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!