Three Score And Ten (Sim)

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

THREE SCORE AND TEN (S4x32) 4C set Shirley Sim Lothian 70th Book

1- 4 1s cross down to 4th place (no hands) while 2s+3s+4s face and dance up 1 place, 1s cross RH while 2s+3s+4s set
5-16 Repeat bars 1-4 3 times with each new top couple to end all in original places
17-24 All advance and retire, 1s set and cast to bottom
25-32 All circle 8H round and back

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Dance Information

Also see the dance Three Score And Ten (Harriman/Torf) by S Harriman and Torf Houston.

This strathspey, Three Score And Ten, was devised by Shirley Sim in Febuary 2006 to mark the RSCDS West Lothian Branch 70th anniversary. The first 16 bars represent the 7, and the circle at the end represents the 0.

The RSCDS West Lothian Branch was started on 29th October 1936, at a meeting held in the Masonic Temple in Linlithgow.

"Three score and ten" is a phrase used to refer to the number 70. The term "score" is an old-fashioned way of counting that represents 20 years. So, "three score and ten" is a poetic or archaic method of expressing the quantity 70, where three scores (3 times 20) add up to 60, and adding ten results in a total of 70.

The phrase is often associated with the biblical verse from Psalm 90:10 in the King James Version (KJV):

"The days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."

In this context, the verse suggests that a typical human lifespan is around 70 years, with the possibility of reaching 80 for those who are strong.

While the phrase has biblical origins, it has persisted in modern usage as a somewhat formal or poetic way of referring to the age of 70.

It's worth noting that the average lifespan has changed since biblical times due to advancements in healthcare and living conditions. Life expectancies vary globally, and in many developed countries, it now often exceeds 70 years.

Published in Three Score And Ten by Shirley Sim, published in the West Lothian 70 Book (for dances devised by members of West Lothian branch to celebrate their 70th Anniversary in 2006).
Additional search terms: 3 Score And 10.

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