Virginia Reel

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VirginiaReel
The Virginia Reel is set dance for 4 couples and there a few different ways of doing it. It’s mostly a 64 bar sequence but shorter versions of 40 bars are used. The origin of the dance is not known but the title along with some of the dance steps eg. a doh-se-doh figure certainly points to either a North American connection or a dance devised elsewhere to pay tribute to that region. Hoe-down/plantation tunes suit the dance, such as ’turkey in the straw’. There are two suitable tunes here which are titled ‘The Virginia Reel’ and ‘Kirk’s Hornpipe’ both traditional as far as known.
Sadly there are no ‘virginias’, or any other dances in the present isolation and it is to be hoped a recovery will be made before long.

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[JIM D.]

Today there are many "Square Dance Clubs" in the US where these tunes are played with the assistance of a "CALLER".

 

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JimD: Thanks for that.
I was very aware that these dance clubs were active in the US. Callers are commonly used here when required, especially at functions where the crowd are not automatically all 'old-time' dancers, such as at weddings. Good callers are in high demand. One which I see frequently has made several tours of clubs in the U.S. The good thing about such dancing is the international flavour crossing all borders.
Your second video is closest to the the way the dance is done here. The subscriber of this video illustrates the international flavour perfectly as he also has an English dance. the Cumberland Square, posted.
Its an area where the accordion fits in perfectly.