This piece began as a piece for a chamber orchestra with quite an unusual instrumentation. For string instruments, there were 2 violins,viola, violoncello, and double bass, for woodwind instruments, there were flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, and for brass instruments, there were, french horn and trumpet. It was performed once by the Regina Symphony Chamber Players and the impression I got from the players was that it was a little too different for them and had even been given the suggestion that I should have written the 5/8 section in 5/4 instead because "they are bassically the same thing, right?" I deceided that in the future I would arrange the piece for Wind Orchestra and it became a summer project one year.

The form is a traditional on the page. Opening section is a quaint dance in 5/8 that is mostly in 2+3. There is a great deal of juxapositionof dynamics, style and instrumentation. The slow dance is in 9/8 (2+2+2+3) and the thin and transparent harmonies allow for the solos to sit above the texture. The last dance section is very angular and abrupt and in what now seems like a simple 4/4. There are many places I kept true to the instrumentation that wasin the original and in other places...not so much. There are a number of challenges in the piecebut I find that now when I listen to it, I hear characteristics of Bartok's Tanz Suite, Sz. 77 and Alfred Reed's Armenian Dances.

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