Visiting My Puddles
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Visiting My Puddles (S4x32) A 32 bar strathspey for four couples in a longwise set. Murrough Landon, 20242nd and 4th couples start on the opposite sides.
1-8 1st and 2nd couples, also 3rd and 4th couples, each circle four hands round and back.
9-16 All dance a left handed Helix. All set advancing, passing their partner left shoulder then cast, pulling left shoulder back, to their original side. All half turn their partner left hand; then 1st and 2nd couples, also 3rd and 4th couples, each dance half left hands across.
17-20 2nd and 1st couples, also 4th and 3rd couples, each dance right hands across.
21-24 2nd man, 1st man, 4th man and 3rd man dance half a diagonal reel of four. 2nd and 1st men, also 4th and 3rd men, start by passing right shoulder. On bar 24 1st and 4th men pass each other right shoulder to end on the nearest side beside their partner (optionally curving left shoulder back into place for longer eye contact with their partner).
The order is now 2nd woman, 4th man, 4th woman and 2nd man down the men's side and 3rd man, 1st woman, 1st man and 3rd woman down the women's side.
25-32 All dance a modified Double Slide Poussette. 2nd woman, 4th man, 1st man and 3rd woman dance the standard All Round Poussette. However in bar 3 the 3rd and 2nd men, then in bar 6 the 1st and 4th women, change places to recover their original partner.
1: All dance in to take both hands with the opposite person on the 1st diagonals.
2: All set out to the sides with a quarter turn as usual.
3: 2nd and 3rd couples release hands. All set into the centre, but 3rd and 2nd men slide past each other face to face and pull back right shoulder on the hop to take both hands with their partner in the other half of the set.
4: All turn onto the 1st diagonals so that the women are back to back.
5: All set out to the sides with a quarter turn as usual.
6: 1st and 4th couples release hands. All set into the centre, but 1st and 4th women slide past each other face to face and pull back right shoulder on the hop to take both hands with their partner in the other half of the set.
7-8: All half turn their partner and pass them right shoulder to end on opposite sides.
The final order is 2,4,1,3 with 4th and 3rd couples on opposite sides.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA October 2024)
Dance Notes
The Double Slide Poussette was devised by Moira Turner in The Wee Lassie fae Gourock - though in that dance only two couples change partners.If the dance is started with 1st and 3rd couples on opposite sides (instead of 2nd and 4th couples) then those dancing as women will do the half diagonal reel and slide first in the Poussette.
(Dance notes by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA October 2024)
Dance Instruction Videos
Visiting My Puddles - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
"Are you visiting your puddles again?" was the phrase my mother, Claudine Landon, used to enjoy teasing me with about my regular holidays in the English Lake District.I never thought of this as a possible name for a dance while she was alive, but now she is gone it brings back happy memories.
Recommended music: Suggested tune The House Of New by William Marshall; suitable recording Boundary Cottage (Green Ginger: 12 Scottish Country Dances by Mervin Short).
(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA October 2024)
One Of Murrough's Puddles
Wastwater, On A Rare Calm Autumn Day
Published in Visiting My Puddles, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.
Image copyright Andy Stephenson under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.
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