Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Whirlpool

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

The Whirlpool
Maggie and Duncan Keppie Gaelic College SCD Book 11: Three Dozen
3x32 bar Strathspey
3-couple dance in 3-couple longways set

  1-8   SET, CROSS RIGHT HAND AND ½ CHASE: all set nearer hands joined, cross over using right hands with partner, and chase clockwise halfway round to own side (order: 3rd, 2nd, 1st);

  9-16 TANDEM SWIRLING REEL OF 4, 3RD AND 1ST COUPLES IN TANDEM: 3rd couple in tandem followed by 2nd man, and 1st couple in tandem followed by 2nd woman dance around an oval track, 1st and 3rd couples turn partner halfway with right hands in 2nd place on each side (Bars 3 and 7), and 2nd couple spins individually in 2nd place on the opposite side by pulling right shoulder back (Bar 4) (N.B. the lead for those in Tandem changes on the side of the oval reel): ending order is 3rd, 2nd, 1st all on own side;

17-24 SET, CROSS LEFT HAND AND ½ CHASE: all set nearer hands joined, cross over left hands with partner, and chase anticlockwise halfway round the set to own side to original places;

25-32 WALLOCH: all set nearer hands joined, couples in 1st and 2nd positions dance in, down and out one place down the set, touching nearer hands in the middle and curling upwards into the side AS couple in 3rd position dance up two places on their own side (NO CAST), REPEAT 25-28 from new positions (order is now 2nd, 3rd, 1st).

Repeat with new top couple.

(Dance crib compiled by the devisers, Maggie and Duncan Keppie)


Dance Information

Strong Atlantic currents and unusual underwater topography conspire to produce a particularly intense tidal race in the Corryvreckan channel, off the west coast of Scotland, making it the third largest whirlpool in the world.

Corrievrechan Whirlpool From A Boat - Information Video

Corrievrechan
Corrievrechan


Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Corrievrechan article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Russ Baum under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.

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