A video session.
Warmup was Ron Wallace's The Shetland Shepherdess. For music I used Muriel Johnstone's solo piano recording of The High Lodge from her CD Dancing Fingers 2.
We then made videos of
Joie de Vivre - (32 J 3) - Bk 39 (Maarseveen)
Fair Donald - (32 S 3) - Bk 29
J. B. Milne - (32 R 3) - Glendarroch (Foss)
These should be up on YouTube and Strathspey Real Soon Now. They are all on the programs for the Rerr Terr (just past) and/or the Pawling Weekend. And there were no good videos of these dances on Strathspey. And that needed correcting, and if not us then who?
After filming we still had some time available so, having heard good things about the dance, I taught My Golden Bear -- 32 J 3 (Rod Downey - from the new NZ book 'From North Cape to the Bluff').
It went well but there was a quip from the peanut gallery suggesting that it might dance well as a strathspey. Well, we just had to. And Xiaowen was right (as usual) it danced beautifully as a strathspey.
Postscript - she emailed Rod Downey with this tidbit and Rod has written a new strathspey - The Lost Legion - with the same central formation and has started a new book of dances, tentatively titled "book 5".
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
28 March 2018 – Westchester Series 3 Party
This was the last 'class' of the third series 3 in Westchester. Party time!
the Program was:
The Twinbairn's Reel - (32 J 2) - Drewry
Miss Gibson's Strathspey - (32 S 3) - RSCDS Leaflet
The Barmkin - (88 R 4 sq) - Goldring
The Duke of Atholl's Reel - (32 J 2) - Bk 16
A Reel for Alice - (32 R 5) - Goldring
The Duchess Tree - (32 S 3) - Drewry
The Shetland Shepherdess - (32 J 3) - Wallace
Tea Break
First Rain of Spring - (32 J 3 set) - Bk 49
Anna Holden's Strathspey - (32 S 2) - Bk 42 (Drewry)
Montgomeries Rant - (32 R 3) - Bk 10
The music:
Unless other wise noted the dances were done to music recorded for that dance. "own".
For The Twinbairn's Reel John Drewry specifies 'Mary Bain's Wedding' as the lead tune. I have only one recording of that tune. It is Muriel Johnstone, Keith Smith and Jim Lindsay playing it as the lead tune for Uncle Bill's Jig on their CD "Moments in Time".
A Reel for Alice:- Recommended Tune is Herriot. I don't have it. Not nowhere. Not even as a part of a medley. I used a 5x version of 'Caddam Wood'. Nice and lively and good fun. Now I need to find a copy of that dance.
The Shetland Shepherdess:- The name tune was composed by Ron Wallace to accompany his dance. There is no recording that I know of so I am reduced to any good jig. I used Tine's Jig another cut from "Moments in Time".
the Program was:
The Twinbairn's Reel - (32 J 2) - Drewry
Miss Gibson's Strathspey - (32 S 3) - RSCDS Leaflet
The Barmkin - (88 R 4 sq) - Goldring
The Duke of Atholl's Reel - (32 J 2) - Bk 16
A Reel for Alice - (32 R 5) - Goldring
The Duchess Tree - (32 S 3) - Drewry
The Shetland Shepherdess - (32 J 3) - Wallace
Tea Break
First Rain of Spring - (32 J 3 set) - Bk 49
Anna Holden's Strathspey - (32 S 2) - Bk 42 (Drewry)
Montgomeries Rant - (32 R 3) - Bk 10
The music:
Unless other wise noted the dances were done to music recorded for that dance. "own".
For The Twinbairn's Reel John Drewry specifies 'Mary Bain's Wedding' as the lead tune. I have only one recording of that tune. It is Muriel Johnstone, Keith Smith and Jim Lindsay playing it as the lead tune for Uncle Bill's Jig on their CD "Moments in Time".
A Reel for Alice:- Recommended Tune is Herriot. I don't have it. Not nowhere. Not even as a part of a medley. I used a 5x version of 'Caddam Wood'. Nice and lively and good fun. Now I need to find a copy of that dance.
The Shetland Shepherdess:- The name tune was composed by Ron Wallace to accompany his dance. There is no recording that I know of so I am reduced to any good jig. I used Tine's Jig another cut from "Moments in Time".
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
27 March 2018 - New Haven
Kilts and Ghillies Ball Prep. (mostly).
The dances taught were:
The Findlays' Jig - (32 J 3) - Goldring
The Clarsach - 32 S 3) - Ryer (Portland)
The Wind Dragon - (32 R 3) - Iain Boyd
Born to Dance - (32 J 3) - Collin
A Reel for Maria - (40 R 3) - McRanor (Suncoast)
Topsy Turvy - (32 S 3 set) - Glasspool
The First Rain of Spring - (32 J 3 set) - Joubert (49/4)
Fair Donald - (32 S 3) - 29/4
^^**^^ ^^**^^ *** * *** ^^**^^ ^^**^^
The Findlays' Jig:- Good dance. Simple dance. Friendly dance. Need I say more?
The Clarsach;- Big oops here. I don't know which gremlin changed the original directions scanned to my computer but one of them did! I know what I read. I can see what it is on the paper now -- and they do not agree. I am not pleased. So the video we made is in error, and I definitely have a mea culpa to make when I reteach the dance tonight (the 24th of April).
The Wind Dragon:- It is growing on me. I originally thought it was an OK throw away that would be good to do once. The response from the dancers has been otherwise. The dancers are liking it. They are liking it enough that I am seriously considering shortlisting it for the 2019 K&G Tea Dance program.
A Reel for Maria:- This one too is growing on me. It isn't in my top 50 but it is certainly going to
go into my card file as one of my "occasionals".
The First Rain of Spring:- A very mixed bag. The first time I taught it the reaction to the Celtic Reel was pure negative energy. Perhaps due to my teaching, perhaps the unfamiliarity of the figure. So it sat for a couple of years. It appeared on the New York Dance List recently so I pulled it out again and this time the teaching was easy as was the dancing and the RSV (redeeming social value) went up.
But still I am ambivalent toward it. It dances well enough but I am not left satisfied, it doesn't fulfill me. But, it might work for you.
The dances taught were:
The Findlays' Jig - (32 J 3) - Goldring
The Clarsach - 32 S 3) - Ryer (Portland)
The Wind Dragon - (32 R 3) - Iain Boyd
Born to Dance - (32 J 3) - Collin
A Reel for Maria - (40 R 3) - McRanor (Suncoast)
Topsy Turvy - (32 S 3 set) - Glasspool
The First Rain of Spring - (32 J 3 set) - Joubert (49/4)
Fair Donald - (32 S 3) - 29/4
^^**^^ ^^**^^ *** * *** ^^**^^ ^^**^^
The Findlays' Jig:- Good dance. Simple dance. Friendly dance. Need I say more?
The Clarsach;- Big oops here. I don't know which gremlin changed the original directions scanned to my computer but one of them did! I know what I read. I can see what it is on the paper now -- and they do not agree. I am not pleased. So the video we made is in error, and I definitely have a mea culpa to make when I reteach the dance tonight (the 24th of April).
The Wind Dragon:- It is growing on me. I originally thought it was an OK throw away that would be good to do once. The response from the dancers has been otherwise. The dancers are liking it. They are liking it enough that I am seriously considering shortlisting it for the 2019 K&G Tea Dance program.
A Reel for Maria:- This one too is growing on me. It isn't in my top 50 but it is certainly going to
go into my card file as one of my "occasionals".
The First Rain of Spring:- A very mixed bag. The first time I taught it the reaction to the Celtic Reel was pure negative energy. Perhaps due to my teaching, perhaps the unfamiliarity of the figure. So it sat for a couple of years. It appeared on the New York Dance List recently so I pulled it out again and this time the teaching was easy as was the dancing and the RSV (redeeming social value) went up.
But still I am ambivalent toward it. It dances well enough but I am not left satisfied, it doesn't fulfill me. But, it might work for you.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
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