Dance The River Cree 5591
Jig · 32 bars · 2 couples · Longwise - 4 (Progression: 21)
- Devised by
- Unknown
- Intensity
- 44 88 80 88 = 75% (1 turn), 52% (whole dance)
- Formations
-
- Advance and Retire (ADVRET;2S;)
- Rights and Lefts - half (R&L;HALF;)
- Lead down and up (DWNUP;LEAD;)
- Poussette - standard (POUSS;PV;)
- Steps
-
- Pas-de-Basque, Skip-Change
- Published in
-
- Book 8 [5]
- Scottish Country Dances Books 7 to 12 (Combined A5 edition) [17]
- Pocket: Books 7,8,9 [17]
- 101 Scottish Country Dances [87]
- Fifty Scottish Dances [9]
- Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 8 [612] (diagram only)
- Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 7 [558] (diagram only)
- Scottish Country Dances in Diagrams. Ed. 6 [531] (diagram only)
- Online Sources
- Recommended Music
- Extra Info
- See here for a historic video including step demonstrations.
See here for a historic video including step demonstrations.
The River Cree
The River Cree rises in the Galloway hills of southwest Scotland and flows for thirty miles through its luxuriant valley before it empties into Wigtown Bay.
At Newton Stewart the river was once crossed by the Black Ford of Cree and is now spanned by a bridge built by John Rennie in 1813. Many of the houses of the town rise from the very banks of the river, giving to this old Scottish town a Venetian atmosphere.
Above Newton Stewart the river passes through the Cruives of Cree, a lovely wooded stretch that inspired Robert Burns on his Galloway tour of 1794.
Here is the glen, and here the bower,
All underneath the birchen shade;
The village-bell has toll’d the hour,
O what can stay my lovely maid?
'Tis not Maria’s whispering call;
'Tis but the balmy breathing gale,
Mixt with some warbler’s dying fall,
The dewy star of eve to hail.
It is Maria’s voice I hear!
So calls the woodlark in the grove
His little faithful mate to cheer;
At once 'tis music – and 'tis love.
And art thou come? and art thou true?
O welcome, dear, to love and me!
And let us all our vows renew,
Along the flowery banks of Cree.
“The Banks of Cree”, now lost, to which the song was originally set by Burns, was written by Lady Elizabeth Cochrane, daughter of Thomas, 8th Earl of Dundonald, and wife of Burns’ friend, Patrick Heron. George Thomson, the editor to whom Burns sent the song, did not care for Lady Elizabeth’s tune and when the song was published in 1798, two years after Burns’ death, it was set instead to “The Flowers of Edinburgh”.
The River Cree 2/4L · J32
- 1–
- 1M+2W change places RH ; 1W+2M repeat (2x,1x)
- 9–
- 2c+1c A&R ; ½ R&L
- 17–
- 1c down the middle and up
- 25–
- 1c+2c Poussette (2,1)
The River Cree 2/4L · J32
- 1-8
- 1M+2L change places RH, 1L+2M change places RH
- 9-16
- 1s+2s advance for 2 steps & retire, dance 1/2 R&L
- 17-24
- 1s lead down the middle & back to top
- 25-32
- 1s+2s dance Poussette. 2 1
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This dance ranks 1275th out of 1388 rated dances in the database. (More info.)
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