Double Triangles In Scottish Country Dancing

Double Triangles

This shows the Dancers Balancing in line in bars 1-2 of Double triangles.

Bars 1-2
the Dancing couple, in 2nd Place, Starting Back-to-back in the Centre of The set and Facing Out on Own sides (as shown in the diagram), Take Right hands with Partner's First corners and left with Partner's Second corners and all Set;

Bars 3-4
all drop hands and, While the Corners continue to Set, the Dancing couple, using Pas-de-basque, Dance around each other halfway clockwise, maintaining their Back-to-back relative Position;

Bars 5-6
the Dancing couple, Back-to-back but now Facing Out on Opposite Sides, Take Right hands with First corners and Left hands with Second corners and all Set;

Bars 7-8
all drop hands and, While the Corners continue to Set, the Dancing couple, using Pas-de-basque, Dance round each other halfway clockwise, maintaining their Back-to-back relative Position, Finishing in their Starting Positions.

It is polite to acknowledge the adjacent Dancers while Setting, making Eye contact with the Dancer to the right during the first bar of Pas-de-basque and with the Dancer to the left during the second.

This Scottish Country Dancing Figure is supposed to represent a St Andrew's Cross as seen from above and so, even more than in other Balancing Figures, the arms should be extended as fully as is practicable; the Dancing couple should be almost touching Back-to-back and so, if the Dancers' arms are not long enough, the Corners must Advance slightly to Take hands. The diagram shows the Position of the Dancers during the first two bars of the Figure as in bars 9-10 of The Hunting Horn. When the axis of the Figure is defined as the line joining the joined hands (as in Balance in line), this axis is parallel to, but not exactly the same as, the Side lines since the Corners again do not move Outward from their Standing places.

As with all Balancing Figures, Double triangles cannot be performed using the Strathspey setting step because this would involve sideways movement with alternate Dancers going in opposite directions.

In one alternative form, the Dancing couple Start Facing their Opposite Sides; in another, they Start Facing Up and down.

A derivative form exists for 5 Couples with two Dancing couples, one in 2nd Place, the other in 4th; the Dancers in 3rd Place are First corners for one Dancing couple and Second corners for the other as in bars 33-40 of Linkumdoddie.

Connie's Jig
Lochnagar
Mary Erskine
Reids O' Monymusk

Dance Video Clip Which Demonstrates Double Triangles

Dance Video Clip Which Demonstrates Inverted Double Triangles

Links To Pages Related To 'Setting'