Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Swirling Spey

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Swirling Spey
Maggie and Duncan Keppie Gaelic College SCD Book 11: Three Dozen
6/8x32 bar Strathspey
2-couple dance in 3- or 4-couple longways set

  1-4   SET ADVANCING AND PASS BACK: 1st and 2nd couples (nearer hands joined on side) set advancing to end back-to-back, then pulling right shoulder back dance past partner right shoulder to original places;

  5-8   TURN 1¼ ON SIDE: 1st man with 2nd man, 1st woman with 2nd woman to end in line across set, 1st man and 2nd woman back-to-back in middle;

  9-16 SWIRLING REEL OF 4: 1st and 2nd couples dance a Swirling Reel of 4 ending on own side in progressed places (dance around an oval track with a spin on the spot pulling right shoulder back in passing through the middle of the reel instead of passing left shoulders):
Bar 9: pass right shoulders; Bar 10: 1st man and 2nd woman dance round the ends of the reel
AS 2nd man and 1st woman pull right shoulder back and spin around individually;
Bar 11: pass right shoulders: Bar 12: 2nd man and 1st woman dance round the ends of the reel
AS 1st man and 2nd woman pull right shoulder back and spin around individually;
Bar 13: pass right shoulders; Bar 14: 1st man and 2nd woman dance round the ends of the reel
AS 2nd man and 1st woman pull right shoulder back and spin around individually;
Bars 15-16: 2nd man and 1st woman dance around ends of reel AS 1st man and 2nd woman dance straight across to end with 2nd couple in the top place and 1st couple in 2nd place;

17-24 RIGHT HAND WHEEL, ½ TURN AND TWIRL: 1st and 2nd couples dance right hands across (4 bars), then turn partner halfway with right hand, and twirl (dance towards partner and pulling right shoulder back dance to opposite side);

25-32 LEFT HAND WHEEL, ½ TURN AND TWIRL: 1st and 2nd couples dance left hands across (4 bars), then turn partner halfway with left hand, and twirl to own side.

Repeat from 2nd place.

(Dance crib compiled by the devisers, Maggie and Duncan Keppie)


Dance Information

The River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest-flowing river in Scotland.

The Spey changes its course very frequently, either gradually as a result of deposition and erosion from normal flow, or in a matter of hours as a result of going into spate (spate - very fast flood, flash flood). The Spey spates very quickly due to its wide catchment area in the mountains, as a result of rainfall or snow-melt.

The Spey In Spate At Craigellachie 2009 - Information Video

The Swirling Spey
The River Spey, Swirling


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