I must admit I am a bit partial to this dance for some reason. I don't know just why, but it is my favorite.
Cross Reel
An eight-hand reel (328 bars) for four
couples
BARS----------A. Lead
Around
16-------------Couples take inside hands, make a half-turn to the
right and with
promenade step, dance round anticlockwise. On the eighth three,
release hands
and reverse. Partners again take inside hands and dance back in the
oppositedirection,
turning into original places on the last two
threes.
---------------B. Body
16-------------(a) Sides:
Men side-step to the right behind their partners, and
women side-step to the left in
front to finish with two threes. All again side-step inthe
same directionas before,
and end with two threes. Each man takes
the right hand of the woman on his right,
both make a half-turn and all chain back
as they came, to meet partners with right
hand, in starting position and turn in place.
16-------------(b) Full Chain:
Partners face each other and chain round in acircle,
the women going clockwise and
the men going anticlockwise, giving theright
and left hands alternately until they
meet in original places. Partners
then dance a right-hand full turn in
place.
16-------------(c) Men Interlace: Men dance to the right in front of
partners.
They promenade round behind the woman on their right and left-hand full
turn withthe
same woman. Men give their right hands across the center and dance
full
round clockwise; left-hand turn woman on the right of their original place, and
right
hand turn partners in place.
16-------------(d) Back-to-Back: Each
man, holding his partner’s right
hand, side-steps towards the left of the contrary
woman while his partner dances
towards the left of the contrary man. The man then
takes the left hand of the
contrary woman while his partner takes the left hand of the
contrary man. The four
dancers tus form a circle, the men back-to-back and women
facing each other; alldance
two short threes in this position. The man releases his
partner’s right hand,
turns around the contrary woman, and returns to his own
partner, passing the
other man right arm to right arm.
8--------------(e)
Exchange Places: 1st Tops and 1st Sides exchange places with
side-step,
while 2nd Tops and 2nd Sides do likewise. Partners all exchange places
with one
another with side-step. Then all dance back to places in the same manner
exchanging as before. (Note: Partners dance this movement without
takinghands.)
---------------C. 1st Figure
16-------------(a)
Figure of eight and ring: The men of the Top couples dance in
between, Side
couples on their left, with promenade step; they circle clockwise
round the men,
dance between couples again and circle anticlockwise round the women
to their
original places. All eight dancers now form a ring and side-step (with two
threes)
right and then left, falling into their original places on the last two
threes.
16-------------(b) Repeat: The Side couples dance
C.
---------------D. Body
64--------------Repeat
B.
---------------E. 2nd Figure
16-------------(a) Circle
round and hands across: The two Top couples advance,
taking inside hands, and
circle clockwise back-to-back, round each other to place.
The Top couples now give
right hands in the center and dance fullround, clockwise.
The two couples then swing
round each other and back to original places.
16-------------(b) Repeat: The
Side couples dance E.
---------------F.
Finish
8--------------(a) Circle: All join hands in a circle at shoulder
height.
16-------------Advance to the center with promenade step and retire.
Repeat.
(b) All side-step anticlockwise and finish with two short threes; side-step
back,
finishing as before.
16-------------(c) Repeat (a). All side-step
clockwise and back.
8--------------(d) Each couple takes hands and swings around
