Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Reeling Roy

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Reeling Roy
John Brenchley Kangaroo Paw
Reel 4 x 48 bars 4 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set

3s 4s cross on second chord.

  1-4   2s3s right hands across 118 times;

  5-6   1L2s 3s4L left hands across halfway, finishing 1L facing 4L on the second corners' diagonal between 2s 3s;

  7-8   taking nearer hands with partners, 2s set facing 3s WHILE 1L4L exchange positions by the right, finishing facing out;

  9-10 2s4L 1L3s left hands across halfway, finishing 1L in 4M's place, 4L in 1L's;

11-14 2s 3s right hands across 1¼ times;

15-16 1M3s 2s4M left hands across halfway, finishing 1M facing 4M on the first corners' diagonal between 3s 2s;

17-18 taking nearer hands with partners, 3s set facing 2s WHILE 1M4M exchange positions by the right, finishing facing out;

19-20 3s4M 1M2s left hands across halfway, finishing 1M in 4L's place, 4M in 1M's;

17-24 3L, followed by 3M, chase up around 1L's place and cast to finish in 2nd place on opposite sides, facing up, WHILE 2L, followed by 2M, chase down around 4M's place and cast up to finish in 3rd place on own sides, facing down;

25-28 4M3L2M1L 4L3M2L1M half reels of 4 on the sides;

29-32 1L2M 1M2L, at the top, 3L4M 3M4L, at the bottom, turn by the right 1¼ times to finish 2M1L2L1M 4M3L4L3M in lines across, all facing the turned dancer;

33-36 2M1L2L1M 4M3L4L3M half reels of 4 across;

37-40 2L1M 2M1L 3M4L 3L4M turn by the right 1¼ times to finish 1M2L3M4L on the Mn's side, 1L2M3L4M on the Ls' side, 2s facing down, 3s up;

41-42 2s3s cross by the left on the sides, finishing 3s facing up, 2s down;

43-44 1s3s 2s4s cross by the right on the sides, finishing 3s1s4s2s, 4s 2s on opposite sides, all facing partners.

45-48 all 8 hands round to the left halfway, finishing 2s4s1s3s, 1s 3s on opposite sides.

(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)


Dance Notes

  1-48 Since this dance has a 4-couple repeat format, the corners are the 1st and 4th places; this also means that the diagonals are not quite at right angles and so the fractions of a turn quoted are only approximate.

  5-10 This is a complex form of chain on the second corners' diagonal which interchanges the positions of 1L, from her own place, and 4L, from 4M's.

15-20 This is a complex form of chain on the first corners' diagonal which interchanges the positions of 1M, from his own place, and 4M, from 4L's.

25-40 In this succession of figures, the dancer faced at the start of each half reel and the dancer turned is always the same.

    -42 No polite turn.

    -44 Polite turns so that 3L 1M 4M 2L finish facing in.


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Information

This dance, Reeling Roy, was presented to Roy Batchelor by members of the RSCDS Western Australia Branch to celebrate his 60th birthday.

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