Oxford is known as the City of Dreaming Spires, after the Victorian poet Matthew Arnold penned the description in his poem ‘Thyrsis’. For many that visit Oxford, it is easy to get lost in the beautiful surroundings of the dreaming spires and this is represented in the dance when all dancers lose their partner during the three-couple espagnole, only to find them again in the three-couple bourrel which perfectly inverts the espagnole
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Notes
: I devised the three-couple espagnole that features in this dance over the summer of 2017, deriving the figure from the standard espagnole of John Drewry. In this extension of the espagnole movement, the choice for which dancers begin by leading across the set was made for an easier and more flowing movement. Subsequently, it is worth noting that similar figures occur independently in several other dances, from a number of devisors, and differing variants have taken on the same name.
In the three-couple espagnole, when leading across the set to change places, the dancer on the left passes in front and, upon reaching the other side, both dancers turn away from each other to face in, just as with the standard espagnole.