Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Ladies' Chain Halfway

Often called the Half ladies' chain, the Ladies' chain halfway is a Figure taking 4 bars which is exactly half of the full Ladies' chain.

On the first 2 bars, the Ladies Cross By the right, each Finishing Facing Outwards in the Opposite Man's Place While each Man Casts anticlockwise to Face Inwards in the adjacent Lady's Place.

Diagram, Ladies' Chain Halfway Bars 1-2

Ladies' Chain Halfway - Bars 1-2

The first two bars of Ladies' chain halfway in a 4-couple, Square set, Starting Facing Partners Across the set but not from Original Places. The Men's paths are shown as a full line, the Ladies' as a broken line. The arrow heads show their Finishing positions.



On the next 2 bars, the Dancers Turn by the left halfway on the Sides, the Men Finishing back in their Starting Positions, the Ladies on Opposite Sides, all Facing Inwards unless the next Figure requires otherwise.

Diagram, Ladies' Chain Halfway Bars 3-4

Ladies' Chain Halfway - Bars 3-4

The second two bars of Ladies' chain halfway in a 4-couple, Square set. The Men's paths are shown as a full line, the Ladies' as a broken line. The arrow heads show their Finishing positions, with a Polite turn, anticlockwise, for the Men.


The diagrams show an example as it occurs in bars 17-20 of Rothesay Rant. The Couples are initially stationary, Facing their Partners Across The set; the Ladies Finish beside their Partners.

When the previous Figure leaves the Men Facing Out and the Ladies in, the simpler form of Casting would apply (i.e., with no Turn on the spot halfway to start) as in bars 17-20 of Mrs Stewart's Jig, where it is the first half of the full Ladies' chain, and wherever it is the second half of the full Ladies' chain. This is also the situation in bars 9-12 of Rothesay Rant for the Side Couples (1st and 3rd Couples) but only in the alternative version in which the Dancers Exchange places By the left on bars 1-2 and By the right on bars 5-6; in the standard version, both the Men and the Ladies find themselves Facing the wrong way at the Finish of the preceding Figure and so both Couples need to Turn on the spot halfway on bar 9.


Here are examples of those Scottish Country Dances for which we have instructions on this site and in which the term, Ladies' chain halfway, either appears explicitly or is implied; note that for a common term these will be a small selection; for a rare term, these may be all that exist:

Autumn In Appin
Glen Orrin Strathspey
Heatherbrae
Le Moulin Rouge
MacGregor's Gathering
Rothesay Country Dance
Royal Visit
Shene Gate
Teviot Bridge
Welcome Aboard


Dance Video Clip Which Demonstrates Ladies' Chain Halfway

Ladies' Chain Halfway Video Clip

Links To Pages Related To 'Chains'

Figures

Additional search terms: ½ Ladies Chain.

Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing 'Ladies' Chain Halfway' page