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Dance The British Grenadiers 819

Reel · 32 bars · 3 couples · Longwise - 4   (Progression: 213)

Devised by
Unknown
Intensity
444 888 888 880 = 79% (1 turn), 59% (whole dance)
Formations
Steps
  • Pas-de-Basque, Skip-Change, Slip-Step
Published in
Recommended Music
Extra Info
The British Grenadiers

Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules,
Of Conon and Lysander, and some Mithiades;
But of all the world’s brave heroes, there’s none that can compare,
With a tow, row, row, row, to the British Grenadiers.
But of all the world’s great heroes, there’s none that can compare,
With a tow, row, row, row, to the British Grenadiers.

None of those ancient heroes e’er saw a cannon ball,
Or knew the force of powder to slay their foes withal;
But our brave boys do know it, and banish all their fears,
With a tow, row, row, row, row, the British Grenadiers.
But our brave boys do know it, and banish all their fears,
With a tow, row, row, row, row, the British Grenadiers.

Whene’er we are commanded to storm the Palisades,
Our leaders march with fuses, and we with hand grenades,
We throw them from the glacis about our enemies’ ears,
With a tow, row, row, row, row, the British Grenadiers.
We throw them from the glacis about our enemies’ ears,
With a tow, row, row, row, row, the British Grenadiers.

The god of war was pleased, and great Bellona smiles,
To see these noble heroes of our British Isles;
And all the gods celestial, descended from their spheres,
Behold with admiration the British Grenadiers.
And all the gods celestial, descended from their spheres,
Behold with admiration the British Grenadiers.

Then let us crown a bumper, and drink a health to those
Who carry caps and pouches that wear the looped clothes.
May they and their commanders live happy all their years,
With a tow, row, row, row, row, the British Grenadiers.
May they and their commanders live happy all their years,
With a tow, row, row, row, row, the British Grenadiers.
– Circa 1690

Every army in every war has its soldier heroes who are the idols of small boys and the pride of the nation. The Grenadiers were for a very long time the elite corps of men of the British Army.

In 1677 a Royal Warrant of Charles II decreed that two soldiers of each company then serving at the Tower of London should be trained as grenadiers. In 1678 another warrant was issued by which a grenadier company was added to the eight oldest regiments of foot. In time, every British regiment had a company of grenadiers.

When the hand grenade was introduced as a new weapon in 1677, a very special type of soldier had to be trained. A year later John Evelyn wrote of the grenadier in his diary as the “new sort of soldiers who with a pouch of hand grenades were skillful at throwing them at the enemy”.

Those were the picked men, tall and strong of necessity, and in recognition of their availability theirs was the place of honour on the right of the line. It was the duty of these 17th and 18th century commandos to soften up the enemy position by lighting the fuses of the grenades from a slow-burning match which was wound around their left wrists and hurling the flaming grenades in volleys into the enemy’s fortifications or lines. When they had wreaked sufficient havoc with their grenades, they attacked with musket and bayonet. If their objective was a fortification or palisade, they wielded the hatchets with which they were equipped.

The Grenadiers stood out not only because of their stature. Their uniforms were different from the rest of the infantry soldiers and it does not take a student of military history to spot the Grenadiers in contemporary prints. Most striking was their headgear. To facilitate the throwing of grenades, the brimmed hat of th etime was dispensed with and in its stead a unique cap was worn. The front was stiff and elaborately embroidered and it stood straight up. The bag of the cap was lifted from the back so that its tuft showed from the front. Eventually this low cap became the very tall mitre-shape associated with the Grenadiers. Their coats, the “looped clothes”, glittered with gold lace and tassels. They carried the “fuzee” in a sling at their backs, their cartridge boxes on their belts and on one hip swung the grenade pouch. They must truly have been an awesome sight.

One of the oldest regiments of the British Army is the Grenadier Guards, the premier regiment of Foot Guards, which dates from 1656. This regiment was originally raised as the King’s Royal Regiment of Guards and it served as a bodyguard for Charles while he was in exile in France after the battle of Worcester in 1651. The regiment returned to England at the Restoration in 1660 as the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards and it was not until 1815, after Waterloo, that it became officially designated the Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards, at the order of the Prince Regent, later George IV. The white hackle on their bearskins represents the smoke of the grenade.

The British Grenadiers 3/4L · R32
1–
1W+2W+3W A&R to P ; 1M+2M+3M repeat
9–
1c followed by 2c+3c cast off to 3pl, join RH and lead up to places
17–
1c+2c+3c circle6 and back, 1c+2c finishing ready for
25–
Poussette
The British Grenadiers 3/4L · R32
1-8
1L+2L+3L Adv+Ret for 2 steps, 1M+2M+3M Adv+Ret
9-16
1s followed by 2s+3s cast on own sides to 3rd place & lead back up to original places
17-24
1s+2s+3s dance 6H round & back
25-32
1s+2s dance the Poussette. 2 1 3

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Katharine Barber Country Dancers, Kirkcudbright Scottish Night, 2018. …

Added on: 2022-05-02 (James Wilson)
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St Giles SCD club, 2018.

Added on: 2022-05-06 (Ilana Steiner)
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Video starts part way through the dance.

Added on: 2018-04-17 (Jacmel Dent)
Quality: Informal/Social (RSCDS)

NameDateOwnerLast changed
Hamburg Class 2019-01-17 2019-01-18 Dieter Lange Jan. 18, 2019, 11:43 a.m.
Surbiton Caledonian 24 November 2022-11-24 Cathy Daldy Nov. 20, 2022, 11:17 p.m.
Headington Class 20 January 2022 2022-01-20 Sandra McLevy Jan. 19, 2022, 11:37 p.m.
Calgary St Giles 2018 2018-03-10 Gail Michener Jan. 18, 2018, 12:26 a.m.
23-02-02 Surbiton Evelyn and Pat 2023-02-02 Evelyn Wilson Jan. 25, 2023, 5:52 p.m.
Hightstown - 2018-03-19 2018-03-19 Peter Price March 18, 2018, 10:56 p.m.
Headington Hogmanay Dance 2015 2015-12-31 Sandra McLevy Dec. 6, 2017, 6:56 p.m.
Hamburg Class 2020-01-30 2020-01-30 Falcone Karstens Jan. 26, 2020, 12:16 p.m.
Surbiton 2 Feb 2023-02-02 Libby Curzon Jan. 29, 2023, 11:18 a.m.
Headington Class 22 June 2023 2023-06-22 Sandra McLevy June 19, 2023, 7:39 p.m.
Chiswick class and social 14.11.2021 2021-11-14 Iris Ronayne Nov. 11, 2021, 12:43 p.m.
Headington Class 26 September 2019 2019-09-26 Sandra McLevy Sept. 26, 2019, 7:08 p.m.
Headington Class 21 March 2019 2019-03-21 Sandra McLevy March 15, 2019, 1:11 p.m.
Budapest Local Club 01.10.2015 2015-10-01 Zsofia Jozsef Oct. 1, 2015, 11:03 p.m.
Scotia second half June 3 2019 2019-06-03 Xiaowen Yu May 29, 2019, 1:14 a.m.
Surbiton 2809 2023-09-28 Libby Curzon Sept. 24, 2023, 11:20 p.m.
23.09.28 Surbiton, Evelyn and Libby 2023-09-28 Evelyn Wilson Sept. 24, 2023, 3:24 p.m.
HHK Holiday Party 2022 2022-12-20 Ken Saunders June 1, 2023, 7 p.m.
2020_02_08 BS&RC Highland Ball 2020 2020-02-08 Gerard Elliott Oct. 31, 2019, 3:27 p.m.
Berkhamsted LEX Dance 2015-12-04 Jane Rose Aug. 31, 2015, 5:37 p.m.
Church Stretton Weekend - Saturday 13 April 2019 2019-04-13 Keith Rose April 4, 2019, 1:06 a.m.
Headington Hogmany Dance 2016 2016-12-31 Sandra McLevy Dec. 9, 2016, 2:54 p.m.
Scotia 2018-05-07 Chris Ronald May 3, 2018, 9:43 p.m.
HHK Party Dec 18 2018-12-18 Ken Saunders Dec. 14, 2018, 8:05 p.m.
18 novembre 23 2023-11-18 Raphaelle orgeret Aug. 23, 2023, 3:06 p.m.
Scotia New Dancers - June 3 2019-06-03 Ken Saunders May 29, 2019, 4:34 p.m.
Scotia Party Jen 24 2019-06-24 Ken Saunders May 29, 2019, 3:45 p.m.
BDS 2022 Jette Rossen Feb. 24, 2022, 1:56 p.m.
Fàilte Ball 2015 2015-12-05 Katie Brady Aug. 31, 2020, 1:53 a.m.
Failte Dance 2021 2021-12-04 Lara Friedman-Shedlov Aug. 28, 2021, 3:25 a.m.
White Cockade 2022-10-15 Kathryn Lecocq Oct. 15, 2022, 12:22 a.m.
220702 BSRC J&A Garden 7.15 for 7.30 2022-07-02 Stephen Webb June 30, 2022, 4:43 p.m.
Chiswick - 22 April 2018 2018-04-22 James Wilson April 22, 2018, 11:42 p.m.
scotia 12 October 2015-10-12 Deborah Leary Oct. 10, 2015, 9:36 p.m.
Chiswick - 22 April 2018 (orig) 2018-04-22 James Wilson April 22, 2018, 11:39 p.m.
NY Branch Beginners' Class 2023-01-05 Mary Gray Dec. 31, 2022, 7:43 p.m.
Hamburg Class 2017-12-14 2017-12-14 Dieter Lange Dec. 15, 2017, 12:18 p.m.
Scotia/New York Branch End of Year Party June 24 2019 2019-06-24 Xiaowen Yu May 12, 2019, 2:17 a.m.
Scotia Summer Dance July 22 2019-07-22 Ken Saunders July 17, 2019, 5:41 p.m.
Chiswick - 22 April 2018 2018-04-22 Jacmel Dent April 16, 2018, 2:45 p.m.
Chiswick - 22 April 2018 (Original) 2018-04-22 Jacmel Dent April 23, 2018, 10:04 p.m.
2017-11-30 / Brussels Dance Scottish - St. Andrew's Night Social 2017-11-30 Jette Rossen Nov. 27, 2017, 3:09 p.m.
Kilmorack - Dances done in class 2023-2024 season Peter Jamieson Aug. 21, 2023, 4:09 p.m.
Sapa 2023 2023-09-30 Maria Solange Grimoldi Sept. 30, 2023, 12:03 a.m.
Budapest Local Club 04.01.2018 2018-01-04 lldikó Szakolczai Jan. 5, 2018, 8:19 a.m.
Hamburg Class 2016-09-15 2016-09-15 David Quarrie Sept. 16, 2016, 8:46 a.m.
New York Summer Class first hour August 4, 2022 2022-08-04 Sue Trapp Aug. 2, 2022, 12:41 a.m.
Chiswick ~ 170312 Social Dance 2017-03-12 James Wilson March 13, 2017, 1:37 p.m.
March/April Monthly Party Candidates 2018-11-11 Dilip Sequeira Nov. 12, 2018, 1:52 a.m.
Bonn 2019-03-18 2019-03-18 Eva-Maria Beckmann March 17, 2019, 8:10 p.m.
RSCDS Twin Cities Autumn Social Dance 2021 2021-11-01 Lara Friedman-Shedlov Sept. 27, 2021, 6:06 a.m.
Chiswick ~ 170312 Social Dance (orig) 2017-03-12 James Wilson March 13, 2017, 1:30 p.m.
New Haven Brunch 2024 2024-03-10 Sue Trapp Sept. 10, 2023, 12:17 a.m.
Montpellier - February 2016 2016-02-13 Corinne Hilpert Nov. 27, 2015, 11:42 a.m.
Lethbridge 2018/02 February Social 2018-02-28 Gail Michener Feb. 23, 2018, 1:24 a.m.
Hamburg Class 2019-01-17 2019-01-18 Dieter Lange Jan. 18, 2019, 11:43 a.m.
Jubilee Street Party 5.6.2022 2022-06-05 Iris Ronayne May 26, 2022, 5:17 p.m.
New York Branch 2018-05-03 Chris Ronald May 1, 2018, 6:28 p.m.
Westchester April 25 2018-04-25 Ken Saunders April 21, 2018, 4:13 p.m.
2017-10-12 / Brussels Dance Scottish - weekly class 2017-10-12 Jette Rossen Oct. 17, 2017, 10:04 a.m.
Dublin Annual Dance 2019 2019-05-25 Helen McGinley March 2, 2019, 6:04 p.m.
HHK 2018.05.08 Keira Hartstein May 6, 2018, 10:31 p.m.
Brussels Dance Scottish - day school & dance - evening programme 2018-04-21 Jette Rossen Nov. 27, 2017, 4:55 p.m.
NYC Basic Class May 3 2018-05-03 Ken Saunders April 30, 2018, 11:46 p.m.
Headington Class 12 January 2023 2023-01-12 Sandra McLevy Jan. 9, 2023, 1:02 p.m.
Kilts and Ghillies Tea Dance - Sunday, 30 April 2017 2017-04-30 Peter Price Oct. 6, 2016, 5:03 p.m.
Hamburg Class 2022-02-03 2022-02-03 Dieter Lange Feb. 4, 2022, 5:07 p.m.
RSCDS San Francisco Monthly Party March 2019 2019-03-02 Charlotte Greig Feb. 27, 2019, 7:09 p.m.
March Monthly Party 2019-03-02 Tovar - Feb. 6, 2019, 11:51 p.m.
Budapest Local Club 26.06.2018 Kopaszi 2018-06-26 lldikó Szakolczai June 27, 2018, 9:17 a.m.
RSCDS New York Branch Basic Class, June 6, 2019 2019-06-06 Ellen Sears June 20, 2019, 8:39 p.m.
Sexy Sixties 2020-03-14 Maria Solange Grimoldi March 12, 2020, 6:31 p.m.
FSCDC Class 17 January 2023 2023-01-17 Anselm Lingnau Jan. 17, 2023, 11:06 p.m.
A Princeton Scottish Christmas Ball 1989 1989-12-09 Andy Peterson April 14, 2018, 5:22 p.m.
Kilmorack Winter Social 1 Fr 1st October 21 - 7:30 - 10pm 2021-10-01 Peter Jamieson Sept. 19, 2021, 8:41 p.m.
2018 SCD Weekend in Nikko 2018-04-06 pirokoropin April 11, 2018, 1:43 p.m.
RSCDS Miss Milligan's Miscellany - 1st 11 dances Jane Rose March 6, 2018, 7:21 p.m.
Kilmorack Dances done at previous Socials Peter Jamieson June 6, 2023, 7:54 a.m.
Spring dancing 2019-04-14 Taisiia Demicheva April 10, 2019, 4:02 p.m.
Kilmorack Country Dancing Winter Social Friday March 13th 7:30pm start 2020-03-13 Peter Jamieson Feb. 16, 2020, 2:54 p.m.
SAPA lomas de zamora 2022-09-10 MARCELO KOZLOWSKI Sept. 7, 2022, 3:49 a.m.
First 11 MMM Dances Sue Ronald Feb. 28, 2018, 6:25 p.m.
RSCDS San Francisco Monthly Party April 6, 2019 2019-04-06 Charlotte Greig April 2, 2019, 10:55 p.m.
RSCDS SF Party - Mar 2019 2019-03-02 Rachel Pusey Jan. 7, 2019, 3:32 a.m.
MMM Dances 1-16 Chris Ronald May 17, 2018, 3 p.m.
Kilmorack Winter Social 3 - Fr 4th Nov - 7:30pm 2022-11-04 Peter Jamieson Oct. 15, 2022, 9:28 a.m.
2018 SCD Weekend in Nikko 2018-04-06 pirokoropin April 11, 2018, 1:43 p.m.
RSCDS SF Party - Jan 2019 2019-01-12 Rachel Pusey Jan. 7, 2019, 3:19 a.m.
RSCDS SF Party - Apr 2019 2019-04-06 Rachel Pusey Jan. 7, 2019, 3:57 a.m.
Monthly Party January 2019 2019-01-12 Kent Smith Jan. 10, 2019, 8:45 a.m.
FSCDC 9 February 2016 2016-02-09 Anselm Lingnau March 1, 2016, 2:08 a.m.
Scotia 3 April 2017 2017-04-03 Deborah Leary March 31, 2017, 9:11 p.m.
Chiswick ~ 160508 Social Dance 2016-05-08 James Wilson May 5, 2016, 6:41 p.m.
23.06.22 Surbiton Deb and Evelyn 2023-06-22 Evelyn Wilson June 22, 2023, 5:06 p.m.
New York Branch Experienced 2019-06-06 2019-06-06 Marc Hartstein June 4, 2019, 7:59 p.m.
Kingston Burns Night Social 2018 2018-01-27 Alexander Jeffries Dec. 5, 2018, 4:02 p.m.
HHK 2019 New Dancers Series II 2020-01-23 Ken Saunders Jan. 23, 2020, 2:49 p.m.
151026 Paris Branch class Danielle & Jerry 2015-10-26 Jerry Reinstein Oct. 27, 2015, 12:08 p.m.
Pawling Weekend May 2018, May 11-13 2018 2018-05-11 Sue Ronald March 9, 2018, 7:04 p.m.
Kilmorack Dances done at previous Socials Peter Jamieson June 6, 2023, 7:54 a.m.
Brussels Dance Scottish // complete list of dances season 2017-18 Jette Rossen Sept. 16, 2018, 1:19 p.m.
NY Branch Basic Class Feb-June 2019 Sue Ronald June 22, 2019, 12:24 p.m.
Kilmorack Dances done at previous Socials Peter Jamieson June 6, 2023, 7:54 a.m.
Kilmorack Dances done at previous Socials Peter Jamieson June 6, 2023, 7:54 a.m.

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