Reflections On Woodhall Loch
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Reflections On Woodhall Loch (S4x32) A 32 bar strathspey for four couples in a longwise set. Murrough LandonThe dance starts with two chords: on the second chord 1st and 4th couples cross over giving right or left hands respectively.
1-4 2nd and 3rd couples dance the first four bars of the Espagnole: 2nd and 3rd women lead across right hand and cross as 2nd and 3rd men dance across.
Repeat this pattern from new places. 3rd and 2nd women end curving in towards each other to their own sides pulling right and left shoulders back respectively (touching nearer hands briefly may help).
5-8 1st and 3rd couples dance right hands across at the top while 2nd and 4th couples dance left hand across at the bottom, all staying in the centre.
9-12 2nd woman followed by 4th man, 4th woman and 3rd man each cross up and chase clockwise round the top half of the set as 3rd woman followed by 1st man, 1st woman and 3rd man each cross down and chase anticlockwise round the bottom half of the set. All end still slightly in from the sidelines in the order 4,2,3,1 with 4th and 1st couples on opposite sides.
13-16 4th and 2nd couples, giving right hands, turn each other on the sides one and a quarter times while 3rd and 1st couples do the same left hand. End in lines across with the men on the sidelines facing in and the women back to back in the centre facing men who are not their partners. The upper line has 2nd man, 4th woman, 2nd woman and 4th man while the lower line has 3rd man, 1st woman, 3rd woman and 1st man.
17-24 All dance reels of four across giving right shoulder in the top half of the set and left shoulder in the bottom half. At the end of the reels 4th and 2nd also 3rd and 1st women end facing each other in the centre.
25-32 All dance the Targe: 4th and 2nd women at the top start by turning left hand three quarters as their partners chase round a quarter clockwise. Meanwhile 3rd and 1st couples at the bottom start by turning right hand or chasing round anticlockwise and all continue the Targe in this reflected pattern. 4th and 1st men briefly touch hands as they come together in the centre.
End in the order 2,4,1,3 with 2nd and 3rd couples on opposite sides.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA May 2013)
Dance Notes
A 32 Bar Strathspey For 4 Couples With Reflected Symmetry Between Top And Bottom Halves Of The Set.The top two and bottom two couples in the set are dancing reflected patterns (hands across, turns, reels and the Targe) with some minor distortions coming from precedence as dancers cross the "water line" between 2nd and 3rd places.
Those coming up from the water (3rd and 4th places) always cross before those dropping down from the air (1st and 2nd places).
(Dance notes by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA May 2013)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
Reflections On Woodhall Loch - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
Woodhall Loch is 1 mile to the north of Laurieston, Castle Douglas, in Dumfries and Galloway.Recommended music: Suitable recording: Rose Acre (Colin Dewar Quartet: Special Requests Vol 2), Tunes: Roseacre, Sarona, Flower o' The Quern.
(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA May 2013)
Reflections On Woodhall Loch
Published in Reflections On Woodhall Loch, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.
Image copyright Debbie Turner under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.
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