Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

See A Man Sae Happy

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

See a Man Sae Happy
Maggie and Duncan Keppie Haliburton School Of Arts SCD Book 2: Let's dance
6/8x32 bar strathspey
2-couple dance in 3 or 4-couple longways set

  1-8   TANDEM REEL OF 3 AND ½ TURN: 1st and 2nd couples dance a reel of 3 up and down the middle of the dance: the women in tandem (staying close to one another) start by passing 1st man by the right shoulder and switching lead at each end of the reel (on bar 8 turn partner ½ (1st couple with right hands, and 2nd couple with left hands);

  9-16 TANDEM REEL OF 3 AND ½ TURN: 1st and 2nd couples dance a reel of 3 along the middle of the dance: the men in tandem (staying close to one another) start by passing 1st woman by the right shoulder and switching lead at each end of the reel (on bar 16 turn partner ½ round 1st couple with right hands, and 2nd couple with left hands to end women in center nearer hands joined facing men's side, men at end facing women's side);

17-24 ESPAGNOLE: women dance to men's side crossing over (2nd women going in front of 1st woman) and cast back to own side AS men dance across to partner's place, join right hands and dance to own side crossing over (2nd man going in front of 1st man)(4 bars), then turn partner once around (2nd couple with right hands, 1st couple with left hands): end with 1st couple in center facing up;

25-32 1ST COUPLE FIGURE OF 8: 1st couple dance a figure of 8 around 2nd couple starting by crossing up between 2nd couple and ending in 2nd place on own side.

Repeat from 2nd place.

(Dance crib compiled by the devisers, Maggie and Duncan Keppie)


Dance Information

The title of this dance, See A Man Sae Happy, comes from the Tam O' Shanter - Poem written by Robert Burns in 1790, while living in Dumfries, Scotland.

Care, mad to see a man sae happy,
E'en drown'd himsel amang the nappy:

Tam O' Shanter Poem - Information Video

Tam O' Shanter And The Witches Print
"Tam O' Shanter And The Witches" John Faed (1819-1902), Print, c. 1892


Image copyright John Faed, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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