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The Aberdeen Festival
Doris Young with the Airyhall Dancers
The Aberdeen Scottish Country Dance Festival is the largest Scottish country dance festival in the UK. It is part of the Aberdeen and North East of Scotland Music Festival. Held on a Friday and Saturday in March each year, school and children’s teams compete on the Friday morning, afternoon and evening. Saturday morning sees more young dancers while the afternoon is devoted to adult teams.
The Music Festival began in 1909, but the date of the first country dance section is uncertain. It is minuted in 1926 that 18 Guide teams entered the Festival. Two beautiful medals – the Mrs Fyfe Medal and the Mrs Galloway medal – were donated to the Festival by the Guide Commissioners and are still amongst the trophies awarded to this day. For many years one redoubtable figure from the Aberdeen SCD dance world was synonymous with the Festival – Annie O. Cumming. From the 1950s until 1988 Annie O, as she was affectionally known, organised the Festival. After her, Lesley Martin aided by Jane Leys took over. Both have since retired, but the remaining members of the committee continue to organise the Festival.
The 1951 Festival programme shows that it was held in the Music Hall, Aberdeen, and Jean Milligan was the adjudicator. Some of the dances on the programme such as The Deil amang the Tailors, The Machine without Horses and Ladies’ Fancy still appear on programmes today. Other well-known adjudicators who have officiated over the years include Allie Anderson from Edinburgh, Duncan Macleod from Glasgow, Florence Adams from Glasgow, Alastair Aitkenhead from Saltcoats, Johan McLean from Glasgow and Margaret Ross from Forres. No dancing festival could function without music. Old programmes show that the renowned pianist, Nan Main, frequently played. The well-known local bandleader, Annie Shand Scott, also accompanied the dancers. In more recent years Jennifer Wilson, Frank Thomson and James Coutts have been the official musicians at the festival and all have inspired the dancers with their music. Although the Festival is a competitive event, over the last few years, several non-competitive classes have been introduced and a new non-competitive class for adults will be on the 2020 syllabus.
Winning Aberdeen teams at the 2014 Festival
A few kent faces in this Aberdeen Branch team from the 1950s Men: John Dunbar, John Kinghorn, Archie Patterson and Cliff Robertson Women: Jean Yeats, Lesley Martin, Maisie Hall and Elma McCausland
Today there are 29 classes to choose from including some for children under 10, some for over 10, primary and secondary age groups, adults over 16, adults over 60, adults with no teaching certificates and adults with teaching certificates. l l l
The Music Hall has been a frequent venue for the Festival, but recently the beautiful art-deco Beach Ballroom, which has a wonderful sprung floor, has hosted it. There is usually a good audience of parents, friends and the general public. The Festival has been a constant in the life of dancers in Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland. There is no question that it helps maintain a good standard of dancing in the area while giving both children and adults something to aim for. It is always reported in the local press, thus keeping country dancing, and the RSCDS, visible in the community. ‘Not to gain a prize or defeat a rival but to pace one another on the road to excellence’ has always been the motto of the Festival. Martha Harris, Aberdeen
