Sources
Wilson's New Reel for Five may be found in the
first (1808),
third (1811), and
fourth (1822) editions of
An Analysis of Country Dancing. Presumably it was included in the second edition as well, but I don't have a copy of that one to check. It also appeared in Wilson's
The Complete System of English Country Dancing (London, c1815), from which the diagram above is taken. In its presumed first appearance, in the 1808 edition of
Analysis, it is non-progressive, once through and done. I don't consider that to be very interesting. But in the other three manuals I've listed, Wilson suggested a progression that allows each dancer in turn to take the center position, making for a dance that is longer and more entertaining to dance but considerably more confusing to track.
The diagram above (click to enlarge) is the same in all four manuals, and the instructions are fairly consistent:
The Lady at A and Gentlemen at EC strike the hey as soon as the Lady at A and Gentleman at E have passed each other, the Gentlemen at D I cross over between them; then as the Lady in returning has passed the Gentleman at C, who will now have attained the situation at E, they cross again, which bring them all into their original situations; the Lady then sets to each of the Gentlemen, then falls in and joins hands at F, they then hands quite round and back again; the Gentlemen then at E I hold up their hands and the Lady passes under at G, leading all the Gentlemen after her, to their places, and takes the situation of the Gentleman at I, who now occupies the centre to recommence the Reel.
There are minor, insignificant differences between books, such as using "commence" instead of "recommence" in the last line. The final phrase about the progression (from "and takes the situation of the Gentleman at I...") is missing in the 1808 Analysis.
There is a footnote, originally linked to "original situations" above, to explain the first figure:
This figure, though it appears difficult, is easy to perform; it is merely a common hey with the Lady at A and Gentlemen at E C, and the other Gentleman has only to cross quickly between them as they pass.
In the later manuals, there are two other footnotes, one of which further spells out the progression:
N. B. -- In this Reel, if continued, the persons may if they please take the centre alternately, beginning at E and continuing to I C and D.
The last footnote gives the timing: eight bars for heying and crossing, eight bars for setting, eight bars for hands round and back, and eight bars for leading under to places, for a total of thirty-two bars.
Let me start by giving my reconstruction of the basic figure, then I'll explain how to repeat it successfully without losing track of where one is supposed to be and in what order. I will refer to the diagram above using Wilson's letters for the dancers (A C D E I), but will forgo the use of Lady and Gentleman.
The initial formation has dancer A in the center and the other four dancers C D E I around the edges, going in counter-clockwise order from the top. Dancer A starts facing the bottom of the diagram, dancer E.
New Reel of Five (32 bars of reel)
8b A passes right shoulders with E to start a standard hey for three with E and C, ending with all three back in their original places. During this hey, dancers D and I change places twice.
8b A sets to the four outside dancers, two bars to each starting with E and moving clockwise around the set to D, C, and I. When setting to I, A must back up into the circle between D and E.
8b All five dancers take hands and circle to the left and back to the right.
8b E and I raise their hands. A drops hands with E and goes under E and I's raised hands, circling counter-clockwise around, with D C I E following in order. To progress, as A comes around the circle, he or she falls into E's place, and E moves forward into the center.
The new formation after one iteration will be E in the center, and the four dancers counter-clockwise from the top being C D A I.
If dancing the 1808 non-progressive version, E does not move into the center; A just moves back in and the reel ends.
Reconstruction and performance issues
The only real problem in doing the reconstruction was that there is an error in the original description of the progression, which states that dancer A "takes the situation of the Gentleman at I". That doesn't actually work. The footnote has the correct progression, with the center position taken "beginning at E and continuing to I C and D."
Heys may start with either a right shoulder or a left shoulder pass. I've chosen right shoulder because I feel it flows better when the reel is repeated, but it's not impossible to do it with left shoulders instead. As always, not colliding is the highest virtue.
The initial hey with the crossing over is a bit of a traffic jam. Dancers D and I must move very quickly, starting on the first bar and crossing the instant dancer A is out of the way. I recommend that D and I pass right shoulders, but, once again, not colliding is more critical. Dancer C must hang back at the beginning, taking a curved path initially, and then move quickly. The same thing happens in the second four bars: dancer A moves out of the way to pass dancer E, D and I cross quickly while C hangs back, and then C speeds up. This is the most difficult part of the reel to make work smoothly. I recommend practicing it in two separate halves to get the timing right.
While the center dancer is setting, I prefer that all the other dancers be setting in place as well. No rest for the weary in a Scotch reel!
Continuing the progression
And now comes the fun part: the other nineteen repeats!
When we left our dancers, E was in the center and the outside dancers (counter-clockwise from the top) were C D A I. On the next repeat, E, having moved to the center, turns to the right and begins the hey with I. As E heys with I and D, C and A cross over. At the end of the hey, E sets to, in turn, I A D C, and falls in between I and A. After the circling, I and C raise their hands, E drops the hand of I and leads under, going counterclockwise around the circle and moving in behind I as I moves into the center. This leaves I in the center and the other dancers, counter-clockwise from the top, C D A E.
The way to track this reel through the entire progression without getting lost is to remember that the critical relationship is between the center dancer and their First Partner. As each dancer comes into the center, they turn ninety degrees to the right, and their First Partner will be there. They hey with their First Partner and the opposite dancer. They set starting with their First Partner and going clockwise around the set. They fall in to the left of their First Partner. Hands are raised by their First Partner and that person's neighbor. To go under, the center dancer drops the hand of their First Partner. And at the end, their First Partner goes to the center and turns right to find their own First Partner, which will be the person they raised hands with in the previous repetition.
From the very beginning: A's First Partner is E. The setting is done in turn to E D C I. A falls in to the left of E. E raises hands with their neighbor I. A drops hands with E to lead under. And E comes to the center, turning to the person E raised hands with (I) who will be E's First Partner.
On the second time through: E's First Partner is I. E heys with I and D. The setting is done I A D C. E falls in on the left of I. I and C raise hands. E drops I's hand and goes under, and as E comes around I moves to the center and turns to the right to find First Partner C. Dancers n the edge are now in order C D A E.
On the third time through: I's First Partner is C. I heys with C and A. I sets to C E A D. I falls in to the left of C. C and D raise hands. I drops C's hand and leads around. C goes to the center and turns to the right to D. Dancers on the edge are now in order I D A E.
On the fourth time through: C's First Partner is D. C heys with D and E. C sets to D I E A. C falls in to D's left. D and A raise their hands. C drops D's hand and leads under and around. D moves into the center and turns to the right to face A. Dancers on the edge are now in order I C A E.
On the fifth time through, D's First Partner is A. D heys with A and I. D sets to A C I E. D falls in to A's left. A and E raise their hands. D drops A's hand and leads through and around. A moves into the center and turns to the right to face E. Dancers on the edge are now in order I C D E.
At this point, A is back in the center where they started, and the four edge dancers have moved one place counter-clockwise. This is a convenient place to end the reel if you aren't concerned about getting everyone back to their precise starting place. If you are, keep reading!
For the sixth time through, A's First Partner will be E, same as before, even though E has moved one spot around the circle. Conveniently, this will be the case for each dancer! E's will be I. I's will be C. C's will be D. And D's will be A. Sorting this out before starting to practice the reel may save some time.
After repeats six through ten, A will once again be in the center and all the edge dancers will have moved one more place to be opposite where they started. Ten more repeats and everyone will be back to places. Or, if at any point the dancers have messed up, some dancers won't be. But it will have been fun anyway!
I'll reiterate once more: the critical relationship for the center dancer is with one's First Partner, the dancer they face at the beginning of their turn in the center. To find this person, as they come into the set, each dancer should turn to the right.
It takes some practice, but I assure you, it can be done.
Steps
Wilson does not discuss steps for Scotch reels, so I use my best available option, the steps given by Scottish dancing master Francis Peacock in his Sketches relative to the history and theory, but more especially to the practice of dancing (Aberdeen, 1805) and the common workhorse setting step, the pas de basque. I've described them before, so I'll just link to my previous posts. The starting foot is always the right foot for everyone.
For heying, crossing, circling, and leading under and around (first, third, and last eight-bar figures): Kemshóole steps, one per measure.
The dancers holding up their hands (First Partner and their neighbor to the right) should use twelve Minor Kemkóssy steps to dance in place as the other dancers lead under, switching to two Kemshóole steps on the last two measures when the neighbor is basically turned in place and the First Partner moves forward into the circle. This is similar to the way the lead-under figure works for the center and anchor dancers in my reconstruction of Wilson's New Reel of Three.
For the setting (second eight bars): any of Peacock's setting steps or a simple pas de basque are suitable, but my preference is for the Minor Kemkóssy. It is particularly suitable for the center dancer, who on the last two bars of setting must back up into the circle. This is exceptionally easy to do with four Minor Kemkóssy steps, though it also can be done fairly easily with two Single Kemkóssy or, a bit less easily, with two pas de basque. Other options for the edge dancers would include four pairs of Seby-trast or Lematrást steps (each takes one bar) or some combination thereof. I recommend that the edge dancers avoid using the Single Kemkóssy, since the poor center dancer will find it easier to orient their setting if the edge dancers are not adding a lot of sideways back-and-forth motion. Backing up into their place in the circle is also considerably easier if the two dancers they are moving between are dancing in place!
If doing this reel as a performance piece, it is more aesthetically pleasing to have all the dancers around the edge, at least, matching their setting steps. But a Scotch reel is also an opportunity for individual improvisation, so once the reel is mastered, then if dancing it socially, as long as the center dancer is able to get to their place in the circle (Single Kemkóssy, still a bad idea for the edge dancers...) and everyone ends up on the correct foot, have fun!
Music
There is no specific music for the New Reel of Five; any period reel will do.
If it is danced 1808 style, once through with no progression, it requires thirty-two bars played once through. If it is danced progressively to the point where the original center dancer is back in place but the edge dancers have moved one spot around, it requires five times through. Halfway around, ten times through. And if it is danced progressively to the point where every dancer has returned to his or her original place, the sequence requires thirty-two bars of music played twenty times through, giving everyone a healthy ten-minute cardio workout for the day.
I don't have, or know of, any recording of a thirty-two bar reel with twenty repeats, so for the fullest version of the dance, one would need to either use live musicians or loop a recording to have enough repeats. One could, of course, also just stop at any intervening point (ten repeats, edge dancers halfway round, is nice), if one doesn't mind not getting everyone back to places.
Special thanks to my long-ago test dancers: Nora, Irene, Juliette, Kat, BDan, Alexia, Shelby, Lauren, and Marci!
Comments