Vital Spark (Holdsworth)

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 8 1s cross RH, cast 1 place, cross LH, cast down 1 place and lead up to face 1st corners
9-16 1s turn 1st corners RH, turn partner LH while corners dance on 1 place clockwise, 1s turn 1st corner person RH and curve into 2nd place opposite sides while corners dance on 1 place clockwise
17-24 3s+1s+2s set and petronella turn into centre to face partner, set and turn RH into Allemande hold
25-32 3s+1s+2s dance Allemande

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

Dance Information

"The Vital Spark" is a fictional boat known as a Clyde puffer, and it was created by the Scottish writer Neil Munro.

The Clyde puffer is a type of steamboat that was commonly used for cargo transport in the west of Scotland during the early to mid-20th century. Munro's portrayal of "The Vital Spark" is featured in a series of stories and novels, depicting the adventures and misadventures of its fictional crew.

People liked puffers even before Munro wrote his stories in the Glasgow Evening News in 1905. It makes sense because these small steamboats were crucial for supplying goods along the west coast of Scotland and the Hebrides. The stories Munro told were more playful and mischievous than the actual business of shipping, but they became very famous.

They were in the newspaper for over 20 years, turned into a book in 1931, inspired a 1953 film called The Maggie, and became three popular TV series from 1959 to 1995.

Vital Spark At Crinan, Argyll And Bute, Scotland, 2006

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