The Tuesday Social London Branch’s ‘Tuesday Social’ was developed in response to a perennial challenge affecting Scottish country dance – how to attract and keep younger dancers, drawing them into the life of the branch. We would often see dancers visiting our classes in ones and twos, feeling welcome, enjoying the class but not coming back as there were no other dancers their age. Then a few weeks later, another couple would experience the same disappointment. We needed to bring them together.
input we decided to begin a monthly session (so accessible to people who could not manage a weekly class), with a young teacher and musician. Agreed criteria included central London location, close to public transport, lots of dancing and plenty of time to socialise. Promotion was essential and we made full use of both traditional and more modern communication tools, supplementing the Branch website, emails, flyers and word of mouth with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The ‘MeetUp’ app proved particularly effective. We also liaised with our local reel and ceilidh clubs, who were very helpful in spreading the word. St Columba’s Church, our chosen venue and home to many Scottish dance groups in London, has been wonderfully supportive. The Tuesday Social was launched in September 2022, with teacher Gill O’Dell, supported by Andrew Ferguson, and musician Adam Brady. Typically, on the fourth Tuesday of each month, dancers are welcomed from 7pm with a glass of wine or soft drink, shortbread and conversation, then dancing from 7.30-9.30pm. We have a mix of new and experienced dancers, the beginners picking up movements at a speed that put those of us of more advanced years to shame, and there is a great buzz of chat and laughter during the breaks.
We launched ‘Project 23’ – aiming to establish a regular dance session for people in their 20s and 30s in time for the RSCDS Centenary in 2023. To begin with, we invited several to a Zoom focus group and listened to what they had to say. Based on their
Daytime Dancing The Wellington Region, one of seven that make up the RSCDS New Zealand Branch, has 11 clubs, each with a management committee and at least one qualified teacher, many SCD musicians and a number of published devisers. Duncan and Mary McDonald write about their dance afternoons and hope you might be tempted visit them in Wellington for the NZ Summer School in December 2024.
The General Group. Duncan McDonald, Catherine McCutcheon, Mary McDonald, and Pat Reesby are in the centre of the front row In 2018, a Wellington Region Committee member, Gaylia Powell, recognised a need for daytime dancing in Wellington and set up the Tuesday Advanced Group. It was an immediate success. Cleverly, she placed emphasis on dancing rather than tuition, and fun over precision. She wanted dancers to dance to the best of their ability in a sociable, supportive environment and to occasionally be challenged by unusual, interesting and sometimes difficult dances. They were to enjoy putting technique and etiquette learned at club into practice with their peers.
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For some, the monthly session is enough, but a growing number now attend weekly classes and Branch dances too. We’ve been sought out by people new to London or visiting from overseas and it has been rewarding to see the interest in this session grow. We’re not yet a rival for the popular reeling or ceilidh clubs but our new dancers are already making a great contribution to the life of the Branch and, with a steady 2-3 sets per session throughout our first season, we have a lot of hope for the future. Joanne Lawrence, London Branch The Advanced Group has invited several teachers, including published devisers Iain Boyd, Gaye Collin, Rod Downey and Maureen Robson, who have used this opportunity to teach some of their own dances and try out new ones. The timing of the session allows the ‘Oldies’ with a gold card to make use of free public transport, and suits those who are averse to driving at night. The venue, a lovely church hall near a public transport hub, has been extended and will now take six sets at a push. Gaylia set the door charge at the cost of a large cup of coffee. It has remained unchanged over five years and would now buy a medium cup. With two to three sets attending, she was able to waive the door charge occasionally. Fears that the Group would draw people away from evening club dancing proved unfounded. In fact, several former dancers have become regular attendees. After a while, Gaylia realised that many attendees did not have sufficient skill to enjoy the Advanced Group, so she established a General Group to cater for intermediate level dancers. Catherine McCutcheon, who also teaches the Tawa Club, is the General Group’s regular teacher. She uses humour to create a friendly, welcoming environment and allows plenty of social interchange between dances. She does, however, teach formations when needed, and more difficult dances on upcoming annual dance programmes. Attendance, four sets on a good day, includes experienced dancers who enjoy the chance to dance more often, have more exercise and another opportunity to socialise, and are at the stage of giving back to the community that nurtured them. Pat Reesby organises the venue and the teachers, collects money, and pays teachers and musicians a small amount to offset their expenses. She makes name badges, provides a newsletter containing a review of the previous session and arranges for live music three or four times a year as well as the occasional afternoon tea. Her efforts, and the support of all the dancers, have made the General Group a great success.
