Dance The Lassies of Dunse 3735
Also known as “The Lasses of Dunce.” (unofficial).
Jig · 32 bars · 3 couples · Longwise - 4 (Progression: 213)
- Devised by
- David Rutherford (1750)
- Intensity
- 440 440 800 800 = 33% (1 turn), 25% (whole dance)
- Formations
-
- Figure of Eight - half (FIG8;1C;HALF;)
- Steps
-
- Pas-de-Basque, Skip-Change
- Published in
-
- Book 18 [5]
- Scottish Country Dances Books 13 to 18 (Combined A5 edition) [67]
- Pocket: Books 16,17,18 [29]
- 99 More Scottish Country Dances [47]
- Compleat Collection of 200 of the most celebrated Country Dances both old and new - Vol 1
- Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 8 [107] (diagram only)
- Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 7 [89] (diagram only)
- Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 6 [85] (diagram only)
- Recommended Music
- Extra Info
- The Society’s version of this dance can be traced to Rutherford’s first collection of about 1755 where it is given …
The Society’s version of this dance can be traced to Rutherford’s first collection of about 1755 where it is given as The Lasses of Dunce.
The Ladies of Dunse
Through a quirk of history, the pleasant little Border town of Duns, and not Berwick, is the seat of government for Berwickshire. (See “Berwick Johnny”) In 1696 Greenlaw, in the foothills of the Lammermuirs, became the county town and it was not until 1853 that county administration was transferred to Duns.
Originally, ancient Duns was situated atop Duns Law, a hill fort. In 1545, the English army under Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford(1506–1552), came rampaging through southern Scotland and Duns was destroyed. When it was rebuilt in 1588, it was at the foot of the law. General Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (1580–1661) and his Covenanting army camped on Duns Law in 1639 and the site is marked with a commemorative stone. (See “Blue Bonnets”)
Duns Castle is modern except for an ancient tower built in 1320 by Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, one of Robert Bruce’s most trusted advisers in the Scottish hero’s long campaign to rid the country of the oppressive yoke imposed by the English. Near the castle is a tiny loch with the intriguing name, the Hen Poo.
Duns may well boast of two famous sons, born seven centuries apart, both of whom died in Germany. John Duns Scotus, the greatest British medieval philosopher, was born about 1265 and was known as Doctor Subtilis in recognition of his great dialectic skill. A Franciscan friar, Duns Scotus studied at Oxford and, later, lectured in his university, in Paris and in Cologne, where he died circa 1308. He was the founder of a scholastic system called Scotism. It was the Scotists’ opposition to the classical philosophy of the period and the manner in which they did so that gave the word “dunce” to the English language.
Jim Clark, the auto racing champion, was also born in Duns. Twice, in 1963 and 1965, Clark drove his Lotus-Ford to victory in the World Grand Prix and in 1965 he won the American Indianapolis “500” where he averaged just a fraction over 150 miles per hour. Clark was killed in his racing car in Germany in 1968.
| Name | Artist | Album | Media | Trk | Type | Time | Pace | Clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lassies of Dunse | Bobby MacLeod and his Band | Scotland Dances | LP | 6 | J32 6 | 0:00 | 0.0 | |
| The Lassies of Dunse | Colin Dewar and his Scottish Dance Band | Book 18. Music for Twelve Scottish Country Dances | CD+ | 5 | J32 8 | 4:40 | 35.0 | |
| Lassies of Dunse | Bobby Brown and The Scottish Accent | Ready...And! | CD+ | 6 | J32 8 | 4:27 | 33.4 | |
| The Lassies of Dunse | Jimmy Shand and his Band | Gateway to the Forth | LP | 9 | J32 8 | 4:15 | 31.9 | |
| The Lassies of Dunse | Jimmy Shand and his Band | Scotland's Own Jimmy Shand | LP+ | 6 | J32 8 | 4:15 | 31.9 | |
| The Lassies of Dunse | Bobby MacLeod and his Band | Bobby MacLeod and his Band | LP | 8 | J32 6 | 0:00 | 0.0 |
The Lassies of Dunse 3/4L · J32
- 1–
- 1M casts off while{4} 2W casts up ; turn RH 1¼ to own places
- 9–
- 1W casts off while{4} 2M casts up ; turn LH 1¼ to own places
- 17–
- 1c dance to 3pl (2c+3c up) | set ; ½ Fig8 up around 3c (2,3,1x)
- 25–
- 1c dance up to 2pl (3c down) and set ; dance ½ Fig8 up around 2c (2,1,3)
The Lassies of Dunse 3/4L · J32
- 1-8
- 1M casts down 1 place as 2L casts up, 1M+2L turn RH ending in original places
- 9-16
- 1L casts down 1 place as 2M casts up, 1L+2M turn LH ending in original places
- 17-24
- 1s lead down below 3s, set & dance 1/2 Fig of 8 round 3s
- 25-32
- 1s lead up 1 place, set & dance 1/2 Fig of 8 round 2s
| Name | Date | Owner | Last changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| westchester 7 October | 2015-10-07 | Deborah Leary | Oct. 6, 2015, 6:14 p.m. |
| Kazan 2017 - Dances taught by James Stott | Pavel Dvornikov | May 22, 2017, 7:17 p.m. | |
| 14th Frankfurt Spring Ball 1982 | 1982-05-08 | Anselm Lingnau | Feb. 6, 2024, 3:23 a.m. |
| Bonn 2015-08-17 | Uta Hasekamp | Aug. 18, 2015, 12:55 p.m. | |
| Nutmeg Workshop - 2015 | 2015-10-17 | Peter Price | Sept. 22, 2015, 3:17 p.m. |
| Westchester 30 September | 2015-09-30 | Deborah Leary | Sept. 29, 2015, 4:58 p.m. |
| 16th Annual Rerr Terr - A Ball Sponsored by the New Jersey Branch - April 2000 | 2000-04-15 | Andy Peterson | Feb. 7, 2021, 2:29 a.m. |
| 16-10-15 Eindhoven Ball | 2016-10-15 | Truus de Ceuster | Aug. 26, 2016, 10:56 p.m. |
| 2020 Russian Spring School Welcome Social | 2020-04-28 | Anton Korobeynikov | March 9, 2020, 7:35 p.m. |
| New Haven RSCDS Highland Ball - 1997 | 1997-03-01 | Andy Peterson | April 1, 2018, 5:02 a.m. |
| 24th Annual Rerr Terr - A Ball Sponsored by the New Jersey Branch - April 5 2008 | 2008-04-05 | Andy Peterson | March 24, 2024, 12:27 a.m. |
