Gloomy Winter's Noo Awa

An 8x32 bar Strathspey for 3 couples in a 4-couple longwise set

Music: Gloomy Winter. (abc version).

Bars 1-4: 1st lady casts off below 2nd lady and dances across to 2nd man's place * while 1st man dances across to 1st lady's place and casts off to 2nd lady's place. 2nd couple step up on bars 3 & 4.
5-8: 1st couple turn 1 3/4 times by the left hand.
9-12: 1st lady with 2nd couple, 1st man with 3rd couple dance right hands across once round.
13-16: 1st couple pass right shoulder to dance left hands across once round, 1st man with 2nd couple and 1st lady with 3rd couple.
17-20: 1st couple pass left shoulders in the middle to start half a diagonal reel of four with their first corners. At the end of the reel, 1st couple pass right shoulder in the middle of the dance and 1st man curves round to follow behind 1st lady, into...
21-24: 1st lady followed by 1st man give right shoulder to 3rd man to start half a diagonal reel of 3 with second corners. 1st couple dance this reel of three as a unit.
25-28: 1st couple give right shoulder to 2nd man (in 3rd lady's place) to start half a diagonal reel of three with first corners.
29-32: 1st lady casts round 1st man (passing right shoulder) and gives right shoulder to second lady (in 3rd man's position) while 1st man gives right shoulder to 3rd man (in 2nd lady's position) to start half a diagonal reel of four. At the end of the reel, 1st couple pass right shoulders to finish in 2nd place on their own sides of the dance. 1st lady remains facing out, ready to cast again.

Repeat, having passed a couple.

* For the nit-pickers, I have always envisaged 1st lady pulling back RS to face partner on bar 4 (ie continuing the rotation of the previous bars), and then changing direction at the start of bar 5 for the LH turn.

Devised by Ian Brockbank. Copyright November 2001.

This is a variant on the dance "Gloomy Winter" which I gave to Sophi for her 25th birthday. Bars 9-16 didn't really work, so it never caught on and wasn't going to. I hope this version catches on better.

Written for Sophia Marriage and presented to her on the occasion of her 30th birthday in December, 2001.

If you try this dance, please let me know how you get on.

The sheet music for the tune 'Gloomy Winter'
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Page last modified 31-03-04 .


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This page is maintained by Ian Brockbank
ian@scottishdance.net
Edinburgh, Scotland

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