Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Tandemonium

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Tandemonium (R4x32) 32 bar Reel for 4 couples in a 4 couple set. Trudy Roughgarden 2024

1-4: 1's set, cross (R hands) down to 2nd place remain facing out (2's up)- meanwhile
 4's set, cross (L hands) up to 3rd place, remain facing out (3's down)
5-8: 1's and 4's dance out the sides and around the nearest corner person to meet in the center facing sidelines (1W dances around 2M, 1M dances around 2W, 4M dances around 3M, 4M dances around 3W)
9-16: Tandem double triangles- set as in double triangles. On bars 3+4 of the phrase, 1's and 4's drop hands to move individually around partner to opposite sides. Set on bars 5+6. On bars 7 and 8 of the phrase, 1's and 4's petronella in tandem about ¾ round so that the men can orient diagonally towards the top of the set, while the women orient diagonally towards the bottom of the set.) ( 2's and 3's continue to set)
17-24: Tandem reels across the set
 1M followed by 4M give right shoulder to 2W.
 4W followed by 1W give right shoulder to 3M
 End with all on own sides, order 2413
25-32: RL, 2's with 4's, 1's with 3's

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Trudy Roughgarden, 2024)


Keith Rose's Crib Diagram


Dance Instruction Videos

Tandemonium - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

The title of this dance, Tandemonium, is a word-play on Tandem (meaning "one behind the other" or "working together in coordination") and Pandemonium (meaning "wild disorder or noisy confusion").

Published in Tandemonium, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Trudy Roughgarden.

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