Below is an alphabetical list of high-energy reels which are most often used as the final dance on a program.
- “Australian Ladies”
- “Da Rain Dancin'”
- “The De’il Amang the Tailors”
- “General Stuart’s Reel”
- “The Highlandman Kissed His Mother”
- “The Left-Handed Fiddler”
- “Mairi’s Wedding”
- “Mrs. MacPherson of Inveran”
- “Mrs. Macleod”
- “The Montgomeries Rant”
- “The Reel of the 51st Division”
- “The Reel of the Royal Scots”
- “Sleepy Maggie”
- “The Wind That Shakes the Barley”
I’ve listed them in my order of preference below
- “Mrs. MacPherson of Inveran” – perfect final dance in my opinion; no setting, energy builds steadily throughout, great kilt-flip moment at the end of the third phrase going into the fourth
- “The Australian Ladies” – minimal setting, lots of room for twiddling
- “Da Rain Dancin'” – love the title tune, very high energy
- “The De’il Amang the Tailors” – another great title tune, but a bit rougher on the body due to the first phrase; difficult to maintain the energy
- “General Stuart’s Reel” – I find the music is often played too slow to warrant its place at the end of a program, but when it’s played to speed, it’s magic
- “The Highlandman Kissed His Mother” – has set-to-and-turn-corners;
- “Mrs. Macleod” – has set-to-and-turn-corners;
- “Sleepy Maggie” – has set-to-and-turn-corners; the transition from the end of the first time through the dance to the second can be magical, but all-too-often the new 2nd Couple is not ready to launch into the circle once round to the left
- “The Montgomeries Rant” – lively music; requires a great partner to be successful
- “The Reel of the Royal Scots” – the transition from the third phrase into the circle is fantastic so long as it’s phrased properly; the music is enhanced by the use of pipes; I placed it lower in my list due to its ubiquity
- “The Reel of the 51st Division” – most often used due to its music and story; I’ve danced it
- “Mairi’s Wedding” – I don’t appreciate the music as much as I would like to, and the reel across the dance during the 4th phrase is jarring and ruins the flow
- “The Left-Handed Fiddler” – with the right music, this dance is amazing; seasoned dancers will find themselves fighting the urge to use their right hand when the left hand is required, which breaks the spell of the dance
- “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” – I’m not a huge fan of corner-partner-corner-partner in quicktime as most dancers have difficulty with this figure
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