Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Unexpected

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

The Unexpected (R4x48) 4C (4C set) 48 bar Reel for 4 Couples in a 4 Couple Set, devised by Rodney J Burrows, 2019.
3rd and 4th couples start on opposite sides. 12(3)(4)

1- 8 1st and 4th couples dance half figure of eight around 2nd and 3rd couples and
 cross right hand and cast down/up (2s/3s stepping up/down). 21(4)(3)
9-16 1st lady and 4th lady cross to other side while 1st man dances down sideline to 3rd place and 4th man dances up sideline to 2nd place
  1st and 4th couple turn end persons/corners right hand (1st lady with 2nd man; 1st man with 3rd lady; 4th lady with 3rd man; 4th man with 2nd lady), and (keeping right hands joined with corners) 1st and 4th couple take left hands in the centre to make a St Andrew's cross
  All set
17-24 1st and 4th couples dance anticlockwise one place to the next corner
  1st and 4th couple turn corner right hand, and (keeping right hands joined with corners) 1st and 4th couple take left hands in the centre to make a St Andrew's cross
  All set
25-40 1st and 4th couples repeat bars 17-24 with the next two corners. 21(4)(3)
41-48 1st couple cross left hand out of the top of the set and cast down, while 4th couple cross left hand out of the bottom and cast up
 1st and 4th couple dancers change places right hand on the sidelines
 All set. 24(1)(3)

(WEECRIB)


If you are the deviser of this dance, or the current copyright holder, and would like your crib or instructions included here, please do contact us.

Keith Rose's Crib Diagram


Dance Instruction Videos

The Unexpected - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video
The Unexpected Surprise
"The Unexpected Surprise" Paul Chocarne-Moreau (1855–1930), Oil On Canvas, Before c. 1930


Image from (cropped) Paul Chocarne-Moreau, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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