Rachael Rae ~ RSCDS

Rachel Rae ~ Williams Rachael Rae ~ RSCDS

The RSCDS attributes this to Mozart Allan's Allan's Reference Guide to the Ball-Room, Glasgow, ~1895, and a dance with this name is in that work, but it occurred elsewhere earlier. Both Smyth and the Lowes published it in about 1830, I think Smyth was earlier.

Smyth, in 1830, page 32, writes:

Four hands across and back again, down the middle and up again, Ladies out side and back again, and pousette,

The Lowes, in 1831, page 107, writes:

Four hands across; down the middle; up again; lead out to the sides, three and three in line, (The Lady between the two Gentlemen, and the Gentleman between the two Ladies); back again, and pousette with the top couple.

These clearly describe the same dance.

It seems likely to me that the hands across, should be back again to fill out eight bars.

Both Smyth and the Lowes use "down the middle and up again" as a progressive move. (and poussette is not)

But if the Lowes are to be believed it should leave the 1s in 2nd place improper (note the 2s aren't improper, so the change can't happen in the hands across). So presumably they wheel around at the bottom rather than turning individually.

But how do the 1s become proper again? We could have the 1s do half a draw poussette, and half a regular poussette but I'm not aware of any draw poussettes in 19th century dances so that doesn't seem a good solution.

lead out to the sides ... back again usually takes 4 bars... Summing up all the figures leaves 28 bars, so perhaps a four bar movement was omitted?

Smyth (an Edinburgh dancing teacher) and the Lowes (also Edinburgh dancing teachers) classify this as a "Scotch Country Dance". Both spell the dance "Rachel Rae".

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