Early Sources of RSCDS dances

None of the dances published by the RSCDS before book 13 were devised by the RSCDS, instead they were considered "traditional" dances. Many dances published in subsequent books fall into that category as well. I have tried to track down the sources of these dances and display here the earliest published versions of the dance's figure which I've been able to find.

In some cases the RSCDS mentions a source. Often I have found earlier examples of the dance. Sometimes I have been unable to find the RSCDS source and will present the earliest source I have found.

When I know the deviser, I mark the name in italics. In most cases for these old dances I only know the publisher.

When a dance source is marked with "†" it means I have been unable to verify the source of the dance, when it is marked with "‡" it means I have been unable to find any Scottish dance manual containing this dance (prior to 1924).

By default the list below shows only traditional dances interpreted by the (R)SCDS. I believe that Book 34 (1986) was the last book to contain any traditional dances. Before Book 13 all (R)SCDS dances were traditional, but Book 13 contains The Reel of the 51st Division, the first published modern dance. No further modern dances were published until Book 22 (1963), and after that some books contained modern and some traditional dances until Books 31&34, which contains both.

At the end I have several tables of statistics.

Order by: RSCDS Book Original Publication Date
Include: All Dances Only Traditional Dances Only Modern (post 1924) Dances [Not Complete]
(R)SCDS Book Range:
Containing figure: < any > USA allemande turn  allemande linked-arm  allemande Scottish  pirouette allemande  bentley allemande arming back to back la baratte basket swing bend the line bourrel box circulate box the gnat butterfly whirl calfornia twirl cast celtic reel chain progression  chaperoned chain progression change chevron chevron poussette circle clap closed star congee contra corners corner chain corners pass and turn corners pass and twirl corners set and turn crown triangle cross go below crossover mirror hey diagonal rights and lefts diamond poussette do-si-do do-si double figure eight double triangle double triangle (Wilson) down the outside and back down the middle and back draw poussette a double dutch crossing espagnol face to face figure eight  double figure eight forward and back  long lines forward and back gate gesture grand chain grand square gypsy half reel progression hands across hello goodbye setting  hello goodbye poussette hey  circular hey  crossover mirror hey  dutch crossing  dolphin hey  grand chain  hey for three  hey for four  interwoven hey  mirror hey  morris hey  parallel hey  progressive hey  rights and lefts  right and left 4  schiehallion hey  shadow hey  sheepskin hey  shetland hey hole in the wall cross honour  set and honour jump kiss the knot (scottish) ladies chain (courtesy turn) open ladies chain lead lead down the middle and back lead out bottom and top lead out through the sides long lines forward and back mad robin morris hey ocean wave open ladies chain pass the ocean petits fours petronella philabeg polka poussette  diamond poussette  draw poussette  hello goodbye poussette  poussette Scottish  waltzing turn poussette promenade  promenade progression  promenade round  star promenade reel  axum reel  celtic reel  crossover mirror reel  reel for three  reel for four  courage reel  intersecting reel  interwoven reel  inveran reel  mirror reel  parallel reel  snowball reel  schiehallion reel  tandem reel  tandem reel switching leads  weasel reel right and left through right and left 4 rights and lefts  3 couple rights and lefts  diagonal rights and lefts  Wilson's right and left  grand chain rondel rose progression salute set set and honour set and link set and rotate set and turn corners set and turn single sharp siding sheepskin hey shoulder round siding snake pass split circulate spoke spurtle star star promenade swat the flea swing swing corners swing through the swirl swirly siding take a peek targe three couple rights and lefts tourbillon tournee triangle, crown triangle, double triangle, double (Wilson) hand turn turn corners gate turn turn corner, partner, corner, partner turn single turn single cloverleaf waltz  waltzing turn poussette weasel reel

RSCDS Book 23, 1967

RSCDS Book 33, 1985

RSCDS Book 35, 1988

RSCDS Book 36, 1990 (Frae A' The Airts, Vol. 1)

RSCDS Book 38, 1994

RSCDS Book 39, 1996

RSCDS Book 42, 2002

RSCDS Book 43, 2003 (Golden Jubilee Dances)

RSCDS Book 44, 2004

RSCDS Book 45, 2005

RSCDS Book 46, 2010

RSCDS Book 47, 2013 (90th Aniversary)

RSCDS Book 48, 2014

RSCDS Book 49, 2015

RSCDS Book 50, 2016

RSCDS Book 52, 2018

RSCDS Book 53, 2023

RSCDS Book 54, 2025

Statistics

Number of dances published by city (or region)

Number of dances published by semi century

Number of dances by early publisher/devisor

References

Scans of old dance manuals are scattered about the internet. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, International Music Score Library Project, Scott Pfitzinger's Playford site, Richard Powers' website, Library of Congress, and The Library of Dance all provide primary sources. A number of other sites provide indeces of these sources: The Regency Dance site, The Library of Dance again, and my own site have all proven useful for finding old sources. Finally there is Robert Keller's index which does not provide sources directly but lists thousands of dances, the publications containing them, dates and a brief coded description of the figures. This last has proven invaluable for tracking down dances for which I had no complete sources.

And, of course, both the Scottish Country Dance Database and the Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary provide online descriptions of all the RSCDS books and often hint at early sources.

This website is copyright © 2021-2026 by George W. Williams V
My work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Most of the dances have more restrictive licensing, see my notes on copyright, the individual dance pages should mention when some rights are waived.