Pentamime
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Pentamime (J5x32) A 32 bar jig for five couples inspired by Best Set in the Hall. Murrough Landon1-4 1st and 3rd couples set and cast one place with 2nd and 4th couples stepping up. 1st and 3rd couples end in the centre, right shoulder to partner, facing their 2nd corners.
5-8 1st and 3rd couples dance half right shoulder diagonal reels of 4 with their 2nd corners ending by passing partners left shoulder to be back to back facing their 3rd corner positions.
9-16 1st and 3rd couples dance the first half of the Best Set in the Hall figure on the 3rd corner diagonal to end facing 4th corner positions:
1st and 3rd couples set and cast away, pulling right shoulder back, to the corner position behind them while the corners set and, starting to their left, curve in right to face the positions they just left.
Corners (in the centre) set and cast away to the corner position behind them while the 1s and 3s set and curve in to twirl away from each other and face their 4th corner positions.
NB 2nd man and 5th woman (who started bar 9 in 1st man and 5th woman positions) end facing along the 2nd corner diagonal to take part in the next figure.
17-24 1st and 3rd couples repeat bars 9-16 on the 4th corner diagonal. 1st and 3rd couples end sweeping past each other right shoulder to end on their own side, all men facing up, all women facing down in the order 51432.
25-30 All chase clockwise half way round in 6 bars to (2)(3)(4)(1)(5).
31-32 2nd, 3rd and 4th couples (in the top three places) cross giving right hands while 1st and 5th couples (in the bottom two places) dance half right hands across. The final progressed positions are 23451.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA April 2015)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
Pentamime - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
It features the "pantomime" ("behind you!") figure from Best Set in the Hall but in a five couple set hence the name "Pentamime". The 1st and 3rd couples are the active couples.Recommended Music: Ideally a 5 times through version of the original Best Set in the Hall track from the CD for RSCDS book 46 (tunes Miss Barbara Hay's Favourite, Miss Dickson's Reel).
Airie Bennan from Special Requests 5 (Colin Dewar), Ship in Full Sail or Celtic Crossing from Craigevar Dances (Nicol McLaren and co), 5x32 Jig from Strictly Scottish Vol 1 (Robert Whitehead and co) a bit fast.
(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA April 2015)
Published in Pentamime, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.
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