The Ottery St. Catchpole Reel

An 88-bar reel for 4 couples in a square set

1–4

1st and 3rd men set advancing and turn giving right hands to original places.

5–8

1st and 3rd women set advancing and turn giving right hands to original places.

9–12

1st and 3rd couples, with nearer hands joined with partners, set advancing. 1st man and 3rd woman turn half-way giving both hands to finish facing 2nd couple, while 1st woman and 3rd man turn likewise to finish facing 4th couple.

13–16

1st man and 3rd woman dance out through 2nd couple and continue to finish in each other’s original places. Meanwhile, 1st woman and 3rd man dance likewise out through 4th couple to finish in each other’s original places.

17–32

2nd and 4th couples repeat bars 1–16.

33–40

The women dance right hands across once round, then dance around their corners by the left shoulder.

41–48

They dance left hands across once round, then dance around their partners by the right shoulder.

49–56

The men dance left hands across once round, then dance around their corners by the right shoulder.

57–64

They dance right hands across once round, then dance around their partners by the left shoulder.

65–70

1st and 3rd couples dance in and pull right shoulders back (1 bar), dance out (1 bar), then chase clockwise half-way round the set.

71–72

1st and 3rd couples turn partners half-way giving right hands to finish in original places.

73–80

2nd and 4th couples repeat bars 65–72, pulling left shoulders back on bar 73, chasing anticlockwise and turning giving left hands on bars 79–80.

81–88

All dance eight hands round and back.

Devised by Anselm Lingnau, July 2007.