CELEBRATION DANCES IN THE RODNEY
ROOMS TRADITION

BY

Douglas J Dean

&

Friends

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CELEBRATION DANCES IN THE RODNEY ROOMS TRADITION

What is the Rodney Rooms Tradition? The Rodney Rooms Dances were devised as a result of the difficulties I had in teaching many of the early dances to beginners. Many of the dances available in 1947 and just after left at least one dancer facing the wrong way when moving from one figure to the next. An example is 'Miss Mary Douglas' were the Reel in the first 8 bars finishes with the 1st lady travelling in an outwards direction towards her own place and the 2nd Cpl. travelling up the dance. This means that all three of them have to reverse their motion to start the Grand Chain in the next 8 Bars. In addition, because of their direction of travel, it would be natural for both of the 3rd Cpl. to give left hands when starting the Grand Chain. The Grand Chain finishes with the 1st Man changing place with the left hand and having to do the polite turn to face in to be ready to dance in to collect his partner for down the middle and back. Beginners do not always find the polite turn natural and, hence, the 1st Man often lags his partner when starting to go down the dance when he should be doing the leading. The dance finishes with the 1st Cpl. crossing to their own side in 2nd place. This means the 1st Lady naturally flows out to start her 1st reel in the repeat while the 1st Man has to quickly change direction. It was a result of the difficulties my beginners had to achieve changes in direction that I wrote the Rodney Rooms dances to give myself a repertoire of dances that allowed the dancers to flow from one figure to the next.

The bulk of the dances in the booklet were written by me to celebrate various occasions. However, two of the dances were devised by fellow members of the Reading Saint Andrews demonstration team. The first 'The Reading Strathspey' was written by Peter Luke (Pete the Feet) and was the winning entry in a competition for a dance to mark the 25th Anniversary of Reading Saint Andrews' Scottish Dance Society. The second of the dances '`' was devised by Ken Ridgway, another member of the team, and is a simple Highland Demonstration Dance which was regularly danced at demonstrations, even on grass.

It is Reading St. Andrew's Scottish Dancing Society's 60th anniversary this year (2009) and as I was a member of the group for the 40 years, starting in 1954, I thought it appropriate to write a commemorative dance to celebrate my association, Hence the strathspey 'Reading St. Andrew's 60th Anniversary.

In 1955, just after I had come to Reading and had started a group in Tadley, I was asked by one of the group if I would teach at Newbury once a month. It was only when Newbury announced their 50th anniversary that I realised I had been their first teacher. Hence, 'Newbury's 50th Anniversary.

Purley's 30th Anniversary was a couple of years later and Bracknell's 50th is this year along with Reading's 60th. I have deliberately given the Knot in 'Purley's 30th Anniversary an extra 2 bars as it enables a 3 couple Knot to be performed with a similar precision to that afforded to a 2 couple Knot.

I wrote '60 years of Scottish Country Dancing' in 2007 to celebrate my 60 years of dancing. The next year I went to the wedding of the daughter of two ex demonstration team members, Helen, and wrote a dance for her and Murdo.

The final dance, 'Admire the Ladies' is my way of thanking those many lady members of the demonstration team that gave me so much support with my technical writing.

As I stated in both the earlier 'Rodney Rooms' booklets there should be no need for me to state that hands are given where ever possible as this was how all the early dances where danced and as Jean Milligan always taught, for instance as stated in the Scottish Dance Manual 'Won't You Join The Dance? 1st Edition' Page 67 in a comment at end of the Chapter on Formations, "In all formations it is advisable to give hands freely and wherever possible, as not only is it very helpful, but it adds greatly to the social feeling of the dance. It also helps to maintain the shape of the set and to keep the lines straight." My emphasis on 'wherever possible' but Jean Milligan's own words.

Two other points I made in the 2nd of my booklets regarding two other aspects of dance etiquette. When passing with a member of the opposite sex in Rights and Lefts - Hold, Smile and Pass on with a gentle caress, and with the same sex at least look and acknowledge their existence. Don't spend the evening looking for a dropped bawbee you don't stand a chance. I saw it when I came in. If someone pulled a coin out of their pocket during a dance my long hand would have whipped across and caught it before it hit the floor and nobody would have noticed because they would be looking at the floor for other coins. Look at your partner and smile at the rest of the set when you pass.

In the case of reels with your corners, the 1st corners pass through the centres of the reels before the 2nd corners. As the 1st corners' partners are the 2nd corners the partner who is the 2nd corner must lag behind the partner who is 1st corner, hence to attempt to cover ones partner must make the reels jerky. The sensible way to dance these reels is for the corners to ignore their own partner and the 1st corners to look for each other and acknowledge them as they approach the centre of the reel, likewise the 2nd corners. As I hope the dancing couple already do.

CONTENTS

READING St. ANDREW'S 60th ANNIVERSARY ‑
4 Cpl. Dance in 4 Cpl. Longwise Sets 32 Bar Strathspey

The 4th Cpl. dance as mirror images of the 1st and the 3rd of the 2nd

Repeat from new positions

THE READING STRATHSPEY - 4 Cpl. Dance in a 4 Cpl. Longwise Set
32 Bar Strathspey

Repeat from new positions

BRACKNELL'S 50th ANNIVERSARY ‑
3 Cpl. Dance in 4 Cpl. Longwise Sets 32 Bar Reel

Repeat from second place.

GLENMORE - A Simple Highland Demonstration Dance Medley 32S/64R

A Demonstration Dance for 3 Men and 2 Ladies

The Dancers stand in a line all facing the front numbered from the left
1st Man, 1st Lady, 2nd Man, 2nd Lady and 3rd Man.

STRATHSPEY

GLENMORE (continued)

REEL

NEWBURY'S 50th ANNIVERSARY ‑
A Progressive Dance in 5 Cpl. Longwise Sets  32 Bar Strathspey

5 Cpl.s, 10 Dancers, 5 times 10 equals 50

(Pump Handle turns as if drawing pints:
Cross with a tight turn opening out into a long hand turn on partner's side to return in a similar manner.)

Repeat from new position

Covering is the essence of this dance especially in the 5 Cpl Rts. & Lts. and the Pump Handle turns.

PURLEY'S 30th ANNIVERSARY - 4 Cpl. Dance in a 4 Cpl. Longwise Set
32 Bar Strathspey

Repeat from new positions

60 YEARS OF SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING ‑
4 Cpl. dance in 4 Cpl. Longwise Sets  32 Bar Strathspey

Repeat with a new top Cpl.

HELEN AND MURDO'S WEDDING - 3 Cpl.s in 4 Cpl. Longwise Sets
2 Bar Reel

Repeat having passed one couple.

ADMIRE THE LADIES - 3 Cpl. Dance in 3 Cpl. Longwise Sets
32 Bar Strathspey

Repeat from new positions

The following poem comes from a booklet which contains a collection of 32 very good poems all relating to Scottish Country Dancing. All of the poems are in tune with my belief that Scottish Dancing should be a light hearted and social pursuit.

Following Pat's passing away the booklet, entitled, 'All Pat's Party Pieces' is available in her memory at a cost of £3 from myself on her daughter's behalf.

My address is over the page. All proceeds go to cancer charities and as one of our original members passed away last year Pat's daughter has agreed that the current charity should be the Sue Ryder Home at Nettlebed where 3 of the team spent their last days.

As many past members will be at the 60th reunion I have chosen the following.

OLD FRIENDS

We're a group of Scottish Dancers
And our years are showing through
Our ageing feet don't always
Do the things we want them to.

We sometimes don't remember
And we often take short cuts
And any youngster watching us
Would no doubt think we're nuts.

Our muscles may be bandaged up,
Our rheumatism bad,
But we'll think when we're really old
Of all the fun we've had.

The crippling agony of cramp
The drives home through the sleet,
Assorted ligaments we've pulled,
The aching of the feet

Ah happy days of jolly fun!
And when the season ends -
The main thing we are left with
Is a lovely lot of friends

Copies Available from

Douglas J Dean
94 Halls Road
Tilehurst
Reading
RG30 4PU

Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope
and a first class stamp to defray printing costs.