The White Rose Reel

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1-4 The three men dance a Hay Shuttle Sequence. That is, taking hands on bar 1 all three men set, releasing hands to all face up on bar 2. Then using slip step all shuttle across the set on bar 3 (R, L, R). Now bring left foot across in front to spring to the ladies' side and finish with the second half of a pas de Basque step to finish facing across. (Count R, L, R turn L, R, L slip R, L, R and L, R, L)
While 2L and 3L follow 1L to dance across the top of the set, across to the men's side and down behind the men's side to finish in order (from the top) 3, 2, 1.
5-8 The ladies dance a Hay Shuttle Sequence while the men follow the ladies' track for 1-4.
9-12 Taking hands on the side, all advance and retire.
13-14 All petronella into a line of 6 up and down the middle of the set, in the order from the top, 3L, 2L, 3M, 1L, 2M, 1M, with the ladies facing down and the men facing up. (Note that 3M and 1L are back to back.)
15-16 All set.
17-24 All dance reels of 4 up and down the set, with 3L and 2L; 2M and 1M dancing in tandem with one lead change on bar 20, and 3M and 1L not dancing the last LS but curving around to be back to back, so that, from the top we will have the three ladies in order 3,2,1 in a line and at the bottom the order will be (from the top) 3,2,1.
25-28 In a line three following the 3rd lady, the three ladies dance out to the right to their own side, and in a line of three following 1M, the three men dance also dance out to the right to the men's side. Finishing order 1,2,3.
29-30 Giving right hand, 1M and 2M, 1L and 2L half turn to change places.
31-32 Giving left hand 1M and 3M, 1L and 3L half turn to change places. Finishing order 2,3,1.

Repeat with a new top couple.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser Rod Downey, Johnsonville SCD Club Tutor)

Dance Information

I really liked the shuttle step sequence with the turns individually as they look great when covering is done.

Hay's dance has the couples doing it twice and back to back, obscuring the attractiveness of the individual sequences, and causing confusion, especially as I taught it wrongly initially! I revised this (undanced) 24/7/2023 as I was not happy with the asymmetry of the original version which needed such asymmetry as it had a 3C chain progression.

I introduced the "Eileen Watt's Reel" sequence (Bars 17-28) as I have always admired that dance very much.

Recommended tune is "Eileen Watt" by Muriel Johnstone, and any recording of "Eileen Watt's Reel" I am aware of will work well.

Alec Hay was a wonderful New Zealand devisor, and invented set and link, inverted double triangles, half turn hesitate and cast, the "best set in the hall" (Peter White) formation, and shuttle step, amongst other things.

(Dance information from The Piwakawaka Collection Of Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey)

Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'The White Rose Reel' page