Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Temper-Pin

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

The Temper-Pin
Maggie and Duncan Keppie Gaelic College SCD Book 9: A Dozen in Hand
4x40 bar Jig
4-couple dance in 4-couple longways set

  1-8   SET TWICE AND CIRCLE: all set to partner, then set on diagonal in group of 4 (1st to 2nd, 3rd to 4th), and 4 hands once round to the left;

  9-16 HAND-IN-HAND OVAL REEL OF 4: all chase around an oval track, 1st followed by 2nd followed by 4th followed by 3rd, switching hands with partner at each end of the set ending as at the end of Bar 8: N.B. there is no left shoulder passing in the middle;

17-24 SET TWICE AND WHEEL: all set to partner, then set on diagonal in group of 4 (1st to 2nd, 3rd to 4th), and right hands across once round: on bar 24 1st man and 2nd woman, 3rd man and 4th woman dance towards each other ending back-to-back in a line of 4 across the dance facing own side (1st woman-2nd woman-1st man-2nd man; 3rd woman-4th woman-3rd man-4th man);

25-32 REELS OF 4: all dance a reel of 4 ending on own sides in progressed places (on Bars 31-32: 2nd man and 1st woman dance around ends of reel ending in progressed places AS 1st man and 2nd woman dance straight across to own side in progressed places: 3rd and 4th couples do likewise: order is now 2nd, 1st, 4th, 3rd);

33-40 CENTRE COUPLES SET AND SPRING POINTS, PASS RIGHT AND CHASE: 1st and 4th couples set and Spring Points to partner (or Pas de Basque twice), pass partner by the right shoulder and pulling right shoulder back chase halfway clockwise to own side: order is now 2nd, 4th, 1st, 3rd.

Repeat from new places.

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


Dance Information

A Temper-Pin is a wooden pin used for regulating spinning wheels.

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