Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Nimble Flower Of Nyon

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

The Nimble Flower Of Nyon (S3x32) A palindromic 32 bar strathspey for three couples in a longwise set. Murrough Landon

1-4 1st and 2nd couples dance half left hands across, then each half turn their partner by the left hand and retain hands.
5-8 2nd couple continue with another half left hand turn ending in 1st place opposite sides where they set to each other. Meanwhile 1st couple cast up and cross down briefly keeping right hands joined to face each other in the centre in 2nd place.
9-12 1st couple dance right shoulder around each other to end facing out in 2nd place opposite sides. They then turn 3rd couple once round with the nearer hand (right on the women's side, left on the men's side) and end in the centre in tandem, 1st man leading, facing 2nd man (in 1st woman's place).
13-16 1st couple dance half an alternating tandem reel of three across with 2nd couple, starting by passing 2nd man by the right shoulder and end still in tandem, with 1st woman leading, in the centre in 2nd place facing the men's side.
17-20 1st couple dance half an alternating tandem reel of three across with 3rd couple, starting by passing 3rd man by the left shoulder and ending side by side in the centre in 2nd place opposite sides facing up.
21-24 1st couple, starting up between 2nd couple, turn them once round with the nearer hand (left on the men's side, right on the women's side) ending in 2nd place own sides. They then dance left shoulder around each other and end taking left hands to face down.
25-28 3rd couple set to each other then half turn with the right hand retaining hands. Meanwhile 1st couple cross down with the left hand between the setting 3rd couple and cast up to 2nd place own sides coming in to take right hands.
29-32 1st and 3rd couples each half turn their partner by the right hand, then dance half right hands across to end in the order 231. Between repeats, 3rd woman may end facing out and looking to the left.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA July 2018)


Dance Notes

Those who prefer a more conventional right hand start, and changes of direction before or after setting, can exchange left and right handedness between bars 1-6 and 27-32.

(Dance notes by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA July 2018)


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

The Nimble Flower Of Nyon - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

This strathspey, The Nimble Flower Of Nyon, was devised for Florence Burgy, originally from Geneva, but now living in nearby Nyon.

Recommended music: To be decided. As a palindromic dance with four bar figures the ideal music would be of the form ABCDDCBA where each of A, B, C and D are four bar phrases, failing that, try a medium paced recording such as Bruce's Men (Luke Brady's SDB: Take Your Partners For...).

(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA July 2018)



Published in The Nimble Flower Of Nyon, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.

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