St Kilda Jig
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
St Kilda JigDeirdre MacCuish Bark Toronto, January 2015
Jig 8 x 32 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set
1-8 1s2s3s parallel reels of 3 on the sides, 1M2M 1L2L giving right shoulder to start, all finishing in places;
9-10 1s2s take hands on the sides and set to partner;
11-12 1M 1L 2L 2M pull right shoulder back and cast one place clockwise to finish 2M2L on the Mn's side, 1M1L on the Ls' side;
13-14 2s1s right hands across halfway, to finish 1L2M retaining hold, 1M in 2M's place facing 2L in 1L's place;
15-16 1M2L set facing diagonally WHILE 1L2M turn by the right halfway, to finish facing partners;
17-22 1s2s dance ¾ of a reel of 4 on the diagonal;
23-24 1M 2L complete the reel of 4 normally WHILE 1L cast to 2L's place WHILE 2M cast up to 1M's place, finishing 2s1s3s on own sides;
25-32 2s1s3s 6 hands round to the left and back.
(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)
Dance Notes
1- In the 3rd, 5th and 7th repeats, the former 1s must give left shoulder to the 3s when dropping to 4th place of the full set in order not to impede the 3s entry into the parallel reels.
Dance Instruction Videos
St Kilda Jig - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
St Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: "Hiort") is an isolated archipelago situated 64 kilometres (40 mi) west-northwest of North Uist, in the North Atlantic Ocean. It contains the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The largest island is Hirta, whose sea cliffs are the highest in the United Kingdom; three other islands (Dùn, Soay and Boreray) were also used for grazing and seabird hunting.The origin of the name St Kilda is a matter of conjecture. The islands' human heritage includes numerous unique architectural features from the historic and prehistoric periods, although the earliest written records of island life date from the Late Middle Ages. The medieval village on Hirta was rebuilt in the 19th century, but illnesses brought by increased external contacts through tourism, and the upheaval of the First World War contributed to the island's evacuation in 1930.
The entire archipelago is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. It became one of Scotland's six World Heritage Sites in 1986.
Two different early sheep types have survived on these remote islands, the Soay, a Neolithic type, and the Boreray, an Iron Age type. The islands are a breeding ground for many important seabird species including northern gannets, Atlantic puffins, and northern fulmars. The St Kilda wren and St Kilda field mouse are endemic subspecies.
Village Bay, St Kilda, 1969
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original St Kilda, Scotland article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Ian Mitchell under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.
Additional search terms: Saint.
Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'St Kilda Jig' page