The Spinnaker Tower
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE SPINNAKER TOWER (J8x40) 3C (4C set) Kathy Lawmon Dancing in Southsea1- 8 1s+2s+3s dance reels of 3 with 1s crossing down to 2nd place to start with each couple in turn crossing down and all end on opposite sides
9-16 1s slip step down middle and back up to 2nd place (2s step up on bars 11-12)
17-24 2s+1s+3s set and link for 3, all advance and retire (up/down)
25-32 2s+1s+3s set and link for 3 (to own sides), all turn RH into Allemande hold
33-40 3s+1s+2s dance Allemande
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
The Spinnaker Tower
Kathy Lawmon Dancing in Southsea
Jig 8 x 40 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set
1-8 1s cross down into mirror reels of 3 on the sides, 2s 3s also crossing down on reaching the top of the set, all finishing on opposite sides;
9-16 taking both hands, 1s slip down the middle and back to 2nd place;
17-20 2s1s3s set and link for 3, finishing 3L1L3M facing down, 2L1M2M facing up;
21-24 3L1L3M 2L1M2M advance and retire, up and down;
25-28 3L1L3M 2L1M2M set and link for 3, finishing 3s1s2s on own sides;
29-32 3s 1s 2s turn by the right, finishing in allemande hold on the centre line;
33-40 3s1s2s allemande.
(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)
The Spinnaker Tower (J8x40) 3C (4C set) Kathy Lawmon Dancing in Southsea
1-8 1st, 2nd, 3rd couples dance reels of three - 1st couple cross down to 2nd place to start and each couple in turn cross when reaching top place, to complete the reel on the opposite side.
9-16 1st couple with both hands joined slip down the middle and back to 2nd place, 2nd couple stepping up on bars 15-16.
17-20 2nd, 1st and 3rd couples set and link to lines across the set.
21-24 All three couples join hands and advance and retire.
25-28 2nd 1st and 3rd couples set and link to finish on own sides.
29-32 All three couples turn partner right hand to allemande hold.
33-40 3rd, 1st and 2nd couples allemande.
Repeat from 2nd position.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Kathy Lawmon, 2005)
Dance Notes
15-16 2s step up (the deviser's recommendation).
29-32 A slow, initially long-arm, turn into allemande hold.
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
The Spinnaker Tower - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
The recommended tune is "The Spinnaker" by Alistair Forbes; a recording by The Craigievar Scottish Dance Band is available on "Highlander Music CD HRMCD514: Scottish Dances vol 14".(Dance information by the deviser, Kathy Lawmon)
The Spinnaker Tower is a 170-metre (560 ft) landmark tower in Portsmouth, England, UK, with amazing views of the Solent and surrounding areas. It is 2½ times as high as Nelson's Column, making it the tallest accessible structure in the United Kingdom outside London; the tower has become a major tourist attraction since its completion in 2005.
The dance came to the deviser's mind while watching people arriving and visiting this attraction:
bars 1-8 depict people arriving from many areas;
bars 9-16 depict the high speed internal lift;
bars 17-32 depict the viewing platform and venturing onto the glass floor;
bars 33-40 depict descending in the external scenic lift.
The Spinnaker Tower represents sails billowing in the wind, a design accomplished using two large, white, sweeping steel arcs, which give the tower its spinnaker sail design.

The Spinnaker Tower
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original The Spinnaker Tower article on Wikipedia and from Elizabeth Rimmington.
Image copyright Peter Trimming under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.
Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'The Spinnaker Tower' page