Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Pavonis Mons

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Pavonis Mons 32 bar reel for three couples in a four couple longwise set, Murrough Landon, 2023

1- 4 1st couple cross over giving right hands and cast off one place as 2nd couple step up.
5- 8 1st couple dance half a figure of eight out the end to their right, left shoulder round their 3rd corner, to end on the centre line, 1st man above 1st woman.
9-12 1st man with 2nd couple, and 1st woman with 3rd couple, dance left hands across ending on the sidelines. 1st and 2nd men face down, 1st and 3rd women face up.
13-16 1st man followed by 2nd man dance in tandem right shoulder around 3rd man to change places. 1st woman followed by 3rd woman dance similarly around 2nd woman.
 The order is now 1,2,3 on the men's side and 2,3,1 on the women's side.
17-24 All dance a truly three couple chain progression:
 1-2: All turn the opposite person three quarters with the right hand to the centre line.
 3-6: 2nd woman and 3rd man dance half way round clockwise to the other end of the centre line. Meanwhile 1st man with 3rd woman, and 2nd man with 1st woman, turn one and a half times with the left hand to change places.
 7-8: All turn their partner three quarters with the right hand into allemande hold facing up.
25-32 All dance a three couple allemande to end in the order 2,1,3.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA September 2023)


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

Pavonis Mons - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

I am one of those who think the RSCDS made a mistake in naming the signature figure from Linnea's Strathspey as a "Three Couple Chain Progression". It is really a two couple chain progression with the outer pair of dancers accompanied by 1st couple taking them in promenade hold. Reels of three do not get renumbered if some of those involved in the reel are couples in promenade hold.

This dance was written to include a truly three couple chain progression. Like the three couple Bourrel it results in losing one's partner - or regaining them if they have already been lost in the right way as in this dance. This figure has been used by Iain Boyd (The Copper Beech, 2017) and also proposed by Ed McIntosh.

Searching for a showy title with some reference to "three" and "chain" I remembered the linear chain of three massive shield volcanoes on the Tharsis plateau on Mars. Pavonis Mons, which means Peacock Mountain in English, is the central peak - and also the smallest, being a mere one and a half times the height of Earth's puny Mount Everest.

Recommended music: Suggested tune Kirk's Hornpipe (Traditional); suitable recording Still Buzzing (Robert Whitehead and The Danelaw Scottish Country Dance Band: The Geordie Diamond 1950-2010).

(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA September 2023)


Pavonis Mons is a prominent shield volcano situated on the planet Mars within the Tharsis volcanic region. Part of a trio of aligned shield volcanoes, which includes Arsia Mons and Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons is notable for its substantial size. These Martian shield volcanoes are considered among the largest in our solar system.

Positioned near the equator of Mars, Pavonis Mons reaches an elevation of approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) above the average planetary surface. The name "Pavonis Mons" is derived from the Latin term "pavo", meaning "peacock". In adherence to the nomenclature conventions set by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), features on Mars are often named using Latin words.

The formation of Pavonis Mons, like other shield volcanoes, is characterized by its broad, gently sloping profile. It is believed that shield volcanoes on Mars, including Pavonis Mons, were shaped by effusive volcanic activity, resulting in the eruption of low-viscosity lava and the gradual build-up of the volcanic edifice over time.

Understanding the geological characteristics of Pavonis Mons contributes to broader scientific investigations into the geological history and processes that have shaped the Martian surface. The study of such features provides valuable insights into the planet's past volcanic activity and its geological evolution.

Pavonis Mons
The Summit Caldera Of Pavonis Mons

(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA February 2022)



Published in Pavonis Mons, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.
This page uses content under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, along with original copyrighted content and excerpts from Wikipedia and other sources.
Text from this original Pavonis Mons article on Wikipedia.
Image from NASA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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