My Stillwater Experience

[Tetley]

Welcome aboard.

I have to say that I really like dancing contra in a kilt. Not tried playing in the band in one as yet, but the dancing in one is great.

Mark

[Kilted Rogue]

From Charleston SC

And i must echo my fellows here thats a nice looking kilt and fiddle combo you have there..

I too am debating on my next kilt purchase and was considering SWK, To hear such glowing reviews after glowing reviews based on quality and price with the service, i will be calling them soon.

once again welcome to the group!

[Kilted_Fiddler]

I don't have a Stillwater (I only have one Balmoral woollen casual - love it) but I really love the look of yours. Great choice mate!

So tell us about your fiddling. What style do you play? Scottish? Breton? Irish? I play Irish myself. Just regular "session" style though with a Donegal bent. I just love those crunchy triplets. And do tell me about your fiddle too. Auld? New? Special to you?

Again, looking really great mate!

Scotty

Thanks for the kind words, everybody.. and such warm welcomes!

My fiddling style is pretty New England...gotta keep it pretty straight and steady when playing for dances; of course, it depends on what music I'm actually playing and for what venue. I find Scottish styles very challenging when it comes to bow use. The tunes I write are rather traditional infused with Irish and Scottish flavor, and would not seem out of place in Howe/Ryan. Lots of jigs, reels, waltzes, etc. One friend describes my tunes as 'having an old sound but with a bit of a modern flair.' My tunes tend to have a strong rhythmic drive and some colorful chords and modulations.

[Kilted_Fiddler]

From the Cape Fear River Valley, NC Am I correct in assuming that "Contra Dancing" is similar or the same as "Line Dancing?"

Ouch...no...not line dancing!

Contra dancing has it's roots in the British Isles. It is a progressive dance done in two facing lines, meaning that the couples at the head progress to the foot of the line and vice versa. Each couple gets to dance with each couple in the contra line. It is similar to the longways dances, or what we call "English Country Dancing" or ECD. For that think kinda "Jane Austin." Contra dancing is much more "earthy" though some ECD can be pretty rousing. The term "contra" is actually a corruption of the word "country": contree... contra.

The colonists brought their dancing to the US. New England is responsible for keeping the tradition alive all these years. If it was not for them, it probably would have died. It has become so popular in the last 10 years or so that it has spread all over the US--even all the way to the west coat--and it's not uncommon to have monthly contra dances in rural areas of the Midwest.

There is a caller, and some of the moves are similar to square dance callls, but unlike the square dance, the caller teaches, or goes through the dance once the contra lines are formed...the music starts and the dance begins. The caller stops calling when he/she sees the group has the dance down. And in a square dance, you are only dancing with the other people in your square, not with the entire group.

A contra dance is a very social event, and great fun.

I apologize if I went too long in this description...I know it's not a dance forum, but I wanted to give some detail, for perhaps others on this forum will want to try it. It really is fun! And many men enjoy wearing kilts to contra dance.