The Meeting Place
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
The Meeting Place 64 Bar Medley For 4 Couples In A 4 Couple Set, Devised By Betty Grant, 1984.Strathspey
1- 4 Partners stand slightly apart to begin. 1st and 3rd advance and take right hands with opposite person, lead out nearer side between side couples, men cross lady in front and dance to opposite end of the set.
5- 8 1st and 3rd couples turn partner with both hands one and a half times to finish facing in to the set. At the same time 2nd and 4th couples face their partners and set (highland schottische setting step).
9-12 2nd and 4th couples repeat bars 1-4 from the sides and finish on the opposite side.
13-16 2nd and 4th couples turn with both hands one and a half times on the sides while the 1st and 3rd couples face their partners and set (highland schottische setting step). All finish facing partners ready for...
17-24 Grand chain all the way 'round (one step to each hand). At the end of bar 24 all the ladies face out and the men face in to flow into...
25-32 A half schiehallion reel to finish in original places. Each dancer goes half way 'round the track shown in diagram taking exactly two steps to get from one position to the next
Reel
1- 8 Eight hands 'round and back.
9-16 Double ladies' chain - to begin all the men curve into partner's place while the four ladies give right hands across half-way to give left hand to opposite man and turn. Repeat back to place.
17-20 All the ladies dance right bands across in the centre while the four men (moving slightly to right) set in position (4 pas-de-basque).
21-24 All the men dance left hands across in the centre while the four ladies (moving slightly to left) set in position (4 pas-de-basque). At the end the men take their partners on their right and all face counter-clockwise.
25-32 All take allemande position and promenade around to finish in original places ready to repeat with 2nd and 4th couples beginning the dance. At the end of the second time through the dance the men bring the ladies into the centre back to back and with partners facing one another they bow and curtsey.
(Dance crib compiled by Robert AC Lockhart, Copyright 2025)
Dance Instruction Videos
The Meeting Place - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
The title of this dance 'meeting place' refers to an English rendering of a word from the language of the Mississauga First Nation. It described the area that would later become the city of Toronto. This name reflects the region's historical role as a gathering site for Indigenous peoples for trade, council, and travel.Betty Grant was a respected teacher and dance creator from Toronto, fondly remembered by many. Together with her husband David, who survived four years aboard a Lancaster during the Second World War, she travelled extensively.
The couple were a familiar presence at St Andrews Summer School, which they attended every year for an unbroken span of 43 years.
A Note That Betty Wrote About This Dance - The Meeting Place
Published in The Meeting Place, Copyright 2025, reproduced here with kind permission of Robert AC Lockhart. All rights reserved.
Published in The Meeting Place Original, Copyright Betty Grant 1984, reproduced here with kind permission of Robert AC Lockhart, 2025. All rights reserved.
Image copyright Betty Grant 1984, all rights reserved, reproduced here with kind permission, Robert AC Lockhart, 2025.
Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'The Meeting Place' page