Scottish Country Dancer , Issue 31, October 2020 by The RSCDS

SCOTTISH

Country Dancer The Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Magazine of the RSCDS

No 31 October 2020

D E L L NCE

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Editorial

Contents

We chose a picture from Summer School 2019 for the front cover of this issue to remind everyone of the great enjoyment we derive from Scottish country dancing in the hope of better times to come.

RSCDS Events

News from Coates Crescent

Chairman and Convenors’ Reports

The DSAH Teachers

From the Treasurer

The Cheering Keys of Lockdown

Ian Muir – Music Director

Two New Branches

Three Dances – Two Remarkable People

The Lockdown Heroes

Happy 100th Ethel

Scottish Schools Report

Focus on a Dance

Dancing Around the World

Letters to the Editor

The last issue was meant to be my last as Editor, but when nobody came forward, I agreed to edit this issue. I can now definitively say that this is my last issue! We are delighted to announce that Fiona Grant of Bristol Branch will take over as Editor. Fiona has been dancing all her life and is a well-respected teacher. Many members will know her. One little-known fact about her is that she used to live in Africa when her parents were working in Nigeria. John Drewry wrote a dance for them: Out of Africa in Greenburn Book 3. This issue may in future be known as the Covid issue, for obvious reasons. We put out a call for all branches and groups to write in and tell us how they have been coping. The response was tremendous and Caroline Brockbank has collated them into the 5-page section Dancing Around the World. Thank you to everyone who wrote in. In the midst of all the uncertainty and worry of the past 6 months the shining lights have been the Dance Scottish at Home e-newsletters, podcasts and the Summer Celebrations. Ian Muir, Angela Young and Peter Knapman have been our Lockdown Heroes (page 17) along with all the teachers who taught the online classes and all the musicians who have kept us entertained on YouTube and Facebook. Angela and Ian give us a fascinating insight into all the work they have done on our behalf, yet again showing that our great strength is the volunteers from among the membership. There is also an article celebrating the efforts of the musicians, The Cheering Keys of Lockdown. On top of all this work, Ian Muir took the time to write a 3-page article as outgoing Music Director, which I am sure you will find extremely interesting. Sadly, we have received more obituaries for this issue than any other and they take up two whole pages, but it is right and proper that we pay tribute to the contributions made by those members who have passed away. As Editor, I am acutely aware of the repercussions of the Management Board’s decision to send out this and the last issue electronically. We have three letters objecting to that decision. Reading a 32-page magazine online is not easy; on a tablet or phone, it is impossible without printing it out. One member from France points out in her letter the difficulties for non-native speakers of English reading a foreign language online. Of members who received the last issue by email, we know that 30% did not open the attachment. Prior to the Lockdown, only 633 members had specifically asked for a digital copy. This is part of the bigger issue of communication with members and I hope everyone will make their views known in the survey that accompanies this issue. A printed copy is sent to the 1563 members who have not provided an email address plus the 880 whose emails bounced back in the Spring. If you would like a printed copy of this or the Spring Issue, please email the office. I would like to thank Caroline Brockbank, Jean Martin, and Helen McGinley for all their work and support, and our designer and typesetter, Dougie, at It’s all Good in Grantown on Spey for his patience, good humour, and professionalism. Stay safe and re-join your Branch!

Reviews 28 Sadly Missed

Getting on Our Feet Again!

Dancers’ Diary

The next issue of Scottish Country Dancer will be published in April 2021. Please refer to Notes for Contributors on the website. Send materials for inclusion to the editor: mag.editor@rscds.org no later than 1 February. Please send enquiries about advertising to Cécile Hascoët: mag.advertising@rscds.org Editor Jimmie Hill Editorial Team Caroline Brockbank, Jean Martin, Helen McGinley. Publisher The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society 12 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 7AF Website www.rscds.org

Telephone Email 0131 225 3854 info@rscds.org

Graphic Designer Its All Good The Haughs, Cromdale, Grantown on Spey, PH26 3PQ info@itsallgood.org.uk t: 01479 870 435 Printer J Thomson Colour Printers Ltd, 14-16 Carnoustie Place, Glasgow G5 8PB

Jimmie Hill, Edinburgh Cover: Double Triangles in the Younger Hall, Summer 2019. Photograph by Iain Struthers

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News from Coates Crescent Branch Awards update The RSCDS presents Branch Awards to members who contribute in support of their local Branch, and once again a number of individuals have been honoured. Listed below are all those members who have received Awards since November 2019 – congratulations to you all! Atlanta Sylvia Priest Banffshire Alice Archibald Banffshire Margaret Cowie Banffshire Isobel Turner Central Germany Viktor Lehmann International Fiona Grant International Stephanie Robertson Mid Argyll Mike Murray New Zealand Dorothy Wilson New Zealand Howard McNally Norwich Ann Salmon Ottawa Brian McKintosh San Diego Ward Fleri Unfortunately, several Branches had to postpone their celebrations due to the COVID-19 situation. However, we hope that the Award presentations will take place next year instead. Since Branch Awards were introduced in 2004, 486 members have received one. For more information about Branch Awards, visit www.rscds.org/ get-involved/membership/member-recognition

Viktor Lehman, Central Germany Branch

New Branches and Groups We are pleased to announce the formation of two new branches and one affiliated group. Welcome to the Herts and Borders Branch, the Breton Branch from Brittany, and the Silver Tassie Scottish Dance Club from Perm in the Russian Federation.

2020 AGM It is with deep regret that the Management Board announced the cancellation of this year’s Autumn Gathering. However, it has been agreed that a virtual AGM will be hosted from 12 Coates Crescent on Saturday 7 November at 2pm instead. For more details please visit www.rscds.org/events/rscds-agm-2020.

Elections to Management Posts Nominees for this year’s elections are listed below and their profiles are available on the RSCDS website. The results will be announced at the virtual AGM on 7 November 2020.

Chairman Elect of the RSCDS William Williamson sole nominee for Chairman Elect.

Management Board (7 places, 3 for 3 yrs, 3 for 2yrs, 1 for 1yr) Neil Copland Trevor Clarke Fiona Grant David Macdonald Jane Meikle Joan Nesbit

Education and Training (2 places) Christopher Wilson, Chairman of Atlanta Branch, presenting Sylvia Priest with her award at the Unicoi Spring Workshop

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Jane McIntosh Oluf Olufsen Rachel Shankland

Membership Services (Convenor Elect plus 5 places, no election necessary) Angela Young sole nominee for Convenor Elect Ainslie Dunnett Keith Rose Youth Services (Convenor Elect plus 2 places, no election necessary) No nominations for Convenor Elect Abigail Brown

Motion from the Management Board There is one motion on the AGM order paper: The Management Board proposes that for the year from 1 July 2021, the basic full annual subscription shall be maintained at £18, with other membership subscriptions based pro-rata on this amount.

Publications and Shop Updates The Membership Services Committee is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of the new Combined Book 39-45. This Combined Book will be the 7th in the series and a FREE PDF version will accompany every purchase of the printed book.

RSCDS Communications and Marketing Do you already follow and/or like us on social media? We are seeking to nearly double our reach to 7,000 followers who like our page by the end of the year. Please follow, like and share our page so we know you are out there! Remember to ‘like’ any posts too as this will help us develop our future content. Over the last few months, we have received several enquiries from members who have accidentally unsubscribed from mailchimp (the mailing platform which also supports our Dance Scottish At Home eNewsletters). It is easy to re-subscribe. Please note that mailchimp requires a ‘double opt-in’ method, which means that you cannot be signed up to our email mailing list without your knowledge. As with all emails, remember to check the sender’s address at the top before clicking on any links – our contact details always end in @rscds.org, so if the message is not from an email with this domain we recommend you do not click the link. Contact us at info@rscds.org if you have any questions.

Member Communication Survey Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are keen to hear your views on the future of our communications. Your feedback is very important to the Management Board as a guide to future decision making. This survey is anonymous and should only take a few minutes of your time. A printed copy of the survey has been included with the printed magazine for those members without email addresses and we would be grateful if you could complete and return this to us at 12 Coates Crescent. Members receiving the magazine digitally will find the link to the digital survey on their digital magazine mailing.

RSCDS Website – What’s New? Get Creative! This latest initiative led by the Youth Services Committee offers creative and interactive materials for Young Dancers to use that celebrate the world of Scottish country dance. The new resource includes downloadable colouring pages, tricky puzzles to complete, word games to solve, how-to craft projects and a request for young dancers to submit their masterpieces. Head to www.rscds.org/get-creative to discover more.

Catch up with all of our Summer Celebration events and Dance Scottish At Home activities through the website. The various DSAH online class recordings of warm-ups, technique exercises, dances and cool-downs are available to view. You can also listen again to all the podcast recordings. Visit: www.rscds.org/get-involved/dance-scottish-home and www.rscds.org/events/dance-scottish-summer-celebration to enjoy them again! Good news! The Unit 3 tracks for teachers have now been added to the ‘Learn’ section. To learn more, visit www.rscds.org/learn/ music-resources/teaching-tracks Watch out for new Scottish Step resources coming soon!

RSCDS Archive The Archive has been in existence since the 1970s and our catalogue is continually growing. In recent years the collection has been digitised (with work still ongoing) and there is now a fairly large digital archive in addition to the physical archive. Many items in the Archive can be accessed online through the Archive digital Catalogue on the RSCDS website. The content of the Archive includes the Administrative Records of the Society, historical information about Scottish Dance, the Society and its dances, a recorded music collection, an oral history collection and an extensive video and film collection. Additionally, the Archive holdings include individual collections dedicated to, for example, Jean Milligan and Ysobel Stewart. There is also a section which is for deposited Branch Archives. To find out more visit: www.archive.rscds.org Contact: archive@rscds.org

Offices in Edinburgh – Kelso - Haddington Dalkeith Tel: 0131 311 4700 or email contact@ermg.co.uk. We are available for your Personal and Commercial Insurance requirements. Feel free to let us know when your renewal is due and we can contact you nearer the time.

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From the Chairman

Andrew Kellett

of local restrictions, often outdoors and in small numbers, sometimes wearing face coverings and not touching hands. I suspect this is how it will be for some time to come. We are a global society and Coates Crescent cannot announce when it is safe to dance. Each branch, teacher and dancer must make that decision for themselves. Local and personal circumstances vary so much, and what is acceptable one week may not be the next. I applaud the groups of dancers who, adhering to local regulations and considering the points raised on the RSCDS website, are experimenting with ways of dancing, compliant with current guidelines. Only when dancers have re-gained their confidence to dance locally will committees be prepared to organise balls, classes for newcomers and residential schools.

What a year it has been. Our lives were turned upside down. Scottish dancing stopped completely, and only now are we beginning to glimpse a flickering light at the end of the tunnel. The Society responded to the Covid crisis through Dance Scottish At Home, the podcast, the Zoom class and A Summer Celebration to keep the worldwide community of Scottish dancers and musicians connected, informed and entertained. We posted an extra mini-magazine to the members we could not reach via email. Branches have done sterling work to stay in touch with their members. Teachers have run on-line classes and musicians have given virtual concerts. The Board met every month to re-shape Society activities and plans. On page 10 the Treasurer explains how the Society is managing the significant loss of income, and the Convenors describe how the Committees have maintained some semblance of business as usual. The Editorial Team have produced another magazine of high quality. The staff have continued to provide an excellent service while working from home and with reduced resources. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to this fantastic Society-wide effort.

The Society’s response to the crisis has been fantastic. Thank you. I am immensely proud of the Society’s response: the personal support through our social network; the flexibility and innovation at an organisational level; the hours and hours of sheer hard work and, above all, the spirit. We are determined to keep the RSCDS alive and convinced that we will dance again. It has been heartening in the last few weeks to learn about branches and groups venturing back on to the dance floor, always mindful

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Will things ever be normal? I certainly expect that we shall experience again the social spirit of Scottish dance, the exhilaration of dancing to live music and the atmosphere created by a room packed with dancers. In other ways, though, this crisis will have a lasting impact. Through the dark months we have had to think differently about health and well-being, how we communicate and how we use technology. In some ways the world has changed, and the Society can use that to our advantage. People will want to hear our messages about the social benefits of Scottish dancing. Dance Scottish At Home has offered ideas for additional channels of communication with members and the dance and music community at large. On-line learning may be used more in future to augment the traditional ways of teaching SCD.

Dancing will return and the Society will thrive. This is my last column as RSCDS Chairman. I step down in November and the task of taking the Society forward will fall to Lorna Ogilvie and a refreshed Management Board. They will do a great job. In addition to her RSCDS background, Lorna brings to the role a lot of relevant experience from a successful professional career, and she will have a very capable team working with her. I would not have wanted my term to end this way – on a computer screen, chairing a remote AGM – but it has been a wonderful two years. Thank you for the invitations to branch events, some grand, others small and informal, but always the same friendly welcome and the shared pleasure of dancing and talking together. I have learnt about so many inspirational members who work tirelessly in support of their branch and to promote Scottish dance and music. I have been lucky to work with great colleagues, including all our Trustees, among whom I am especially grateful to the Convenors, Bill, and Lorna for their support, and members of staff, who are very capably led by Clare, who is also a highly efficient Board Secretary. Many thanks to you all, to Jimmie and Ian, who are stepping down as magazine Editor and Music Director respectively, and to the legions of dedicated members who give so much to the Society. Being your Chairman has been a humbling as well as an immensely enjoyable experience. Best wishes and good luck. Dancing will resume and the Society will thrive thanks to your continuing commitment and enthusiasm.

Membership Services Peter Knapman Who would have thought that the world would be such a different place from six months ago? But it is, and just like everyone else MS has adapted, changed priorities, and carried on working in the interest of our members. The planned workload we had at the start of the year, whilst trimmed down a bit, is still being progressed. This includes the next combined volume covering books 39 to 45, updating the formation index and the video project – we have, however, had to delay publication dates. A book of dances for use in schools, at Days of Dance, Festivals and for beginners is nearing completion and, hopefully, will be available when dancing resumes.

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley The book of dances associated with Sir Walter Scott is also progressing, again more slowly than planned, but as you will be aware the committee’s activities have been diverted into unplanned activities.

Education and Training Anne Taylor During this unusual time all E & T activities have had to be cancelled. No Summer School, no weekend schools, no examinations, no dances, no classes. However, the Committee have been meeting virtually and work has been continuing in several areas.

Work has been continuing Firstly, the Teachers’ Register – we have had over 800 Teachers respond to our first request, but we know that many more teachers have not completed the form. We have sent out a second email requesting a few more details of what skills teachers have. We would like to urge teachers who have not completed the initial survey to get in touch with us so that we can continue with this process. Secondly, Children’s Medal Tests have been updated to include some more recently published dances. The strathspey has been brought forward into Grade 4. We are working on suitable music to accompany these changes. Keep checking the website for when these will go live. Lastly, the Core Training for Instructors. This scheme is designed for leaders of social and/or general classes and who do not wish to or cannot work towards the Teaching Certificate Units. Experienced Teachers will be used to guide the trainees who will be known as Scottish country dance ‘instructors’ once they have undertaken the course. The benefits of this course are that no extra travel would be involved (you teach your own class), no examination, and less stress, a small fee, the ability to continue working on own skills, and building up an awareness of music, dance and the history of SCD. We can only hope that we will all be back dancing again soon and that all the plans for the future will come to fruition.

Dance Scottish At Home was an idea that came into being as a result of asking the question: ‘what can we do to keep in contact with our members now that we can no longer meet and dance together’? Andrew Kellett promoted the idea and the first week was an experiment to see what could be achieved. From the response and feedback, I think it has been successful. Interestingly, the content and format of DSAH has not really changed much since week one – the process is a bit slicker as we became familiar with the process. The workload does mainly fall on a few shoulders. I would particularly like to thank Angela Young and Ian Muir for all the work they do in keeping DSAH going. The activities do not, of course, stop with the newsletter but also the weekly classes and the mammoth effort that was put into Dance Scottish, A Summer Celebration. These are difficult and strange times, but I hope you feel that we have been trying to keep you entertained and in contact with fellow dancers. I do hope that some of you managed to join in the interesting and entertaining music workshops that Ian Muir organised during the Summer Celebration week – great fun and very informative. The music resource section of the website is being added to regularly and the Unit Three resources for musicians and teachers, and should be available by the time you read this. The website will also include some guidance on copyright and permissions. As Ian Muir demits his position as Music Director, I am sure you will join with me in thanking him for all the work he has ably and willingly carried out during the last six years – thank you Ian.

Youth Services Joana Stausberg This summer was certainly different from what we had all expected it to be; so many dances undanced, workshops untaught, tunes unplayed. Then again, so many positive experiences – the virtual classes! And so much musical knowledge gained – the podcasts! In Youth Services we were particularly happy about all the dance stories and pictures that you posted for the Thursday Challenges between March and July. With the help of our office staff, Youth Services have initiated the GetCreative pages on our website: www.rscds.org/getcreative. Young dancers can enjoy riddles and jigsaws, practise their diagram knowledge, challenge themselves to drawing Rowan with the help of a step-by-step video instruction, or just download some fun colouring-ins here.

We are constantly updating the website Thank you, Katherine, for your beautiful designs and quirky ideas. We are constantly updating the website with new material, so make sure to check it every once in a while. We understand there is a question mark over some of the Scottish schools festivals and big schools days of dance next year. The Aberdeen Spring Fling committee are facing the same challenge – how to plan an event with so many uncertainties? My previous column ended with mentally crossed fingers for the Toronto and Saint Petersburg events in May and by the time the magazine was delivered, the events had already been cancelled. Thank you to the committees who have dealt with the financial aftermaths of the two cancellations this spring. Thank you also to all the dancers who were able to donate their fees. In the meantime, let’s see what the Virtual Festival will bring us – we look forward to some fun videos and some fun.

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The DSAH Teachers Everyone has nothing but praise for all the teachers who have taught online classes this summer. Here are some of them. They describe the challenges they faced when planning their lessons. Andrew Timmins, Central Germany Branch The only set-up issue was with Zoom, as I was unable to read any previous chats, the dialogue boxes or the icons. I chose Glasgow Regatta because it is a 2-couple reel which can be danced within a two square metre area and it has a poussette, so I could focus on the change of feet for the men. For me, warm/cool-downs are more important than warm-ups. They stretch the muscle back to its length prior to the exercise; improve muscle and joint range of movement; and help remove metabolic waste from body tissue, ie lactic acid.

Atsuko Clement, Edinburgh and Japan I was stranded in Japan as my return flight was cancelled. It was a challenge as I did not have a music player, and I had few books with me. My biggest problem was my lack of knowledge of technology, and it had to be recorded with the time difference – 7 in the evening in the UK was 3 in the morning for me! As I had very limited space, I chose The Threesome Reel, which can be easily danced alone and it was a good way to introduce Highland steps as Scots used to use. We know this from the comments of Captain Edward Torpham who visited Edinburgh in 1774/5.

Graham Donald, Gran Canaria Setting up the class needed a lot of thought, and trial and error. I tried out a practice session with Zoom to make sure that all of me could be seen on-screen and to get the laptop positioned correctly to show my feet, but not cut my head off. I also checked that the music and my voice could be heard. I just chatted away as though people were in front of me. It was great that dancers were chatting online while I was teaching, but I couldn’t keep up with the number of comments coming in. As there would be many wine-drinking non-dancers, I wanted music which would be great to listen to. Muriel Johnstone’s Dancing Fingers 2 provided wonderful waltzes, which I used for warm-up stretches to start with. Jim Lindsay always has arrangements which challenge tradition. His arrangement for Bonnie Geordie’s Wig from the Book 49 CD is a particular favourite. Comments from dancers attending previous online classes included requests for an intermediate level of class, so this dance was perfect. I focused my lesson on foot transitions between pas de basque and skip change of step, use of hands for hands across and for rights and lefts as well as correct positioning of the body in anticipation of the next formation.

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Diana Hastie, Sydney Branch I was thrilled to be asked to lead a class and Angela was keen for me to cover some step dance repertoire. Blue Bonnets (Dancie Reid 6/8 version) is one of the easier dances in the St Andrews Step Dance Collection, so I decided to use its first two steps as a taster for those who had never tried Scottish Step. I started out fairly basic and worked up to a more advanced level. I ended up having to record it twice as there were issues with the sound quality of the music and the timing. We worked out a plan for me to pause at certain times to let Angela chat and answer questions. I had to wait a couple of days after it was aired to see the catch-up video and finally get to read the comments. I hope a few people will seek out step dancing lessons as a result.

David Queen, Ribble Valley Branch Teaching the online class was certainly an experience! It involved a lot more planning than a normal class due to the time constraints, the use of recorded music, and the different style of teaching required. I decided to teach step transitions – achievable for a solo dancer and accessible for all standards, and to build on step technique already taught in previous classes. I finished with an easy dance Jig to the Music from Graded Book 2. I made a decision to involve the audience and generate interaction through the chat feature by getting them to make dance suggestions for the transitions being taught. This worked well, but meant that I needed to include a lot more information, so I needed prompts and had paper stuck all over the kitchen! I was lucky in having my wife Cathy to operate the music and assist in prompting.

Trish Nicholls, Sydney Branch The offer to teach the online class initially prompted the ‘fight or flight’ reaction in me! I chose the flight option first, then Angela gently persuaded me to do it. The most difficult aspect was setting up the correct camera angle from my iPhone: too far back and I may not have been seen nor heard; too close, and my feet wouldn’t have been visible. As I live in Sydney, the class needed to be pre-recorded. I recorded it in three parts: the warm-up, step/transition section, and the dance/cool down. I taught Espie McNabb as it contains all the quick-time steps, basic formations, and several transitions. I thought this would revise and build on David Queen’s class from a couple of weeks earlier.

Samuele Graziani, Northern Italy Branch When I was asked to teach, I felt two emotions: deep pride and gratitude on the one hand, something near to panic on the other. My language is not English, so if I don’t have the words in class I can always gesticulate, but online! The difficulties were basically two: firstly, ours are social dances, designed for at least 2 couples; secondly, teaching online you do not have the perception of the class, you don’t know if you are moving with someone or if you are doing it alone in front of your PC like a madman! I taught a warm-up, some technique, then a few strathspey exercises. The most impressive thing was the number of people who watched – roughly a thousand! I don’t know when I will be able again to teach a thousand people at the same time!

Alice Stainer, Oxford Branch When I was asked to take the class, I was excited at the thought of connecting with dancers across the world and apprehensive about the practical challenges. Angela was having a power-cut; the night was hot and stormy in Oxford; the signs were not auspicious! I cleared as big an area as possible, but found that keeping head and feet on screen simultaneously was a feat! Another issue was the management of my equipment as I did not have the luxury of an off-camera music monitor. I was afraid the music wouldn’t start or fail to stop! I rigged up various music delivery systems before finding one that was reliable. I needed a dance that could be done easily by one person, so opted for Delvine Side from Book 2. Despite containing a corner figure, it was easy to keep track of imaginary fellow dancers, and focus on how to maintain the continuous flow of the dance. I particularly enjoyed my devilishly handsome ghost partner Finbarr! Robert McOwen, Boston Branch The main problem was preparing to teach such a compressed lesson: warmup, steps, figures, and a dance all in 30 minutes! Since I knew it was a mixed level class and I was the only dancer, I prepared some diagrams on posterboards that I held up to the camera to help convey the geometry of the figure. I also used a couple of stools to mark places on the sides of the dance. It all went smoothly, and I ended on time. I taught Hame Came Our Gudeman, a strathspey from Book 30. It has elementary figures – rights and lefts and promenade – as well as a more advanced figure, the poussette. My wife, Barbara, played solo fiddle for the class.

Fiona Mackie, Dundee Branch Teaching a class online sounded simple in principle. Schools and universities were doing it; yoga and fitness had moved to online, but a dance class? What space to use, will I trip over the rug? Where can I put the coffee table? Despite not being able to see anyone else, and trying desperately hard not to move out of the space your screen allows, we had power! We had a musician and we were ready to go with 1200 other people. I taught Petronella from Book 1, as it was easy to do with only one person. The shape of the dance also fits nicely into the space available. It was great to see the comments from people who had learned this as their first dance years ago, and were glad to have danced it again.

Sue Porter, Oban and Lorn Branch This was a teaching experience like no other. Teaching is very much an interaction between dancers and teacher and this wasn’t there. My husband had helpfully linked his laptop up to the TV so I could read the chat in a bigger scale. Strangely, I was going in opposite directions at the same time on my laptop and the TV. Living in Oban on the west coast of Scotland, I decided to use music with local connections – either tunes written for local places or played by local musicians. I taught Invercauld’s Reel from Book 11. The band was John Renton’s, local and with family connections. Set to and turn corners, I felt was a formation, where a single dancer could more easily imagine the participation of the other dancers. The left shoulder reel of three and rights and lefts had been covered by previous teachers, so that meant I just had to teach the variations of the endings. Fred deMarse, San Francisco Branch I taught The Scallywag from Book 52 – a dance with local connections to my Branch. Jennifer Kelly devised it for Mikkel Thompson for his 50th birthday. The tune, Mikkel’s Jig, was composed by Kim McGarrity. It was challenging to go through the steps and formations and the dance without receiving any visual feedback. It was also challenging to stay focused on my lesson plan and also keep track of the Chat Room comments. I was so impressed with the number who attended and the international coverage. I want to give a huge thank you to Susan Worland and Michael Bentley for playing and managing the sound system, and to Julee Montes for helping to demonstrate. I couldn’t have done the class without them!

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From the Treasurer Bill Cant When the Treasurer is invited to write an article for Scottish Country Dancer, you are entitled to guess that it will not be full of good news. The financial result to 31 March 2020 was anticipated and reasonably acceptable; it is all detailed in the Trustees’ report and financial statements which are on the Society’s website. https://www.rscds.org/sites/default/files/signed_2020_ accounts_01.07.20.pdf https://www.rscds.org/about/governance/legal-administrative However, these numbers are history, they were pre Covid-19. As we are all discovering, our dancing and Covid-19 are not compatible, and this will have a significant impact on the activities and finances of the Society. Summer School was cancelled. Summer School makes a considerable financial contribution to the running of the Society. Then we have the potential impact on membership. How many people will not renew their membership until they start dancing again? How many people will not want to return to dancing and be lost forever? In the meantime, there is still an office to run. We have had to put three members of staff on furlough, the UK government’s employment support scheme. That represents a 38% reduction in available staff. The remaining staff have been working from home, but there are still rates, insurance, website and IT systems, audit, etc to be paid for. Over the last few months the staff have been very busy supporting Ian Muir, Angela Young and the team to bring you Dance Scottish at Home.

So what have we been doing to address the problems? Firstly, we tore up the original pre-Covid Budget and produced a new one. Sadly, it reflects an anticipated modest decline in membership and a decline in the income from our investments. It reflects the loss of income from Summer School and the Autumn Gathering and the loss of income from Winter School. It also reflects a change which I know is not universally popular: we are budgeting to save £25,000 over the year by sending this magazine to you electronically rather than by post. We anticipate receiving £27,000 from the government’s furlough scheme. In addition, we anticipate saving around £40,000 from administration expenses, printing, stationery, postage and travel, with all meetings currently being conducted remotely, which brings its own issues. Despite all these efforts the current budget for the General Fund shows a deficit of £140,000. Quite simply, this is unsustainable. Our predecessors built up reserves and they will be used to provide some support this year, but I will not be recommending the sale of our investments in the Jean Milligan Memorial Fund or selling 12 Coates Crescent. However, more difficult decisions will have to be made as we move through the year. Branches will have to make every effort to retain members so that we have good numbers ready to dance again We are also launching an Appeal. We are very grateful to the members who have already made generous donations to the Society. I am asking you to think of all the money you have saved this year by not being allowed to dance. Think of the money that you would have spent travelling to St Andrews or Perth for the Autumn Gathering. Perhaps some of it could be usefully contributed to our appeal so that the Society is in the best possible position to restart training and organising events when we return to dancing? Together we can work through this pandemic and come out dancing at the other side.

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The Cheering Keys of Lockdown together by the magic of technology. www.facebook.com/TunesInTheHoose/ videos/542397279783568 Another favourite of mine from 7 June featured a much smaller line-up led by James Corbett, with a set of Shetland reels. www.facebook.com/106911464278847/ videos/559480378100884

Dance Scottish at Home musicians

A huge number of musicians have been keeping us, and themselves, going by entertaining us online during lockdown, in the form of podcasts, online live sessions, and intricately recorded sessions shared on social media. There have been far too many to name them all, but below Caroline Brockbank gives us some of the highlights. Tunes in the Hoose is an online community created to keep Scottish musicians playing together at a time when opportunities are uncertain; their strapline is ‘Inclusion when in isolation for the Scottish Music Family’. Their output over the lockdown period has been phenomenal, producing over 300 recordings, often several in one day, which have been shared online. One of the unexpected benefits of lockdown, and enforced distancing, is the discovery that it is as easy to collaborate with someone from the other side of the globe as it is with someone in the next street. Tunes In The Hoose features a wealth of diverse musical talent, with some amazing combinations from all over the world. Each collaborative recording is led and begun by one musician, then the rest of the virtual band joins in, usually after an introduction of eight bars or so. Some musicians appear only occasionally, others many times in different line-ups, sometimes playing different instruments in various recordings.

Most members must have enjoyed the comprehensive Dance Scottish At Home newsletters, eagerly welcomed to our inboxes every Friday. Along with them have appeared the excellent At Home podcasts, with recordings, interviews, and quizzes, all brought together and presented by Ian Muir of the Craigellachie band. Again, everyone will have their favourites, but especially interesting was Issue 4 on 17 April when Ian explained some of the technicalities of how collaborations such as Tunes In The Hoose are put together. We enjoyed tracks from Luke Brady’s Album Of The Week which was one of my own favourites among the Society recordings: the often-overlooked music for Book 7 played by David Cunningham. soundcloud.com/rscds/rscds-at-homepodcast-week-four/s-bX1AqdiFshr On 12 June Pat Houghton entertained us with the story behind the dance The Ullapool Ferry. We were introduced to a cracking album of the week, chosen by Marian Anderson and Max Ketchin, in the form of Gordon Pattullo’s Ceilidh at The Castle, and heard tracks recorded especially for the podcast by the superlative Gordon Shand. This episode also included discussion of an article by Peter Knapman of The Dean Bridge of Edinburgh, and gave listeners the opportunity to hear a very special version of the original tune, played by

Nicola Benedetti and Phil Cunningham. soundcloud.com/rscds/rscds-at-homepodcast-week-twelve/s-sJtJHIrmjAo

Facebook entertainers In addition, Scottish music enthusiasts have been able to tune in to many live broadcasts on Facebook and similar platforms, from a wealth of talented musicians. Discussing and playing their favourite tunes, some, such as Bill Ewan, Susan and Shona MacFadyen, Scott Band, Ewan Galloway, Ian Robertson and Matthew Maclennan are familiar to RSCDS dancers, but we have also been able to enjoy the music of those who are better known to the ceilidh scene, or as performers, or both. And how many of us knew that Bill Ewan is Margo Priestley’s cousin? Here is Bill playing a set of strathspeys which are highly evocative of Summer School. w w w. fa c e b o o k . c o m / b i l l . ewa n / videos/3730103867005345 The fiddler, Pete Clark, has been entertaining us with his tunes from the shed, every session an inspiration. And finally, special recognition must go to those musicians who have accompanied teachers during the online classes. For example Graham Berry, who played for the very first online RSCDS Zoom class led by Angela Young. Others, such as Phill Jones, with Zsofia Jozsef, have created informal ‘kitchen ceilidhs’ for those at home to participate as much they are able and the furniture permits. So a big thank you to all our musicians, who have not only kept up our spirits in uncertain times, but also perhaps inspired some of us to rescue longneglected fiddles or accordions from the spare room, and dust them off for an overdue revival?

Eightsome Reel highlight It would be impossible to list them all but an undisputed highlight on 31 May – an Eightsome Reel set led by Peter Wood – with an incredible 42 musicians from around the world, blended

Bill Ewan on Facebook

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Ian Muir – Music Director For the past six years Ian Muir has been doing one of the most demanding jobs in the RSCDS. Like all the volunteers who take on Society positions, he has put a tremendous amount of time and effort into his work – most recently and memorably, hosting the weekly podcasts for Dance Scottish at Home. Here he describes how he started playing for Scottish country dancing and his time as Music Director. When I became Music Director of the Society in 2014, I always intended to write a piece about what the job of the Music Director entailed as it was the one question that I was always asked. Little did I know that it would be such a full-time job and that I would finally find the time to write my article as I was about to leave the post. I was born in Hammersmith, West London, and spent all of my formative and schooling years in Heston, Middlesex. My two brothers, sister and I were all encouraged by our parents to learn musical instruments although, funnily enough, all had very different interests musically so we never actually played together! Having failed the 11+, I was lucky enough to go to one of the first of the then new Comprehensive Schools where there was a very strong folk-dance tradition. This was my making. Not being ‘fleet of foot’, I was side-tracked by being encouraged into learning the accordion with the comment from the teacher in charge, “he’ll never stick at it!”

1940s. It was through Alan that I was invited at the age of 17 to join the band and there started my passion for Scottish dance music. Over the years McBain’s had had several notable Scottish musicians – Willie Hunter and John Ellis from north of the border, and Nan Fleming-Williams and Pat Shuldham-Shaw, who were great exponents and collectors of Scottish dance music from south of the border. Although they had all played before I joined the band, they had left a legacy which Alan encouraged me to explore and cherish. It was Nan who first got me into teaching musicians about playing for dancing when the Cambridge Branch of the RSCDS ran its very first musicians’ Day School. Nan and I were to jointly deliver, but tragically her husband had died a couple of weeks before and she withdrew from all playing leaving me, a rather inexperienced leader of such an occasion, in charge. I remember that day vividly and the feeling in the evening when the full dance floor acknowledged the experience of dancing to 20+ musicians all playing together. It was magic. Two of those musicians were none other than my future wife, Judith, and her brother Ian Robertson, both at that time in their late teens.

First gig We soon had our own English folk-dance band and I remember our first gig, and trying to the find the hall where we were to play in the dark during the power-cuts associated with the miners’ strikes of the winter of 1972. I was so lucky that, despite his initial views, Charles Pegram sought every opportunity for me to gain experience in playing. It was in these early days that I first met Alan Humberstone, the pianist in McBain’s Scottish Country Dance Band – London’s premier Scottish dance band at that time, with a playing history that went back to the mid-

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Ian as a young lad playing with McBain’s Band

Early influences Asked whether I have favourite musicians who have influenced me, that is a difficult question to answer as I have so many. I would have to say firstly McBain’s band and in particular Alan,

and then Bobby Crowe, Jim Johnstone, John Ellis, Iain MacPhail and Jim Lindsay. They have all had a big influence on me for a variety of reasons. I stayed with McBain’s for 15 years full-time and that presented many challenging but exciting opportunities: two Take the Floor broadcasts, playing for the Junior Royal Ballet School at Covent Garden and of course many, many Scottish dances all over the Home Counties of England. During this time I had trained to be a teacher and secured a job in Basingstoke teaching music. It soon became apparent that although I loved playing with McBain’s, I needed to strike out on my own and create my own sound. Initially, I was able to dovetail the two sets of gigs, but as my band’s engagements blossomed, I soon had to give McBain’s notice that I was going to leave. A difficult decision!

focused on Information Technology but eventually becoming the Senior Schools Adviser, heading up the advisory team working across both primary and secondary education in the town. Five years ago I decided to take the opportunity to retire early as education policy moved away from the principles that I believed in. Coincidently, as I planned my retirement, the post of Music Director came up. I was persuaded to apply and was surprised to be appointed.

Birth of Craigellachie

l develop the Summer School Music Course at St Andrews

The Craigellachie Band existed before it eventually chose its name. It was formed around December 1985 when Angus MacAulay in Newbury decided that the Newbury Caledonian Society would run bi-monthly hops in a local church hall. Various musicians joined in, including pupils from school, with Alan Humberstone from McBain’s Band as the resident pianist. These were great evenings and it was not unusual to have 6 or 7 people in the band. Angus would record the evening and these early recordings invariably got shared around. This led to our first official dance in Sherborne in Dorset. In 1987 the Bath Scottish Dancers invited what was by then a trio – myself together with Judith and Ian Robertson – to record an LP for them and the invitations to play for dances all over the country steadily rolled in. We were soon joined by Graham Hamilton on drums. Since those early days personnel have changed, as they do and Judith re-joined the band in 2005 on piano – originally, in the very early days she had played accordion. We have been lucky enough to play literally all over the world and it has proved what a great passport Scottish dance music can be and over the years we have made so many good friends. The band is still going strong some thirty five years after it was first formed.

l with the development of the website make available resources

Teaching career My teaching career continued. I eventually headed up the Creative Arts Faculty in the school, but after 22 years in the same school I felt that if I did not make a change in my career it would never happen. On a whim I applied to become the ICT advisory teacher for Reading Borough Council, so left music teaching behind and started a new direction in education working as an adviser, initially

Aims as RSCDS Music Director There were many areas in which I hoped I would be able to develop and bring my experience to bear: l try to bridge the gap between the RSCDS and the rest of the

world of Scottish dance music

which raised the profile of the music in relation to dance and provide downloadable resources for teachers, musicians and dancers l encourage the RSCDS to make its recordings more marketable

by widening their appeal, making them available as digital downloads and giving the bands who recorded for us the opportunity to include their own material One other area emerged as one where the Society needed to do some work and that was around copyright and permissions.

Six years in post Over the six years I have been in post I have really enjoyed all of the aspects of the role, but perhaps the one I am most proud of is the development of the Summer School Music Course which now sees around 30 musicians taking part each year, plus the addition of a Class Musicians’ Course which is run separately. We have had attendees from all over the world and have really encouraged young people to take part. I had to apologise in my first year for having been a teacher! I expected the musicians to work hard – they did and have done ever since! I have been fortunate to have been joined by some great tutors: Judith Smith (fiddle), Gillian Stevenson (fiddle), and latterly Bill Ewan (piano). The other musicians and teachers who have been on the staff at Summer School have also shared their talents and expertise without question, for which I am very grateful, and I have made some great friends amongst them. The Saturday night dances which are the ‘final fling’ of the course have always been special;

Ian teaching the Musicians’ Course at St Andrews

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the atmosphere is always electric and the expression on the faces of those new to band work, particularly the youngsters, as the dancers respond enthusiastically to the music, will always hold a special place for me.

Society recordings I think the move to make the Society’s recordings more marketable has been a positive step in the right direction. I have been lucky to work with some great bands and musicians. Jim Lindsay, Ian T Muir, Scott Band, Luke Brady, James Coutts and DUK have all released recordings for the Society during my time in office and it has been a real privilege to be present at their recording sessions. The move to digital downloads has also been a wise business move as there is now a regular monthly income from these products.

De-mystifying I have also tried very hard to de-mystify some of the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ around Scottish dance music. There are, in fact, far more ‘dos’ than ‘don’ts’ and I passionately believe that what dancers want is inspirational music that makes them want to dance and dance well. So if an original tune doesn’t do that, then it can be discarded and something similar but more suitable substituted. Muriel’s article in the Spring Issue unpicks much of this. I have heard so many bands ‘crash’ through an unplayable original because they think that is what dancers really want and then change into a tune that they know inside out with the contrast being so obvious. The change from the unplayable, often unfamiliar and, sadly, badly played original into the secure, danceable and inspirational just highlights my question of what does the dancer really want – un-inspiring and mundane or inspirational?

Making it distinctly Scottish Asked whether there have been any frustrations with the job, it would be wrong to answer ‘No’. One aspect of the role which I have tried hard to protect is the music itself. What makes it special? What makes it distinctly Scottish? How do we promote these characteristics worldwide without watering it down and changing it so that it loses its Scottish roots and identity? Not everyone has shared that belief.

Issues of copyright The other area which has given me some concern is around copyright and permissions. There is much recording, videoing and posting of music and musicians on social media which takes place without the right permissions being sought and sometimes without the musicians even knowing. It is not helped by it being a very grey area but, hopefully, I have at least raised the profile of this and have tried to give the Society some guidance around it.

Favourites I am often asked whether I have a particular genre that I enjoy playing most or whether I have favourite tunes, or even tunes that I dislike. The answer is definitely ‘yes’, but they change as the years progress. I love playing strathspeys, although I am not keen on those dances that use slow-airs or pastoral strathspeys. That’s not to say that I dislike the tunes but most were never intended to be played ‘in strict tempo’ and they lose much of their original character and opportunities for interpretation. I am fascinated by harmony, particularly jazz harmony, and this drives my tune choices sometimes and that doesn’t necessarily mean modern tunes. Some of the old masters present great opportunities for looking at the harmonies underlying their melodies in new ways. Some of my current favourites would be the jigs Cleveland Park

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by Ivan Drever and Elizabeth Cole’s Reel by Robert Mackintosh; strathspeys – North of the Grampians by Captain Simon Fraser and Studland Park by Michael Philip; and reels – Kingussie Flower and Mumbai by Marie Fielding. Next year there will be new tunes both old and new that I get passionate about I am sure.

The challenge of Covid The Covid-19 pandemic has been both a great challenge and opportunity. Like every other band leader and musician, Craigellachie’s gig diary evaporated in March over the space of about 72 hours and at the time of writing is not showing any signs of picking up with any certainty. Yet the opportunities that the lock-down presented had to be embraced with enthusiasm. Little did those of us who have become the Dance Scottish at Home production team realise just what a lifeline the Newsletter, Podcasts and Summer Celebration would be for dancers worldwide, or how it would take over our lives. I am sure that readers do not underestimate how much planning and preparation goes into the Newsletter and Podcasts. For the latter there is about three days’ work for just 50 minutes of podcast and the newsletter is very much the same. On several occasions it has been a close thing to get the podcasts ready for the Friday release. My technology, ever creaking at the seams, has reminded me on several occasions who the real boss is! As for the Summer Celebration I was staggered at the response to the Musicians’ Workshops from around the world. At the time of writing this article the total viewing of all of the resources is around 2,268 which has exceeded way beyond any expectations that we had. It has been so encouraging to receive emails from musicians, both experienced and those that have never played a note of Scottish dance music before, dancers and teachers telling us how much the workshops have provided encouragement and insight into playing for dancing. We were so lucky that other Scottish musicians were so willing to share their time, expertise and materials, in particular Ian T Muir, Cameron Muir, Maureen Rutherford, Scott Band, Susan MacFadyen, Gillian Stevenson and Graham Berry. If you haven’t had a look at these resources then please do: www.rscds.org/events/dance-scottish-summer-celebration Certainly Dance Scottish at Home has presented the Society with some opportunities for further developing its communication with its members and it will be interesting to see how this develops.

New Music Director Luke Brady takes over in November and I wish him well. Asked what advice I would give him I would say “be careful”. The role can be all-encompassing and makes a work-life balance difficult at times. I was lucky that I had retired and I have a very understanding wife. I would also encourage him to continue to bridge the gap between the RSCDS and Scottish dance music per se and defend the characteristics of the music that makes it Scottish and therefore unique. I once heard someone say – the clue is in the title – and that has stuck with me ever since! Lastly, I would like to thank all the officers of the Society who have supported, encouraged and guided me during my time in office, the members who have contacted me, asked for advice, told me of something that they think we should develop, and to the musicians who have been so willing to give of their time and expertise. I cannot sign off without thanking my wife, Judith, for her unstinting encouragement and support. I know that she sometimes felt that the RSCDS was taking over my life but she never faltered in her support. Thank you Judith.

Two New Branches

Founding members of the Herts and Borders Branch

Scottish dancers in Josellin, Brittany

Herts and Borders Branch

The Breton Branch

What an unbelievable time to start a new RSCDS Branch! We received affirmation that the Management Board had approved our application to form the Herts and Borders Branch after their meeting on 21 March, just as we went into lockdown. It will be easy to remember our anniversary in future years!

Summer School 2018 saw a dozen dancers from Brittany enjoying fabulous dancing and music, international friendship and excellent food in beautiful St Andrews. From Rennes came Penny Gibbs and Anne MacLennan. Huguette Fréreux travelled from St Quay Perros with her driver Robin Poulton. A group of beginners from Séné, near Vannes, arrived with their teacher. France had just won the Soccer World Cup, and, with friends from Montpelier, Grenoble and Paris, we presented a ceilidh sketch based on the dance medley Market Square plus a football and goalposts, with Jeremy Hill’s piano improvisations. After 4 goals, Summer School Director Jim Stott presented a ‘trophy’ to our ‘captain’ Michel Hance. Meanwhile, Anne MacLennan, our qualified RSCDS teacher, was finding her old friend Janet Johnston, who qualified the same year as Anne.

So why a new branch in Hertfordshire? A group of dancers from east and west Herts met at Summer School in 2019. We realised that there was a significant gap in our county, just north of London and that whilst Scottish country dancing thrives with a total of 15 clubs, three dance schools and a U3A class, there is no umbrella organising structure helping co-operation, ensuring continuity and offering a local branch through which dancers could join the Society. We came away from the meeting excited to be on our journey to start a new branch. After consultation with local groups, we decided that our area should include the three clubs who fall just outside the county border and who were keen to be involved, hence our title – Herts and Borders. We planned our inaugural event for 10 October. We found a central venue not currently used by any of our local groups – we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes! – Iain MacPhail agreed to come from Edinburgh to play for both our family afternoon and our evening dance. We applied for and were awarded a National Lottery 25 Grant. Things were looking so positive, but then Lockdown and Covid-19! Now we feel lucky to have enjoyed this period of calm as we have accomplished so much. We twisted a few arms to organise a committee and have met – virtually. We produced our boring but necessary policies and opened our bank account. We currently have 17 members, despite no dancing. We also built our website. We have enjoyed working on our branding, finding appropriate photos, and the local groups are gradually sending us information for their pages. Please do take a few moments to have a look, we would love to hear from you via our contact page. www.rscdsherts.org

St Andrews was so much fun that we decided a Breton Branch would strengthen dancing in Brittany. The RSCDS hierarchy encouraged us, saying they were relaxing branch requirements instituted back in the 1930s. New rules were published in March 2019 and we contacted people around Brittany, inviting them to create a branch. Not everyone is on board: some groups want to protect their independence. We have several dance groups in Brittany with very good teachers, often people who have not had the time or the desire to obtain an RSCDS qualification. Some of our local teachers may not speak English well enough to feel comfortable with the rigours of the examination process.

We intend that our new branch will, as far as possible, help everyone to dance more and work together in Herts and Borders for the enjoyment of Scottish country dancing.

Lyon and Paris Branches are wonderful, but Scottish dancing elsewhere in France is largely invisible. More than half a dozen dance groups exist. Forming a branch will improve inter-group coordination, increase mutual support, and bring greater visibility. We will build on the strengths of each group, such as the June Ball in St Quay; the Burns Night in Guingamp; workshops in Séné; and classes in Rennes. Through the Cercle Celtique de Rennes, we aim to build bridges with other dance groups, pipe bands and Celtic musicians. We aim to start in September 2020, Covid permitting, with 22 founding members holding regular meetings in the beautiful central city of Josselin. In 2021 we plan our first Day School in Rennes; and encourage dancers to take the DAA. Several groups have already taught Scottish dance in primary schools, and given demonstrations to parents. We have created a Branch ‘School Membership’ category, to encourage Breton elementary schools to make Scottish dance an integral part of their geography, history and English language teaching

Jane Rose

Robin Poulton

Going forward, our focus will be on events that are not currently undertaken by local groups such as family and children’s dances, musicians’ workshops and a display at Herts County Show that could involve all local dance groups. We plan to hold a Basic Teaching Skills Course and a meeting of representatives from all the local groups when government guidelines allow and finally hold our inaugural event in October 2021.

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Three Dances – Two remarkable people Peggy Spouse MBE – Book 46

The Festival Man – Book 48 Sheila Trafford of Newcastle Branch wrote The Festival Man for John Cass, founder of the Newcastle Festival. It is an 8 x 32 bar jig published in Book 48. The music for the dance was composed by Marian Anderson. John Cass and his wife Patricia convened the Newcastle Festival for 30 years before ‘retiring’ from the job and handing over the running to three committee members. John, however, still attended to make sure things were done properly! Sadly, John died on 26 July this year aged 98. He is known to dancers throughout the world as ‘The Festival Man’. A fitting description due to his passion for dancing and getting people involved; he was a true ambassador for the RSCDS.

Peggy Spouse (2nd from right) cutting the cake at Duns and District Branch’s 50th anniversary in 2003

The first 8 bars are fairly simple as the first few Festivals were quite small affairs when the adjudicator was asked to ‘say a lot’ to pad things out. However, as the Festival became more popular things got much busier, hence the reels of three, 1s changing reels half way through.

John Wilkinson of Duns and District Branch in the Scottish Borders tells how his dance, Peggy Spouse MBE, came into being.

Teams started coming from further afield and abroad, hence the wheel and 1s casting up or down. The last 8 bars, ‘set and rotate for 3 couples’, everyone dancing together progressing to meet new people and having fun.

When Peggy Spouse in my branch was awarded the MBE in 2008, I decided I wanted to devise a dance in her honour. Even in her 80’s Peggy could dance strathspeys better than many half her age so I decided on a strathspey. Peggy Spouse MBE was published in Book 46.

Latterly, adjudicators have had to be asked to ‘keep it brief’ because of lack of time. There are quite a few words in the instructions of this dance; John was never lost for words!

I began thinking with 1st couple in 2nd place as this allowed some symmetry and balance, and I could worry about getting them there later. I prefer six bar reels of three in strathspey time, and so I decided on reels across, with 1st man dancing with 3rd couple and 1st woman dancing with 2nd couple. But what to do for the last two bars? Petronella turns? Corners? What about 2nd and 3rd couples? Then it came to me that 1st couple could dance a Petronella turn into the middle while 2nd and 3rd couple dance in to meet partners finishing with 2nd couple facing up and 3rd couple facing down. To get 1st couple back into 2nd place I decided on set and dance three hands halfway round, although that left 2nd and 3rd couples on opposite sides. Set and link seemed a good way to get 2nd and 3rd couples back to their own sides; 1st couple could simply set and dance out to the sidelines. It seemed obvious to finish with six hands round and back. It didn’t matter if 2nd and 3rd couples didn’t quite get out to sidelines after set and link as they would already be in position to flow into the circle. The next task was the first 8 bars. I wanted the start to be different. My thoughts then crystallised into 1st woman and 2nd man crossing and casting round partners to finish ready for a half poussette. I’ve been asked about that on several occasions as 1st woman and 2nd man should be back to back to begin the poussette. I find it is only in demonstrations with wide sets that it becomes an issue. Usually in the ballroom there is insufficient space for this to worry the dancers. The dance was completed. All that was needed was a tune, which Marian Anderson composed, as she had been in Peggy’s dancing class when she was young. The highlight for me was to come when I danced the dance with Peggy as my partner and Marian Anderson playing the tune. Peggy liked her dance and hoped that it would be danced and enjoyed.

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John Cass, Newcastle Branch

John Cass – Book 49 Peter Avery of Newcastle Branch wrote John Cass for John’s 90th birthday. Ian Thow had written a 32-bar jig to mark John’s birthday and John and Patricia asked if I could write a dance to go with the music. John was still very active when 90 and still dancing regularly. Thus I wanted to write a fun dance he would enjoy. I put in expanded tandem reels of three as something innovative, which was what John was like, and finished with a spin turn, which John always enjoyed doing. In fact, he liked all 5 couples to spin for the last 4 bars after the 5th time through.

The Lockdown Heroes!

and I live in a small hamlet outside Glenfarg in rural Perthshire, which means we sometimes have unreliable broadband. So Graham signs in as back-up on his laptop, using his mobile phone connection. The time teachers give is much appreciated – extensive preparation and welcoming 1000 people into their homes!

Summer Celebration – Angela Young

Angela Young working from home

At the beginning of Lockdown Chairman Andrew Kellett asked, “How can we keep RSCDS members in touch with each other and engaged in dancing at this strange time?” Out of that Dance Scottish at Home was born. The work of DSAH is done by a small group of volunteers, Angela Young, Ian Muir, and Peter Knapman, with a weekly meeting attended by the Chairman, Convenors, and Clare and Debbie from the office. In this article Angela and Ian describe their work, which has been such an inspiration to us all. The DSAH Newsletter – Angela Young As I write this, the weekly process for Issue 22 is beginning – preparing ideas to discuss at the DSAH meeting. Peter has been working on ‘What’s Behind the Name?’ – researching areas of Scots history and culture. This section sits alongside established features while surrounding content adapts, embracing feedback from readers and highlighting events. Topicality is important. I explore social media and reflect on Scots events, connecting us to our historical roots. This takes time. It was only when collating the first issue that I realised that someone needs to link the material and react to what readers send in – all my job! In my day job at the BBC I research, write content, meet deadlines – essential DSAH skills. Detailed checking of text and layout is essential. DSAH is about entertainment and connecting the community, consciously avoiding the pandemic. We are aware of groups working hard to keep dancing, but DSAH is a place where everyone can connect and not feel that they are alone.

The At Home Podcast – Ian Muir I was keen that there should be musical input into the newsletter and a Podcast felt the best way to achieve this. At first I had no idea what this entailed, let alone how long each episode would take to put together. Social distancing meant musicians would be unable to come together, but the quality of recorded audio that iPads, phones and laptops can produce, plus the enthusiasm and willingness to contribute from fellow musicians, has been fantastic. Luke Brady started off ‘Albums of the Week’ using RSCDS CDs, while guest presenters broadened the range and style of material. Jim Lindsay and Mo Rutherford presented

interesting pieces on musicians from the past whilst The Quiz includes many listeners’ contributions. It has become quite competitive in some households! Each Podcast takes 24 to 48 hours work: gathering material, writing script, recording voiceover, etc. The draft mix is completed by Thursday morning ready for comment from the DSAH production team before final edits on Friday morning, for release that afternoon. There have been one or two close moments when technology has crashed leaving no option but to start again. I haven’t missed a deadline but it has been close! I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Podcasts – too numerous to mention but every one crucial to the success.

Online Classes – Angela Young I was confident technology could deliver a weekly virtual class. Planning then took a couple of weeks: l

19:00 BST works for Europe and is daytime in the Americas. For other areas recording the class was essential.

At home no-one has the perfect floor surface. The timing needed to allow a variety of content balanced with managing people’s safety.

Summer School lists seemed a good place to choose teachers, supplying a wide range of styles and locations – but who knew how many dancers would sign in? The first Wednesday was scary – the number of participants kept shooting up, exceeding capacity!

For me, it’s like running a weekly class – advance preparation with each teacher, checking settings, lighting, sound. Each Wednesday I’m ready for the early birds – answering questions with dance books and The Manual to hand. Graham

In June, Anne Taylor suggested a Virtual Summer School. Ian and I, with David Queen, took on the challenge. Across a week of activities, we planned 75 minutes of activities each night. In less than 6 weeks, ideas became reality and while delivering weekly DSAH content, Ian and I contacted teachers and musicians, recording and researching footage. As a Children’s TV Producer, I work with a team, not a big crew, but an editor is essential. Here, that wasn’t an option! I downloaded video software, started editing, balancing soundtracks, creating graphics and exporting videos. Every minute was spent finessing content and each day a new package with viewers’ images was created. Each evening, I shared the content and managed queries. Large external computer drives are essential: my Mac was really struggling by the Saturday. Thankfully, we had 4 computers in the house and I was relieved that Match of the Day wasn’t hovering to get on to Zoom!

The Musicians’ Workshops – Ian Muir These were a direct result of requests from musicians who usually attend the St Andrews music courses. With Gillian Stevenson on fiddle, three twopart workshops, covering the basics for playing jigs, strathspeys and reels, were put together. Each consisted of an easy set of tunes and one which presented more of a challenge. Advice on style, hints and tips on how to practise and achieve the right stylistic feel to inspire dancers were all offered. Being some 600 miles apart presented challenges, so I sent Gillian master tracks containing piano and accordion to form the basis of our work. We were also keen to involve others and invited eminent Scottish dance musicians to share their experience: Mo Rutherford, Ian and Cameron Muir, Susan MacFadyen, Scott Band and Graham Berry gave participants the opportunity to play along. The preparation that went into each session was immense but well worth it, given the staggering viewing statistics and feedback received.

Finally! – Angela Young DSAH has been an unforgettable experience – I have been working full-time, but have also managed to perfect skills away from the computer producing banana bread, scones and more. It’s been fantastic to connect with so many dancers around the world, collaborating with Ian and Peter to create something that has made such a difference at this unusual time. (A fuller version of this article can be read on the website at rscds.org/lockdownheroes).

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Happy 100th, Ethel! Many teachers will remember the hilarity of having Ethel in their class at Summer School along with her good friend Winnie from Glasgow. The pair of them made sure the class was fun, no matter how serious the teacher was trying to be! Ethel herself was taught by two excellent teachers, Grace McArthur and Jean Thomson. After taking her teachers’ certificate under Grace, she was asked to join the Ayr Branch demonstration team. The most memorable visit was when the team went to Israel for ten days in 1971 for the Hapoel Youth Games along with a piper and a pianist. The visit was reported in Bulletin no 49 and is well worth looking up in the Society Archive: https://archive.rscds.org/index.php/bulletin-no-49-october-1971

Ethel Carlyle (on the right) with her friend Winnie in the Seniors Class at St Andrews 2007. Their teacher was the Editor who did his best to keep them in order!

One of the great characters of the RSCDS and a ‘wellkent’ face at Summer School is Mrs Ethel Carlyle, Honorary President of Ayr Branch. This July Ethel celebrated her 100th birthday. Ethel was Secretary of Ayr Branch from 1985 until 2001. She has always been a wonderful ambassador for Scottish country dancing and for the RSCDS. When you think of Ayr Branch, you think of Ethel Carlyle. This July she celebrated her 100th birthday – and in keeping with the rules about distancing and social gatherings – first there was a party for family and friends, then a second with her dancing friends. Ethel was a primary schoolteacher from 1942 until 1982, finishing her career as Head Teacher of Bank Street School in Irvine. She taught mainly in the upper primary in four different schools. When she herself was at school, country dancing was not on the curriculum, but her parents were social dancers and she danced through secondary school, university and training college. Ethel didn’t hang up her dance pumps until 2012 at the age of 92!

In all the schools Ethel worked in she encouraged children to attend after-school country dance classes. She entered teams in the Ayr Music Festival. After retiring she continued to help teachers prepare children for the annual Day of Dance. Ethel remembers Miss Milligan well – as an extremely impressive and dominant lady. She will never forget her teaching 8 hands round and back with arms at the correct height! As Secretary of Ayr Branch for over 16 years Ethel appreciated all the help she got from both local members and from HQ staff – Miss Gibson in particular, who made a tremendous impression on her. During Ethel’s time as Secretary Ayr Branch organised the Society AGM three times. One of the great joys for Ethel was meeting so many dancers from around the world. As a teacher herself, she very much valued all the teachers who taught her. Her list includes Nina Galloway, Margaret Anderson, George Lawson, Anna Holden, Bill Little, and Linda Gaul. Among musicians she greatly appreciated the playing of Robert Mackay and Muriel Johnstone. Ethel’s favourite dance is The Dream Catcher, for her a thought-provoking strathspey with a vibrant tune. Above all, Ethel considers herself very fortunate to have lived in such happy times. Congratulations, Ethel, and Happy Birthday from all your dancing friends.

Scottish Schools Project Chairman Elect, Lorna Ogilvie, gives an update in her role as Chair of the Scottish Schools Working Group. Despite Scottish schools only re-opening recently the Scottish Schools Working Group (SSWG) has been very busy over the summer. The completed Business Plan sets out the aim of eventually giving every child in Scotland the opportunity to participate in, and experience the benefits of, Scottish country dancing. To achieve this, during the plan’s first three years, SSWG has been working with those delivering the Expressive Arts curriculum through Education Scotland. Following these meetings, the RSCDS has been given the opportunity for our resources, Jigs and Reels and Dance Trad, to be uploaded digitally and made freely available to all teachers through their intranet, Glow. Inservice training for teachers in primary schools will be delivered through SSWG regional representatives working with the Active Schools programme, run by Sport Scotland and Local Authorities. The third strand is to deliver a course module, of two four-hour sessions on teaching Scottish country dancing, to all students in

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Year 3 of the Primary Teacher Training courses at Scottish Universities, with refresher training in subsequent years. This is being piloted in Dumfries and Galloway at present. The project emphasises the educational and health benefits of Scottish country dancing, as well as the opportunity for pupils to be creative whilst learning about their heritage and culture. Additionally, the project hopes to support inclusion for special needs pupils and encourage the introduction of more primary school Days of Dance throughout Scotland. A further strand is to work with young musicians in school music departments to encourage the playing of traditional music suitable for dancing Funding for this ambitious programme is crucial and, working with professional fundraisers, SSWG has submitted applications to numerous potential funders in recent weeks. It is hoped that such resources will allow the project to commence when Scotland enters Phase 4 of lockdown and indoor activities are permitted. Sport Scotland has allocated SSWG a named contact who will help to develop safe guidelines for Scottish country dancing in schools when this happens. These could also be adapted for adults returning to dancing.

Focus on a dance - The Lass of Richmond Hill The well-known teacher, Fiona Turnbull, devised The Lass of Richmond Hill, published in Graded Book 2, to the famous song tune. In this article she gives us the background to her dance which she hopes will help you enjoy it even more. There are at least 119 towns named Richmond across the world. However, Richmond Branch are proud that their town in North Yorkshire is the original Richmond and will in 2021 celebrate 950 years since the building of its Norman castle. Richmond is derived from the Norman French ‘riche monte’, which means strong hill. This means that calling a town Richmond Hill is a tautology! The poem, The Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill, was written by Leonard McNally as he tried to woo Miss Frances I’Anson, an attractive young lady, whose parents lived in Hill House, Richmond. In 1767 she eloped with McNally, although her father disapproved of the relationship. The song expresses love for the ‘lass’ of the title. It contains two verses of eight lines each and a chorus of four lines. The first verse begins with the famous lines: On Richmond Hill there lives a lass, More bright than May-day morn, Whose charms all other maids’ surpass, A rose without a thorn. This lass so neat, with smiles so sweet Has won my right good will I’d crowns resign to call thee mine Sweet lass of Richmond Hill. And the chorus is: Sweet lass of Richmond Hill, Sweet lass of Richmond Hill, I’d crowns resign to call thee mine, Sweet lass of Richmond Hill. Because of the words ‘I’d crowns resign to call her mine’, it was rumoured that the Prince of Wales, later King George IV, had written it for his mistress Mrs Fitzherbert, who had a house in a different Richmond Hill – near London. My dance came about following a Branch event in 1990. During the evening, dancers were taken by surprise when the band included James Hook’s tune The Lass of Richmond Hill in a set

of tunes for General Stuart’s Reel. Rob Gordon, the Scottish band leader, had adapted it during his long drive down that evening. Rob then challenged the Branch to devise a suitable dance to fit the music and kindly gave us his original arrangement. Seven dances were subsequently presented anonymously and tested by Branch members, whose vote was overwhelmingly for my dance. This dance was then published in 1992 in a book of dances to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Richmond Branch. The figures of the dance were inspired by the music. The first eight bars of the tune convey an urgency which translated into ‘lead down the middle and up’. At the end of these 8 bars there is a tiny pause in the music as the first couple arrive back at the top of the set before they cast off into a weaving progression movement. There is frequent repetition of the words ‘Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill’, especially in the chorus which forms the second half of the dance where the phrase occurs three times within 16 bars. I wanted to highlight this repetition and chose the seldom danced formation of Corners Chain. The turns fit with the repeated lines in both poem and music. The dance has proved very popular as a good one to start an evening with, and also with teachers at day schools. Very few of the dances published by the RSCDS contain only skip change, and thus teachers find it useful in a class situation. As the first Convenor of the Youth Committee and responsible for initiating the Medal Tests Scheme, I came to realise that the Society had a limited number of interesting and challenging dances suitable for beginners and children. Mentioning this during a weekend training session, I was asked to research and collect suitable dances for a Second Book of Graded Scottish Country Dances. Among the numerous suggestions collected from all over the world I offered my own dance and was delighted when it was included in the final selection for the publication in 2010. Maureen Rutherford arranged the music. Given that many teachers use YouTube to assist with their class preparation I was disappointed in the quality and accuracy of videos on offer for my dance. One evening at class I asked if we could record our ‘Branch’ dance the following week. A member of the class filmed it there and then on her mobile phone. So, with no rehearsal we danced the version you can now watch on YouTube with music from the Graded Book CD played by Andrew Lyon. I hope you will enjoy my dance more now that you know the background. Do learn the simple words of the poem and sing along as you dance. Fiona Turnbull, Richmond Branch

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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

Every branch and club was asked to tell us what they had been doing in lockdown to keep everybody’s spirits up. Thank you for such a great response. Before it all kicked off! In late February the San Diego Branch was planning their 45th Anniversary celebrations. ‘Everything was in place for a fabulous weekend in March: Friday night class, Saturday the Sapphire Anniversary Banquet and Ball with the venue, band, caterers, decorations and most importantly of all dancers, all in place, followed by a fun brunch on Sunday morning. A week later and we would have been unable to hold our Ball. We had a wonderful event, a few people naturally and prudently had to cancel as they were travelling from far afield and felt vulnerable to falling ill. Reel of Seven were their usual magnificent selves and lots of energetic dancing ensued. We had two special events planned for the Ball. During the dessert intermission we presented our Dance Director, Ward Fleri, with his Branch Award and a brief performance of the dance that we had commissioned in his honor. We also introduced a book of dances that represented our branch. We are so thankful that we managed to celebrate our 45 years in a place of community, dance and music.’

Coming to terms with it all It comes as no surprise that everyone who responded expressed their sadness

San Diego’s Sapphire Ball

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that dancing has had to be cancelled, but also recognised that everyone’s health has to come first. The Gainesville Dancers from Orlando Branch told us that one of their members became sick with COVID-19. He was hospitalized, intubated, and recovered, thankfully. Some groups have had to suspend all activity for the rest of year, others are optimistically keeping events in the diary for later in 2020 or for early 2021; a lot depends on location. And everyone mourns Summer School, Pinewoods, Spring Fling and Fringe, as well as their own local events. As Linda Harley in Lisburn, Belfast, writes ‘Getting together with pals once or twice a week, enjoying a very sociable form of dancing which requires lots of eye contact, dancing with a partner, and in a set, all combines to a shared sense of community and belonging. And for that to suddenly cease was a huge shock.’ Many groups did manage a little dancing at the start of the year. Freiburg Scottish Country Dancers were lucky to be able to hold a Midwinter Ball on 29 February with safety measures – just a week before the first lockdown period in Germany came into effect. The pandemic came to

Russia a bit later than to most European countries, so they managed to run some events in late winter and the beginning of spring, including the 5th Scottish weekend and Ball organized by the Affiliated Group Fairy Tale at the end of February. On 7-8 March, classes and a Ball took place in Kazan. Sheffield Branch had a great start to their season, with a very enthusiastic crowd of beginners. This is what every group hopes for, so they were devastated to then have to cancel all their classes and events.

Dance Scottish At Home Almost everyone who responded expressed a huge amount of appreciation for Dance Scottish At Home and the weekly online classes. Agne Hanson in Stockholm described them as ‘The light in the darkness these last months, that gave us much useful dance and class information, kept our brains and feet moving and made us all feeling as members of one big family.’ Irene Whyte of Inverness Branch agrees: ‘The folk at HQ should be commended for organising and co-ordinating Dance Scottish at Home and the online classes, as they have been great at maintaining interest and contact with our country dancing family.’

Keeping in touch with each other Most groups wrote to say that they had been keeping in touch with members either by email, by Zoom, or via Facebook. Wirral Branch wrote that they have kept members feeling connected through emails and phone calls. Some increased the frequency of their newsletters, including the Toronto Association whose publication is cleverly named ‘Set and Link’. ‘Set and Link’ is also the name of Leicester Branch’s Zoom club night, created to reconnect and to interact socially with members. Neil McLaren writes ‘It meets weekly for a pre-planned evening programme. It includes Have Your Say – a great way to see and learn how everyone is coping. This is followed by a dance or pubstyle quiz, and a talk by members on their interests. After that we can watch a dance video, and the night ends with a member’s Scottish music choice preceded with a story as to why they chose this piece of music. Afterwards there is a Stay on for a Chat section.’ Queensland Branch published an e-magazine entitled Corona Chronicle, for SCD (socially cocooned dancers), which has done a great deal to keep the dance community together. It proved to be popular both in Queensland and nationally, but also with dancers from overseas. Each issue had a theme and included a wide range of topics as well as a class, with web access to dances. The entire collection is now available online via their website and also via the State Library of Queensland. Visit rscds.org.au and then Queensland. Scottish dancing in Boston Branch has definitely gone online during the pandemic. Several weekly branch classes restarted online rather quickly, whilst the Cambridge (Mass) and Salem (Mass) classes joined forces with a bi-weekly schedule, alternating with a class and other related topics. These have included Robert McOwen’s Dance to the Music (with Furniture), and Susie Petrov’s Scottish Dance Music: a journey through the early recordings. All are available by video on the Boston Branch website - see the Movie Gallery under ‘About the Branch’. Ayr Branch sent out light-hearted daily emails with a track to listen to, a YouTube dance to watch and other dance-related items; walks, and visits to various places (eg the Titanic Exhibition, New Lanark, Falkirk Wheel, a trip on the Waverley) all with relevant dances included. Throwback Thursday had photos from

past Ayr Branch events, and on some days they sent out dance-themed puzzles, and technique tips and formations to keep then fresh in the mind. Kilcreggan and Cove SCD Class in Helensburgh Branch’s weekly Zoom session was particularly appreciated by those living alone. Ribble Valley Branch created a Facebook page, developing a system of a Monday class with dances from Thirty Popular Dances Vol 2, including some history or personal anecdote and a video one week, alternating with a formation suggested for favourite dances another week. They also post dancing news, both local and national, and various quizzes have appeared, including members’ ‘guess the baby’ pictures. Berkhamsted Strathspey and Reel Club have had weekly Zoom meetings, including quizzes, compiled and run by a member. They also have a monthly challenge to send in photos on a theme. San Diego Branch tells us that they also ran Zoom classes. Shirley Williams writes that ‘A Friday class with Ward Fleri was started to maintain our community spirit. All class participants can relate what’s new in their lives, and helpful tips on handling lockdown logistics are often shared. It soon expanded to include a variety of dancerelated topics, such as understanding Pilling diagrams; the different types of reels, jigs, and strathspeys; devising ball programs; and MacNab dances. Ward has used the RSCDS archive videos available from the National Library of Scotland and the RSCDS YouTube Channel. He has incorporated the ‘reel or jig?’ and ‘Fun with diagram’ features on SCD Database (https://my.strathspey.org/ dd/index/), and used this resource to show dances with unusual formations. Jeanne’s Monday class includes time for socializing, but the class emphasizes actual dancing. Initially reviewing steps, foot positions, and solo figures such as petronella turns, Jeanne expanded the scope to include several Highland setting steps and simple formations. She devised The Lochdown Medley to incorporate some of these components. More recently she has been teaching about five dances a night from Thirty Popular Dances Volumes 1 and 2.’ The Lisburn Class in Belfast Branch launched the ‘Lockdown LOLs’ aka ‘Little Old Ladies’. ‘Never underestimate them!’ writes Linda Harley. ‘Their advancing years and unfamiliarity with modern technology proved no barrier to members of the

class during lockdown. A whatsapp group, previously in use to share information about class changes, or check who was on the tea rota that night, really took on a new lease of life during this period. The motto of Scottish dancers is ‘Fun, Fitness and Friendship’, and for this group of people, many of whom live alone, the ‘friendship’ part is the most significant. And so Lisburn’s whatsapp group began to fill that void. On their usual Tuesday night slot, members shared poems or pictures, or funny videos, and fun quizzes to amuse during isolation. Family were asked after, personal troubles were shared and empathised with, offers of assistance were volunteered.’ In New Zealand Branch, one club made up a dance every day with different members contributing, whilst another produced a weekly newsletter with interesting information. A club from the Canterbury Region held weekly quizzes over Zoom on their regular dance night. The BASCDancers from Buenos Aires have been meeting online via Zoom every Sunday morning. They discuss the RSCDS Wednesday class, recap favourite dances and comment on their week. Often they wear hats, caps or even plastic crowns to spice up these virtual gatherings, writes Marcela Galve. Many branches and groups have had online committee meetings, and are holding their AGMs by Zoom. Margaret Sanders writes that in Glasgow Branch ‘A virtual Zoomtype AGM was ruled out as it would have discriminated against members not able to join due to technology or know-how. They decided on a virtual AGM by proxy to take place at the end of June; this met their constitutional rules. Information was sent by email and post to all members providing an outline of the process. Each member then had the opportunity to vote on each resolution and appointed the Chair to vote on their behalf.’ Similarly, Irene Whyte tells us that in Inverness Branch several members do not use computers so have rather missed out.

Virtual events There has been general widespread praise for the Society’s Summer Celebration. Some members of Carlisle and Border Branch managed to dance every dance with a small gathering of friends outside on the Saturday of the event. Ayr Branch has held virtual dances, in the form of their March Branch Dance, and Summer Dancing Mondays. These include an interview from each band leader due

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to play, and a Band Leader’s Choice track either audio or video. They ran introductory classes on Wednesday evenings and social dancing on the 4th Saturday of the month as usual. In Russia in April, organizers of the Kazan weekend from the historical dance club Andersen started weekly online streams to keep dancers together and let them know more about different dance styles and traditions. The Saint Petersburg annual Folk Dance Festival was held online, with lectures on Scottish dance and music by Malcolm Brown. Dancers have joined the RSCDS Wednesday classes online, as well as clubs’ and schools’ classes online. In June Perm Scottish Dance Club ‘Silver Tassie’ and Bo’ness Dance Group arranged a joint online ceilidh with fantastic music by Phill Jones on accordion; a truly international collaboration! Lyn Falck of Sydney Branch writes, ‘In May, it was decided to go ahead with our first Zoom event; the Sydney Branch Ball on 13 June. Leading up to the event one class a week, taught by a variety of teachers, was scheduled via Zoom, starting four weeks out from the event. On the night of the ball some of the dancers met at friends’ houses to make up sets. Others danced alone or with a partner, and some watched the proceedings. The music was pre-recorded by Iain Mckenzie especially for the ball. After this success, we decided to go ahead with the Sydney Winter Social via Zoom on 18 July. Prior to the event instructional videos were made for all the dances in the program and again, Iain Mckenzie kindly agreed to pre-record the music for the social, which was wonderful!’ Ribble Valley Branch have been holding monthly Ceilidhs via Zoom, with short stories, lengthy monologues, sketches, poems, and Highland dancers, making a point of inviting some of the band musicians to join in. Items of two to three minutes seemed to work best, with musicians playing either one or two sets of dance music. After the Houston and District Branch AGM was held online in May, members were entertained with ceilidh acts including music on dulcimers and a harp, as well as singing and dancing. In May, Boston Branch Highland Ball musicians performed a streaming concert via Facebook live, to raise money for branch musicians who lost gigs due to the pandemic. Craigellachie was due to play for the Berks/ Hampshire/Surrey Border Branch May

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Grantham dancers distancing with umbrellas! Ball but, of course, it too was cancelled. The band decided to give a short online concert. Judith Muir writes ‘The choice of music started with a couple from the original Ball programme and expanded to make it popular world-wide and also for couples to do couple dances in their own space if they so wished. Others were chosen because we know that some of the tunes are well received at dances. Keith Anderson’s fiddle solo was some Klezmer music; a musical style associated with Jewish communities that is very expressive and often evokes feelings of joy, pain, loss and longing, which Keith thought some watchers might find relevant as they face their own challenges.’ Judith and Ian recorded the master tracks at home and then sent them out to other musicians who then recorded themselves playing along and sent their recordings back to Ian. He edited the audio files together to produce the band sound, and then synchronised the sound and videos back together again to make the finished article. They included information and pictures relevant to each track, and the final part of the process was to render it and upload it to YouTube, which took six hours. Maria Tsvetoukhina writes: ‘To keep the SCD community together Moscow Branch and Saratov Club Falcor welcome dancers all over the world to join the 4th Robert Burns Flash Mob Online at the end of January. In a set or alone, in the dance hall or at home, we suggest you dance My Love, She’s but A Lassie Yet (Book 9), record it and then post

it online with a hash tag #BurnsNight2021 to celebrate Burns Night all together wherever you are, and whatever the COVID situation is. Please join and keep dancing!’

Meeting Up Although it has often been impossible to dance, that hasn’t stopped many of our groups and branches meeting socially. Berkhamsted Strathspey and Reel Club organised walks as an experiment, in groups of six, led by a club member. Freiburg Scottish Country Dancers were very happy to reunite in June for a hiking tour in the Black Forest, and since then, they have met regularly and have even taken up the tradition of going out for dinner afterwards at restaurants serving outside. They hope for many more warm and dry evenings to enjoy the company, the dancing, and some music, even if it won’t be the same as before. When lockdown eased in France, Lyon Branch held a barbecue, doing very little dancing and a lot of socialising, which was exactly what members needed at the time. New Forest Scottish Country Dancers have shared country walks and bring-your-own lunches with dancing friends. As several class members of the Kilcreggan and Cove SCD Class didn’t do Zoom, they had a socially distanced gathering on the shores of Loch Long recently. It was a lovely peaceful morning so they were able to catch up in real time and share news – but not the food!

from piping) to keep further apart and avoid touching hands. A group from Bath and Bristol met together during August to enjoy some outdoor socially distant dancing. The teacher, Ros Rawlings, took great care to measure out the dancing area and used mini cones (the type used for children’s football) to remind dancers of the distancing required between dancers. They soon adapted to ‘hands across’ and turning without touching hands, and using longer steps to cover the distances. Ros made some adaptations to dances, eg a D-Tour to replace the Tourbillon, a D’Allemande, and a long cast to replace turn and cast. They also found that a strathspey grand chain worked better in 16 bars, adding a setting step at the beginning and another setting step half way round. Ros’s Distant Dancing Repertoire can be found in the Dance Lists on the Strathspey database.

Sheffield dancers using masks and batons

Adapting to Covid In an attempt to get our fix of dancing any way we can, many of us have ventured into the new phenomenon of socially distanced dancing. In the words of John Aitken of Grantham U3A ‘Crossing becomes passing, turning becomes dancing around each other and dancing down and up can become following each other down and back to avoid making the set even wider. Rather than dancing around with metre sticks to ensure we stayed apart, we came up with a more colourful and convenient way – the photograph shows

dancers walking through a reel of four with colourful golf umbrellas!’ In Freiburg, ‘We basically concentrated on dances that involved no giving of hands and made it easy to keep the appropriate distance. To do so, we modified existing dances accordingly and even tried dances that we had devised specially for this occasion.’ Norma Hutchinson writes that at Sheffield Branch, several dancers met, in a restricted bubble, on a quiet community field on a couple of Saturday afternoons for a socially distanced dance. They wore face masks, and carried short batons (offcuts

Linda Harley of Lisburn class, Belfast Branch, wrote an incredibly detailed and entertaining breakdown of all the activities which her ‘LOLs’ – ‘Little Old Ladies’ – got up to during recent months, and which I wish we had space to reproduce here in the full original. She writes ‘As a teacher, I’d been looking for dances that could be done without giving hands, and there are very few. So I decided to devise one. A favourite dance that I’m always ready to teach is ‘Domino Five’… With that in mind, I decided to create a dance for individuals, rather than partners, in a hexagon shape, with everyone moving one step round at the end of each turn. It can be done without giving hands, though there is a ‘with hands’ option for once we are through the strict social distancing requirements. Because of its shape, I named it after the hexagonal basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway. It contains figures of eight, setting and going through a pretend arch, and chase in a circle, all of which can be done with no hands.’

Unexpected blessings Every cloud has a silver lining, and there have been some unexpected blessings accompanying lockdown that perhaps might not have been predicted. For example, making the most of the forced inactivity, Toronto Association is working to streamline their overall programme.

8 distanced hands round in Freiburg!

Several groups have enjoyed the opportunity to reach out to dancers who would be unable to participate in a traditional SCD setting. Grupo de Dança Escocesa da ART in Lisbon started a

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weekly series of online 90-minute Zoom classes at the beginning of June, continuing until the week before A Summer Celebration. The classes included a warmup dance, stretching, exercises, technique and formation practice, three dances and a cool-down. The online format allowed friends from Barcelona to participate, as well as one of the people from our beginners’ course, who had moved to Leeds in the meantime, and joined in with her boyfriend, an absolute beginner! Since Houston and District Branch classes have moved online, dancers can join in from as far away as Canada and Spain, in addition to the local dancers. Tiffany Howard says ‘It has been fantastic to be able to dance with others around the world’. Similarly, Boston Branch tell us that they are increasing online activities and engagement, and welcome dancers from other locations as well. ‘We have had participants from as far away as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as well as many closer friends and dancers. In addition, in part spurred by cancellations of both the Branch Highland Ball weekend and Pinewoods, the Branch has sponsored two online concerts by musicians involved and several other Pinewoods events including a ceilidh and an auction. The Branch raises money for both the separate non-profit The Scottish Dance and Cultural Education Association to support dancers especially but not exclusively at Branch events, teacher candidates, and musicians, and Pinewoods Camp Inc. These onetime events were targeting fund-raising in addition to promoting engagement by the community. Not to be outdone, the cochairs of Pinewoods Scottish Sessions put together a whole week of online events, including a rousing staff concert, a virtual ceilidh, and an online auction to raise money for Pinewoods Camp.’ John Aitken of Grantham U3A and Waltham, Newark and Nottingham explains ‘After having to stop my weekly Grantham U3A dancing class, I wanted some way of staying in contact, but at the same time maintaining some relevance to dancing. Rather than encouraging dancing with ghosts on Zoom, I used the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for diagrams. To many, these look like unintelligible hieroglyphics, and this was a good opportunity to recruit some new diagrammers.’ Meanwhile Adelaide Branch has reached out in a different way. Daily Moves is a free supportive physical activity program

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for adults aged 65 years and above, which aims to encourage participants to move their bodies daily for 30 minutes. Daily movement has many benefits including maintaining independence, preventing frailty, managing chronic pain, keeping us socially connected, and lifting our mood. Several councils across Adelaide are offering this program, and partnering with the Branch to offer video introductions to SCD that participants can try at home. In future, when events are possible, they will assist in promoting them and encouraging people to try out SCD.’

Starting again Since the start of easing of lockdown, Glasgow Branch has contributed to the creation of a guidance entitled ‘COVID-19 Safety Considerations – July 2020’ designed to assist branches around the world in how they might approach starting classes and dances. The guidance has been posted on the RSCDS website. Many groups told us that they would love to re-start dancing, but there are problems with venues. As Sheena Gilks from Toronto says, ‘Until we get the official all-clear our hands (and feet) are tied.’ The school and church halls that Inverness and Sheffield use are not yet available due to Covid-19. Wirral Branch tell us that one hall has no plans to open because the cleaning costs are exorbitant, and in Gothenburg, the Branch committee is having to pay rentals for dance halls which can’t currently be used, in order to secure access when restrictions are lifted. However, other areas have been more fortunate. In Australia dancers have done well in this regard; cases of COVID-19 in Queensland have been very few, and Adelaide Branch had over 2 months without any new cases in South Australia. In June, Adelaide started a Ladies Step Class with appropriate spacing in a large hall with a COVID safety plan. From the beginning of July some of their regular dance classes started with sanitizing of surfaces, and hands between dances. Meanwhile in Queensland a group of enthusiasts are meeting weekly in a Brisbane arboretum, enjoying each other’s company and some dancing too. Since the lifting of some restrictions in the Sydney Branch area, a few clubs have returned to modified dancing, with no hand contact, and have also introduced a Scottish Step Class once a fortnight with Diana Hastie.

In New Zealand, ‘all dancing stopped until 8 June, then we rejoiced that dancing was back on the agenda. Club nights started up again after the move to level 1 but most are now not dancing again as they have moved into level 2 for most of the country, but Auckland is under a stricter level 3.’ The route to re-opening is not straightforward. On the final weekend of June, dancers met in Stockholm for an open-air dance evening, and in Freiburg they were able to dance again on 3 July in the open air. At the end of summer some clubs and schools in different regions of Russia have gradually returned to regular dancing, indoors and outdoors, as the restrictions have eased. In Lyon, at the time of writing, they are also hoping to start dancing in September, but they are unsure about ‘the sanitary situation’! They will start their children’s class in September, dancing outside in the playground. However, as Liz Beckinsale from Somerset Branch says, ‘As quite a few of our members are older we are aware that they must be protected so we won’t be back dancing unless we are happy it is safe to do so. We are considering meeting up outside soon, even if only to have a distanced picnic and chat (and maybe a dance or two if appropriate). The hall we use should be open by September but subject to the stringent rules for village halls, so we will just have to wait and see what transpires.’ San Diego, local laws permitting, are planning an outdoor social gathering this autumn, maintaining distancing and wearing face masks, and BASCDancers are planning a weekend away in the countryside to dance morning and afternoon and organize parties in the evening. Meanwhile Neil McLaren of Leicester Branch ‘cannot wait for the ‘All Clear’ when we can put on our pumps and reel and jig’ – a sentiment shared by everyone. A prevailing theme in all the correspondence is that Scottish country dancers are a hardy and optimistic bunch, inventive at circumventing problems and managing to have a good time regardless. As Robert Morgan from New Forest Scottish Country Dancers writes, ‘There is a strong will to get back indoors as soon as we are allowed, albeit with face masks and no-touch dancing.’ Vancouver Branch quotes their Provincial Officer of Health, Dr. Bonnie Henry – ‘Be kind! Be calm! Be safe!’ and Raphaëlle Orgeret from Lyon is raising a glass ‘To a hopeful future!’

Letters to the Editor Any opinions expressed in the letters below are personal to the writers and do not reflect the views of the RSCDS or the Management Board.

Dear Editor Ladies’ Sashes In reply to the letter by Sophie Marchand of France about the wearing of ladies’ sashes. I have been a Scottish country dancer for a very long time and I have always been told the following regarding the wearing of sashes by folk from Scotland who knew what they were talking about: ladies of rank (HM the Queen, wives of dukes, earls, clan chiefs, officers etc) all wear their sashes on the left shoulder. Others wear their sashes on the right. An exception to this is if the wife is wearing her own clan sash, and not her husband’s, she wears it pinned to her right shoulder and tied with a bow on her left hip. All this is explained in Scotland through her Dances by George Emerson. I hope that this helps to clarify the vexed question of the wearing of the sash. Thanks also for the magazine Scottish Country Dancer – splendid effort that keeps in touch with us all. Betty Laverty, Launceston Caledonian Society Scottish Country Dancers, Tasmania (Editor’s Note: The matter of RSCDS ladies’ sashes was last raised at an official level in 1997 at a meeting of the Executive Council when it was noted that Miss Milligan and The Countess of Elgin, many years earlier, had advised the then Secretary, Miss Gibson, that Society policy would be that the sash should be worn on the left shoulder. The Executive Council recommended that there would be no definitive policy on sashes. The following year at the May 98 meeting a motion was passed unanimously not to bring the issue to the AGM that year. The Executive recommended that the Society should not issue any ruling on this matter, but the choice should be left to the ladies. So that seems to be it!)

Dear Editor Walk-throughs In the April 2020 issue Andy Patterson of Rotorua, New Zealand bemoaned the use of walk-throughs at social events. This attitude is why Scottish country dancing membership is becoming increasingly elderly, which in time will inevitably lead to its demise. New membership should be encouraged and attendance at social events made as friendly as possible. I watch YouTube videos of the dances before I attend a dance and download the cribs to remind myself of the moves as they are briefed, a cardinal sin from the disapproving glances by more experienced dancers. A recent ball I attended had a briefing which was delivered in a rushed, inaudible and severe manner – my crib saved me. By all means mention on a dance programme that a particular dance is for the more experienced and that gives an idea who should sit out. I often see new dancers encouraged to make up a set then disparaged for getting in a mess. This results in them deciding not to attend balls in future. At an early stage in my learning I was told that if I could not recover then I should not attend a ball. Needless to say, I never went back to

that unfriendly club. Scottish country dancers – be friendly, welcoming and make it fun for new members or watch your club die with you, but by then of course you will not care! Roger Edwards, Browns Bay, New Zealand

Dear Editor The Spring Issue Thank you, Jimmie Hill and the Editorial Team, for doing such an outstanding job on Scottish Country Dancer! Your last magazine was a great way to end your time as Editor. I say that because I thought the chosen articles, and especially the articles by Muriel Johnston and Marjorie McLaughlin, were so informative about the history of our music and dance. I would like to read more articles of the same. I was fortunate to be in Marjorie’s class at the Fort Worden Weekend where, after describing the history of this dance, she had us dance Red House as a 48-bar reel, as well as how we dance it currently. Her class certainly generated great enthusiasm as well as discussion about this dance. Donna Weidenfeller, San Francisco Branch

Dear Editor The Place of Scotland within the RSCDS I continue to be concerned about the state of dancing in Scotland and I would like to put a few points to members however or wherever you came to be Scottish dancing. 1. Scotland is different. It is the only country where SCD is indigenous. Out of a population of 5 million people everyone has heard of it and probably tried it at some point in their lives. Clearly no other country has this potential market for recruitment. Does this mean that Scotland should be treated differently within the Society? 2. The founders of the Society aimed to preserve and rejuvenate country dancing in Scotland. With only 22% of the current worldwide membership Scottish, has this aim been lost in our globalisation? 3. What is the best way forward to rejuvenate country dancing in Scotland? Is it to have a Scotland Branch within the Society? If something is not done soon, the Society will become irrelevant in Scotland, and country dancing will die out here within a generation. Or is the Society no longer interested in Scotland? I would ask all members to think about this, please. John Carswell, Linlithgow

Dear Editor Consequences of Covid Whilst COVID-19 has had quite a devastating effect on dance communities around the world it has been pleasing to see the Society and various Branches adapting with the use of modern technology to keep SCD moving along.

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One side effect has been the ‘forced’ retirement of some of our more mature members, who would have been dancing for a few more years if not for COVID-19. This has been most unfortunate as many of these members have contributed a lot to the Society and the world of SCD. It is important, during this stressful and anxious time, that we recognise and thank those members for their work and support, without whom we would not have the joy of the SCD world. Depending on how medical solutions present themselves to deal with COVID-19 some may be able to return but others may not. It will be an important role of the Society and Branches to ensure those people are ‘included’ and not lost and to ensure ways to keep those people connected and able to contribute in any way possible. The good news appears that by the time of the Society’s centenary in 2023 we should find ourselves all back on our feet and celebrate this milestone in whatever way we can. Michael Darby, International Branch

Dear Editor Printed or online magazine 1 From time to time I hear it said that the Society will at some future time make a decision as to whether or not our Scottish Country Dancer magazine should be made available in electronic form. Whatever the eventual outcome, I hope there will be an option. I know this is not in the spirit of media and computer technology nowadays, but regrettably I have to admit that I did not read the electronic version of the April magazine. Quite simply, there has been a huge move towards electronic and email technology over recent years, and it is far from easy to keep track of all that arrives in the inbox. The RSCDS magazine is not quite like a 2/3 page gas, electric or household bill! The magazine runs to some 32 pages, and is a publication which is not only read once – like a daily newspaper. It is best to be enjoyed and read at leisure, and picked up from the coffee table and re-read from time to time. Only recently, I needed to refer to Jimmie Hill’s interview with Robbie Shepherd in the Autumn 2016 Issue. Without having the paper magazine, I certainly would have had a problem locating the article. This is just one such example. For most Scottish country dancers, the magazine is a very interesting and important part of their annual subscription, and I feel it is just not right to consign it to an electronic version. Bearing in mind the current lockdown during which dancers have been unable to enjoy their passion, it would be entirely wrong to add to their woes.

We have asked our members to start paying only the RSCDS membership (not our local one), being uncertain of what the future will bring to social dancing in our area. We’ve explained the financial difficulties of our beloved society to our members and we are getting some response. Most of our members will support the RSCDS, even if dancing doesn’t resume in September. Let’s stay strong together in these difficult times! Raphaëlle Orgeret, Lyon Branch

Dear Editor Printed or online magazine 3 Firstly, I would like to say how much I enjoy Scottish Country Dancer and I thank you and the Editorial Team for all the work that goes into its production. I know that for some time there have been thoughts of whether it should continue to be produced in printed form and posted to members. I appreciate the costs involved in this, and at a time when the Coronavirus epidemic has hit the Society’s finances, this aspect may receive more emphasis than in the past. However, may I put in a plea for the retention of the printed version? It is a pleasure to receive and read the magazine. No computer screen – or even printing on good quality paper – can beat that experience. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that I would be prepared to pay an extra charge to receive the magazine by post. Perhaps this is an option which should be considered. John Gibson, Dublin Scottish Country Dance Club

Dear Editor Printed or online magazine 4 The San Diego Branch committee discussed our response to the brief survey request sent from RSCDS headquarters with regard to print and electronic versions of the semi-annual Scottish Country Dancer magazine. We discovered that several board members did not receive access to the pdf of the most recent edition because their spouses had received it instead. The Committee agreed that regardless of a member’s preference for a print edition, all members should have access to the online version since there is virtually no additional expense to do this. Dr. Ward Fleri, San Diego Branch

Frank Thomson, Aberdeen Branch

Dear Editor Printed or online magazine 2 Most of our members prefer the paper magazine and confess to not reading the online version (except the very keen ones who have time). The paper magazine is very much appreciated, even by our younger members, who always look for pictures of places or people they know. Most people don’t read e-magazines, they just trash them right away. It’s important we keep a link with the RSCDS. Non-native speakers of English like looking at photos and they can take time to understand an article if they have it in their hands – not if it’s on a small screen. We realise this has a cost, but it only comes twice a year. We hope you will keep it up.

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Dr Ward Fleri of San Diego receiving his Branch award

Dear Editor Summer Celebration I have heard lots of various comments about the virtual Summer Celebration. Most people’s comments were good and they thought that HQ had tried hard to put on items which would suit most people. Most of it was of interest to the vast number of people who tuned in. There have been so many teachers doing virtual classes, for weeks before the Summer Celebration ones, it is quite hard to find something new to capture people’s interest. There is a limit to what one teacher can do, eg warmups and steps. Many people feel that once they have watched 3 or 4 they lose interest (apart from those who desperately want the exercise!). I have heard of only one criticism, which came from more than just a few. On the final evening after the chosen dances were recapped, instead of the diagram of the dance being on screen while the music was playing, perhaps it would have been nice to watch a set of dancers doing the dance for part of the time. Several members have told me that rather than watch various teachers doing warm-ups and steps during lock down they have looked up dances they didn’t know in the Scottish Country Dance Dictionary, learnt them from the instructions and danced along while watching a set of dancers doing the dance on video. This way they have learned a whole lot more dances and can practise their ‘step technique etc’ to the music after doing the dances a couple of times through. Just passing on a few comments I have heard. Sheila Trafford, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Branch

Dear Editor Success with recruiting A year ago in this magazine I described our Vancouver Branch recruitment campaign, so I thought I would give you this update. We formed a Recruitment and Retention (R&R) committee with the mandate to grow our membership by 5% in 2019-2020. By the end of 2020 we had reached our goal! Naturally, we lost some previous dancers but we had a net increase of 13 which brought our membership total to a fabulous 248 when in previous years we had seen a gradual decline. This was tremendously encouraging. What contributed to the success? 1. Involvement of the entire dancing community: We drew up a detailed promotional strategy with a plan and timeline showing what had to be accomplished prior to campaign rollout in August/September. This was discussed and revised following several meetings with our club presidents. This meant the club Presidents were on board and through them their club membership. As a result we had many new dancers come along with a friend or acquaintance, and others who had heard about SCD through word of mouth. 2. Dancing in the Park and an Introductory Class: Stanley Park in Vancouver is the venue for ‘Dancing in the Park’ during July and August, the dance program and music organized by a different club each Monday evening. The music draws in large crowds, visitors and locals alike. Each evening that summer one of our organizers collected contact information from all who were interested and

personally e-mailed all 100 to let them know about a free introductory class we were putting on for beginners the week after DITP ended. This was a tremendously successful class with 35 brand new people and many of our current dancers attending to help make the new people feel comfortable and to direct them to a class near each of them. Yes, we were on a roll and preparing in 2020-2021 to continue with our various strategies to ‘get the word out’ – that dancing is good for body and mind. The unexpected happened, and the Coronavirus has shut things down since March. All is now on hold until we can dance once again. Janet Mason, Vancouver Branch

Dear Editor Inspiring Dance Video The Toronto Tabla Ensemble, a charitable organization, invited the Branch to perform in a 4-minute dance video, called ‘Unexpected Guests’ as part of their new album. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtXTFG-o7Kg The music is a fusion of bagpipe and tabla (Indian hand drums); Scottish and Indian dancers perform together. Hearing the music for the first time, we had a dilemma. Do we take our cue from the piper or concentrate on the Indian drumbeat? The pipes, of course, won. With both instruments strong and dynamic in their own right it seemed impossible they could blend, but blend they did. The result was striking and dramatic music. The white film set, huge lights shining down, was surreal. If not for the unforgiving concrete floor, it was almost magical. When dancing, there was one important thing we had to remember: smile, smile, smile for the camera! It ends on a lovely multi-cultural note. A circle forms and a young Indian drummer meets one of our young dancers in the centre. He hands her his drumsticks in a simple yet effective gesture of friendship. We have introduced ourselves to a new audience and in the process, had a great time. It’s worth watching. Sheena Gilks, Toronto Branch

Dear Editor Non-members Up to an incredible 1500 dancers have been tuning in each week to our online classes. An interesting discussion arose a week or so ago – whether to admit those who are nonmembers. One or two felt you should only link in if a fully paidup member, but taking a lead from the early communications from HQ most believed that if we are to grow we need to invite all who share our passion. We should remember that without the thousands of non-RSCDS members there would be very little dancing in any country of the world. The Society has no clue how many non-members there are. I understand why some members feel a bit sniffy sharing activities with those who haven’t paid. To encourage membership, some clubs grant a modest discount on dance tickets for members but all still pay the same for weekly classes. Is it that non-Society members cannot afford the annual fee or is it that they do not see the benefit of membership? Roger Brooks, Lancaster Loyne SCD Group

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Reviews Does your branch or club have a new book or CD which you would like reviewed? If you teach a class and are interested in reviewing books and CDs from a teaching point of view, please be in touch via mag.editor@rscds.org

Short and Sweet The Dewhurst Trio

The Grove Collection - Volume 1 by Ewan Galloway This is the first Scottish country dance CD by Ewan as his others have been mainly ceilidh music together with his band. In 2019 Ewan made his very successful debut playing at the RSCDS summer school which encouraged him to record this CD. All of the instruments are played by Ewan himself. Ewan is a very accomplished and talented musician, which is amply demonstrated in the quality of this CD. The sets are well balanced with a good selection of well-chosen tunes and original music played at a good tempo for dancing in a toetapping, uplifting style. This makes this CD a great resource for dances as well as being enjoyable to listen to in its own right. The CD has 17 tracks, comprising both familiar and new dances. There are 6 jigs, 6 reels and 5 strathspeys. Three of these dances were devised at Summer School 2019 and Ewan composed the tunes. Two were in honour of Jim Stott, the outgoing Summer School Director. The new dances are Jim’s Tangents (8x32 bar reel for 3 couples), Director Jim (4x32 bar strathspey), both devised by Gordon Porter from Oban, Stephen’s Found Baggage (4x32 bar reel) devised by Anne Scobie from Brussels, and the last one, Law Society of Scotland 70th Anniversary (8x32 bar jig for 2 couples), devised by Patricia Wilson from North Berwick. The instructions for these dances are included in the CD notes. I have taught two of these dances with Ewan playing for my class at the Nunspeet weekend in The Netherlands last February. They are fun dances with great music by Ewan. I am looking forward to using this CD as well as teaching the other two new dances with my classes when we are able to get back to dancing. I also intend to use the other favourites: Tribute to the Borders, Culla Bay, Mrs Stewart’s Jig, Autumn in Appin and John Cass just to mention a few. This CD is a welcome addition to any teacher’s collection. It will also appeal to those dancers who enjoy listening to Scottish dance music. Margaret Lambourne, International Branch (CD available direct from Ewan, £13 including UK postage, at e_galloway@hotmail.co.uk)

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A possible sub-title for this recording of 21 tracks could well be ‘The CD with a Difference’! As a teacher dependent on recorded music, I have sometimes had to search hard for a recording to suit a dance I particularly wanted to teach but for which there was no specific recorded music and the recommendation was ‘any good tune’. It was, therefore, with much interest I awaited this recent and latest recording by the Dewhurst family, as I knew this CD was planned with teachers in mind, to solve their problem when faced with such a situation and, indeed, was in response to many requests from teachers for such a disc. I am sure they will not be disappointed. A lot of thought has gone into the compilation of this CD and the result is 20 tracks of lively jigs and reels, strathspeys and, yes, if it is a slow air (and there are two), it is described as a slow air and not a strathspey. The final track is a delightful 4 x 32 waltz Endearing Young Charms. The focus is not on the customary 8 x 32 format – the longest track on this CD is a 6 x 32 strathspey – these tracks are predominantly 3 x 32 or 4 x 32 arrangements, with a few 40 and 48 bar dances. It includes a 2 x 32S + 2 x 32R medley, using four much-loved Scott Skinner tunes. Another feature of this recording is that, almost without exception, the music played uses a different tune for each repeat, and it does not return to the lead tune for that final ‘turn’. Even the 6 x 32S track, Shetland Fiddlers’ Society, gives the dancers six different, wonderful Scott Skinner tunes! The tunes used throughout are all in a Scottish idiom. As well as many well-loved, traditional melodies, there is a good selection from other composers, including some delightful compositions from Chris Dewhurst himself. Chris and his wife, Julie, are the two accordionists producing that ‘full’ sound, with their son, Nick, on drums, providing a good strong beat. The result is very pleasant to the ear, making for easy listening but also making you want to get up and dance. The high standard of these three talented musicians is maintained throughout each of the 21 tracks and I feel it is a ‘must have’ for every teacher. These shorter tracks will be ideal, too, when called upon to give demonstrations or general entertainment. As the title of the CD says it is ‘Short and Sweet’. Two other adjectives that come to my mind are ‘Bright and Breezy’.

Dorothy Wilson, New Zealand Branch (The Dewhurst family live in Lichfield on North Island, New Zealand. This is their third CD. It is available direct from Chris (chrisdewhurst2@btinternet.com) or from Leeds Branch Shop, the Sunday Class Shop, TACSound, and the New Zealand Branch Shop)

Sadly Missed We would appreciate it if obituaries for inclusion in the next issue were sent from Branch or Club Secretaries.

Edna Prior, Crawley

Marion Pearson, Sheffield

Edna Prior and her husband, Peter, were founder members of Crawley Scottish Country Dancing Club. In September 1959 an advert appeared in the local newspaper for anyone interested in Scottish dancing. 14 people turned up including Edna and Peter, who had been dancing since 1953 in Brighton. Edna held many roles from committee member, secretary, display organiser, chairman and teacher. Originally, ladies were not allowed to MC an evening and had to share it with their husband! Edna remained committed to the club and was still dancing until her late 80s, but stopped as she became increasingly frustrated that she couldn’t remember the dances.

Marion Pearson was an enthusiastic and extremely supportive member of Sheffield Branch from the 1980s. In 1990 she was the driving force in restarting the Sheffield Day School which she helped to run, eventually taking over the organisation of the whole day. She was also a very generous host to the numerous teachers and musicians who stayed with her. She regularly served on the Branch committee. Marion was also the Secretary of the Association of Scottish Country Dance Societies for many years. She supported many dances in the region and beyond. Marion was presented with a Branch Award for outstanding service in 2018, which she richly deserved. She will be remembered with affection and grateful thanks by her many friends all over the country.

Lee Pratt, Mid-Sussex

Lesley Shand, Fife Lesley Forbes Shand passed away in April after a long illness. She was a member of the Society for 40 years and a dancer for over 50 years, initially in Edinburgh and then in Fife. Lesley had grace, poise and elegance which were commented on by many who knew her. She qualified as a teacher and instigated and led one adult class and two children’s classes over the past 30 years, always striving to make Scottish country dancing accessible to all. Lesley will always be remembered for the joy she imparted to her dancing friends, both as a teacher and as a partner at local dances. Her family would like the Society to know how grateful they are that Lesley’s life was so enriched by her involvement with Scottish country dancing.

Norma Hutchinson, Sheffield Branch

Ann Prior Ann Daphne Fiona Prior, a life member of the RSCDS, was born in North Queensferry on 18 September 1928 and died on 26 May 2020. She gained her Teaching Certificate in 1952, judged by Miss Milligan and dancing with Derek Haynes. She was instrumental in the Nottingham Club becoming the first Branch of the RSCDS in the East Midlands and taught there for many years before moving to Bridport where she helped to found the Bridport Scottish Dancers in 1995. She was still teaching and dancing with us until December 2019 and will be sorely missed.

Lorna Sim, Kirkcaldy Branch

Caroline Morgan-Smith, Bridport Scottish Dancers

Marycke Visscher, Amsterdam

Kathy Warren, Nova Scotia

Trained in classical music, Marycke Visscher was a passionate and wayward fiddler, a warm personality and a strong protagonist of positive thinking. Besides being the regular musician for The Swilcan and The Hague Branch, she played for numerous events in The Netherlands and abroad, and attended many music workshops. She was on ‘The List’ to play for Summer School but somehow it never happened. She often played with the late pianist George McLennan. On one occasion she was surprised to hear him saying ‘you are jigging up your reel’. A few moments later he told her she was ‘jigging up her jig’, resulting in much laughter. When Marycke’s health declined and she struggled through the initial stages of dementia, she decided to arrange her end of life herself, to avoid ending up in a home – a decision made with much conviction. I will always remember her as one of the most enthusiastic musicians I have ever worked with, who taught me the finer points of playing for SCD and, especially, how to enjoy playing our great Scottish dance music.

Kathy was our shining light, a dauntless ambassador for Scottish country dancing and a driving force behind the Nova Scotia Branch. She served as Treasurer of the Branch for many years, sharing her valuable time and consummate organizational skills to ensure the success of virtually every local event. She started dancing as a schoolgirl in Aberdeen and brought her love of dance to Canada in 1993. A stalwart member of both the Bon Accord and Thistle groups, Kathy also enthusiastically supported many of the events hosted throughout the province, making new friends wherever she went. Her Doric recitations were a delight! She will forever be remembered for her warm, generous spirit, her strong work ethic, her ubiquitous peanut butter balls, and her love of all things Scottish. Kathy’s Fascinator is a lovely jig devised in her honour, with music by Muriel Johnstone. The Branch eagerly looks forward to being able to remember Kathy through dance – something she would have loved.

Edwin Werner, Delft Branch

Jean Lumsden, Adelaide

Lydia Hedge, Nova Scotia

Joe Murphy

Jean Lumsden died in May, aged 88. Having emigrated from Fife in 1969, she started dancing with the Branch during the 1970s. In the early 1980s she started a class at the Workers’ Educational Association in Adelaide to gain teaching experience, and ran these classes for several years. After Jean gained her Full Certificate, she tutored, having some part in the training of all the current Adelaide Branch teachers as well as having taught many of the current dancers in Adelaide as beginners. She continued teaching until early this year. Jean held various Branch offices over the years, and her contribution to SCD in Adelaide is one of the most significant in its history. Jean was active in all things Scottish in Adelaide, including the Burns Society, Scottish Radio, the Scottish Associations of SA, and worked tirelessly to promote Scottish culture and, in particular, country dancing. She received a Branch Award in 2016.

Joe Murphy was born in Spennymoor, County Durham, in 1934. As a teenager, hearing Jimmy Shand playing Scottish country dance music inspired him to join a local class, beginning a lifelong passion. He gained his teaching certificate from Jean Milligan so, when Joe and his wife Alice moved to the Carlisle area in the 1960’s, he was already an enthusiastic member of the RSCDS. Over the years he served the Carlisle and Border Branch in every committee post, taught classes and attended Executive Council and often ‘stooged’ for trainee teachers. Joe and Alice befriended dancers from across the world at Summer School and on world teaching tours; many of these friends attended Branch events. Joe’s first Summer School was 1968 and he attended annually until ill health prevented him. His last years were spent in a care home in Silloth on the Solway coast. He died in April aged 86.

Anna Grant-Henderson, Adelaide Branch

Jane Atkins, Carlisle and Border Branch

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Jim Dougal, Duns and District Last October, Duns and District Branch lost Jim Dougal, aged 95, a teacher with infectious enthusiasm. Jim met his wife Cath, a Scottish country dancer, in Glasgow; in the mid-1980s, they moved to his home town of Eyemouth where they both taught classes. He was Chairman of Duns and District Branch from 1991 to 1996 and for many years organised a demonstration team to perform Something Scottish in Eyemouth every week during the summer, enjoyed by visitors from far and wide. The strathspey Jim Dougal of Eyemouth by Muriel Johnstone was presented to him on his 70th birthday, and he received the Branch Award in 2013. Jim married Jill several years after Cath died, and he continued to teach and dance with great enjoyment. Jim was a loyal supporter of the RSCDS and had fond memories of many years at Summer School, taking his Full Certificate there. He was also a keen sailor in his yacht Petronella and a strong Bridge player. Pat Harrower, Duns and District Branch

John Cass, Newcastle upon Tyne ‘The Festival Man’ first encountered Scottish dancing on walking holidays and decided to learn ‘these funny steps’, becoming addicted. In 1960 he joined Newcastle Branch and five years later was elected to the committee, clocking up a record unbroken 55 years of service. John gained his Teachers’ Certificate in 1968, setting up a class in Ponteland, and with enthusiasm and encouragement continued to teach until very recently. Undoubtedly his most remarkable achievement is the Newcastle Festival. From a one-off experiment in 1971, the Festival became an annual event from the mid-1980s. It now has the reputation of being the best in the country and is the highlight of many a dancer’s year. From two teams in 1984, by 2018 entries had to be capped at 50. John handed over to a sub-committee after 2014, but continued to help and advise. John was proud to receive a Branch Award in 2005 and a Society Scroll in 2010, and have two dances published in his honour. In November 2019 he was presented with the Legion d’Honneur in recognition of his part in the evacuation of Dunkirk. Rarely lost for words, John was an ardent advocate for the many benefits of Scottish country dancing. Irene Waters, Newcastle Branch

Margaret Spouse, MBE, Duns and District Margaret (Peggy) Spouse started dancing reluctantly in 1950, three years before the Duns and District Branch was formed. Peggy was persuaded to start a class in Chirnside, having gained her Preliminary Certificate at Summer School in St Andrews in 1952. A Life Member of the RSCDS, she continued to teach classes in the Branch for the next 40 years or so, and also taught at Summer School. Peggy was a good teacher, who expected and achieved high standards of technique and social etiquette. If on occasion a musician was absent, she was well-prepared to ‘deedle’ for the class. After she stopped dancing, she still loved to go along to dances to listen and watch, and was always keen to see the children’s class prepare for their Medal Tests. Peggy was awarded the MBE for services to Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, and was very proud to have the strathspey Peggy Spouse MBE devised for her by John Wilkinson, with the tune composed by Marian Anderson; this tune was played at her funeral. Rhona Burchick, Duns and District Branch

Catherine Marianne Gray, South Wales Kate started SCD in her teens, becoming a life member of the RSCDS, and particularly loved how the music inspired the dance movements. Alex met her at a Branch dance in 1964 and was captivated by her smile. They started attending St Andrews Summer School in 1965 where a highlight was Miss Milligan’s

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classes. In 1969 they became engaged after dancing in the Younger Hall demonstrations. Having moved to South Wales, Kate started the Radyr SCD class, which she ran for 40 years, ensuring it had musicians whenever possible and encouraging new musicians and teachers. She helped with many Branch activities including establishing the South Wales Festival and the Branch Weekend. A qualified pharmacist, Kate’s other talents included music, kiltmaking and cooking. She loved hosting bands, musicians and teachers and was known and loved throughout the Scottish dancing community for her warm personality and her ability and patience as a gentle but firm teacher of SCD, ladies’ step and Highland, recognised by invitations to teach around the world. At these events she contributed to the ceilidhs – singing to her own harp accompaniment: solo puirt à beul for a Highland Dance she had taught; or as a solo dancer. Conor Farmer, South Wales Branch

Barbro Stacking, Gothenburg Branch It is with great sadness we report that Barbro Stacking died on 26 July 2020. Barbro joined the Gothenburg Branch 35 years ago. As well as being an active and regular dancer, she was dedicated to the well-being of the members. She served many years on the Branch committee and undertook the duties of both Branch Treasurer and Committee Chairperson. Barbro also enthusiastically organised several dance weekend courses and regularly participated in courses organised by other dance groups. Nigel Nicholson, Gothenburg Branch

Bob Shakespeare, Corrieddon Scottish Country Dancers Bob was widely known in dancing circles as both dancer and musician. He played the accordion and bagpipes for day schools and local groups and composed dance music. Dancing took him to many European countries plus numerous visits to Scotland, resulting in lifelong friendships. Strangely, Bob and wife, Wendy, never visited St Andrews. Bob’s main love was family, his second was dancing, and his third was model buses, stemming from his work in the transport industry. Bob was generous with his friendship, patient with dancing colleagues, quick-witted and caring. Kate Redshaw

Alan Rintoul After a 3 year battle with oesophageal cancer, Alan passed away in July aged 58. He was a well-respected RSCDS teacher and demonstration dancer, who started Scottish country dancing at the age of 10, under the tutelage of his mother, Betty Rintoul, also an RSCDS teacher. Aged 14, he moved on to dance with the Strathcarron Dancers, an adult group who performed at festivals in Scotland and overseas. From there he moved to dance with the demonstration teams of Edinburgh, and later Glasgow, Branches. Alan had a distinctive style and loved to dance in huge sets with loads of movement and space to travel. Qualifying in 1995, Alan taught children, students, adults, demonstration groups and day schools. He was involved in the early days of the Alba Scottish Country Dancers demonstration teams and general classes where he met his wife, Ruth. Alan played piano with the Lothian Scottish Dance Band for 35 years. His in-depth knowledge of the music was invaluable when teaching and dancing, particularly when it came to choosing the right music for the right dance or individual step. Following in his footsteps, his daughter Rosalyn plays fiddle. His son Thomas is currently President of the University of St Andrews Celtic Society, so Alan’s kilt and sporran continue to dance on. George Meikle, Lothian Scottish Dance Band

Getting on our feet again! Chloe Beazley of Selkie Pilates in Epsom comes from Aberdeen. She is the daughter of Wilson and Lena Barclay, who was a well known Aberdeen Branch teacher. Chloe understands the physical and mental benefits of Scottish country dancing and here describes the benefits of Pilates for us all We all know that Scottish country dancing is a great way to meet people, socialise, enjoy movement and music, and feel part of a very friendly community. No phones, no laptop – real people having fun learning new skills. As we emerge from our lockdown experience we have the chance to re-evaluate our physical and mental health and change it for the better. Having been a midwife and now a Pilates instructor I feel that dancing ticks all the boxes. Dancing improves posture, setting our diaphragm free to breathe well and boost our immune system. It strengthens our bones and joints, which is good news for osteoporosis and fall prevention. Our feet, the foundation of your body’s alignment, become strong and flexible which in turn improves your balance and gait – so important following this period of enforced isolation, where many of us sat down for so long. It improves your cardiovascular health and all-over fitness, making all your daily activities a little easier. It helps with weight loss which is something that we all need to think about to prevent diabetes and vascular disease in the future. It gives you ease of movement, less stiffness and overall wellbeing. Dancing is a very healthy and positive thing to do for your mental health too. Think of learning the dance steps and choreography as movement Suduko. Our brain thrives on new patterns and connections to stay healthy and invigorated. The sense of achievement we feel when mastering a new dance is infectious. Serotonin and other feel-good hormones are released in the brain when we dance making it a joyful thing to do which helps us manage anxiety and depression. Preparing to dance or return to dance is essential for maximum benefit. Our body is our temple and we need to look after it. This is when Pilates can be very beneficial and an excellent preparation for dancing. In a Pilates class you are taught how to line up your pelvis, shoulder, girdle and spine to each other giving you the optimum posture for movement. You learn how to breathe properly to support your movements using your core muscles and pelvic floor like a corset around your spine. You are taught how to be more aware of your body and your movements with concentration and isolation of specific muscles and joints. You get to know your feet! And all of this will give deeper relaxation and recovery from exercise. Win, win.

Chloe Beazley, Pilates Teacher

Dancers’ Diary Please note that under the current circumstances all events listed here must be considered provisional depending on the local Covid-19 situation. Please confirm with websites and the organisers before attempting to attend. The Dancers’ Diary is compiled by Ian Brockbank. Please send details of your workshops and schools to ian@scottishdance.net Issue 32 will cover events from April 2021 till October 2022.

October 2020

April 2021

15-18 Central Germany Branch Autumn Course, Kuckucksnest 24 Leeds Branch Highland Workshop – check website

2-4 24

November 2020

May 2021

7 Virtual RSCDS AGM 27-29 Leeds Branch Malhamdale Weekend – check website

7 – 8 Millport Weekend, Isle of Cumbrae

February 2021 5-7

York and North Humberside Branch Weekend School, Harrogate 6 Carlisle and Border Branch Half Day School, Longtown 12-14 Isle of Wight Weekend School, Shanklin Hotel, Isle of Wight 20 Oxfordshire Branch Day School, Oxford

March 2021 21

Leeds Branch Musicians’ Day Workshop – check website

RSCDS Spring Fling, Aberdeen Cheltenham Branch Day School

June 2021 11-13 Midwest Scottish Weekend, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin 11-13 Stornoway Weekend, Isle of Lewis

July 2021 10 White Rose Festival – check website 18-5/8 RSCDS Summer School, St Andrews 18-1/8 TAC Teacher Candidates Courses for Units 2, 3 and 5 23-25 TAC Teachers Conference Weekend 25-1/8 TAC Summer School

Scottish Country Dancer , Issue 31, October 2020

Articles inside

RSCDS EVENTS

Editorial

Support our Society

Sadly Missed

Reviews

Letters to the Editor

Dancing around the World

Focus on a dance - The Lass of Richmond Hill

The Lockdown Heroes!

Three Dances-Two remarkable people

Two New Branches

Ian Muir – Music Director

The Cheering Keys of Lockdown

From the Treasurer

The DSAH Teachers

Work has been continuing for the committees

News from Coates Crescent

"The Society’s response to the crisis has been fantastic. Thank you."