They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night 1x128 bar Strathspey for 4 Couples Rod Downey They Stole My Wife From Me last Night CollectionA 128 bar Strathspey in a square set.
FIGURE 1
1-2 Head couples (ie the ones and threes) set, advancing if necessary.
3-4 Head couples dance petronella in tandem to finish facing, so that there is a line of couples in centre, across in order 2C, 3C, 1C, 4C.
5-6 All set with nearer hands joined, so that the side couples shadow the head couples.
7-8 All set with nearer hands joined, this time the head couples use zig-zag setting so that they pass each other, and finish with 1C facing 2C, and 3C facing 4C.
9-16 All dance reels of 4 across the set, finishing as it starts, with first and second, and similarly third and fourth couples facing.
17-20 First couple dance past second couple passing right shoulder, and dance clockwise around the set to finish with first lady in third mans place and first man in third ladies place facing in. Similarly for the third couple.
21-24 First lady turns third man one and a half times with right hand back to original place. Similarly for the first man and third lady.
25-32 All circle eight hands round and back.
FIGURE 2
33-36 First and third couples dance a half ladies chain.
37-40 Second and fourth couples repeat.
41-48 All dance interlocking reels of four. Ladies begin by giving right shoulder to their new "corners". That is, the give right shoulder to the man on their right. (So that, for instance, first lady gives right shoulder to second man.)
49-50 Ladies dance four hands round to the left half way, spiraling inwards so that they finish close together, with their backs towards the position opposite from where they started.
51-52 Ladies cast pulling back right shoulder to finish in original place facing clockwise.
Bars 49-52 should be carefully phrased so as not to lose the shape of the figure. The spiraling in is important.
53-56 All dance half grand chain with one bar per hand finish facing partner.
All couples will now be on opposite sides.
57-58 All set to partner.
59-62 All turn partners one and a half times opening out to finish in partners place, with nearer hands joined.
63-64 All set, facing across set.
FIGURE 3
65-96 Repeat 33-64 with the roles of the men and women reversed. This time side couples begin with the men's chain. At the end of bar 96, all should be in original places facing in.
FIGURE 4
97-128 Repeat 1-32 with side couples active this time.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser Rod Downey, Johnsonville SCD Club Tutor)
Dance Information
This dance, They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night, was devised at TAC Summer School in august 2004.After hearing a wonderful tune played by Mara Shea and Lisa Scott as part of a Liz Donaldson set for "Green Grow the Rashes" during a fabulous night of dancing, I decided to write a dance for the tune. Modified 21st November, 2005 after my wife Kristin made a suggestion.
The recommended tunes are The title "Ghoid iad bhean uam an raoir" (They stole my wife from me last night) Patrick MacDonald Collection 14. This tune can be found as part of a set for "The Birks of Invermay" on the CD "Terpsichore" by Elke Baker and Liz Donaldson. A set is available upon request.
Since this music in 4 x 32 is not readily available, I would suggest using either "Seann Thuibhas Willican" or "Miss Gillian McMullen Of Cambridge" recorded by Ed Pearlman and Beth Robinson on "Boston Hospitality" (PAD101), side 2, track 3. The music should be suitably lyrical.
Published in They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection.
Dance information from They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection Of Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey.