Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Smiling Lila

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

SMILING LILA (R8x32) 3C (4C set) Don Bartlett, 2017

1- 4 1s and 2s cross RH with partner and set to partners.
5- 6 1M+2M and 1L+2L Link on sides, join nearer hands with partner, 2s facing down, 1s facing up. 213
7- 8 2s+1s set to each other
9-12 2s+1s Link with partners to finish 2s+1s joining nearer hands on the sides, facing partners. 2s+1s set to partners
13-16 1s nearer hands joined dance up between 2s and cast to 2nd place
17-24 1s lead down the middle and back, finishing in 2nd place facing up
25-32 Modified reel of 3 on sides:
 1s dance out/up, 2s in/down, 3s in up to start.
 Bar 3-4: On reaching 1st place, 1s cross down RH to continue reel on opposite side
 Bar 7-8: 1s cross up RH to end in 2nd place own side. 213

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)


Smiling Lila
Don Bartlett Toronto, 2017
Reel 8 x 32 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set

  1-2   1s 2s cross by the right;

  3-4   taking hands on the sides, 1s2s set;

  5-6   1s2s link on the sides (as in set and link for 2), modified so that 2s finish in 1st position facing down, 1s in 2nd position facing up, on opposite sides, nearer hands joined;

  7-8   2s1s set facing up and down;

  9-10 2s1s link across the set, finishing 2s1s on own sides, nearer hands joined;

11-12 2s1s set facing partners;

13-16 taking nearer hands, 1s lead up between 2s and cast to 2nd place;

17-24 1s lead down the middle and back to 2nd place, finishing facing out and up;

25-32 modified mirror reels of 3 on the sides, 1s crossing down on reaching top place and up on reaching bottom place to finish 2s1s3s on own sides.

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

Dance Notes

  3-6   Although some dancers might find it easier to regard this as a slightly modified set and link for 2 on the sides, the phrasing would be counter-intuitive.

  7-10 If this were regarded as a form of set and link for 2 across the set, the phrasing across the 8-bar boundary would be more counter-intuitive.

17-24 Nearer hands joined would fit the succeeding figure better.

27-27 1s give right hands as they cross down.

31-31 1s give right hands as they cross up.

    -32 As specified by the deviser, it is natural, and more elegant, for 1L to pull right shoulder back as she finishes in 2nd place after crossing up by the right.


Smiling Lila (R8x32) 3C (4C set) Don Bartlett 2017

1 - 4 1st and 2nd couples, giving right hands, change places with partners to finish hands joined on the sides, facing partners across the dance. Set to partners.
5 - 8 1st woman and 2nd man dance in, pulling right shoulders back, while 1st man and 2nd woman cast, pulling right shoulders back, to finish hands joined with partners across the set, 2nd couple facing down and 1st couple facing up. 1st and 2nd couples set to each other.
9 - 12 2nd man and 1st woman dance in, pulling right shoulders back, while 2nd woman and 1st man cast, pulling right shoulders back, to finish hands joined on the sides, facing partners across the dance. Set to partners.
13 - 16 1st couple, giving nearer hands, dance up between 2nd couple and cast off to 2nd place.
17 - 24 1st couple lead down the middle and back to 2nd place.
25 - 32 1st three couples dance reels of three on the sides. 1st couple dance up and out to begin, while 2nd couple dance in and down, and 3rd couple dance in and up. On bars 3 and 4 of the figure, 1st couple, giving right hands, lead down and cross over to 2nd place. And on bars 7 and 8 of the figure, 1st couple, giving right hands, lead up, cross over and pull right shoulder back to finish in 2nd place, facing each other, ready to begin again.

Repeat, having passed a couple.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Don Bartlett, Toronto, November 2017)

Dance Notes

Bars 3 to 10 are similar to bars 1 to 8 of "Links with St Petersburg".

Bars 25 to 32; The first couple leads up or down slightly before crossing over. If they do this, they get to dance a fraction of a second longer together, and it is then natural for the lady to pull her right shoulder back at the end of the figure.

(Dance notes by the deviser, Don Bartlett, Toronto, November 2017)


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

Smiling Lila - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

Don Bartlett, the deviser, dedicated this dance, Smiling Lila, to his eponymous granddaughter.

He has composed tunes for the dance and has generously made available the sheet music of the tunes as Smiling Lila - Sheet Music.

He will also provide an 8x32 audio file (mp3) of the music on request to .

(Dance information by the deviser and Rob Lockhart)

Smiling Lila
Smiling Lila

Smiling Lila Music
Smiling Lila Sheet Music


Upper image copyright Don Bartlett, Lila, All Rights Reserved, 2019.
Lower image copyright Don Bartlett, All Rights Reserved, 2019.

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