Welcome back to Dance Scottish At Home – with lots of the regular features, a new “At Home Podcast”, dancing and music gems, puzzles, Scottish facts and of course – the Jigsaw League.
We’ll also reflect on last week’s “Dance Scottish – A Summer Celebration” looking ahead to sharing the content on the RSCDS website, while bringing you up to date with more RSCDS news as Committee and Management Board nominations are underway. The RSCDS Magazine team are planning ahead to the October issue and we have a message from Editor, Jimmie Hill.
We love hearing from dancing readers all around the globe – over the last two weeks you have kept the DSAH desk very busy with your emails and photos which we’ll keep sharing as we move to fortnightly issues. Lots of you got in touch during and after “A Summer Celebration” including Lee Pratt who said: “My husband is a life member of the RSCDS and I have been a member for more years than I would like to remember – at one stage way back, I did a 15 year long term membership but now pay every year. The RSCDS has always done a lot in the background but since the Covid pandemic has done so much to keep us all together. Looking at the places where people were signing in from made us realise just how much of a worldwide community Scottish country dancing is.” Connecting with the worldwide community also resonated with Maria Tsvetoukhina and Anastasia Krivoruchko of the Moscow Branch: “It was a wonderful week which created the atmosphere of dancing together with friends from all over the world. And it let us know about Summer/Winter Schools on other continents. Which is fantastic!!!”
Many thanks to everyone who has been in touch – your feedback has been really appreciated. As DSAH moves into a new distribution pattern, you are even more important to making sure that the Online Class, DSAH and the At Home Podcast are shared with the widest dance community possible. So just to confirm for everyone:
Every fortnight on Fridays - DSAH with the At Home Podcast:
7th August. 21st August 4th September 18th September and onwards
Every Wednesday evening - The RSCDS Online Class has resumed back at the usual time of 19:00 BST (See the link and info later in the DSAH)
Each following Friday - the Class recording with a repeat of a previous podcast will be issued.
Please keep sharing Dance Scottish At Home through Twitter and Facebook, using the buttons at the top and by sharing the link on the RSCDS Dance Scottish Facebook page. Clicking the Forward button to email the newsletter to friends and the wider dance community will help keep everyone in touch until we can all dance together again.
The DSAH Team
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Message from the RSCDS Chairman
What a great time we had last week with Dance Scottish - A Summer Celebration. On behalf of all the RSCDS members, dancers and musicians who took part I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made it happen. The inspirational teachers, the wonderful musicians, the organisers of summer schools around the world, our staff team and above all David Queen, from the RSCDS Schools Committee, Ian Muir, our Music Director, and Angela Young, from Membership Services. They all worked incredibly hard. Judging by your feedback all the effort was worthwhile. Many thanks to you all, the Dance Scottish At Home community, for your support and encouragement.
Andrew Kellett, RSCDS Chairman
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Dance Scottish – A Summer Celebration
Last week’s “Dance Scottish – A Summer Celebration” created a lot of buzz amongst readers, members and musicians: “A great week of music and dancing!” “A brilliant week.” “An ideal event for winter evenings in Cape Town – we danced every evening.” “Just wonderful.” As well as lots of “Chat” amongst attendees who connected with friends far and wide.
Many thanks to everyone who signed in across the week and especially to the teachers, musicians and international schools who did so much – everyone played their part in making this virtual event a success.
If you weren’t able to join last week – you can still access and enjoy the recorded evening sessions through the links on the RSCDS website. The musicians’ workshop resources are also still available and will be until 30th September – giving everyone plenty of time to download the sets and participate in the longer term collaborative music project.
We thought it would be useful to give a run down of the week’s content so that you can find sessions that you are particularly interested in.
Monday was hosted by Andrew Kellett and included:
Dancing Jigs with Alasdair Brown and Helen Russell leading up to Lady Catherine Bruce’s Reel; Step for All with music by Muriel Johnstone and featuring Step 1 of The Scottish Lilt with Angela Young; Behind the Dance with Duncan Brown’s The Chequered Court; Musical Collaboration by previous Summer School Music Course attendees.
Tuesday was hosted by Lorna Ogilvie and included:
International School sessions from the Scottish Country Dance Teachers’ Association (Canada) and the Hunter Valley Branch Australia; Step 2 of The Scottish Lilt was taught by David Queen.
Wednesday was hosted by Anne Taylor and included:
Dancing Strathspeys with Gary Coull and Duncan Brown leading up to the Sauchie Haugh; Step 3 of The Scottish Lilt was taught by Alice Stainer, Behind the Dance with Elinor Vandegrift’s Granville Market; an interview with Ian Muir, RSCDS Music Director; Musical Collaboration from the 2018 RSCDS Summer School Musicians’ Course.
Thursday was hosted by Jean Martin and included:
International School sessions from RSCDS Boston Branch with Pinewoods Dance Camp and RSCDS New Zealand Branch; Step 4 of The Scottish Lilt was taught by David Hall.
Friday was hosted by William Williamson and included:
Dancing Reels with Rachel Shankland and Raphaelle Orgeret leading up to Lady Baird’s Reel; Four Steps of The Scottish Lilt with Janet Johnston; Behind the Dance with Ian Brockbank’s One O’Clock Canon; Musical Collaboration from previous RSCDS Summer School Musicians’ Course attendees.
We’re also working on uploading the individual elements from the sessions to the RSCDS website. These will appear in grouped collections: Step for All; Behind the Dance; Musical Collaborations; International Sessions. However this will take a little bit of time – so bear with us. We’ll keep you up to date with progress and let you know, over the next few weeks, when you can take advantage of the fantastic resources created with A Summer Celebration.
For those who have missed our products, in the RSCDS Office News you can find the link to our new and exclusive DSAH and “A Summer Celebration” products. We look forward to seeing your photos of the products being worn and used as you join in the Online Class, DSAH and more.
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RSCDS Notes
Committee and Management Board Nominations Needed
Are you interested in the future of the RSCDS?
Do you wish to help influence that future by getting involved in what the society does and what it can achieve?
If you answered yes, then why not volunteer for one of the Management committees or the Board? Over the next 3 issues of DSAH each committee and the Management Board will set out what being involved means – and give you information to decide which committee to stand for.
First up are Membership Services and the Management Board.
Membership Services
Membership Services are responsible for publications, marketing, research and music. For the last 4 months we have also been the mainstay of Dance Scottish At Home, which we hope you are enjoying? It only appears each week because of the hard work and dedication of a small number of enthusiasts – most of whom are volunteers – yes, Scottish dance enthusiasts who are willing to give something back to the activity that has given them a lot of fun and pleasure over the years. The staff of 12 Coates Crescent are also there to help and provide assistance.
The Society AGM takes place in November and although it won’t be like a normal AGM, the business of the Society must go on. This year Membership Services needs to find willing and able people to support our activities. The committee consists of 6 members plus the Convenor and Music Director. At this AGM there will be 5 MS positions to fill – yes 5! Not quite as drastic as it might seem, as at present we have two co-opted members who we hope will put themselves forward for election so that they can continue in their present positions. That still means 3 additional volunteers are needed to help and get involved – could you be one of them or do you know someone who would be willing?
Do you have enthusiasm, knowledge and interest in Scottish dance and its history? Do you have computer or marketing skills? Have you a background in publishing, or a passion for music? If you do and are interested in helping the Society develop and survive in an unpredictable world, possibly nudging things in a slightly different direction, appropriate for the changing times we find ourselves in, then please consider volunteering for Membership Services.
Peter Knapman, Convenor Membership Services
Management Board
When I take on the role as Chairman of RSCDS in November, at the virtual AGM, I am very much looking forward to working with Board members, old and new. It is important for the Board to include a wide range of skills. Being an RSCDS Trustee is about leading the Society’s strategic direction, and being prepared to contribute openly to the democratic decision-making process at Board meetings that supports this. In the challenging ‘get back to dancing’ post-pandemic months that lie ahead we will need innovative thinking and fresh ideas.
If you are passionate about Scottish country dancing and have skills in leadership, finance, management, IT or marketing, or simply wish to take an active part in taking the Society forward in the lead up to the Centenary in 2023, please do consider standing for election to the Board.
Lorna Ogilvie, Chair Elect
Full details and nomination forms can be found on the RSCDS website under “volunteering”. Nominations and profiles should reach Coates Crescent by 12th September 2020.
RSCDS MAGAZINE – OCTOBER ISSUE
The magazine team are currently putting together the Autumn Issue of Scottish Country Dancer. Please write to us telling us how you have been keeping fit and in touch during the pandemic. How have you been feeling about not being able to dance? Please write a letter to the Editor if there is some issue you feel strongly about. How did you like getting the Spring Issue by email? Include any photographs as long as they are at least 500 kb in size, larger if possible. Information, letters and photographs should be sent to mag.editor@rscds.org
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Jimmie Hill, Editor, RSCDS Magazine
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Join Ian Muir for a new edition of the “At Home Podcasts” delivering a wealth of music and musical nuggets to listen to. Something new, a dance story and a quiz as well as lots of music to keep your toes tapping.
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This week’s “At Home Podcast” brings recordings from Frank Thomson, the story of “Scott Meikle”, Jim Lindsay tells us about band leader Rob Gordon and we hear the complete DSAH theme tune. There are also two new musical quizzes this week – one is a story while the other is full of literary connections.
Listen online here >
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Last Saturday’s episode of Take the Floor Ceilidh featured a favourite session from the Màrtainn Skene Highland Dance Band. Màrtainn’s studio recording brought a selection of ceilidh dances before finishing with The Reel of the 51st Division and the second half of the programme included a favourite particularly for all Aberdonians “Scotland The What” singing “The Band”. The Scottish trio of Buff Hardie, Stephen Robertson and George Donald set lyrics to famous Scottish dance tunes including Kate Dalrymple, The Dashing White Sergeant and The Glasgow Highlanders – once heard never forgotten.
“We are the band and we sit on the stand,
and we play Gay Gordons, Eightsome Reels and Lancers.
Folk that we meet, ask us “Why do we dee’t?”
and I must admit we hinnae got nae answers.”
A sentiment I’m sure many musicians and Scottish dancers will be familiar with.
This Saturday evening Take the Floor includes a session by the Ian Smith Band before paying tribute to the life and career of Tom Alexander, who with his brother Jack formed “The Alexander Brothers” – renowned Scottish entertainers for over 50 years.
Next Saturday, there will be an archive session from Scott Band and his Scottish Dance Band. Dancers can look forward to joining in with the jigs “Tribute to the Borders” and “The Swilcan” as well as the reels “Happy Returns” and “The Forth Railway Bridge Centenary Reel” with the original tune by Bobby Crowe. Gary and the team have also told us that Scott includes a tribute to band leader John Ellis and set of tunes by Ian Holmes for the strathspey “Kirkwall Strathspey”. “Take the Floor Ceilidh” will also be in its regular Sunday slot.
On both Saturday and Sunday evenings, as you listen, you’ll hopefully be hearing some familiar names with their requests to Gary and the team at BBC Radio Scotland. And you’ll also find a wealth of music to dance around the kitchen. Take the Floor Ceilidh is live on a Sunday between 17:00 to 19:00. You can email your favourite dances, musicians, bands and tracks to: takethefloor@bbc.co.uk or phone 08085 929500 but please be aware the phone line will only work while the programme is live.
Both programmes can be found on BBC iPlayer and on BBC Sounds so keep your requests and dedications flowing to Gary Innes and the BBC Radio Scotland team, and hear more dancer requests.
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This Week in Scots History
Whilst there are many interesting things that took place in Scotland at the beginning of August, this week we are going to mention just a few.
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1st August 1747 - Tartan, Kilts and Highland Dress were prohibited from being worn – unless within the army. Myths have abounded about the extent of the ban – did it include the bagpipes? Were you still allowed to speak Gaelic? Could you gather together with your family?
What is known is that the aim of The Act of Proscription was to try to disarm the highlands of Scotland and that this Act revision was to ban what the Government saw as central to Jacobite identity.
The wording states: “That from and after the first day of August, one thousand seven hundred and forty seven, no man or boy, within that part of Great Briton called Scotland, other than shall be employed as officers and soldiers in his Majesty's forces, shall on any pretence whatsoever, wear or put on the clothes commonly called Highland Clothes (that is to say) the plaid, philibeg, or little kilt, trowse, shoulder belts, or any part whatsoever of what peculiarly belongs to the highland garb; and that no TARTAN, or partly-coloured plaid or stuff shall be used for great coats, or for upper coats……”
Careful reading does show that tartan cloth was not itself banned – and as this only applied to “Man or Boy”, women could definitely continue to wear tartan clothes. Spot the RSCDS tartan below with RSCDS tartan products to be found in the online shop.
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8th August 1812 - Europe’s first trial commercial steamboat service ran from Glasgow to Greenock down the River Clyde. The challenge of fitting a steam engine into a ship had been the goal of engineers throughout the 18th century - various designs had been tried but the none were able to fully overcome the engineering challenges. The first steamship to successfully demonstrate the practicality of steam power for ships was the Charlotte Dundas which was built in 1803 for use on the Forth and Clyde Canal. Henry Bell’s Comet followed in 1812 and was the first successful sea going steam vessel in Europe.
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9th August 1757 - Thomas Telford has been mentioned quite a few times in Dance Scottish At Home and it would be remiss not to acknowledge his birth on 9 August 1757. Telford’s early life was spent in rural Dumfriesshire where he was raised in poverty by his Mother following the death of his father soon after Telford’s birth. Thomas Telford’s civil engineering achievements transformed Scotland - he even has a hand in this week’s ‘What’s behind the Name’ being the designer of Ardrossan Harbour and the Paisley to Glasgow Canal.
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Social Media Round Up
This week news of the Edinburgh Festival and its virtual plans, alongside a look back at the success of the Interactive Highland Dancing Festival.
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The announcement that the 2020 Edinburgh International Festival was cancelled was made some months ago, but just this week they have announced details of a virtual programme taking place over what would have been the opening weekend.
“My Light Shines On” will see Edinburgh’s currently dark theatre and concert venues turn their lights back on – from Saturday 8th to Monday 10th August, after dark, beacons of light will shine out from famous festival venues – a festival inspired by Ghost Lights.
A ghost light is a single bare-bulbed, small light that shines on a dark stage throughout the night when the audience has gone home, and the theatre is closed and unoccupied. Legends and myths say that every theatre has a ghost who needs to be able to see and perform at night; others say that the light keeps the ghosts of old actors away and stops them from being mischievous; more practically anyone working in the theatre late at night needs light to avoid the drop from the stage into the orchestra pit or working equipment in the wings. Every theatre maintains one “Ghost Light” – a magical glow that promises the wonder of performances to come – which is exactly what this virtual festival hopes to do.
Scotland’s major national companies have been creating virtual, social distanced where appropriate, performances; films have been made featuring famous Scottish talent including Alan Cumming and Fiona Shaw; collaborations include the Festival Fringe and Military Tattoo.
A one-hour film will be published on Saturday 8th August – on YouTube and BBC Scotland – before additional recorded events are shared throughout August.
Please click on the photo below to find out more about the Edinburgh Festival virtual programme.
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As mentioned in issue 18, the 2020 Interactive Highland Dancing Festival has been taking place throughout the last weeks of July.
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Teams of teachers and dancers created choreographed steps for the Hebridean Challenge; the spotlight moved to Adult Dancers on July 30th; dancers performed Village Maid to Waltzing Matilda for 24 hours; 3 National dances were performed across 3 weeks – with the Scottish Lilt, Earl of Errol and Blue Bonnets; and tiny tots tried out their first highland spring points and pas de basques before attempting fling steps.
Videos are now appearing on YouTube and we’ll keep an eye out for more that we can share. In the meantime, click on the photos below to enjoy a performance of the Scottish National version of Blue Bonnets and four dancers in Brazil sharing their Scottish Lilt. Hopefully more help for those who attempted last week’s “Step for All” classes 😊
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What's Behind The Name?
Scottish Dances – What’s behind the name?
The Montgomeries’ Rant – RSCDS Book 10 (Originally from Castle Menzies Manuscript)
Original tune – Lord Eglintoune (traditional)
Lady Montgomerie (Earl of Eglintoun)
Written by Peter Knapman, Convenor of Membership Services Committee.
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Possibly one of the most popular and iconic dances published by the RSCDS – one of the dances that define us? It was published with two tunes but over the years the second of these tunes, Lady Montgomerie, has become ‘the tune’ associated with the dance.
Who was the Montgomerie in ‘The Montgomeries’ Rant? Montgomerie is the family name of the Earls of Eglinton and the date of the castle Menzies manuscript is 1749 which would mean that Alexander Montgomerie, the 10th Earl, was the head of Clan Montgomerie at the time – was it him? The names Montgomerie and Eglinton make frequent appearances in traditional tune collections, but who were they and what was their origin and history?
The Montgomeries
The name Montgomerie has been in Scotland since the 12th century with the first Montgomeries coming to Scotland as vassals of Walter Fitz Alan. The Montgomerie name appears to have been adopted purely because Walter Fitz Alan had land in Montgomery in Wales. The name Walter Fitz Alan may seem unfamiliar, however, when Walter was appointed High Steward of Scotland by David I they became “Stewarts”. Going forward, Walter’s descendants were Monarchs of Scotland from 1371 until 1714.
The Barony of Eaglesham, in Renfrewshire, was granted to Walter Fitz Alan by David I with Walter subsequently granting Eaglesham to one of his tenants, Robert Montgomerie, who became The Laird of Eaglesham. In the 14th century John Montgomerie, a descendant of Robert, married Elizabeth Eglinton, heiress to the Eglinton estates in Ayrshire. From vassals of Walter Fitz Alan to owners of large estates in Ayrshire and Renfrewshire the Montgomerie family had risen in prominence. Their position was further enhanced in 1445, when Alexander Montgomerie was created Lord Eglinton, and in 1506, Hugh Montgomerie was appointed the 1st Earl of Eglinton.
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Over time Eglinton in Ayrshire became the main focus of the Montgomeries with Polnoon Castle, their Eaglesham residence, falling into disuse and by 1676 becoming a ruin. However, they retained an interest in Eaglesham and in 1769 Alexander Montgomerie, the 10th Earl, started work on redesigning and developing the old kirktoun of Eaglesham – a task completed by the 11th Earl. Eaglesham is a fine example of an 18th century Scottish planned village becoming in 1968 Scotland’s first conservation area. The connection between Eaglesham and the Montgomerie family can be seen through street names and buildings in the village, such as Montgomery Square, Montgomery Street, Polnoon Street and the Eglinton Arms Hotel. However, Eaglesham only remained in Montgomerie hands until 1835 when after seven centuries of ownership the Montgomeries put Eaglesham on the market.
Castles
In 1796 the title passed to the 12th Earl, Hugh Montgomerie, who inherited the title by accident as the 11th Earl left no sons which meant that Hugh, who was descended from 6th Earl, was the closest male relative.
Hugh Montgomerie seems to have been a particularly capable and energetic character. Prior to inheriting the Eglinton title, he served in the military overseas, was appointed surveyor of military roads in the Highlands and, in 1780, was elected to Parliament for Ayrshire. In 1796, when he inherited the title of Earl of Eglinton, he immediately set about replacing Eglinton castle with a more modern and grandiose residence. The result was a Gothic castellated style castle with corner towers and a central 30m large round keep. It was an extravagant statement – possibly second only to Culzean castle in appearance and grandeur. The foundation stone was laid in 1797 and the castle completed in 1802.
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The life of this extraordinary building was relatively short lived as high maintenance costs, and death duties took their toll on the family finances. The castle was abandoned in 1925 and the contents auctioned. One of the many items sold was a chair built from the oak timbers of Alloway kirk - the back of the chair was inlaid with a brass plaque which bore the whole text of 'Tam o' Shanter’ by Robert Burns.
The roof was removed in 1926 and the building slowly became derelict - the final indignity coming during the Second World War when it was damaged during army training exercises. Today the remaining parts of the castle have been stabilised and the estate turned into the Eglinton Country Park – one of the most popular visitor attractions in Ayrshire.
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Harbour and Canal
After completing Eglinton Castle, the 12th Earl turned his attention to developing Ardrossan where the Eglintons held a sizable estate. During the 18th century Glasgow was becoming a growing and successful industrial and commercial city, but its development was hampered by the limitations of the Clyde as a navigable river. It is difficult to comprehend today, but historically the Clyde was a shallow river – at high tide its depth in the centre of Glasgow was just over 1 metre. This restricted the size of vessels that could navigate the river and in the days before the railway good access to ports was essential.
Various solutions were proffered, one being by the 12th Earl of Eglinton who proposed building a sizeable harbour at Ardrossan with a canal link to central Glasgow. Thomas Telford was engaged to design both the harbour and the canal. Construction of the harbour was started in 1806 and eventually completed by the 13th Earl. It remains in operation today, both as a leisure marina and also the main ferry terminal for departure to Arran.
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The canal proved more of a challenge and construction began in 1807, with the Johnstone to Glasgow section being completed in 1811; the rest of the canal was unfortunately never completed. A combination of underestimating the cost, lack of available funds and improvements to the Clyde enabling larger ships to navigate the river up to Glasgow meant that the remainder of the project was abandoned. The completed portion of the canal remained in operation for both freight and passengers until it could no longer compete with the railways. In 1881 the canal was closed and the Glasgow and South Western Railway used much of the route to construct the Paisley Canal Line – the line is still in use and trains still stop at Paisley Canal Street station. Interestingly the line makes use of Thomas Telford’s 1808 aqueduct over the River Cart - possibly making this the world’s oldest railway bridge still in active use!
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Although the canal is no longer, signs of its existence can be seen in many places from Glasgow through to Johnstone, even in Ardrossan the main thoroughfare, Glasgow Street, was originally laid out as the final section of the canal leading to Ardrossan harbour. Most Glaswegians and many visitors will be aware of Eglinton Street and Eglinton Toll, but may not be aware that they get their name from the 12th Earl. The terminal for the canal was adjacent to Eglinton Street and was called Port Eglinton, a name that still remains in Glasgow although the canal basin has long been filled in.
Many towns across the west of Scotland have Eglinton or Montgomerie name associations, demonstrating the family’s historic influence in the area. Ardrossan harbour retains the names of Montgomerie Pier, Eglinton Dock and Eglinton Tidal Basin.
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The Composer
As if the 12th Earl had not done enough with his life, he was also a renowned amateur musician – a cellist and composer. In 1795 Nathaniel Gow published, on the Earl’s instructions, an anonymous collection of his tunes:
"New Strathspeys, Reels, for the Pianoforte, Violin and violincello, Composed by a Gentleman and given with permission to be published by Nathaniel Gow, Edinburgh".
As far as the Scottish country dancing world is concerned, his best known composition is ‘Lady Montgomerie’, which has become the tune most associated with The Montgomeries’ Rant. But who was Lady Montgomerie? Was the tune named after one his daughters Lady Jane Montgomerie or Lady Lilias Montgomerie? Or maybe his daughter-in-law Lady Mary Montgomerie who was the daughter of the 11th Earl or possibly his wife Eleanor!
The 12th Earl was a man with great ambitions and although many of his plans did not fully materialise or survive, he will, however, be remembered by the Scottish country dance fraternity as the composer of Lady Montgomerie – a great reel.
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Dance Puzzles Part One
It’s time for this week’s DSAH jigsaw with an image inspired by “Dance Scottish – A Summer Celebration.” Can you identify the photo location? Make sure to look out for the online jigsaw timer, then note your completion time and send it to us to enter into the jigsaw league. We enjoy seeing how long you take to complete the pictures – and of course, finding out who was fastest!
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Time for us to reveal last issue’s jigsaw photo which was connected to “What’s Behind The Name?” The image kept you puzzling this week and there were a lot fewer guesses but Deirdre MacCuish Bark was completely correct with her guess of “Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe in Argyll”. The castle sits at the north eastern end of Loch Awe, is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland – and is one of the many Campbell Castles, chosen because of its closeness to Inverary.
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Marion Bennett was delighted with her jigsaw time “as it’s a BIG improvement on my times for the last few weeks!” Andrew Brown found that “once you had done the edge, the shoreline was easy to find and then it all fitted in with the ruined castle emerging”. While Marjorie McLaughlin was puzzled – “It took me a bit of hunting but I found a painting (same one as the puzzle) of Kilchurn Castle on the banks of Loch Awe. I found one dance called "Loch Awe" in The Alamo Collection devised by Eugene Bissell, a long-time teacher in the San Francisco Branch. But I don't think it's well known outside of the local area. John Drewry's dance "Kilchurn Romance" is not in any of his published books and the TAC Drewry Project has been unable to find a copy of it. So the connection between the puzzle and a dance still eludes me. I will have to go back and re-read the newsletter as there is often (always?) a hint as to the puzzle tucked away.” And hopefully, now, we’ve solved the conundrum for you, Marjorie.
Thank you to everyone who sent in their times for the Jigsaw League – those who continue to keep their place and those who have entered for the first time, as the Jigsaw League grows – all timings are welcome.
And this week we have a new Jigsaw Champion!
Previous Jigsaw Champion, Clair Caudwell is in 2nd place, narrowly ahead of last issue’s champion Morag Lindsay who is in 3rd place, only 3.9 seconds behind Clair. But in top place for the very first time is Judith Muir with an amazing time of 3 mins 54.3 seconds – Congratulations Judith!
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So, who is going to challenge Judith for top spot next week? Whatever your time is – please send it in to DSAH and we’ll include you in our Dance Jigsaw League!
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RSCDS Online Class
Travel round the world with the RSCDS as each week a different RSCDS Teacher in a different location brings you an online class. Across the classes we will bring you a mixture of movement, warm up, technique, steps and dances with material for beginners to advanced dancers while providing a regular opportunity to dance and chat with members around the world.
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This week teacher Andrew Timmins was in Sindelfingen, south west of Stuttgart in Germany – taking dancers through a warm up, work on pas de basque transitions, leading up to the dance “Glasgow Regatta” from Miss Milligan’s Miscellany, before taking everyone through a thorough warm down. Thanks to both Andrew and his wife, Mechthild who joined with the dancers everywhere to dance “Glasgow Regatta” four times through from different positions.
The “Chat” was as lively as ever with dancers commenting from Aberdeen to Cape Town and Andrew responding to requests for more demonstrations from different angles: Mike was having “trouble starting on the left foot pas de basque” and Laura and Janet wanted to walk the beginning of the dance again. While Vanessa said “great to realise how the 2nd couple join with 1st couple as ghosts”.
You can catch up on both the class and the chat here.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT NEXT WEEK’S ONLINE CLASS
Please note the RSCDS Online Class is back at the regular time of 19:00 BST. Apologies to those who were confused by the starting time last week – and we hope you still enjoy Wednesday’s class through the recording.
Classes are held at 19:00 BST every Wednesday and next week’s class will continue to be accessed through the new link
Link to join RSCDS Online Class:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83347845385
Hosting the class as a webinar and sharing the link through Dance Scottish At Home and email manages concerns around hosting events on Zoom. We are continuing to monitor this and doing everything we can to make this a secure environment for all.
The downloadable link is an online recording at a low resolution to enable us to share the class quickly and in a format everyone can download. It will mean some moments may not be quite in time but we hope that doesn’t stop your enjoyment and participation in the class.
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Beyond The Class And Newsletter
Taking the chance to share some of the interesting comments and stories that have been arriving at the DSAH desk. Music inspired memories and dancing moments that reflect dancers and members lives.
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Kate Thomson of the St Johns SCD Club in Wokingham was inspired to tell us: “The article on Inverary brought back some wonderful memories of holidays at my sister-in-law's cottage - walking with the family and dogs, canoeing, and dinners at the George Hotel. I have a photo of my children in the 'stocks' at Inverary Jail!”
While Christine and Ivan Babbe from the Guernsey Scottish Association wanted us to share: “We in Guernsey had a great evening on Saturday. As you can see from the photo above we held a dance in our greenhouse (Guernsey has been Covid free for 93 days so we are back to normal). Could you please apologise to any of our dancing friends who may have replied to us on the chat, for not replying. We were so busy dancing that I didn’t have time to read the chat, at the end we were socialising with our friends so missed reading the comments.” Hopefully Christine and Ivan, you’ve now been able to catch up with Saturday’s Chat through the link.
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And Tiffany Clede Howard sent these great photos of her taking part in “A Summer Celebration” from home, saying: “I enjoyed every session and learning from so many teachers around the world. Attached are a couple of photos from Saturday night – dancing alone but together around the world.”
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As well as those signing in to “A Summer Celebration” each week dancers and members from all over the world sign in to the RSCDS Online Class with names and places whizzing through in front of everyone’s eyes. As promised, we are highlighting some of those on our DSAH map, gradually sharing where those 1,000 weekly sign ins can be found.
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This week joining Andrew in Germany were:
Gunnar Löthman saying “Hello from Northern Sweden."
Fiona commented that it was “Amazing to be in Alberta, Canada, watching a teacher from Germany while listening to Judi from Texas”
Harry Khamis posted “Hello everyone from Harry and Pat in sunny, warm Seattle, WA.”
While Debra had a plea for those in warmer climes saying “Greetings from Debbie in a wet Glasgow - please send us some sun!”
And Margaret in Auckland said “Just as well you can't see us, some of us are dancing in PJs. (I'm in NZ)”
The evening finished with a Regatta chat linked to the dance – including memories from Allan who used to row on the Clyde in Glasgow as a schoolboy. We look forward to seeing where you sign in from around the world, next Wednesday.
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Dance Puzzles Part Two
Keep your brains moving with our Dance Puzzles and please get in touch if you have a Dance Scottish At Home puzzle to share – crossword, wordsearch, missing words, missing vowels – this is the space for your dancing conundrums.
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This week we have a bumper 20 Summer Dancing Anagrams from Stan Grycuk of RSCDS Aberdeen Branch. All the titles are loosely associated with Summer time or were featured in the playlist for “A Summer Celebration”. Please click here to view them or see below.
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How did you get on with last issue’s cryptic dance puzzles? Please view the solutions here or see below.
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Thanks to Don Richmond, Sydney Branch for devising last issue’s cryptic dance puzzles. Would you like to try your hand at coming up with a dancing puzzle for Dance Scottish At Home? Maybe you are a crossword genius or love scrambling letters in anagrams. Then, like Don and Stan, please send in your ideas by clicking “Have Your Say” at the bottom of the newsletter.
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RSCDS News
Just a reminder that you can purchase a selection of physical and digital products from the RSCDS shop.
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The Summer Celebration may be over, but you can still purchase a limited edition t-shirt or souvenir bag! Head to the RSCDS Teemill site and take your pick from a limited edition tote bag or a t-shirt. You can also buy a t-shirt with the logo of the DSAH newsletter.
The recordings featured throughout this week’s DSAH can be purchased or downloaded via our shop: RSCDS Book 10 Montgomeries’ Rant, Scott Meikle and The Homecoming Dance from Book 7
The best way to say ‘thank you’ for Dance Scottish At Home is to re-new your membership of the RSCDS. If you are not a member you can find how to join here. You can also make a donation to support the work of the Society here. We are happy to share our enthusiasm for Scottish country dancing through Dance Scottish At Home, but we do need the financial support of subscriptions and donations to ensure that this and all the other activities of the Society can continue, and to help Scottish country dancing come back strongly as soon as it is safe to do so.
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Coming Up
The next issue of DSAH will be back on Friday 21st August with all its regular features including “What's Behind the Name”, “This Week in Scots History”, the “At Home Podcast” and of course the Jigsaw League. We’ll also have information on another RSCDS Committee that needs nomination volunteers.
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As mentioned last week, we are aware that some areas have returned to dancing in a limited capacity, so will be sharing those links and photos through the RSCDS Social Media pages. Here with DSAH we will continue to entertain and create content for those who cannot yet dance with others – and we’ll be sharing the future plans for DSAH with you next week.
For now, stay safe and we look forward to being back with another edition of Dance Scottish At Home soon.
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