Cumberland Square

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

CUMBERLAND SQUARE (R2x64) 4C Sq.Set D Keppie

1- 8 1s+3s join both hands with partner and slip step across (Men BtoB) and slip step back (Ladies BtoB)
9-16 2s+4s repeat
17-24 1s+3s dance RH across and LH back to places
25-32 2s+4s repeat
33-40 1s+3s basket swing (Alt. All dance Grand Chain ½ way and set)
41-48 2s+4s basket swing (Alt. All dance Grand Chain ½ way back to places and set)
49-56 All circle left (Alt. All circle 8H round and back)
57-64 All promenade back to places (Alt. All swing partners)

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Cumberland Square
Maggie and Duncan Keppie Burns Night In The Annapolis Valley:
2x64 bar reel
4-couple dance in a Square set
This is a traditional North Country dance - sets should line up both across and up-and-down the hall so that the sets can intermingle on bars 1-16.

1-8 SLIP: Head couples join both hands with partner and slip across the set and back (8 slip steps each way), men passing backs on the way over and women passing backs on the return trip;

9-16 Side couple repeat SLIPPING;

17-24 WHEELS: Head couples dance right hand across and back with the left;

25-32 Side couples repeat WHEELS;

33-40 BASKET: Head couple dance clockwise around in a basket (to form the basket, women join hands behind the men's backs, and then men join hands behind the women's backs - hands should be joined opposite the small of the back; and all lean outwards to circle left);

41-48 Side couple BASKET;

49-56 ALL CIRCLE: to the left for 16 slip steps;

57-64 PROMENADE: partner anticlockwise around the set to original places.

Repeat whole dance.

(Dance crib compiled by the devisers, Maggie and Duncan Keppie)

Dance Notes

1-16 Either hold both hands with partners or in waltz hold.

Dance Instruction Videos

Cumberland Square - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

Cumberland is a historic county of North West England that had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974.

It was bordered by Northumberland to the east, County Durham to the southeast, Westmorland and Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish counties of Dumfriesshire and Roxburghshire to the north. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 (excluding Carlisle from 1914) and now forms part of Cumbria.

Cumbria is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972.

Map Of Cumberland From The Atlas To The Topographical Dictionary Of England', Edited By Samuel Lewis 1845. Drawn By R. Creighton, Engraved By T. Starling.

Published in https://www.minicrib.org.uk/Publications/Keppie_John/Dances BURNS.pdf
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Cumberland article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright R. Creighton, T. Starling, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Additional search terms: Ceilidh Dance, Square 8, Basket Dance, Cumberland Square Eight.

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