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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!
Jan 21
Squirrel Day
Red Squirrel Reel
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"The red squirrel is more common and less dignified than the gray, and oftener guilty of petty larceny about the barns and grain-fields."
~ John Burroughs (1837-1921)
Petty larceny aside, this 40 bar reel may put you in mind of a very busy squirrel with turns and twirls and changes of directions!
Despite their name, this reel's namesake inspiration, the red squirrel, is not always red! Their coats can range from deep auburn to brown, grey, or even nearly black, though the vibrant red is most commonly seen in Great Britain.
Regardless of their outer color, their undersides always display a white-cream hue. Red squirrels shed their coats twice a year, transitioning from a light summer coat to a thicker, darker winter coat adorned with prominent ear tufts—a signature feature that sets (and petronellas) them apart.🤪
The fictional Squirrel Nutkin, one of Beatrix Potter’s beloved characters, is an impudent and naughty red squirrel who gets into trouble by repeatedly annoying Old Brown, the owl, who guards Owl Island where the squirrels gather nuts. While the other squirrels respectfully ask permission and bring gifts, Nutkin ignores the rules. Instead, he sings riddles to Old Brown every day, not to learn or play, but to provoke and irritate him. Trouble ensues. With all that setting and reeling, this dance is for energetic squirrels only. And mind that fluffy tail! 😮 ❤️ 🤎 🖤 🤍 🌰 🐿️ 🐿️ 🐿️ 🦉
Red Squirrel Reel
The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a species of tree squirrel.
Like most tree squirrels, the red squirrel has sharp, curved claws to enable it to climb and descend broad tree trunks, thin branches and even house walls, withstrong hind legs enable it to leap gaps between trees. The red squirrel also has the ability to swim. In Finland red squirrel pelts were used as currency in ancient times, before the introduction of coinage. The expression "squirrel pelt" is still widely understood there to be a reference to money.
Squirrel Nutkin is a beloved character in English author Beatrix Potter's stories for children. In one of her stories, Squirrel Nutkin, his brother Twinkleberry, and other squirrels sail to Owl Island to ask the owl resident, Old Brown, permission to do their nut-collecting on his island. Unlike the other more polite squirrels, Nutkin dances about impertinently, singing a silly riddle. Every day for six days, the squirrels offer gifts to Old Brown, and every day as well, Nutkin taunts the owl with another sing-song riddle. Eventually, Nutkin annoys Old Brown once too often, and the owl seizes Nutkin and tries to skin him alive! Nutkin escapes, but not without losing most of his tail. After this he becomes furious when asked riddles.
There are other literary and legendary squirrels. In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr is a red squirrel who runs up and down with messages in the world tree, Yggdrasil, and spreads gossip.
For a classic "Pink Squirrel" cocktail, click the Beatrix Potter illustrations of Squirrel Nutkin and his friend.
And to see the dance below, click the video.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
