Spinnaker Hornpipe

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Spinnaker Hornpipe 8x40 bar Hornpipe for 2 Couples Rod Downey They Stole My Wife From Me last Night Collection
A two couple 40 bar Hornpipe.

1-8 First and second couples dance a double figure of eight across the dance, first couple crossing down, and second couple casting up to begin. At the end of the figure, first couple face down, and second couple face up.
9-16 First couple lead down the middle and up. Dancing up to begin, the second couple follow the first couple down. The second couple divide to allow the first couple do dance between them and then follow the first couple back. The couples finish in the middle facing each other as if ready for a poussette.
17-24 First and second couples dance a Gay Gordons Poussette.
25-32 First and second couples dance a reel of four up and down the dance, beginning by both couples passing their partner right shoulder. Finish the reel as it began in a line of four with both couples facing their partners.
The first lady and second man should not pass the last left shoulder of the reel; rather they should pass right shoulder.
33-34 All turn partners right hands so that both couples are on opposite sides.
35-36 All set taking hands on the sides.
37-38 All cross giving left hands to partner.
39-40 All set taking hands on the sides.

Repeat, having passed a couple.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser Rod Downey, Johnsonville SCD Club Tutor)

Dance Notes

1-16 Alternative: The above is quite tiring, in conjunction with the rest of the dance. An acceptable alternative first 16 bars would be: 1-8 1C dances a figure of eight around 2C, and then 1C leads down the middle and up staying in the centre ready for the Gay Gordon's Poussette.

Gay Gordons Poussette
This is a new progression. Begin the figure as with a normal two couple quicktime poussette.

1-2 As with a normal poussette. (That is, away from the centre, quarter turn)
3-4 While the men dance two bars of pas de Basque (on the spot), the ladies turn under their partner's left hand. The ladies turn in the natural way, towards their partner. Their right hand will be holding their partners left, and they will be pulling back their right shoulder. Finish holding both of partner's hands as for a poussette.
5-6 As with bars 3-4 of a normal poussette. (That is, up or down, quarter turn. It is helpful here if the first man and second lady separate from their partners and hence move towards the middle of the set on bar 6.)
7-8 While the men dance two bars of pas de Basque, the ladies turn under their partner's right hand. The ladies turn in the natural way, towards their partner. Their left hand will be holding their partner's right, and they will be pulling back their left shoulder.
The men will dance the pas de Basque moving in and down the set, and the ladies slightly up and in, so that at the end all finish in a line of up and down the center of the set, facing partner, with the men facing up, and ladies down.

(Dance notes by the deviser, Rod Downey)

Dance Information

This dance, Spinnaker Hornpipe, was devised in July, 2004 in Wellington and was written for Margaret and John Bailey, members of the Johnsonville Scottish Country Dancing Club.

Margaret is a long time tutor, and helps me a lot. She loves energetic dances, and I wrote this as a hornpipe with that in mind.

The hornpipe is especially apt as Margaret and John live in "Spinnaker Drive, Whitby" which was developed around the Cook bicentenary, and is full of nautical place names for the streets.

Recommended Music: "The Mary Rose Hornpipe" from London Highland Club Diamond Jubilee, and played ABABB.

(Dance information from They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection Of Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey)

Published in They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey.

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