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- Title
The Evolution of the 'Eightsome Reel'.
- Authors
Coupe, Rosemary
- Abstract
The 'Eightsome Reel' is a fusion of opposites: the elegant quadrille with its French roots and the energetic reel native to Scotland. In the three-part structure of the 'Eightsome Reel', which evolved from the mid-1880s to the late 1890s, communal figures derived from the quadrille frame a long core section in which individual dancers display their prowess in reel steps of their choice. The community expressed by the dance was originally aristocratic, as the dance first appeared on the programmes of the exclusive Highland balls. Dance publishers stressed its social prestige and soon included it in the canon of Scottish national dances. In particular, the vigour of the reel steps and the traditional reel tunes used for the 'Eightsome' were perceived as emblematic of the robust energy of the Scottish character. So cultural nationalism enhanced the dance's popularity, and the community it expressed grew to encompass the nation itself.
- Subjects
SCOTLAND; REELS (Musical form); QUADRILLE (Dance); DANCE music; FOLK dance music; MUSIC &; society; CULTURAL nationalism
- Publication
Folk Music Journal, 2010, Vol 9, Issue 5, p693
- ISSN
0531-9684
- Publication type
Article