New Zealand Branch Summer School

The Summer School organised by New Zealand Branch every New Year is a major date in the RSCDS diary. This report comes from this year’s organiser, Antanas Procuta.

How do I capture in a few paragraphs the many delights, the effort, the events, all the learning, and the happy incidents that made up our 8-day Summer School? This year’s event took place in St Peter’s School, set in the countryside outside Cambridge in North Island. St Peter’s provided a bucolic and restful setting for all this dance activity, with the accommodation, dining hall, and main dance venue, all close together. For this particular Summer School, our intentions were a desire to enhance the excitement of dance for younger dancers, to make use of the different experiences and skills of the international teachers to broaden the capabilities of local SCD teachers, and to offer a range of classes that suited the varying needs of dancers.

Although we initially planned six classes, the school ultimately provided nine, (including Unit 5), a variety of afternoon classes and local tours, and evening dances, including an exciting, dazzling, 1920’s Razzamatazz-themed evening, a special Hogmanay celebration, and the President’s Ball. Jamie Berg’s High Energy class, accompanied by pianist husband, James Gray, was aimed toward the younger and more energetic dancers who may not have necessarily mastered technique, but enjoyed the challenge and spirit of exciting dances. The breadth of experience and knowledge offered by teachers Mervyn Short and Christine Freeman was shared by the Advanced Technique and Advanced Low Impact classes. That the school had dancers aged from six to 93 years and a good mix in between demonstrated the enjoyment of dancing across the generations.

With dancers coming from Australia, the UK, Europe, and North America, our Summer School also offered the opportunity for dancers to holiday in New Zealand before and after the school. During the school, trips were organised to local activities and attractions including a bush walk on Sanatorium Hill overlooking Cambridge, and a visit to the multi-themed Hamilton Gardens.

New Zealand Summer Schools traditionally have made an event of Hogmanay. Dianne Murdoch along with her daughter and son-in-law created and curated a full Hogmanay experience, with the evening dance programme developed and briefed by Cambridge Club tutor, Helen Smythe.

After Stu Budden piped in the haggis, MC Alec Calderwood gave a rousing ‘Address to the Haggis’. Stu piped for the dance Bill Clement MBE, with the bagpipe music requiring intent listening for dance phrasing – a new experience for many. Just prior to midnight, lights were dimmed and dancers joined to sing Scottish classics and newer songs such as Caledonia, and the Proclaimers’ 500 Miles.

As a way of putting Scottish country dancing in front of the local community, a Ceilidh was programmed for both Summer School dancers and the general public. 70 members of the public joined us in a range of simpler Scottish dances. The ‘Wooden Spoon’, traditionally awarded on the last night to the person noticeable through the school by their ‘stirring’, was dually-bestowed upon Helen Wyeth and Philip Oliver. Those people previously awarded the Wooden Spoon are destined to become Summer School organisers themselves. Just deserts!

The Summer School was a huge production, with 175 dancers, 26 dance and music teachers, musicians, evening dance programme devisers, the Summer School committee and a further 70 volunteers. The success of any school lies with the dance teachers and musicians who provide many years’ experience, knowledge, and love of dancing to enable the dancers to enhance their own capabilities, and their appreciation and enjoyment of Scottish country dancing. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to them all.