Reel, Three Hand

Dance for three, recorded from oral tradition in many parts of England, Scotland and Wales.

In the southern Lake District and Yorkshire it featured in the repertoires of a number of dancing masters and was danced in shoes or clogs.  The dance was used both as a performance piece for pupils to show off their expertise following  a series of classes but also frequently as a social dance.

The format of the dance is a true reel, phases of stepping alternating with phases of running  a figure.

The dance was taught by:

Tommy Cannon of Underbarrow and Crosthwaite
“Pop” John Mason in Dent
Joseph William Robinson (“Old Jos”)
Stainton Robinson of Windermere
Billy Urquhart in Bleamoor, Ribblehead

Notations for the dance were collected from Lucy Short (with Clara Boyle) and Mrs W. Storey, Mrs Frances Gray and  Mary Hawes Mrs and Mrs Satterthwaite, Fred Coward,  Cissie WilsonMr and Mrs Akrigg, and Mrs George Airey.

Information derived from correspondence/interviews by Tom Flett with:

See also:

In southern England the dance was known from oral tradition in Dorset where a partial notation was given by John Cook.

The dance was not so common in Scotland but is known to have been taught by:

Joseph Lowe of Edinburgh

Information derived from an interview by T.M. Flett with John Cook,undated. and also from Thomas, A. (ed), A New Most Excellent Dancing Master, New York: Pendragon Press, (1992)