Win Thompson's Chase

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

WIN THOMPSON'S CHASE (R4x40) Sq.Set Ruary Laidlaw Dancing Feet
Square set - All face partner for bow/curtsey and remain facing

1- 8 Men pass partners LSh, chase round outside of set back to place
9-16 Ladies repeat bars 1-8 passing partners RSh
17-24 Men dance RH across, LH across back to place
25-32 Ladies repeat bars 17-24
33-40 1s lead across between 3s, cast away from each other round outside of set, back to place. All couples face partners ready for repeat
Bars 33-40 2nd time 2s lead through 4s, 3rd time 3s lead through 1s, 4th time 4s lead through 2s

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

Win Thompson's Chase A 4 x 40 bar Reel for 4 couples in a square set, men/1s with their partners on their right.
At the beginning all 4 couples face their partners for the bow and curtsey. After the bow and curtsey they stay facing each other.

Chase
1 - 8 All 4 men pass their partners by the left shoulder and chase each other round the outside of the square for eight steps and finish back in their original places facing in to the centre of the square.
9-16 All 4 ladies pass their partners by the right shoulder and chase each other round the outside of the square for eight steps and finish back in their original places facing in to the centre of the square.

Wheel
17-24 All 4 men dance into the middle of the square to give right hands into a wheel for four steps round and back with the left hand for four steps to finish in original place facing in.
25-32 All 4 ladies dance into the middle of the square to give right hands into a wheel round for four steps and back with the left hand for four steps to finish in original place facing in.

Lead Through and Cast Away
33-40 The first couple, with their backs to the music, take right hands and lead across the set, between the third couple (the couple directly opposite them) drop right hands and cast away from each other and dance round the outside of the set back to original places, and face each other.
The other couples all face each other as well ready to start again from the same position.

On bars 33-40 of the second time through the second couple lead between the fourth couple and cast back home; of the third time through third couple lead between the first couple and cast back home and of the fourth time through the fourth couple lead between the second couple and cast back home.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Ruary Laidlaw, 2002)

Dance Instruction Videos

Win Thompson's Chase - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

I had always wanted to learn Highland Dancing after seeing dancers at the New Year Sports Day held at Dipton, Southland. Bands and dancers came every year for the event. I was living at Sawyers Bay, Otago, in 1935 then.

During the winter of 1956, after seeing a demonstration set perform, a group of people got together to try and form a Scottish Dance group at Port Chalmers, one mile from Sawyers Bay. One of the members of the Burns Club (run by Les Jack) from Dunedin offered to come and teach us. The group met each fortnight. During the next year some members were confident enough to attend Open Nights in Dunedin!

During 1957 two of us went regularly to the Burns Club. At the end of the year the first Summer School at Knox College was being organised and we were persuaded to go. That was the first of many Summer Schools for me. The next year it was held in Auckland and I traveled by train and boat with a group from the Southern Cross Club, which I had joined after the Summer School at Knox.

From those beginnings I attended many more. At one in Wanganui 1964-5 I met another dancer from Wellington, Harry Cooper. The next year at Napier we became engaged and were married the following April.

We came to Hamilton to live and joined the Caledonian Society Club, which later became the Lochiel Scottish Country Dance Club (Lochiel SCD Club). I have been a member ever since. For the next few years we attended each Summer School. Unfortunately Harry passed away after a severe heart attack in 1971.

In December 1973 I married Frank Thompson who was not a dancer but he encouraged me to keep up the interest. While I enjoyed many Summer Schools each year, Frank spent the time with family on holiday.

We both had a lovely holiday in Norfolk Island with a group from New Zealand led by Dorothy Wilson. In 1979 I had a month's holiday in America with a group of Scottish Country Dancers from New Zealand led by Dorreen Blundell. I also attended two Winter Schools in Australia: one in Canberra and the other in Perth.

Over the years I have been to Weekend Schools in Queenstown, Whangarei and Blenheim among the many held in the Waikato Bay of Plenty Region (WBOP) as well.

Win Thompson

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