MAPLE DANCING

32-bar reel for 2 couples in a 4 couple longwise set

1-8	1st and 2nd couples set and rotate. 2nd lady and 1st man remain facing out, ready for.
9-16	2nd man and 1st lady pass left shoulders to start a reel of four across the dance.
17-18	2nd man and 1st lady turn half way left hands while 2nd lady and 1st man cast up or down on the sides.
19-20	2nd man and 1st lady turn partners once round giving right hands.
21-22	2nd man and 1st lady turn half way left hands while 2nd lady and 1st man cast up or down on the sides.
23-24	2nd and 1st men, and 2nd and 1st ladies giving right hands, turn, finishing with 1st couple in 2nd place facing up and 2nd couple in 1st place facing down.
25-26	All set facing up and down on the sidelines.
27-28	All set to partners.
29-32	All turn (or spin) partners with right hand.

 Repeat, having passed a couple.

Note: The reel of four starts with the left shoulder in the middle, which makes for slightly unusual timing.

Tune: Maple, by Pete Clark

(cc) Ian Brockbank, 2005 ( ian [at] scottishdance.net )

The definitive version of this dance is available on Grand Chain, Ian Brockbank's Scottish country dance web site.

Notes from Ian:

Pete Clark auctioned a tune at a charity ceilidh in aid of the Kisoro School for the Blind in May 2001, and I was fortunate enough to be the highest bidder. The tune he wrote was a lively reel, which I named for our cat Maple. The back of a fiddle is made of maple wood, and the bow dances across it during the tune, so there is a pleasing musical tie-in.

This is my second attempt at a dance to go with the tune - the first dance was unexceptional and had some awkward sections, so I thought I'd try again.

Like the first attempt, this is a two-couple dance.

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THE INSIDE OOT FISH EATER

32-bar reel for 5 couples in a 5 couple longwise set

1-8	1st and 3rd couples lead down the middle and up to face first corners. 2s and 4s step up on bars 3 and 4.
9-12	1st and 3rd couples couple dance corners pass and turn with first corners. At the end, dancing couples approach then pull back right shoulders to face fourth corners (partner's second corners).
13-16	1st and 3rd couple dance corners pass and turn with fourth corners. At the end, dancing couples approach then pull back right shoulders to face out their own side.
17-24	2nd, 4th and 5th couples dance the first eight bars of petronella while dancing couples dance out their own side and to the right, across the set between the setting couples, out partner's side and to the right, finishing 1st couple in 2nd place and 3rd couple in 4th place, all on opposite sides of the dance, and set. (I.e. all 5 couples are now on opposite sides of the dance, and all set on bars 23-24).
25-26	2nd couple turn half way giving right hand while 1st couple dance right hands across half way with 4th couple and 3rd couple dance right hands across half way with 5th couple.
27-28	Giving hands on the sidelines, all set.
29-32	All turn (or spin) partners with right hands.
	Finish in the order 2, 4, 1, 5, 3, ready to start again.

Tune: The Inside Oot Fish Eater (Peter Wood)

(cc) Ian Brockbank, March 2005 ( ian [at] scottishdance.net )

The definitive version of this dance is available on Grand Chain, Ian Brockbank's Scottish country dance web site.

Notes from Ian:

The basic concept of the dance was proposed by Caroline, and I fleshed out the details, so this is a combined effort.

Peter Wood wrote the tune "The Inside Oot Fish Eater" for Lindsay Weir.
It's a cracking tune which has really caught on with Scottish dance musicians. I thought it was about time it had a dance to go with it.
Lindsay plays for Dunedin Dancers' Wednesday social night once a month, and this was first danced at Dunedin on the 13th of April, 2005 with Lindsay playing.

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32-bar Jig for a 4 Couple Set

1-8	[Mad Hatter's "Teapots"] 2s dance 3 hands across to the right (RH) and left (LH), 2s ending in center [2W+1s and 2M+3s, then 2M+1s and 2W+3s].
9-16	[Red Queen's Croquet] 2s RH turn 3/4, and dance RS reels of 3 on own sides, RS to 3rd corners to begin.
17-18	["Drink Me!" . . .] 2s cast right and into center [2W below 3s, and 2M above 1s].
19-22	[. . .] 2M+1s and 2W+3s dance 3 hands across (RH), 2s ending between their couple.
23-24	[. . .] 2s RH turn 3/4 to 2nd place.
25-26	[White Rabbit is Late] 1s set.
27-30	[Alice Pursues] 1M, followed by 1W, dances under arches to bottom WHILE 2s+3s+4s step in, form BH arches, and slip-step up to sides.
31-32	[Alice Awakens] 1M pull back LS, and 1s LH turn 3/4 to 4th place.

Dance written and Copyright 2005 Helen Powell (leap [at] mindspring.com)

Original tune by Helen Powell is available if you contact her by e-mail.

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40-bar Jig for 3 couples

1-8	1C set, cast to 2nd place (2C step up on bars 3-4), dance down between 3C, and cast up to 2nd place.
9-16	1C cross RH, cast to the right, and dance 3/4 the way around the set to finish 1M between 2C facing down and 1W between 3C facing up while 2C and 3C dance rights and lefts. All finish facing up and down in lines of three across.
17-28	All dance 3-couple rights and lefts across the set.
29-32	All set, 2C and 3C turning to face partner on the 2nd bar. 1C petronella turn to 2nd place on own sides while 2C and 3C cross RH with partner.
33-40	All dance diagonal rights and lefts to finish in the order 3C, 1C, 2C.

Repeat with a new top couple.

Devised Feb 2005 by Lara Friedman-Shedlov (ldfs [at] bigfoot.com) Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

Update:
Suitable recorded music is available on the CD Performance Dancing with the Red Thistle Dancers, "Cathy's Jig" (track 10).

Although unorthodox, it has been noted that this progression technically will work as an 8x40 dance in traditional 4-couple longwise set, with the 1st couple stepping down to 4th place after the 2nd repetition. Since 8x40 jig recordings are a lot easier to come by than 3x40, feel free to dance it this way. Music for "The Express" was recommended by at least one person who tried this.

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