Mary Stewart Ashworth 8x32 R

This is very timely for me, as I’ve recently been looking for dances with the movement "pass half round’, or variations thereon, which occurs in dances written, or collected by Jack McConachie. See The Laird and the Lass, in The Grampian Collection (I think). It has now been taken into various "corners pass and turn" sequences, as in The Chequered Court. Anyhow, the movement by first couple in bars 5-8, 9-14, 17-22 are very much in that spirit. I wonder, did you ever think of having the first couple, in bars 9-16 and 17-24, dance 4 skip change, then 4 p de b? I.e., the "advance, pulling back right shoulder" at bars 5 and 6 of each phrase being done with p de b, rather than skip change?

Either way, I’ll certainly try this out with my folks as soon as I get a chance. Suggestions about the music would be welcome, or I don’t mind making my own selection. Thanks for this!

Peter McClure
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

I had a "moment" the other day with a "pass half round". I was at our advanced technique class in the west of the UK (won’t say where) being taught by a "senior" member of the RSCDS (won’t say who so as not to embarrass him!). We were dancing a new dance which had a movement in it which no-one had done before. After we’d danced it I announced "well it’s just a pass half round isn’t it" and the whole class just looked blankly at me, including the teachers and said what’s a "pass half round". It was decided that it must be something I learned when dancing many years ago with ISTD. It was. It occurs in the dance called The Pretender. I remember doing it, probably 30 years ago. Anyway I have to dance the RSCDS way now as I’m about finish taking their Part 1 Teachers Cert. (I passed the ISTD Associate about 36 years ago).