The Bleu Ribbon ~ Williams

The Bleu Ribbon ~ Williams The Bleu Ribbon ~ RSCDS

Quoted from The Register of Dances at Castle Menzies (as transcribed by Jim Healy):

1^st man goes figure eight round the 2^d man & the 3^d woman the 1^st woman does the same round the 2^d woman & 3^d man then the 1^st pair leads forward to the 2^d pair then leads up & casts off, then does the same below and casts up; then the 1^st woman goes round the 2^d man & turns her partner, who was doing the same round the 3^rd woman then she goes round the 2^d woman then the 1^st pair leads out att the sides

Do the figure eights happen at the same time? If they do, then the dance takes a normal 32 bars. But the text doesn't say so, and the register often adds "at the same time". On the other hand it doesn't use the conjunction "then" as it often does. Finally, I just think it's more interesting for both to go at once. So I'll do that.

Then the there is the fact that the description mentions the 2s first and the 3s second for the figure eights. But if you start the figure eight looping the 2s you're stuck, you can't easily come back and loop the opposite 3. So here I'm going to follow the RSCDS and assume the figure eights should go round the 3s first and then the 2s.

After the 1s do their figure eights, they lead down toward the 2s, turn, lead up and cast down. Then they lead down toward the 3s, turn, lead up and cast up. This leaves them back at the top.

But the next section, where W1 goes arund M2 and M1 around W3 seems to expect the 1s to be in the middle. So I'm going to change that cast up to a cast back to 2nd place.

Is it possible that the progression happens in the figure eights? But then the 1s would not be "leading up" after going forward to the 2s.

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