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The Fireworks Reel

A 32-bar reel for three couples in a four-couple longwise set

1–4
1st couple cross over giving right hands and cast off one place. (2nd couple step up on bars 3–4.)
5–8
1st man dances a half figure of eight round 3rd couple while 1st woman dances a half figure of eight round 2nd couple. 1st couple finish facing first corners.
9–10
1st couple set to first corners, moving to the left on the second pas de basque to finish between their corners facing partner. [NB. This is equivalent to the first two bars of “setting to corners and partner”, or “hello-goodbye setting”.]
11–12
1st couple, giving left hands, turn three quarters round to finish facing first corners again.
13–16
1st couple dance a half diagonal reel of four with first corners, passing left shoulders at the end to finish facing second corners.
17–24
1st couple repeat bars 9–16 with second corners, moving to their left to face their partner up and down the dance on bar 18. 1st couple finish in second place on opposite sides.
25–28
1st couple with 3rd and 2nd couples dance half a reel of three on opposite sides, giving left shoulder to the dancers in first corner positions to begin.
29–32
1st man with 2nd couple, 1st woman with 3rd couple dance half a reel across the dance, giving left shoulder to the person in partner’s first corner position to begin. 1st couple finish in second place on own sides.

Repeat, having passed a couple.

For Eva Krüger (née Thiemann), on the occasion of her wedding in September, 2009. We’re told that she and her husband, Björn, started their relationship on New Year’s Eve (some years ago).

Devised by Anselm Lingnau, August 2009.
Research by Marie Schwarz.

The Video

We recorded this dance during class on 1 September 2009 so as to be able to present it to Eva and Björn on DVD during her wedding reception, as it wasn’t clear whether it would be feasible to actually demonstrate the dance at the venue. The top set in the video consists of the people who had actually been invited to the wedding reception, and the video shows the complete dance (eight times through) to give the bridal couple a record of all of them dancing. (Perhaps at some point I shall put up an instructional version that is somewhat shorter.)

For music, the video uses “The Magic of Merrill” from the new Reel of Seven album, “Dance for Joy”, which is totally worth getting. The night we did the recording was the first of our new season, and there was a lady who hadn’t been dancing for 25 years but wanted to start again. Her comment was “Scottish dance music has sure changed a lot in the meantime”, and I had to explain to her that this was, in fact, quite an exceptional style …

During the recording, the camera was operated by Dirk Meinecke. I added the title page and ending credits and prepared the video for publication on the Internet.

Note: This dance has now been published by the RSCDS in their Book 48. Yay!

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You see things, and you say »Why?« But I dream things that never were, and say »Why not?«
– George Bernard Shaw