The Merry Go Round (McLaughlin)

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 4 1s dance in and up, touch nearer hands, cast back to places while 2s dance similarly dancing in/down to start (a cloverleaf figure)
5- 8 1s+2s dance RH across to places
9-16 1L+2M turn 2H once round. 1M+2L turn 2H once round
17-24 1s+2s turn partners 2H once round opening out into circle 4H round to Left. End in centre, 1s facing down, 2s facing up
25-32 1s+2s dance Rondel:
 25 2s make an arch and dance up while 1s dance down under arch
 26-27 2s cross (2L pass in front of 2M) and both dance into 1st place on opposite sides while 1s cross (1L pass front of 1M) and both dance into 2nd place on opposite sides
 28 Men make an arch and dance across while Ladies dance under arch and across
 29-30 Men cross over (1M passing in front of 2M) and dance in to meet partner (as at start of Fig) while Ladies cross (1L passing in front of 2L) and also dance in to meet partner
 31-32 2s make an arch and dance up to 1st place while 1s dance under the arch to 2nd place

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

Dance Information

The "seats" are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down via gearwork to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of circus music.

While carousels typically feature horses, each weighing around 100 lbs (45 kg), they can also include a variety of other mounts, such as pigs, zebras, tigers, or even mythological creatures like dragons or unicorns. In some cases, there are chair-like or bench-like seats, and occasionally, the mounts are designed to resemble aeroplanes or cars.

Carousel Horse, Edinburgh

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