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Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Switchback (S4x32) A 32 bar strathspey for four couples in a spacious square set, Murrough Landon January 20261- 8 Interlocking reels with turns: All dance 3 bars of interlocking reels of four around the set, starting right shoulder to their partner. Then on bar 4 all half turn the next person with the left hand and face them, ending back to back with their partner.
All repeat 3 bars of interlocking reels, starting left shoulder to the person they just turned. Then on bar 8 all half turn their partner with the right hand and face them.
9-12 All dance back to back with their partner.
13-16 The men dance left hands across half way. Retaining left hands briefly they then set right with the highland schottische setting step ending out on the opposite side. All join both hands with their temporary new partner (1st man is with 3rd woman).
17-24 All dance a progressive setting figure:
17: All set in towards the centre with their current partner, men starting on the left foot.
18: All release hands and each turn singly on the spot, pulling their right shoulder back, and join both hands with the next person (1st man is now with 4th woman).
19: All set out to the corners of the set with this partner.
20: All half turn with both hands pulling left shoulder back.
21-24: All repeat bars 17-20 from the corner places, recovering their original partner on bar 23 and open out after the last half (left shoulder back) turn to face in on the sides. The order is now 2,3,4,1.
25-28 The women dance right hands across once round, then take promenade hold with their partner, all facing clockwise with the women on the inside.
29-32 All promenade half way round clockwise and end facing their partner in the order 4,1,2,3.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA January 2026)
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Bars 17-24 here were loosely inspired by a non-progressive in/out figure from John Drewry's triangular reel La Ronda. It can become a square progression in strathspey time if all start opposite their partner.Recommended music: Suggested tune: The Shetland Fiddler's Society (Ronald Cooper).
Suitable recording: Huntly Castle (Atlantic Firth: Ready And...).
(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA January 2026)
Published in Switchback, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon. Licensed under CC BY-SA.
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