Weavers Branch

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1-4 1st and 2nd couples advance for one and retire for one.
 Then 1st couple dance down, touching nearer hands, to face out in 2nd place own sides while 2nd couple cast up to 1st place facing in.
5-8 2nd, 1st and 3rd couples dance half a reel of three on the sides, 1st couple start by giving right shoulder to the person on their right (their 3rd corner) and end with 1st man facing down and 1st woman facing up on the sides.
9-16 All dance an Outer Tandem Bourrel:
 1-4: 2nd man followed in tandem by 1st man, also 3rd woman followed by 1st woman, each chase just over half way anticlockwise to end on the centre line and join nearer hands. The two men face down at the top, the two women face up at the bottom. Meanwhile 3rd man and 2nd women set advancing towards each other, half turn with both hands and twirl away to end back to back facing down and up.
 5-6: All set on the centre line.
 7-8: 2nd and 1st men with 2nd woman, also 3rd and 1st women with 3rd man, each circle three hands round three quarters to end on their own sides. The men are back in their original order 1,2,3. The women are now in the order 2,3,1.
17-24 1st couple each dance a complete figure of eight on their own side, starting right shoulder to the person on their right, then left shoulder round their 4th corner.
25-32 All dance a Three Couple Espagnole:
 1-2: The top two women, also the bottom two men, take left hands to lead across and change places while the top man and bottom woman (currently 1st couple) each dance across solo.
 3-4: All repeat that pattern, right hands, to end on their own sides facing their partner.
 5-8: 3rd and 2nd couples, at the top and bottom, turn once round with the right hand while 1st couple, in 2nd place, turn once round with the left hand. The final order is 3,1,2.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA May 2021 (revised February 2024))

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It is also their street address in Thame, Oxfordshire.

The Outer Tandem Bourrel also appears in Variations On A Theme.

Different versions of a Three Couple Espagnole are found in both City Of Wisteria by Peter Marshall and Tall Ship "Glenlee" by Niall Bootland. This dance has yet a third variation of the handing.

Recommended music:
Preferred tune: Jan Collings' Strathspey and The Glasgow Birthday (both by Ian Robertson).

(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA February 2024)

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