Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Nurseryman

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

THE NURSERYMAN (J8x32) 3C (4C set) Steve Brown RSCDS Book 37

1- 8 1s set, cross down RH between 2s and cast down behind 3s and dance up centre to 2nd place to face out on opposite sides
9-12 2s+1s+3s set (as in Double Triangles) 1s pas-de-basque out and turn right about to face in while 2s and 3s pas-de-basque in and turn right about to face out
13-16 2s+1s+3s set (Inverted Double Triangle formation), 1s pas-de-basque in while 2s and 3s pas-de-basque out all turning R about for RH across
17-24 2s+1s+3s dance RH across on sides, 1s pass RSh and dance LH across on own side ending in lines across 1L between 2s and 1M between 3s
25-32 Lines advance and retire, 1s turn RH 1¼ times to end in 2nd place on own sides

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


The Nurseryman
Steve Brown RSCDS Book 37
Jig 8 x 32 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set

  1-4   1s set and cross down;

  5-8   1s cast down round 3s and lead up to 2nd place (opposite sides) facing out;

  9-10 2s1s3s set in double triangle position;

11-12 1s set advancing toward the opposite sides and face in WHILE 2s 3s set advancing and face out;

13-14 2s1s3s set in inverted double triangle position;

15-16 2s 3s set advancing to places and face in WHILE 1s set advancing and face out towards opposite sides;

17-20 2M1L3M 2L1M3L right hands across on the sides;

21-24 2M1M3M 2L1L3L left hands across on the sides, finishing in lines across, 2M1M2L facing down, 3M1L3L facing up;

25-28 2M1L2L 3M1M3L advance and retire;

29-32 1s turn by the right 1¼ to 2nd place.

(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)

Dance Notes

  3-4   2s step up.

    -8   1s back finish to back.

    -12 2s 3s finish back to back.

    -16 1s finish back to back.

17-24 Teapots on the sides, 1s starting on opposite sides.


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

The Nurseryman - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

This jig, The Nurseryman, was dedicated to Roy Clowes (of Ormskirk) who was earning his living as a self employed nurseryman and landscape gardener in 1963.

A nurseryman is a term used to describe a man who works in a nursery, a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of institutions or private estates.

The term nursery also has the meaning 'a room designed for the care of a young child (or children) or a daycare facility for preschool-age children'. This meaning is not related in any way to this dance.

Plant Nursery
Victorian Glasshouse Within Walled Nursery
Once Part Of Tongswood House, Built Around 1870


This page contains both original content, which is copyrighted, and excerpts from Wikipedia and other sources using the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Text from this original Peterborough RSCDS Afternoon Tea Dance crib, 2018.
Text from this original Plant Nursery article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Oast House Archive under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.

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