Recently I tootled south to Dundee for a rather special event. A talk and demonstration of how to dance, 18th century style!
Although this Dundee lecture and recital focused mainly on 18th century Scotland, much of it applied to the fashionable society in England, too. And it was fascinating! Continue reading
Reeling is an odd concept. In one sense the word means staggering, lurching violently. Also, losing one’s balance, as when under the influence of illness, shock or alcohol.
In another it refers to the controlled performance of a dance. But not just any old dance, where you have one partner, or none, and do whatever takes your fancy. This has a pattern which conforms strictly to bars of music. Every performer co-ordinates with a number of other people in a variety of figures. It employs both travelling steps and dancing on the spot. The result is a shifting pattern, like a kaleidoscope, only you’re in the middle of it instead of watching from above.
Believe me, there’s no room for the first definition in the second activity. There would be blood on the floor. Reels are nothing if not precise. Continue reading