This dance is dedicated to Isabel Walker on the occasion of her 70th birthday. In her youth, Isabel was trampled by an African elephant, and was fortunate to survive the incident. I think that the elephant never meant to harm her, and when I heard the story, I had a picture in my mind of the elephant delicately doing its version of a sword dance over terrified Isobel, hence the title. In recent years Isobel has enjoyed cycling, and so you will see wheels and a chain in the dance.
To make up the 64 bars, and to accommodate the Schiehallion reels, the composer suggests that the tune be played ABABCABC.