Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

A Platinum Pair

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

A PLATINUM PAIR (S4x32) 4C set Pam Stephens Thistle School 2016
3s and 4s start on opposite sides

1- 6 1s and 4s Petronella turn and set, Petronella turn to opposite sides (no polite turn)
7- 8 1s+2s and 3s+4s circle 4H ½ round to left and join nearer hands with partner facing up and down. (2)1(4)3
9-16 9-10 All couples set advancing to pass next couple LSh. 1(2)3(4)
11-12 End couples turn 2H to face down/up while middle couples set advancing to pass LSh. 13(2)(4)
13-16 Repeat 9-12. 3(4)1(2)
17-20 4s dance ½ Fig of 8 up round 3s while 1s dance ½ Fig of 8 down round 2s. 34(1)(2)
21-24 4L+1L change places RH and set while 4M+1M set and change places RH. 31(4)(2)
25-32 All advance and retire (1 step each), cross RH with partner; 3s+1s and 4s+2s circle 4H round to left. 31(4)(2)

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


Dance Instruction Videos

A Platinum Pair - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

This strathspey, A Platinum Pair, was devised to celebrate the 70th Wedding Anniversary of Duard and Betty Lee Barnes.

Betty Lee Barnes and her husband Duard, Ted Blaschke and Bernard Kaiman started the Thistle School of SCD in the mountains of North Carolina.

Betty Lee Barnes Danced at The Washington DC Branch of the RSCDS and was awarded the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society's Scroll of Honour in 2001.


It is traditional on wedding anniversaries to give your partner (or couples) a gift that symbolises the particular anniversary. These gifts are made of different materials for each wedding anniversary.

The wedding anniversary associated with the material 'Platinum' is the 70th.

Here is a list of the materials associated with traditional anniversary gifts for the various years.

1st    Cotton11th   Scent30th   Pearl
2nd   Paper12th   Silk and Fine Linen35th   Coral
3rd    Leather13th   Barometer40th   Ruby
4th    Fruit and Flower14th   Clock45th   Sapphire
5th    Wooden15th   Crystal50th   Gold
6th    Sugar16th   Holloware55th   Emerald
7th    Woollen18th   Coloured Gems60th   Diamond
8th    Salt, Pottery19th   Furniture65th   Blue Sapphire
9th    Copper20th   China70th   Platinum
10th  Tin, coal25th   Silver75th   Diamond
80th   Oak
Platinum Pair Platinum And Diamond Ring
Platinum And Diamond Ring


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 Wedding Anniversary article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright [CC0 (https://pixabay.com/en/service/terms/#usage)], via pixabay.

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