The Quern
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE QUERN (S3x32) 3C set John Bowie Dickson Dunedin Dances Book 31- 8 1s and 3s set and ¾ turn RH into middle and dance ½ reel of 4 up/down ending with 1M+3L turning LH ¾ to face 2s (Man facing Lady)
9-16 1M+3L+2s dance ½ reel of 4 across and end by turning LH to face partners, 3s+1s dance ½ reel of 4 in centre
17-24 1s and 3s set to partners and ¾ turn 2H to opposite side, 1s remain in middle facing down nearer hands joined; 1s+2s change places on sides (1s dance between 2s), 1s+3s change places with 3s (3s between 1s) (All now on opposite sides)
25-32 Reels of 3 on opposite sides. Each couple crosses up RH from bottom place (starting with 1s) 3s cast down, 2s dance down nearer hands joined to start. 231
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
The Quern
John Bowie Dickson Dunedin Book 3
Strathspey 3 x 32 bars 3 Couple Repeat 3 Couple Set Longwise Set
1-2 1s 3s set to partners;
3-4 1s 3s turn ¾ by the right, finishing on the centre line, Ls above partners facing down, Mn facing up;
5-8 1L1M3L3M half reel of 4 up and down, 3M 1L finishing normally at the ends, 1M3L turning by the left to face opposite sides;
9-12 2M3L1M2L half reel of 4 across, 2s finishing normally in partner's place, 1M3L turning by the left to face partners on the centre line;
13-16 3M3L1M1L half reel of 4 up and down, finishing on the centre line as at bar 4;
17-18 1s 3s set to partners;
19-20 1s 3s turn ¾ both hands, 3s finishing in partner's place, 1s side-by-side facing down after releasing nearer hands;
21-22 1L2L cross by the right on the side WHILE 1M2M cross by the left on the side, 2s finishing in 1st place, 1s in 2nd place facing out;
23-24 1L3L cross by the left on the side WHILE 1M3M cross by right the on the side, finishing 2s3s1s, all on opposite sides;
25-32 2s3s1s modified mirror reels of 3 on the sides, 1s crossing up between 2s 3s to start and 3s 2s crossing up similarly when they reach the bottom of the set, finishing 2s3s1s on own sides.
(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
The Quern - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
Devised for Wallace and Helen Lockhart, leaders of the musical group, Quern.Established in 1984, Quern was specifically created with the primary goal of raising funds for charitable causes, coupled with a distinct objective of showcasing the finest aspects of Scottish culture through entertaining means. The success of their endeavours is substantiated by numerous press reports and notable appearances at major events, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Quern-stones are a pair of stone tools for hand grinding a wide variety of materials. The lower, stationary, stone is called a quern, while the upper, mobile, stone is called a handstone.
Quern-stones have been used throughout the world to grind materials, the most important of which was usually grain to make flour for bread-making. They were generally replaced by millstones once mechanised forms of milling appeared, particularly the water mill and the windmill, although animals were also used to operate the millstones. However, in many non-Westernised, non-mechanised cultures they are still manufactured and used regularly and have only been replaced in many parts of the world in the last century or so.
The Upper Stone Of A Scottish Hand Quern From Dalgarven Mill, North Ayrshire
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Quern-stones article on Wikipedia.
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