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Enjoy this curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
Doppelganger by Yaroslav Gerzhedovich (2012)
Jun 9
Doppelganger Day
Double Trouble Triangles
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
âI learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both.â
~ Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1886
Ooooh! Spooky doings for summer months! Have you ever encountered someone who looks very much like you? Do you have a celebrity lookalike? Or perhaps you are already an actual twin brother or sister? Maybe you've met a tartan twin (someone with the same tartan selection at a dance). Or perhaps, you have met a ghostly doppelgänger! A spectral double who looks suspiciously like you.
If all of that sounds a little too unsettling, there is a far more cheerful way to celebrate double trouble! This lively 48-bar reel, devised by Judith Kowalczik , features "doppelgänger" (double) triangles that weave dancers into ever-changing formations, creating plenty of opportunities to lose track of where you should be!
At best, you can create your own double or mirror by image by conscientiously "covering" with your partner or corner in reels or other figures and impress all those ghostly apparitions!
Doppelgänger Day is a playful online celebration where people swap their profile photos for those of celebrities, athletes, historical figures, or even friends who bear a striking resemblance to them. Fittingly, the date itself has a touch of mirrored symbolism. Celebrated on June 9 (6/9), the numbers form a visual reversal of one another, much like the ancient yin and yang symbol, representing opposite yet connected forces. Whether written as 6/9 or 9/6 in month/day and day/month formats around the world, the date itself becomes a kind of numerical doppelgänger.
The idea of the doppelgänger, however, has far older and darker roots. In folklore, a doppelgänger was not simply a look-alike but a ghostly double whose appearance was often considered an omen of misfortune. The theme has echoed through literature for centuries, perhaps most famously in the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. In the story, the respectable Dr. Henry Jekyll attempts to separate the conflicting sides of his nature, only to unleash the sinister Edward Hyde. As Hyde grows ever stronger, Jekyll finds himself losing control of the darker self he has created, with tragic consequences. The tale remains one of the most enduring explorations of the double life, the divided self, and the shadows that lurk beneath the surface.
So, dancers, just keep an eye on your partner today â and perhaps be on guard for a fleeting glimpse for anyone who looks suspiciously like you! đş đ đ¤ đ¤ đ¤ đ¤ âŻď¸ âŻď¸ đ đ đť đť
Double Trouble Triangles
Doppelgänger week is a light-hearted game on social media which is played by replacing your own profile image with that of your nearest celebrity doppelgänger. There are image matching tools to help you find a lookalike from the universe of cartoons, historical art, or famous personages.
The German word Doppelgänger means âdouble goerâ and refers to a wraith or apparition that is a replica of a living person. Doppelgängers were generally considered omens of bad luck or even signs of impending death.
The 'evil twin' variation in doppelgänger folklore tells of doubles attempting to provide misleading or malicious advice to the person they shadow. They may also attempt to plant sinister ideas in their victimâs mind or cause them great confusion. For this reason, people were advised to avoid communicating with their own doppelgänger at all costs.
Celtic folkloric versions of doppelgängers are the Irish "fetch" (a supernatural double or apparition of a living person) and the Orkney Island "trows" or "drows" (fairy-like creatures who steal healthy human babies and replace them with their own sickly children as âchangelingsâ, who transform into exact replicas of the stolen children).
Some well known examples of doppelgängers in literature are:
The ghost of Hamletâs father in Shakespeareâs âHamletâ - revenge is put in Hamletâs mind by the apparition of his father who reveals that he was murdered.
âWilliam Wilsonâ, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe - William, the protagonist, meets another boy in school who had the same name and looked surprisingly like him. This doppelgänger haunts William all his life.
Joseph Conrad uses a doppelgänger theme in his short story âThe Secret Sharerâ - in the story, âLaggattâ, ex-skipper of a ship, acts as a doppelgänger of âThe Captainâ.
Robert Louis Stevenson explores the theme of doppelgänger in his classic novel âDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydeâ - Hyde is the evil double of the honorable Dr. Jekyll.
To see this vigorous dance performed by the RSCDS in 2016, click the video (filmed and edited by Red Barn Studios).
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
