Salad Days

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Salad Days
Reuben Freemantle www.scottish-country-dancing-dictionary.com
Jig 4 x 32 bars 4 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set

1-2 All take hands on the sides and set facing partner;

3-4 2s 4s cross by the right to finish facing out and up WHILE 1s 3s set facing partner and finish facing down and in;

5-8 1M2L3M4L dance half reel of four on the Mn's side WHILE 1L2M3L4M dance half reverse reel of four on the L's side, finishing 4s facing in and down, 3s out and up, 2s in and down, 1s out and up;

9-12 4s 2s cross down, 3s 1s cast up, into half double figures of eight across, finishing 4s3s2s1s, 3s 1s on opposite sides;

13-20 repeat bars 5-12 from new positions, all finishing as at bar 4;

21-24 repeat bars 5-8, finishing 4s facing in and down, 3s out and up, 2s in and up, 1s standing in 4th place;

25-28 4L3M2L 4M3L2M dance mirror reels of three on the sides, finishing 2s3s4s1s, 2s 4s on opposite sides facing in, 3s back-to-back in 2nd position, facing out;

29-30 2L3M4L 2M3L4M balance-in-line;

31-32 3M 3L set advancing toward own sideline WHILE 2s 4s cross by the right, all (except standing 1s) pulling right shoulder back to finish in the sidelines facing partners, 2s3s4s1s.

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

Dance Notes

The dance is intended to flow seamlessly from one figure to the next as far as possible so that, at the end of every phrase, the dancers are facing in the correct direction for the beginning of the next phrase.
Following Miss Milligan's recommendation, hands should be taken whenever possible:
as an aid to covering, partners take nearer hands briefly whenever close enough in the half reels of four and three;
in order to give her precedence when crossing down in the half figures of eight, each M should take partner's right hand from own side, left hand from opposite side.

5-20 Note that in this composite figure, all Ls proceed clockwise around the set and all Mn anticlockwise.

5-24 The half reels of four on the Mn's side are always conventional (clockwise loops at the ends); those on the Ls' side are always reverse (anticlockwise loops).

5-28 Except when crossing down in the figures of eight, partners must cover exactly as though mirrored in the centre line.

-24 2s must finish facing out and up, ready to flow into the half reels of three.

(Dance notes by the deviser, Reuben Freemantle)

Keith Rose's Crib Diagram

Salad Days - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Information

This jig, Salad Days, is so-named by association with the British musical by Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds, first performed in Bristol in 1954. It includes the compulsive song, "Oh, Look at Me!", which is particularly appropriate to any dancer and "We Said We Wouldn't Look Back", which could be construed to align with the smooth flow of this dance.

(Dance information by the deviser, Reuben Freemantle)

The musical opened at the Bristol Old Vic before transferring to the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End, where it opened on 5 August 1954 and ran for 2,283 performances until 1959.

The story follows two university graduates, Timothy and Jane, whose families expect them to find employment and settle down. They encounter a magical piano which causes everyone who hears it to dance. Entrusted with its care, they attempt to protect it from the authorities, leading to a series of adventures involving a nightclub and a flying saucer.

The original London production starred John Warner and Eleanor Drew as Timothy and Jane. The musical has since been revived in London and performed by professional and amateur theatre companies.

The expression "salad days" comes from William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, written around 1606. In Act I, Scene 5, Cleopatra recalls her earlier feelings for Julius Caesar, describing her youthful inexperience in the following words:

My salad days,
When I was green in judgment, cold in blood,
To say as I said then.

The word "green" refers to immaturity or inexperience.

The expression "salad days" later acquired the broader meaning of a person's youthful years, particularly a period remembered for happiness or success, particularly before the responsibilities of adult life.

Salad Days Musical - Information Video

Dancing Couple Beside An Upright Piano, Illustrating The 1954 Musical "Salad Days"

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