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| Bars | 1-4: |
1st couple cross down one place (2s step up) and cast off (3s step up)
|
|---|---|---|
| Bars | 5-8: |
1st couple cross down one place (4s step up) and set
while 2nd couple cross down one place (3s step up) and cast off (4s step up) |
| Bars | 9-12: |
1st couple cast up one place and cross up
while 2nd couple cross down one place (3s step up) and set while 3rd couple cross down one place (4s step up) and cast off. |
| Bars | 13-16: |
1st couple cast up one place and turn half way giving right hands, finishing
in the middle of the set facing down
while 2nd couple cast up one place and cross up while 3rd couple cross down one place and set while 4th couple cross down one place and cast off. |
| Bars | 17-20: |
1st couple dance down the middle
while 2nd couple cast up one place and turn half way giving right hands, finishing in the middle of the set facing down while 3rd couple cast up one place and cross up while 4th couple cross down one place and set. |
| Bars | 21-24: |
1st couple dance up the middle to 3rd place (dancing under an arch
made by 2nd couple)
while 2nd couple dance down the middle, making an arch to let 1st couple through while 3rd couple cast up one place and turn half way giving right hands, finishing in the middle of the set facing down while 4th couple cast up one place and cross up. |
| Bars | 25-28: |
1st couple cast up and turn half way giving right hands, moving up to 1st
position (ie cross up)
while 2nd couple dance up the middle to 3rd place (dancing under an arch made by 3rd couple) while 3rd couple dance down the middle, making an arch to let 2nd couple through while 4th couple cast up one place and turn half way giving right hands, finishing in the middle of the set facing down. |
| Bars | 29-32: |
1st couple set and dance right hands across half way with 2nd couple
while 2nd couple cast up and dance right hands across half way with 1st couple while 3rd couple dance up the middle to 3rd place (dancing under an arch made by 4th couple) while 4th couple dance down the middle, making an arch to let 3rd couple through. |
| Bars | 33-36: |
1st couple cross down and cast off into 4th place
while 2nd couple set and dance right hands across half way with 3rd couple while 3rd couple cast up and dance right hands across half way with 2nd couple while 4th couple dance up the middle to 3rd place. |
| Bars | 37-40: |
4th couple turns once right hands
while
1st couple turn 1 1/2 right hands
while
3rd and 2nd couples dance right hands across half way and turn right hands
(2nd couple once, 3rd couple half way).
|
Finish in the order 2,3,4,1, ready to start again.
Devised by Ian Brockbank. Copyright June 1998.
The dance's origins go back to the American civil war and the blockades against British ships who wanted to trade with the southern cotton growers. Sailors waiting for cargoes started to amuse themselves by dancing hornpipes and other dances, one of which was called a Cotton Reel in honour of the crop which they waited for.
Well, actually that's a load of codswallop (generously provided by a friend of Shiobhan O'Donnell). Shortly after I wrote this dance, one of the members of the highland-dance mailing list was persuaded by her boyfriend to ask the list about "The Cotton Reel". From the responses received on the list, she realised she had been had, so to turn the tables on him, it was suggested that a "Cotton Reel" be written. Given I hadn't yet come up with a name for this dance, I offered its services in this regard.
As you will see, this is yet another experiment with repetition. This time I decided to try having the repetition within each turn, so have 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th couples repeating the same set of movements starting 4 bars apart (with a bit of a fudge to collect them all again in the right places on bars 37-40). Although I originally called this a canon as well, Anselm Lingnau suggested a fugue would be more consistent with other devisors' terminology (particularly Hugh Foss's collection of fugues on Waverley, of which Fugal Fergus is probably the best known). So I concur. This is not a canon, it's a fugue.
If you try this dance, please let me know how you get on.
Note: Bars 37-40 corrected on 11th March 2002 so that 1st couple turn 1 1/2 and 4th couple turn once (rather than the other way round).
Page last modified 8-10-02 .
Except where otherwise indicated, all content on this site (including text, images, dance descriptions and any
other original work) is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
This page is maintained by Ian Brockbank