Opera Et Labora

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1-4 1st couple cross over giving left hands and cast off into the centre, pulling left shoulder back, to end on the diagonal facing their 1st corner. 2nd couple step up on bars 3-4.
5-8 1st couple dance 4 bars of "Hello Goodbye" setting and face their 2nd corner position. Meanwhile all four corners set facing in diagonally, then dance round one corner position anticlockwise. 1st couple are again facing their 1st corner person ("Hello Again").
9-12 1st couple set to their 1st corner person again, now in their 2nd corner position, and then turn them once round with both hands. 1st couple end facing their 3rd corner position which is now occupied by their 2nd corner person.
13-16 1st couple dance half a right shoulder reel of four on the 1st diagonal. 1st couple end left shoulder to each other on the centre line with 1st woman above 1st man. 2nd and 3rd couples are on their own sides in 3rd and 1st places.
17-20 1st woman with 3rd couple at the top, also 1st man with 2nd couple at the bottom, each dance right hands across. 1st couple end back to back facing their 1st corner position which is now occupied by their original 2nd corner person.
21-36 1st couple repeat the pattern of bars 5-20 from the same places, but now with 2nd and 3rd couples in exchanged places:
 1st couple dance 4 bars of "Hello Goodbye" setting while all four corners set facing in diagonally and then dance round to the next corner position anticlockwise.
 1st couple set to and turn their 2nd corner and end facing their 3rd corner position.
 1st couple dance half a reel of four on the 1st diagonal ending with 1st woman above 1st man on the centre line. 2nd and 3rd couples are now in 1st and 3rd places.
 1st woman with 2nd couple, also 1st man with 3rd couple, dance right hands across. This time 1st couple end facing each other in the centre.
37-40 1st woman followed by 2nd couple and 1st man followed by 3rd couple dance the Snake Pass, curving round the other dancers by the left shoulder to end in the order 3,1,2.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA February 2025)

Keith Rose's Crib Diagram

Opera Et Labora - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Instruction Videos

Dance Information

This dance has some similarities with the jig From the Main to the Seine which was devised for Simona's twin sister Laura when she completed her PhD.

The title of the dance is from Simona's thesis and refers to her love of Italian opera and the many hours spent working in the lab. Here 1st couple repeat their pattern to confirm experimental reproducibility.

Recommended music: Suggested tune: To be decided; suitable recording Lady Davidson (The Music Makars: Dance Sing and Rejoice!).

(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA February 2025)

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