Growing a Scottish Country Dance group in France Christiane Orgeret fell in love with Scotland while a French language assistant in Edinburgh, but it was not until a few years later when she returned to visit friends, that she was taken along to her first Scottish country dance class. On returning to Paris, she joined the Chardon d’Ecosse group, and Scottish country dances became her passion because they were so lively and varied. In conversation with Fiona Grant, Christiane describes how the dance group she started a few years later when she returned to work in Lyon, grew into a branch, and the challenges she had to overcome. Small beginnings La Chanterelle and La Ronde Folklorique, two folk-dance groups, organised dance weekends, including one annual Scottish weekend each. Although I was teaching English full-time and had three small children to look after, I wanted to do more Scottish country dancing and helped to persuade a small group of the dancers to meet once a month in 1986. Being the most motivated, I was quickly chosen to be the secretary, then ‘Présidente’ of the group – I didn’t know then that this would last 30 years! Finding new members to enlarge the group was difficult, and at first most came from other dance associations. We advertised everywhere we could, including getting the group added to the list of British Associations which was handed by the UK Consulate in Lyon to all UK citizens coming to stay in the area. An advert in the university English department proved more fruitful, and although many left to work elsewhere after they graduated, these energetic young people were very enthusiastic, and the Scottish group continued to attract a few new students each year.
were encouraged to attend and find out that dancing friendships extended further than the weekly class. A few of us attended the RSCDS Summer School in St Andrews almost every year and encouraged other members of the class to go too. We were taught by many wonderful teachers, whom we then invited to Lyon, and met people in St Andrews from all over the world who shared our passion, and thus expanded the magical network!
Financial independence Our class members were often young people and others with limited disposable income, and so we tried to keep the cost of the dance classes as low as possible. Our season ticket had the reputation of offering the least expensive regular hobby in Lyon! Nevertheless, we usually managed to make a class profit, which was used to subsidise and reduce the price of the weekend events, making attendance more attractive to all. We occasionally organised large ceilidh dances to attract new members and make a small profit. They were very successful, attracting 200 to 300 people, and made us more visible, but they did not often lead to new recruits because the immediate fun of ceilidh dancing is so different from the challenge of Scottish country dances with their complicated formations and steps.
Nadine’s Triumph, Lyon 1995
Expanding the group Key to the success of the group were the weekend events, which we managed to expand over the years. At first, they were held once a year with one invited teacher using cassettes. Over the years, they progressively became well known in the SCD world for the hospitality of Lyon members, happy relaxed atmosphere, serious emphasis on technique, quality of teaching, and the opportunity to attend classes on different levels, including Highland dancing. Classes and evening dances gave our members the opportunity to meet and often host dancers who travelled from other groups to spend the weekend dancing and socialising together. New dancers
Weekend 1998 St Galmier
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Lyon demonstration team 2002
Teaching Strategy Teaching at the weekly class was always done in French, as few could understand English. It is important for teachers to adapt to local conditions, as the key to class enjoyment is getting everyone moving and dancing. At the same time, the steps and style are an essential part of Scottish country dancing and our group wanted to be taught technique from the start. Our very first teacher for the weekend events was Philippe Rousseau from London. He and Alice Murphy from Carlisle taught us in French. Patrick Chamoin from Paris was our most regular weekend teacher for many years. As to weekly classes, Martin Sheffield from Grenoble visited us regularly, and Antoine Rousseau from Paris taught and danced with us while he spent three years as an engineering student studying in Lyon. Later, we had our own homegrown Lyon teachers, who passed their teaching certificates in St Andrews. After a few years, weekends were progressively taught in English, as members realised it was not a major obstacle and they could discover and benefit from the teaching of so many excellent and diverse teachers from Britain, Europe, America and New Zealand. What a joy it was to bring all this, and the wonderful live music, to ordinary Lyon members!
