Branch Anniversaries
RSCDS Chairman Ruth Beattie (left) cuts the 60th Anniversary cake with Norah Dunn
The Helensburgh and District Branch shared a Diamond Jubilee anniversary with Queen Elizabeth. The Branch was formed in 1927 as the Western Dumbartsonshire Branch. It disbanded during World War II and was regenerated in 1952 by intrepid class teachers Norah Dunn, John Blain, and Cath Twigg. The Branch name changed to Helensburgh and District in 1995. The highlight of the 60th anniversary year was a Celebration Dance held in the Victoria Hall, Helensburgh, with dancing to the music of Ian Muir, and attended by Dr Alastair MacFadyen (Society President), Ruth Beattie (Society Chairman) as well as Helensburgh Branch Honorary President Norah Dunn and Honorary Vice-Presidents John Blain and Peggy Rose. A lasting memory of the anniversary will be the dance A Diamond for Helensburgh, written by Anne Thorn.
First Chairman Mike Smith cuts the anniversary cake with present Chair Shirley Ferguson
The Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey (BHS) Branch celebrated its 35th Anniversary by holding a Strawberry Tea on the afternoon of 1st July 2012, with Ian and Judith Muir playing. It was a relaxing, informal occasion, including entertainment items. The Branch’s first Chairman, Mike Smith, was pleased to come and join in this delightful event for young and old.
More News in Pictures
Maureen Lyon with a young dancer Duncan and Maggie Keppie
Earlier this year, the Board of Directors of Dance Nova Scotia announced that Maggie and Duncan Keppie had been awarded their Dance Inspiration Award for 2012. Since 1973, Maggie and Duncan have been leaders of the SCD community in Nova Scotia. The magazine Dance Revue summarises their achievements: ‘They are known and respected for their knowledge of dance and music, not just of the steps, but the history and context. They taught at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton for over 15 years, producing a series of books for dance teachers. Maggie was part of the volunteer team that created a teaching resource in Scottish country dance, All Join Hands, which was published and produced by the Department of Education for Nova Scotia’s public school system. Duncan created the arrangements of traditional music for all the dances on the accompanying CD, and their band, The Macadians, played the music. Upon its completion, then Minister of Education, Rodney MacDonald, ordered a copy of this resource to be placed in every school in Nova Scotia. Between them the Keppies have created around 300 dances, some of which address specific needs of teachers, such as using the formation of lines of three for groups where women outnumber men – everybody gets a partner! And they have just released a double CD of music for dancing.’ Congratulations, Maggie and Duncan!
In April 2012, the Tam o’ Shanter Dancers (based in White Rock, British Columbia) took their dancing shoes to Cuba to perform at the International Dance Festival in Havana. The enthusiasm of the Cuban audiences left the Tams awestruck, according to dancer Cheryl Jorgensen. In the Plaza de Armas and Plaza Vieja, hundreds of Cubans and tourists participated in the workshops and ceilidh dancing led by instructor Maureen Lyon. The children, in particular, were amazingly quick to learn the dance steps, indicating their natural abilities and their inherent cultural love for music and dance. In their final performance in the Plaza Vieja, the Tams led hundreds of people into a gigantic circle to sing Auld Lang Syne.
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