8 1s+2s dance reel of 4 across (1M and 2L pass LSh while 1L and 2M cast), 1L+2M pass RSh at end, 1L ends facing out
9-16 1s dance parallel Figs of 8 round 2s and 3s on own sides (pass 2s RSh to start)
17-24 1L followed by 1M casts round 2L, cross down between 3s, cast up to 2nd place on Men's side and cross to own side as 1M ends Men's side (2s step up on bars 19-20)
25-32 1s dance RH across with 3s and LH across with 2s
33-40 2s+1s+3s dance reels of 3 on own sides (1s giving RSh to 3s to start)
41-48 2s+1s+3s circle 6H round and back. 213
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
The Meeting of the Waters
Iain Boyd Strathtay Album
Reel 8 x 48 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set
1-6 1s2s dance ¾ of a reel of 4 across (starting with 1M2L passing left shoulder, 1L casting and 2M casting up);
7-8 1M2L complete the reel of 4 across WHILE 1L 2M cross the set, passing right shoulder, all finishing in original places, 1L facing out;
9-16 1s, giving right shoulder to 2s, parallel figures of 8 on own sides;
17-24 1L (followed by 1M) cast, dance down between 3s and cast up round 3M to 2nd place;
25-28 1s3s right hands across;
29-32 2s1s left hands across;
33-40 parallel reels of 3 on own sides (1s giving right shoulder to 3s to start);
41-48 2s1s3s 6 hands round and back.
(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)
Dance Notes
1-2 This reel starts unconventionally with the middle dancers passing left shoulder; to avoid waiting, the end dancers cast clockwise.
7-8 The reel finishes unconventionally; to avoid a scramble, 1L 2M dance straight across the set (i.e., do not pass left shoulder). Note that, in the first edition of the publication containing this dance, the deviser had the conventional finish (i.e., 1L 2M pass left shoulder) but he strongly recommends this revised version.
9-16 1s cover with partner in the parallel figures of 8.
17-24 Take this sedately.
21-22 2s step up.
33-40 All cover with partner in the parallel reels of 3.
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
The Meeting Of The Waters - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
The original inspiration for the dance name, The Meeting of the Waters, comes from the location in County Wicklow, where the Avonbeg (the "little river") runs into the Avonmore (the "big river") to become the Avoca which flows through the village of Avoca into the Sea at Arklow.The area was immortalised by Thomas Moore in his famous song Maureen Hegarty Singing Thomas Moore's 'The Meeting Of The Waters' - Information Video said to have been written under a tree, the stump of which remains by the Meetings.
More recently, Avoca has become famous as the village where the BBC series, Ballykissangel, was filmed.
The, quite separate, tune for the dance was composed by Pipe Major Donald MacLeod. Iain Boyd told John Gorrie (of Witham and District Caledonian Society) that The Meeting of the Waters was merely a tune he liked and he devised this dance to fit the tune.
Meeting Of The Waters - Information Video
Avonmore Left; Avonbeg Right; Avoca Ahead At The Meeting Of The Waters
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Meeting Of The Waters article on Wikipedia.
Text from this original Avoca article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Sarah777.
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