Scottish Country Dancing

[Chirs]

Chas, you look like you're having a great time! But there is a dearth of kilts in those pictures. As Grizzly said, you may be converting the others.

I tried SCD at one of Burnett's and Struth's spring dances (great time!) and was thinking I'd like to do that on a regular basis. Not easy where I live but, now that I'm spending all my time in Toronto, and having just found the RSCDS Toronto because of what Hamish said, I may be able to do it!! So, thank you all for reminding me and getting me looking.

[Chas]

Thank Everyone.

Hamish - you are so right. This is addictive! I only wish I had started 10 or more years ago. I find the Strathpeys the most difficult, just too slow. We always play eight bars and count them first, before we start to dance. I can't do that. It seems like they have played the whole of the 1812 Overture and Ella calls out "One!" And, of course, my sloppy footwork is so evident during the slow dances.

I wasn't kilted the first night as I thought that it might look a bit pretentious. But I told them all about XMarks during the break and was kilted the following week.

There is one other gent who wears a kilt every time he attends (he is wearing the Royal Stewart in the pictures). The trouble is that there are only six male members, plus a couple of others who turn up now and again. The good news is that they do all have kilts and once a term we do have a Tartan Night, when everybody gets dressed up.

The next one is on St Andrew's Day, this month. There will be more pictures.

Regards

Chas

[cessna152towser]

Excellent pics, Chas, way to go!

[McMurdo]

Chas
First off Welcome to the fold. I have to say SCD is just a wonderful time with wonderful people I've met some of the best people and look forward to it when not at class or a dance. I've always danced in a kilt, it never crossed my mind to wear anything else. Fear not the footwork will come.

Ham
We have several younger members in our group here in Peterborough here is a link to our website:

http://www.pscds-on.org/index.html

The photo on the front page is both the beginners and advanced class it was taken on the last night of last years classes, I was not there as I was sick. At any rate several of our dancers are in university.

Meghan, for free I'd go out and try it. You will not regret it if your experience is anything like mine. One wonderful part about Scottish country dancing is that wherever you go in the world there is likely an SCD class. When we moved to Peterborough one of the first things I did was to find a group and I was accepted straight off, it made the move so much better as I had an instant network in a new town.

[Panache]

Chas,

Glad to hear that you are enjoying SCD!

It is such a fantastic activity. It keeps alive a wonderful tradition, it is great exercise, and you would be hard pressed to find a nicer group of people than those that are proud Scottish Country Dancers!

Bully for you for wearing your kilt to class

Cheers

Jamie

[CopperNGold]

You look like you are having so much fun! I'm going to see if there are any classes in my area.

Meghan, Mind Hamish's words, and lead the charge of youth in your area to Scottish Country Dancing. I think you would be great at it, and you will have no lack of dancing partners with that sparkling personality of yours!

[Gryphon noir]

For those whose bodies are younger than their knees, there are English Country Dance groups all over North America. The vocabulary is slightly different, but the dance forms are essentially quite similar. The advantage of ECD is that it is much lower impact--everything can be done with a smooth walking step. There are opportunities for doing a bit of footwork for those with the enthusiasm (and younger knees!), but it isn't absolutely required.

I almost always dance kilted.

One observation. I find that, like the majority of kilties, dancers are a pretty decent lot. It's well worth the effort to learn to look good on the dance floor.

[Meggers]

Will your beloved not join and learn with you. I thought he was wanting to wear the kilt anyway?

LOL! He'd probably rather jump off a cliff. He hasnt danced a day in his life.

Meghan, Mind Hamish's words, and lead the charge of youth in your area to Scottish Country Dancing. I think you would be great at it, and you will have no lack of dancing partners with that sparkling personality of yours!

awwwww

My personality only sparkles here becuase I have great company to share it with!

[Andrewson]

Glad to see you've caught the SCD bug, Chas. Enjoy!

I'm another who always wears the kilt to dance class. Until recently only one other man in the club regularly did so (he's an XMTS member too) but we've had a new member join us this September who also sees the advantage of wearing the kilt to dance. I reckon we three enjoy ourselves more than the others do. Even the strathspeys are more fun but of course the wilder spins and turns are even better.

It would be really great if more young people joined us - there are a few in our club but not enough. I do want to make the point, though, that SCD is a really good way for those of us of a certain age to retain a bit of our youthful spring and zing. I certainly never expected at 73+ to be still hopping round the room at a reasonable rate - a wee bit slower (more stately?) than before but the miracle is that I'm still doing it at all.

Bob

[TheBrus]

My personality only sparkles here becuase I have great company to share it with!

My old SCD friend, Victor Raymond, is up in Madison, and he's with the UW... indeed, I have many old acquaintances up in the Madison RSCDS group. Please tell them Jared Brus says hello, if you do go.

JB