This is a simplified version of the Opera Reel, an ECD dance
Heiko Schmidt has made an extensive study of 3 text descriptions and 15 YouTube videos of this dance. It became clear that questions like ‘What is the correct description?’ or ‘What is the correct title?’ cannot be answered with any certainty.
The sources use three names: “OXO Reel” (13 times), “The OXO Reel” (4 times) and “OXO Dance” (once).
For this dance a plethora of variants seems to have evolved and are being danced in various communities. The 18 sources show 12 different variants. No ‘official description’, if it ever existed, could be found.
All variants have two common elements: on bars [1-4] ‘All Advance and Retire’, and on bars [17-24] the middle two couples dance ‘Right Hands Across, Left Hands Across’, while both ends dance 4 Hands Round Left, then Right (OXO figure). That is certainly the reason for the OXO Reel’s name.
Other figures that occur in various combinations are ‘All change sides (Men make arches)’; ‘All turn RH then LH’; ‘All dance Back to Back (R shoulder or L sh); One (or two) couples slip to the bottom, or back to the top, or cast off; ‘All dance up through the first couple’s arch at the bottom’. The most common progression is (2,3,4,5,6,1), but (3,4,5,6,1,2) also occurs.
The “Minicrib” and “Eric’s crib” for this dance show just two of the variants.
All the variants that Heiko found are listed down below. Each is designated by a letter. A digit following the lettter denotes other sources for that variant. There is no clearly supported variant, but variant d has 4 sources, variants b, f and g have two each.
The lists below give the details of each of the 18 sources (3 texts [b2, d1, d4] + 15 videos) with URL, source type, title and an optional note.
(b1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd1XJsyComw [video 2] “Oxo Reel”
(b2) http://www.mts.net/~jinks/fd/oxoreel.htm [text] “Oxo Reel” (on ‘Folk Dancing is Fun’)
© https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD6BpyHrSAA [video 1] “A Ceilidh in Skye, The OXO Reel”
(d1) http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/10327/ [text] “OXO Reel” (MiniCrib – SCDDB)
(d2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZqk6BNBdZo [video 4] “Bedcote Ceilidh Band - Oxo Reel”
(d3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxLzNKFnXQI [video 5] “OXO Reel - Still Reeling Ceilidh Band”
(d4) http://www.ceilidhcalling.co.uk/danceviewpage.php?view=1&id=30 [text] “OXO Reel” (John Brown Ceilidh Caller)
(e) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpdCZQKYAKQ [video 5] “The Oxo Reel!” (at a wedding)
(f1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT8RLmEA-tw [video 7] Tiger Moth (1989) 20 (dance) OXO Reel and Free Polka
(f2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P52z-ZF_sdo [video 8] The OXO Reel, Terri’s Memorial Ceilidh
(g1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsPM6fR_u88 [video 9] “The traditional English folk dance: The OXO Reel”
(g2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a81yG8QwuCc [video 3] “OXO dance with The Garsdale Street Band”
(h) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqtu3xDfYho [video 10] “Oxo Reel”
(i) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wIpA_wUUgY [video 11] “Gergel School OXO Reel”
(j) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfdPFWh0F_A [video 12] “NBprojects - OXO Reel” (workshop with professional dancers for the modern dance)
(k) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4oQ8tV_hWs [video 13] “The OXO Reel” The OXO Reel as performed at the Lonach Hall Burns Celebration 2009
(l) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIsM45omNQ4 [video 14] “Oxo Reel.MPG”
(m) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2PJ6gCP1T4 [video 15] "Ceilidh OXO Reel at St Andrew’s in Froideville Switzerland”
Here are the figures appearing in each of the 12 variants (b-m), arranged per 8-bar phrase:
bars 1-8:
Adv+Ret, B2B RSh (b+c+g+h)
Adv+Ret, 1s slip-step to the bottom (to 234561) (d+e+f)
Adv+Ret twice (i+m)
Adv+Ret, swap sides (M make arches, W pass under (j+k)
Adv+Ret, TR (l)
—————
bars 9-16:
all cpls TR+TL (b+c+i+m)
Adv+Ret, 2s slip-step to the bottom (to 345612) (d+e+f)
Adv+Ret, B2B RSh (g)
Adv+Ret, B2B LSh (h)
Adv+Ret,in pairs: swap sides (M make arches, W pass under (j+k)
Adv+Ret, TR (l)
—————
bars 17-24:
OXO (1+2 and 5+6 ‘4H round+back’; 3+4 ‘RHA+LHA’) (b+c+d+e+f+g+h+i+j+k+l)
—————
bars 25-32:
25-28
1s slip-step to the bottom (b+g)
1s+2s slip-step to the bottom (c+i)
2s slip-step to the top (to 234561) (d)
1s+2s slip-step to the top and… (e+f)
1s swing turn to the bottom (g+h)
1s+2s slip-step to the bottom, 3s+4s+5s+6s slip-step to the top (j)
1s slip-step down for 2 up for 2 (k)
1s cast off to bottom, while all others swing/turn for 4 bars (l)
29-32
all TR (or swing) (b+c+d+g+j)
… 1s+2s cast off to the end (to 345621) (e)
… 1s cast off to the end (to 234561) while all other swing turn (f)
… continue swing turn to the bottom (h)
stand for 4 bars (i)
1s followed by the others cast off to bottom, make arch, All others dance up through the arch (k)
… continue 1s cast off to bottom, while others swing/turn for 4 bars (l)