Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Zeal Of The Joyous Scots

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

The Zeal Of The Joyous Scots (R4x32) (4C Square) A 32 bar reel for four couples in a square set. Murrough Landon 2016

1-4 All turn partner three quarters right hand and retain hands.
3-4 The women take left hands across in the centre and all balance in line.
5-6 Dropping right hands, the men dance one place clockwise while the women dance half left hands across in the centre and retain hands.
7-8 All take right hands with new person and balance in line.
9-10 All half turn that person right hand.
11-12 The men dance half left hands across to end back to back in the centre facing out while the women dance one place clockwise to end facing their partner in the order 2,3,4,1.
13-16 All dance back to back with partner.
17-20 All turn partner three quarters right hand so the men are facing in and the women are facing out. The men then sweep past each other by the right shoulder curving to the directly opposite place while the women continue looping to end in their partner's place.
21-24 The men all half turn the opposite woman right hand and again sweep past each other by the right shoulder curving to the directly opposite place while the women again loop back to their partner's place. End in the order 2,3,4,1 but with all in opposite places so the men now have their partner on their left.
25-32 All circle eight hands round and back to those places.

Repeat with men and women exchanging roles each time.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA Jan 2016)


Dance Notes

The first and third times through the men have most of the fun in bars 17-24, but all end in their partners places at the end of dance so the women get their turn on the second and fourth times.

Mnemonic ditty:
 turn, set, move, set; turn, move, back to back;
 turn, swoop, turn, swoop; circle round and back.

(Dance notes by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA Jan 2016)


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

The Zeal Of The Joyous Scots - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

This reel, The Zeal Of The Joyous Scots, is loosely inspired by Reel Of The Royal Scots.

Recommended music: As for Reel of the Royal Scots (ideally a four times through version like the recording by Bobby Brown and the Scottish Accent with a piper).
In the absence of such a recording a suitable alternative is: And The Ladies Wore Red (Marian Anderson and her SDB: The Sunday Class Book 1)

(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA Jan 2016)


Published in The Zeal Of The Joyous Scots, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA.

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