Ulster-Scots Country Dances:
2. THE LA RUSSE (SECOND FIGURE)
In Ullans 3 a history of the Ulster-Scots square-dancing tradition was given, and this was followed in Ullans 4 by a description of the first ‘figure’ of the La Russe. We are grateful once again to Mrs Jeannie Peak and Mr Jackie Donnan for providing us with a description of both the dance movements and the appropriate fiddle music for the second and final figure of the La Russe.
La Russe (second figure) — Music: ‘La Russe’
LA RUSSE
As with all these traditional square dances such as the Lancers, Caledonians and Quadrilles, each separate figure of the La Russe begins in the “quadrille” formation as shown below.
This means four couples facing each other in a small tight square (about two steps out from a centre point). The leading or first couple are always those with their back to the music at the ‘top’ of the room. To their left is the 4th couple, opposite the 2nd couple and to their right the 3rd couple. Each couple stands with gent to the left and lady on the right. Again as with all square dances, during the introductory bars of music partners turn to each other, bow (call ‘honouring’), turn to the person on their other side, and bow to or honour their ‘corners’. This formation of eight dancers in a square is called a ‘set’, and there may be as many sets as space and numbers permit.
Each traditional square dance is arranged into a number of different dances called ‘figures’. In many, such as the quadrilles, lancers and Caledonians etc, there are five or six figures and it is customary to honour partners and corners at the beginning of each figure. The La Russe is a relatively short square dance in that it contains only two figures. The first having been described in Ullans 4, this issue provides the second figure to complete the description for this dance.
Jeannie Peak
LA RUSSE
2nd figure
The following 6 movements are repeated 4 times until each lady in turn has taken the ‘lead’, as for movement (3) below:
All join hands in ring to repeat another three times until each lady has chassied round opposite gent as in (3)
