The dance is danced by any number of couples, forming two long lines, each lady on her partner’s right. For the duration, each couple is dancing in a four with the couple opposite them in the set.
This dance was named after The Riverside Club in Glasgow – scene of many a good night’s dancing! The dance floor there is long and narrow, hence the full, long set. It was written primarily for children or beginners, and can be easily learned which is perhaps why it has grown in popularity at Ceilidh dances.
As with many ceilidh dances, there are countless variants; the crib and the videos show some of them.