The Branle d'Escosse is a complex circle dance described in Arbeau's Orchésographie (1589).
An open or closed circle of dancers (Arbeau mentions both) with hands joined.
Everyone dances the same steps together.
This dance is a combination of crossed doubles (side, close trailing foot toward leading foot with weight, side, cross trailing foot in front of leading shin), crossed singles (side, cross trailing foot in front of leading shin), kicks (spring onto one foot, kicking the other in front), and a capriole (leap into the air and wiggle your feet around).
Technically, Arbeau describes the first two of a greater suite of Scottish branles, but since we only have these two, they are often treated as one dance with an A part and a B part. Sometimes, musicians will play through #1 into #2 (without a repeat), and sometimes they'll repeat each part before moving on, similar to other branles with an AABB structure.
Scottish Branle #1
Crossed double left
Crossed double right
Crossed single left
Crossed single right
Crossed double left
Crossed double right
Crossed single left
Crossed single right
Yes, the second four steps are simply a repeat of the first four, but it isn't notated as such because the accompanying music is different. When danced with AABB structure, this means you actually dance the first four lines four times in a row.
Scottish Branle #2
Crossed double left
Crossed single right
Crossed single left
Crossed double right
Crossed double left
Crossed single right
Kick right (by springing onto the left in place)
Kick left (by springing onto the right in place)
Kick right (by springing onto the left in place)
Capriole
The timing will become clear when you dance it with the music, which is composed to perfectly match the steps.
Here is a nice tune for dancing the Branle d'Escosse. In this case, the musicians play it with an AABB structure, repeating each part before moving on to the next:
© 2020 Nick Enge
For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.
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