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Chairman and Convenors’ Reports
From the Chairman
Lorna Ogilvie
When writing my previous magazine report in the autumn, I was optimistic about a return to the dance floor here in Scotland. Thankfully, this allowed the November Autumn Gathering to take place in Perth, and what a great weekend it was, short-lived as such freedom to dance then proved. In many ways it felt different from past weekends, particularly for delegates during the less interactive AGM, due to covid rules. However, this was much enlivened by Bill Cant’s informative and highly entertaining final report which lifted spirits enormously. I should like to record the Society’s deep debt of gratitude to Bill for his six years as Treasurer and highly professional management of our finances, including what must have been the most challenging two years any RSCDS Treasurer has had to deal with. The RSCDS is about ‘fun and friendship’ and both were very much in evidence as dancers were rarely off the dance floor, lifted by fantastic live music. Slightly shorter programmes, designed to help Covid-compromised fitness, were totally ignored by dancers as encores were requested, and both evenings ran over time. Truly a highlight of the last six months.
Board and Committee meetings have continued to be held virtually, as was the Away Day at the end of January. This has not prevented a great deal of hard work from all volunteers and our highly valued office staff, managed by Clare. Board highlights are designed to keep members up to date with ongoing work. The Away Day focussed on Centenary planning and the RSCDS organisational structure. Increased digital communication, particularly over the last two years, has changed the way we work and allowed a review of our decisionmaking processes, as well as how the Staff, Committees and the Board could work more effectively together, with clearer lines of delegation, responsibility and accountability. My thanks go to volunteers everywhere in branches and affiliated groups, and also those I work with on a daily basis. Everyone has an important role, especially in attracting new members and organising events, at the end of two difficult years for both our dancers and musicians. We have welcomed three new Convenors to the Board and I know that members will have been sorry to learn of Anne Taylor’s resignation as E&T Convenor on health grounds. Anne has led E&T with much skill over the last two and a half years, for which we thank her. We wish her well in the coming months. I end on an optimistic note. Following a very successful Winter School, we make a welcome return to St Andrews for Summer School and hear news that dancing is gradually resuming in most countries. As we approach the launch of our Centenary year, I am hopeful that restrictions will be long gone, allowing us to celebrate in style.
Membership Services
Angela Young
This year Membership Services has a full complement of members, who are already working on preparations for Centenary content and a small number of projects for 2022. Last year’s work culminated in publications to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of Scotland’s most renowned novelists with Sir Walter Scott - A Celebration through Scottish Music and Dance: The Heart of Mid-Lothian. The CDs arrived at 12 Coates Crescent in early January, meaning that both book and CD are now available for purchase through the RSCDS Shop. Also published in November was the Combined Volume of RSCDS Books 39 to 44 and as the committee work together with our treasurer, Lizzy, and office staff to balance stock levels with customer demand, further copies of this popular series have been put on order. Thanks to Peter Knapman for his leadership across the last three years, especially leading to differing styles of RSCDS publications including 30 Popular Dances – Volume 2 which we hope you are enjoying with the gradual return to dancing.
2022 marks another significant celebration with the Platinum Jubilee of our Society patron, Queen Elizabeth. In November, the Management Board approved a commemorative leaflet which will be the only new product undertaken by Membership Services this year. Additionally, the committee will be working on existing projects including the Formation Index which has been approved for delivery as an online document. By the time this magazine reaches you, we will have reached the closing date for submissions for the next new publication – Book 53 in 2023. We want to make sure this involves as many of the membership in the process as possible. Therefore, this volume will be created from branch submissions, which will be tried and tested by branches, and ready for publication, together with a new recording, in the summer of our Centenary year. We’re also delighted that the Management Board approved a commemorative “coffee-table” volume to celebrate the centenary through dance stories, facts and photographs from around the globe. This is planned for publication in Spring 2024 to enable the inclusion of material from worldwide centenary celebrations. We’ll be reaching out to branches and members as plans progress. But our first task as a committee is to create a core programme of ten dances chosen from the ten decades of the Society’s repertoire. The aim is to have this available online in Spring/ Summer 2022, enabling branches to create centenary dance programmes and events incorporating those choices. We also hope that dancers will be able to join together for a special Decades dancing event across 24 hours around the globe. Ideas are also under discussion with Music Director, Luke, as we think of how to support this and the other projects with musical content. With new and returning members to the committee, I’m looking forward to working both with them and the office team as together we look forward to creating exciting content for those special celebrations in 2023.
Education and Training
Deb Lees
Many of you will know that I have recently taken on the role of convenor of the E&T committee following Anne Taylor’s resignation due to ill health. I know that you will all wish Anne well with her treatment and recovery. The last few weeks have definitely kept me busy with learning more about the many work areas covered by the committee and the staff at Coates Crescent. Scottish dancing has started back again in various parts of the world, much to the delight of dancers and musicians alike. We were able to hold Winter School in Pitlochry and planning for Summer School is well underway. And we can once again plan for Unit exams around the world, some of which have been postponed several times. The new Core Training for Instructors (CTI) course is also now open for applications and I am delighted to report that we now have a number of trainee instructors enrolled and starting work with their trainers. We now have over forty CTI trainers worldwide. Do get in touch if you are interested in the CTI, either as a prospective instructor or to train as a CTI trainer.
One thing that we have learned over the past two years is how to make better use of technology to facilitate communication and to work in more efficient and effective ways. The CTI is a good example, with use of video throughout the course. We are now looking at an online version of Unit 1 which will streamline the process for staff and examiners and reduce the amount of paper and postage involved. Good for the budget and for the planet! Members of the Committee have been working hard to complete the development of the Inspiring Country Dancers resource, with the Introduction and Level 1 – Foundation already available on the website https://www.rscds.org/learn/teaching-scottish-countrydance/elearning-teachers The resource aims to expand on the Manual and provide supplementary information of use especially to new teachers and instructors/teachers in training. It includes topics such as setting up a class, working with a musician, preparing lessons, and much more. Level 2 – The Guide is nearing completion and goes into more depth on the topics covered in Level 1. It also includes tables with hints on teaching points for steps and formations. Level 3 – The Toolbox will be a growing resource which will include documents on a range of topics, including further expansions on the topics in the other levels and documents developed as support materials for the CTI. This section of the resource should be of use to all teachers and instructors and hopefully a way to share some of the wealth of knowledge and ideas from teachers across the world.
Youth Services
Philippa McKee
Since I took on the Convenor’s role in November, the committee has been working hard to finalise the approach to Spring Fling 2022. We are glad that we are seeing some uptake of the available grants to support events under the Spring Fling banner in 2022. We are also beginning to focus on Spring Fling 2023 and are working with a number of people to create a really special opportunity to celebrate Spring Fling in the centenary year – we will keep you posted on progress.
We welcomed Linda Williamson to our committee in November and co-opted Sarah Oswald in January. We are currently working out our short- and medium-term priorities and how we can best serve our young members. We still have vacancies on the committee and would be very grateful to hear from anyone who is willing to join us, either by being co-opted, or in standing for election in November of this year. You do not need to be within the Youth age group, provided you are willing to contribute to our activities supporting the involvement of young dancers, teachers, and musicians. I have been very grateful to the existing committee for their efforts on the Virtual Dance Display project, the Virtual Festival, discussions around Spring Fling and creative ways to engage with young members for the centenary year. We were really encouraged by the excellent response from members to the Virtual Display and Virtual Festival with enthusiastic and creative contributions. Going forward, we will be working with Janet Johnston (Schools Director) to support Junior Summer School this year. We are also working with Coates Crescent staff to improve our online presence on various social media platforms, and we would welcome ideas from members about emerging trends and how to reach a wider audience. To contact the committee please use the YSC inbox ysc@rscds. org and for further information please visit the young dancer pages on the website https://www.rscds.org/get-involved/ young-dancers.
