Let's write an Xmarks dance

[george7]

And how about the tune?

[MartinGrenoble]

Bars 17-20 1M pick up 3L in promenade hold and dance a figure of eight round 3M and 2L giving RS to begin, while 1L picks up 2M and dances a figure of eight round the same two standing couples (1M&3L pass 1L&2M RS in the middle) so that both 3L and 2M are returned to their original positions

Figure 8 in only 4 bars? I like the idea, but there would not be enough music.

How about :
17-24 : promenade fig 8
25-28 : half diagonal reel 4
29-32 : All turn pts

Martin

[Andrewson]

Figure 8 in only 4 bars? I like the idea, but there would not be enough music.

How about :
17-24 : promenade fig 8
25-28 : half diagonal reel 4
29-32 : All turn pts

Martin

Thanks, Martin, that's much better

I got to the figure-of-eight idea in a series of stages (i.e. different ideas that did not work) and overlooked the timing when I fitted the promenade in.

[Kiltman]

Balance in line is all well and good, but why has everyone overlooked the obvious?!


We need....





DOUBLE TRIANGLES!





Be well,

Yes, you're correct about that. Are you going to write it in?

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

It would be a little difficult to write double triangles into a strathspey!

I actually embarrassed my dear husband (by mentioning that he was writing a dance) at our monthly dance party last night. The fellow I was speaking with (a member of a local demonstration dance group) suggested we have our class dance the dance in experimentation. We'll see if there's time tomorrow and post the results (if available) on Tuesday.

Then, maybe, I'll write a jig (or reel) with Double Triangles!

Be well,

[Swmbo]

A great idea - but perhaps it should go even further and, if there are enough perhaps a booklet of XMTS dances? Or even, if there are enough dancers in one area, an XMTS dance - some from the XMTS list and the rest presumably made up of such things as Makin the Tartan, The Kiltmaker, The Waggle of the Kilt, Come under my Plaidie, St Andrew' Flag, Saltire Society Reel and Saltire Strathspey ....

In the meantime, as my first attempt, how about:
XMTS - 3 couple longwise set, Jig, three times through

1-8 1st couple cast one place, set advancing and turn back to back to double triangle position. Dance first half of double triangles (i.e. set facing own side, dance round each other to face opposite side) [X]
9-16 Ist couple dance out on opposite sides, cast up into 1/2 figure of 8 (end own side 2nd place) [M]
17-24 1st couple turn the 3s with appropriate hand to go outside them, dance towards each other, turn right hand to take promenade hold and up centre to 1st place (dancing out to own side on last step of the phrase [T - yes, it is upside down]
25-28 1/2 parallel figure of 8 on own sides, 1st give left shoulder to 2s to begin
29-32 All turn partners right hand [full stop at the end]

[londonpiper]

Gosh, what a marvellous response from you all!

MartinGrenoble
Thanks for the words of warning , fortunately it looks as if we're going down a different route! Perhaps you might care to draw on your expertise to make a wee contribution of a dance.

Panache

Well done for being first out of the blocks, a valiant first attempt. I'm very much looking forward to hearing how your try-out goes. I'm slightly wondering how starting the diamond pousette halfway through an eight bar phrase will go but I expect that you'll be able to work that through on the floor, as it were.

Andrewson

Very much like yours, has it got a name? Also, as the university have now gone down, I'm hoping to come over to dance with your lot tomorrow if your all meeting up, so will I perhaps be able to have a go at yours there?

The F-H.C.A.G.

You are, of course, quite right about double triangles! I originally suggested the balance in line thingy as I had the Reel of the 51st in my head at the time!
Looking forward to your dance with the double tris in.

georgeblack7

How about a tune (or tunes) indeed!!
Perhaps, once we've decided on a dance or dances, we could take that question over to the Dunsire forum and see what they can do with it?

McMurdo
There is, of course, no good reason that I can see why you couldn't write an Xmarks dance with Dolphin reels in it. I think they're great fun to do, dear old Pelorus Jack,

Keep up the good work one and all and I'll post my little contribution once my brain cell's had a chance to have a good run up to the idea.

[MartinGrenoble]

Well, since you asked, o Piper (and to show I am not against the idea, even if my previous post was rather negative) ...

The X reel, for 4 couples in a longway set.

1-8 : All take hands on sides (of the saltire) and set, then 2nd & 3rd cps cross over and cast to nearer ends in 4 steps to form lines across (ends of the saltire), and all set facing up/down.

9-16 : All advance and retire, then 2nd & 3rd cps dance Right Hands across.

17-24 : Keeping RH joined in the centre, 2nd & 3rd cps join LH with corner persons, and all set (X), turn corners halfway with LH, all set (X) again, then turn corners once round in two steps.

25-28 : 2nd & 3rd cps dance half way round anti-clockwise to own sides, while 1st & 4th cps dance 4 hands round in the centre (the Spot?).
29-32 : 1st cp, turn inward to dance up and cast off into 2nd place, while 4th cp turn inward to dance down and cast up inyo 3rd place.

Repeat from new positions.

How about that to add to the list?
Martin

[Andrewson]

Gosh, what a marvellous response from you all!

...

Andrewson

Very much like yours, has it got a name? Also, as the university have now gone down, I'm hoping to come over to dance with your lot tomorrow if your all meeting up, so will I perhaps be able to have a go at yours there?

...

Thanks. I did name it the "XS Reel" which can certainly be pronounced as "excess". My tongue was in my cheek when I wrote that. Although I greatly enjoy devising dances I have to recognise that with over 13,000 published dances already the world is not exactly in need of any more.

We'll be pleased to see you tomorrow night but I am not sure we will get to try out the dance. We danced Burnieboozle tonight. That's another with the "dance to corner and set" figure and it caused quite a bit of confusion and chaos. I was dancing with a very inexperienced dancer and she gave up after a few walk-throughs. It was certainly not her fault because others in the set were hesitating and forgetting to set for 2 bars and thereby making it very difficult to dance properly. But it did make me wonder if I am brave enough to teach it to a group with a similar mix of experienced and inexperienced dancers tomorrow.

[Kiltman]

It would be a little difficult to write double triangles into a strathspey!

I actually embarrassed my dear husband (by mentioning that he was writing a dance) at our monthly dance party last night. The fellow I was speaking with (a member of a local demonstration dance group) suggested we have our class dance the dance in experimentation. We'll see if there's time tomorrow and post the results (if available) on Tuesday.

Then, maybe, I'll write a jig (or reel) with Double Triangles!

Be well,

Yes that is true, it would be difficult to write Double Triangles in. We'll dance it Thursday evening and I'll report on it.