Three Times Three
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Three Times Three A forty eight bar Hornpipe for two couples in a longwise set, devised by John W Mitchell, published in Whetherly Book 7.1- 6 First couple set, lead down between second and third couples, second couple step up on bars 3 & 4, first couple cross below third couple and cast up into second place on the opposite side.
7- 8 First couple collect second couple in promenade hold and turn them to face out, ladies on the other man's right.
9-16 First and second couples, still in promenade hold cast off for four bars, each couple turns inwards to dance up the outside with the ladies on the men's left, to the top of the set. They dance in in promenade hold, to finish in a straight line facing down with the first couple in the middle of the line, all with nearer hands joined.
17-24 All dance down the middle for four steps, turning to the right to dance up: first couple accelerate to dance in front of second couple and cast off into second place on the opposite side as second couple dance out to first place.
25-32 First and second couples dance a ladies' chain, finish facing up and down on the side lines with both hands joined.
33-40 First and second couples change sides of the set with a poussette: to start the ladies retire along the side lines then make a quarter turn to bring the men into the middle, into the middle on third step and out to the opposite side on fourth step, another quarter turn and travel along the sides, then turn half way to get first couple into second place and on the last bar turn to face partner across the set.
41-44 First couple cross up between second couple and cast off into second place on the opposite sides. Meanwhile second couple set and turn with the right hand once round, to finish facing out.
45-48 First and second couples dance half a double figure of eight to return to own sides of the set, to start second couple cast off whilst first couple cross up.
Repeat from second place.
Recommended tune: Three times three
(Dance crib reproduced from The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagram
Published in The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances Number 7, by John W Mitchell, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell; instructions reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-ND 4.0).
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