Dancing Around the World

All branches and affiliated groups are invited to send in their news (maximum 200 words) to Caroline Brockbank caroline@ceilidhkids.com

Alderley and District Caledonian Society

We are eagerly looking forward to dancing normally again. Indeed, some of our members have danced modified dances, within the rule of six and with masks, social distancing, and no physical contact or touching, such is their enthusiasm. We have booked our usual weekly class venue in anticipation of the restrictions being eased. There may be a reduction in numbers at first, but we hope that the more cautious of our members return. We will, of course, take the dancing easily to begin with. We intend to repeat our advertising campaign which was highly successful in gaining new members shortly before the pandemic. Several dances have been arranged with live music to maintain interest and enthusiasm, and I’m pleased to say tickets are going well, indeed better than expected. The future looks bright and assured, and our message is the usual one: ‘Happy Dancing’. Peter Marshall

Outdoor dancing with Banffshire Branch

An outdoor return to dancing event on 25 July took place outside the Sail Loft, Portsoy, on a beautiful sunny day. We had a fantastic afternoon of dance, starting off with a warm-up session led by Anne Taylor. Three sets of dancers followed a super programme led by Anne McArthur and Alison Smith, easing us gently back into dancing again with a mix of familiar and old favourites and some newer dances. Our secretary and Covid officer Liz Bulloch ensured safety guidelines were in place and being followed. It was just wonderful to be able to meet up and dance together again. We couldn’t have been happier and can’t wait for the next one. Dianna Baillie

Scottish Dancing Restarts in Brittany

Breton Branch took a deep Covid-free breath and relaunched in July. Some floors were grassy outdoors and others were inside and socially distanced. In Josselin, a beginners’ class was held on the medieval jousting grounds, led by teacher Anne MacLennan. Our Branch piper, Jean-Claude Madec played Flower of Scotland, celebrating our first meeting since January 2019. In Lannion, some of our experienced dancers stretched their legs (carefully) on tarmac, and later in a school room. In Port-Louis (beside Lorient on the south coast) Club Cluaran organized a July weekend of dance for beginners, with the group Alba Binhan in Séné near Vannes. RSCDS teacher Anne Dejean, from Grenoble, had to cancel, but Roland Telle very kindly took over, leading a cheerful event, appreciated by all the new dancers. The Swing Yer Tartan group in Guingamp is awaiting its leaders’ return from the traditional boat festival at Portsoy in Aberdeenshire. Members have been told to study The New Rigged Ship! The Burns Ceilidh group in Pordic, on the other hand, have launched a monthly outdoor ceilidh class, as a first step towards RSCDS dancing. Rules for using halls will probably vary, but dancing will continue! Robin Poulton

Dance Class in Canberra

Unfortunately, the recent outbreak of Covid in Sydney and surrounds compromised our planned event in mid-August. Certainly, nobody from interstate would have been allowed to attend. However, we had a larger than normal attendance at a class where our regular dancers were joined by members of the local U3A class. Barry Longstaff

RSCDS dancers and U3A join together to dance in Canberra

[The University of the Third Age (U3A) is a network of locally run interest groups that provide a wide range of opportunities to come together to learn for fun. (Ed.)]

Delaware Valley Gold Anniversary

Delaware Valley Branch turned 50 during the pandemic. We planned to celebrate with a weekend of dancing in April 2020, now postponed to 2022! During our Zoom AGM we had a picture tour of all the places in which we have danced over the years: many churches, schools, and even private homes. One response was, ‘I guess to be on the executive committee you need to be able to find places to dance.’ We are producing a book of dances, Delaware Valley Gold (to follow on Delaware Valley Silver). We tried out submissions and gave feedback, and the committee decided on the dances. The book will be available both online and on paper, with music on CD and possibly online. People often wonder about our name. We have dancers from the three states that meet near Philadelphia: Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The area is drained by the Delaware River, hence the Delaware Valley Branch. Dancing began in a private home with friends who loved to dance together, but the growing group soon needed more space as well as to train teachers. We hope to start classes again in September and are proud that when we were not dancing, 88% of members renewed their memberships. Cecily Selling

Forfar RSCDS on the rugby pitch

Dancing during the pandemic has been somewhat of a challenge and with no subscriptions coming in, a financial challenge too. However, the Forfar Branch along with Arbroath Round O Club were successful in obtaining a Voluntary Arts Scotland grant. This money has enabled us to purchase new audio equipment to allow us to dance outside until such times as we can resume our indoor classes.

So far, we have danced on Strathmore Rugby Club pitch in Forfar on 8 June when we had just over 30 dancers. The weather was kind, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable two hours when we met up with old friends, danced to live music, and had an excellent afternoon’s fun.

Our second dance took place in Arbroath on 18 June. I didn’t think our first outside dance could be surpassed but how wrong I was. The weather was warm and calm, and again we had over 30 dancers. The mood, like our first outside dance, was uplifting, and the exertion of dancing after such a long break just added to the fun of the afternoon. Sheena Leslie

Hastings, New Zealand 70th Anniversary The Hastings Scottish Country Dance Club celebrated their 70th Anniversary on 26 June with a dance in St Andrew’s Church Hall. Present and past club members attended, and we were joined by the New Zealand Branch Vice President Debbie Roxburgh, Paul Roxburgh and visitors from Napier, Taupo and other areas. Music for favourite dances was played by the Cranberry Tarts and the club’s collection of photograph albums was pored over during the afternoon.

Over the years members have participated in many Scottish country dance events: summer schools, weekend schools, and community events such as Highland Games and the Hastings Blossom Parades. The Club won awards for participating in the latter events with Bruce Fordyce’s ‘Nessie’ float. Here’s to the next 70 years!

Easter Weekend in Lawrence, Otago Region, New Zealand

Deferral of the 2020 South Island Easter School to 2021 led to a doubling of registrations from all over the country. In the end 74 people with experience from one year upwards came for classes, and even more for the evening dances. Based in Lawrence, a small, historic town (the location of NZ’s first gold rush) there was plenty of community support for the event with saltires displayed in shop windows, large welcoming banners, and great coverage by the regional newspaper. Local halls were not big enough for combined events so the Coronation Hall half an hour away in Milton was used, a wonderful building from 1905, oozing with the confidence and civic pride of the early 20th century. The pent-up enthusiasm after a year of limited dancing gives hope for the future of SCD.

RSCDS Leicester ‘Lockdown Survival’

The Covid Year Plus has been an amazing time for Leicester Branch. We have all learnt new skills and a lot more about each other. Initially, a few members set up our Set and Link weekly Zoom club and The Quaich monthly newsletter. Contributions for both arrived. The Set and Link team planned a weekly programme, The Quaich team monthly publications, with talks and articles related to Scottish country dancing and music as well as other material written and presented by our members. In Spring 2021 the seven teachers of our Branch presented Zoom talks covering Scottish Dance formations, using cribs, diagrams and videos. All are now accessible on our Branch website www.rscdsleicester.org.uk

In May we once again met in person in a local hall. Masks were worn on entry. Each dancer moved around their own two metre square, visualising other dancers, walking through each formation and dance. It has been a lot of work, but a great success: members have kept in touch and will shortly be ready to enjoy the delights of dancing in sets again. Neil McLaren

Melbourne and District Branch - Teaching a beginners’ class in the time of Covid

Dancing in 2020 had only just started when Covid reared its ugly head, Melbourne went into lockdown, and there was no more for the rest of the year. The outlook in 2021 was much brighter, classes resumed, and Melbourne and District Branch planned a six-week beginners’ course, starting in early May, with Patsy Marks as teacher. We had twelve enlisted, so we booked a small hall and organized helpers. News spread and we found we had underestimated interest as 19 turned up on the day. We moved to a bigger hall the following week and had 25 beginners eager to learn. We managed two classes in our new hall when Covid struck again, sending Melbourne into a snap lockdown, and it was three weeks before we could finish the last three weeks of the course. Surprisingly little had been forgotten and we did not need much revision before continuing. We celebrated the end of the course with a Sunday afternoon social, attended by 50 enthusiastic dancers (the current gathering limit) to our local band – David South, Matthew Robertson and Julia Arnold. It was a great class to teach, very receptive and keen, and most are continuing to dance with local groups. Patsy Marks

Moscow Branch

Twice postponed due to Covid, the Just Scottish Ball took place in Saint Petersburg at the end of April. Local dancers from the Schiehallion School and Puffins and Muffins Club were joined by guests from Moscow and Veliky Novgorod, dancing to the Saint Petersburg band Celtic City Experience.

The 4th SCD Festival organised by the Ufa club, Deer o’Dale, was virtual this year and has become the most numerous not only in participants, but also in the adjudication board. Ten RSCDS teachers from Russia watched and gave feedback on videos provided by 17 teams from Ufa, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Cheboksary, Kazan, Saratov, Samara, Naberezhnye Chelny, Novosibirsk, Perm, Miass, Taganrog, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and Khabarovsk.

The Cheboksary 4th Scottish Dance Weekend in June was arranged as a camp at a recreation area outside the city with three classes from three teachers (Evgeny Salmin, Irina Gorelova, Vladimir Garbuzov), a social dance, barbecue party, great company, summer weather on the picturesque banks of the Volga river - a great finale for the unusual season of 2021.

Nelson/Marlborough Region, New Zealand

The Nelson/Marlborough Region recently held a weekend school in the alpine thermal resort of Hanmer Springs, situated in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand. It was a popular weekend with 92 dancers from around New Zealand enjoying classes and a dance in the alpine environment, lovely sunny days but good frosts each morning! Kelly Walker

Ngaio Club 50th Anniversary, Wellington, New Zealand

Gold decorations filled the hall for the Ngaio Club 50th anniversary in May. There was much laughter and chatter during the afternoon as past and present members renewed friendships, and shared stories and memories triggered by the great collection of club photos. Our celebrations continued at the Ngaio Town Hall with our anniversary formal dance. The band of Aileen Logie, Hilary Ferral and Jason Morris provided fantastic music for around 100 dancers while the programme reflected the history of the club and included a new five-couple strathspey, Ngaio Gold.

Palmerston Club 60th Anniversary, South Island, New Zealand

Palmerston Club in the South Island celebrated their 60th Anniversary on 29 May. The weather was extreme, with flooding preventing some from attending, but there were dancers from Dunedin, Oamaru, Timaru and Christchurch. At present the Club has several young enthusiastic dancers which bodes well. A former dancer of the Club piped in the cake which was cut by members and the current teacher. Sue Lindsay

Orange County, USA

The Orange County Branch is so excited to be able to dance in person again. We began with an outdoor gathering at a local park in May, followed by a backyard Branch AGM in June. Our three weekly dance classes resumed in June, and we had our first monthly dance party of all vaccinated dancers in July. It was a great success attended by the four branches in the Southern California area. We are planning to host the four-branch Interbranch Dance in September, our annual Christmas Ball in December and to co-host a Burns Supper and Ball with the LA Branch in January, all depending on potential restrictions. For now, we are getting our bodies and brains back in shape! Edie Archibald

Queen’s Birthday Weekend in Otorohanga, Waikato/Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand

Lights in the College Hall, a full car park, laughter, ladies in pretty dresses, men in kilts; a keyboard, fiddle, and the deep, vibrant sound of a viola – ah, Glenfiddle Band from Auckland is playing at the Queen’s Birthday Weekend School in Otorohanga – near the geographical centre of the North Island of New Zealand.

Classes for Elementary, Intermediate, Low Impact and Advanced Technique were taught, and dances at the Ball ‘walked to the brief’ to help the newer dancers. The Ceilidh was superbly MCed by Damon – alias Fred Dagg (iconic New Zealand fictional character), and his mates Bruce, Bruce and Bruce. Folk from town joined in having seen the advertisement in our local paper. We danced to an expanded band – now 7 fiddles and viola, drums, recorder, accordions and keyboards, filling the stage and the hall with fabulous, toe-tapping music: a wonderful weekend of dancing.

Queensland Branch

Queensland was fortunately not seriously affected by the pandemic early in the year. Our Opening Social was held in Brisbane on 24 April, with conditions associated with Covid regulations. Four sets enjoyed music from the Black Bear Duo; Emma Nixon on fiddle and Iain Mckenzie on accordion. Learning that Iain planned to stay for a few days, we asked him to play at our class on the Monday. These classes have been very successful in attracting new dancers – especially this one, with Iain playing, when over 40 joined in.

In June, about 50 dancers attended a very successful weekend of dance in northern New South Wales. Accommodation and dancing were by the beach, the sea clearly visible as we danced. Being at Kingscliff the event was a ‘Right Royal Weekend of Dance’: dancers wore crowns, tiaras and jewellery on the Saturday night, dancing to the Black Bear Duo. We hope that winter sunshine and blue skies will greet us again next year. Bryan Hacker

Richmond Branch

On 17 July, one of the hottest days of the year, Richmond Branch optimistically organised a Garden Party in the delightful village of Reeth, Upper Swaledale. Dancers from North Yorkshire and beyond arrived with chairs, picnic, dancing shoes and sanitizer to book a shady spot under the trees. The programme took account of social distancing and minimal contact, so formations such as corners and grand chain were out, and dancing round partners instead of turning was encouraged. Dances were familiar and simple. Everyone relaxed and enjoyed conversations with friends last seen long ago. We admired the garden and scenery and tested our memories with a quiz - no digital input allowed!

A highlight was the presentation of the Scroll of Honour to Jim Healy, a member of both Perth and Richmond Branches. Due to the online AGM last year he asked to receive his Scroll at a Branch event and it was presented by Branch President, Fiona Turnbull. Many will remember Jim as Society Chairman, but especially as he encouraged branches around the world to suggest and test dances for recent publications. He was also instrumental in standardising terminology in recent books.

Judging by the many compliments received, this event was thoroughly enjoyed by all and hopefully heralds a return to the dance floor this autumn. Fiona Turnbull

Dancing Again in San Francisco

On 17 June, the San Francisco class celebrated the Solstice by having a dance. It was the first time since March, when everything shut down due to the pandemic. We were giddy with joy seeing each other and so happy to be dancing again. I knew I had been missing dancing but experiencing the sheer joy of it again after 15 months was intoxicating.

A survey was sent out and everyone had been vaccinated so masks were not required. Musicians Patti Cobb on keyboard and Caroline McCaskey on fiddle were wonderful! The programme was easy and familiar. We found that our bodies moved better than our brains! The Laird of Milton’s Daughter caused endless problems but so much laughter. Now we are talking about starting up classes again. I know I can’t wait! Claire Hunter

Sydney RSCDS

Australian dancers have been lucky so far in 2021, many dancing normally for most of the year. Sydney had a rocky start, with certain suburbs locked down over Christmas and New Year. With only a few delays and cancellations, classes soon resumed. A well-attended Day of Dance in March welcomed dancers to start the season, with ‘minimal contact’ dances. In May we welcomed beginners to an Easy Dance Social. We danced normally (sanitising between dances), enjoyed live music, and even served supper! The next Covid scare necessitated cancelled classes and a rescheduled social.

At the Teachers’ Liaison Group (TLG) workshop, teachers worked in pairs to devise a social programme. The best became the basis for the August Winter Social Matinee. TLG also ran a monthly advanced technique class focussing on the Very Advanced DAA syllabus. Our Unit 5 candidates and tutor are working hard for the November exam and hoping a non-Sydney examiner can attend. A big thank you to all our ‘stooges’.

The biggest blow came in June; we had to postpone our ball due to the Bondi cluster. We rescheduled to July, but another lockdown followed swiftly and classes and the Ball were cancelled and postponed again. Fingers crossed we will be back dancing later this year. Diana Hastie

Tauranga SCD Club’s 60th Anniversary New Zealand

Tauranga SCD Club in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Region turned 60 in 2020. We were to have held a celebratory Ball in June, but instead became one of thousands of Covid casualties. Undaunted, the Club tried again this year, and succeeded despite a scare when a visitor from Australia tested positive on his return just the weekend prior.

Eighty dancers arrived and dancing got underway to musicby the ‘Wild Heather’ band (Lynne Scott, fiddle, Mary McDonald, fiddle, Sharlene Penman, keyboard, and Anne-Marie Forsyth, viola). A highlight was the band’s ‘hoe-down’ tunes for Polharrow Burn. The Club reflects with pride on its achievements and looks forward to many successful years ahead!

First Online Teachers’ Meeting at Tokai Branch

With the spread of Covid, classes were restricted, so the branch committee considered new online activities corresponding to the new lifestyle. As the initial event, the first online teachers’ meeting took place on 29 April over Zoom. Many of our 66 teachers were new to Zoom, so we held a trial session three weeks beforehand. At the meeting itself, 35 attendees participated, over half of the certified branch teachers.

We began with reports from various regions of Japan, regarding their activities under the pandemic. It was our great pleasure to see each other’s healthy faces for the first time in a long time, albeit through the screen; a precious opportunity for interaction.

The latter half was a study session regarding pas de basque led by Branch chairman Yoshiki Oyama; handouts with Japanese translations helped to convey it in an easy-to-understand manner. After having received lots of ideas for future themes, the next teachers’ meeting will be held this autumn. Tokai Branch Committee

Vancouver Branch

What to do when a pandemic forces lockdown was my dilemma in my second year as President of Vancouver Branch. We had attracted more new dancers in 2019 than in previous years. We were on a roll! Enter the pandemic. Wednesday online classes and DSAH newsletters saved our sanity. Yet something local was required.

Could Zoom be adapted for a show? Having a history in theatre and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, I could put a show together but did not grow up with technology more advanced than an alarm clock. The debut was October 2020, when up to 80 members joined in and shows in November, December, and March followed. Videos showed dancing at the Highland Games and other events, alongside our demonstration team in Stanley Park. Our historian told of the founding of SCD in Canada and unearthed a video of the 256-some Reel performed to the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band in 1988 – the largest SCD event at that time, which made the Guinness Book of World Records. I interviewed a piper, and an English teacher who taught SCD in Japan. Another teacher challenged us with quizzes. The real crowd pleasers were breakout groups at the end of each show where people could catch up on their lives. Membership numbers climbed by February 2021 to nearly 60% of the previous year’s number, but we can’t wait to return to the dance floor! Heather Hankin, Past President.