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