WELCOME TO An Entertainment Site for Scottish Country Dancers - Enjoy the 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!
Mount St. Saint Helens Day
May 18
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"A volcano is the Earth's way of reminding us that even silence holds fire beneath it."
On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens in Washington state made headlines by dramatically reshaping its own landscape. With a rumble, a puff, and a massive sideways blast, the volcano let off steam—quite literally—sending ash across several states and carving out a brand-new crater in the process. It became the largest volcanic eruption in U.S. history. Since then, it’s settled down quite a bit, occasionally grumbling and puffing, but mostly keeping its cap on.
The devisor of this reel dedicated it to his mother, Carrie Smith Orr—the first woman to climb Mount St. Helens. The dance honors her legacy and the history of her family, who settled in the shadow of the mountain in the 1800s. Its square formations symbolize the mountain’s sides, while joined hands reflect the ridgelines connecting the Cascade peaks. The choreography evokes both natural grandeur and the enduring heritage of early settlers in Washington.
Reel safely around a virtual volcano of your own in this 4 couple dance by circling the volcano, reeling around imaginary smoke and ash, and then quickly exchanging sides with partners in a mad dash to safety! Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis ... what next, dancers? 🕺 💃 🌋 🌋 🌋
Mount St. Helens Reel
Mount St. Helens is one of the most well monitored volcanoes on the planet since its most recent eruption of May 18, 1980. Recent seismic swarms under Mount St Helens indicate a recharging magma chamber.
American Indian lore contains numerous legends to explain the eruptions of Mount St. Helens and other Cascade volcanoes. The most famous of these is the Bridge of the Gods legend told by the Klickitat people.
In this tale, the chief of all the gods and his two sons, Pahto and Wy'east, traveled down the Columbia River from the Far North in search for a suitable area to settle. They came upon a beautiful area called The Dalles, but the sons quarreled over the land. So to solve the dispute their father shot two arrows from his mighty bow — one to the north and the other to the south. Pahto followed the arrow to the north and settled there while Wy'east did the same for the arrow to the south. The chief of the gods then built the Bridge of the Gods, so his family could meet periodically.
When the two sons of the chief of the gods fell in love with a beautiful maiden named Loowit, she could not choose between them. The two young chiefs fought over her, burying villages and forests in the process. The area was devastated and the earth shook so violently that the huge bridge fell into the river, creating the cascades of the Columbia River Gorge.
For punishment, the chief of the gods struck down each of the lovers and transformed them into great mountains where they fell. Wy'east, with his head lifted in pride, became the volcano known today as Mount Hood. Pahto, with his head bent toward his fallen love, was turned into Mount Adams. The fair Loowit became Mount St. Helens, known to the Klickitats as Louwala-Clough, which means "smoking or fire mountain."
For a fascinating explanation and recreation of the actual eruption created from chance still photographs, click a current photo of Mount St. Helens showing the purple and red penstemon in bloom near the base of the mountain.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
