Ski 'N' Do
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
SKI 'N' DO (J32) Round the Room Alex Gray Scandinavian Dance Book 1Round the Room Dance 2 facing 2
1- 8 Ladies dance Fig of 8 round opposite Man and partner (RSh round opposite Man, LSh round partner. Ladies pass LSh in middle)
9-16 Men repeat (LSh round opposite Lady, RSh round partner. Men pass RSh in middle)
17-24 All turn opposite dancer RH, turn partner LH
25-28 All set advancing to opposite dancer and ½ turn them RH to finish in prom hold with new partner, facing Men's starting place (Men shoulder to shoulder)
29-32 Couples dance round each other and dance on in direction Men originally facing to meet next couple
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Dance Information
This dance was created specifically for the Ski 'n' Do gathering, which took place in February 2014.The event was organised by Kjell Mathiesen and Martin McWilliam and held at Kobberhaughytta, a well-known lodge situated near Oslo, Norway. The weekend ran from the 21st to the 23rd of that month, bringing together participants for a programme of Scottish country dancing in a winter setting. The devising of the dance formed part of the activities arranged for the occasion, ensuring that those attending had a unique piece to perform that reflected the spirit of the event.
The title of this dance is also a word play on Sgian Dubh, (pronounced 'ski-en doo').
"Sgian Dubh" refers to a small, single-edged knife traditionally worn as part of Scottish Highland dress. It is often tucked into the top of the hose (sock) with only the hilt visible. The name "Sgian Dubh" translates to "black knife" in Scottish Gaelic, and it holds cultural significance.
The juxtaposition of "Ski 'N' Do" and "Sgian Dubh" creates an intriguing fusion of winter sports and a traditional Scottish cultural emblem.
Hugo Simberg, 'Gallen-Kallela Skiing', c. 1897
This page uses content under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, along with original copyrighted content and excerpts from Wikipedia and other sources.
Text from this original Sgian Dubh article on Wikipedia.
Image from Hugo Simberg (Finnish, 1873-1917), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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