The dances:
The Findlays' Jig – (32 J 3]) – Goldring
Neidpath Castle – (32 S 3/3L) – Bk 22 (Haynes)
Gothenburg's Welcome – (32 J 3) – Bk 37 (Munro)
The Bon Viveur – (128 M 4 sq) – Bk 52
Links with St. Petersburg – (32 J 3) – Bk 46 (Brown)
Insomnia – (32 S 2) – Dragonfly (Montes)
Deil Amang the Tailors – (32 R 3) – Bk 14
"" –– "" –– "" –– "" –– "" –– "" –– "" –– ""
The Findlays' Jig:- We open the experienced portion of the evening with a dance for everyone.
This is a nice easy one and while getting a 'little' old it is far from nauseating. Still a thumbs up.
Neidpath Castle:- A old chestnut. And, usually, the first 8 bars are hard to watch as the dancers seem incapable of covering the turns. I really didn't intend to spend as much time on this dance as I did. (I received comments). But in my defense I got what I wanted - the covering improved.
Gothenburg's Welcome:- I like this dance. I love all the eye contact that is possible. I have met some dancers who just won't, something to do with flirting with strangers, but the moments here are so fleeting that who could possibly flirt. All you can get are 'hi ya' moments (aren't we having fun!).
The "Dance to each corner and Set" figure has boggled the minds of many and the only solution is sheer repetition, so that is what I did. Practically ad nauseam. But, oh joy, it was coming together! 😊
The Bon Viveur:- My weekly Book 52 dance. Essentially simple, it went very quickly. Want to introduce Schiehallion Reels to your class - this is one would be a good choice.
Links with St. Petersburg:- I have liked this dance from the start. It is perennially on my short list of dances to do, but I find myself increasingly reluctant.
When I watch the Summer School or Newcastle festival demo teams I see an intent that I rarely see on the social dance floor. Specifically the transition from the down the middle and up into the mirror turns. The dem. teams end the down the middle and up in place on the sidelines. The turns then clearly start from those places.
Socially dancers seem to get lazy and 1C never go to places but start the turns from the center of the set near hands still joined with partner. It is mushy! I prefer the clean definition of ending and starting from places.
Too be honest I am not sure the dancers are entirely to blame. Lord knows that when I teach the dance I mention the point but I am more interested in getting the basic geography nailed down and being particular on that point seems like to too much detail in the moment. And nobody benefits from that.
Clearly I need to teach the dance (or program it) again soon and make that a point for refinement.
Insomnia:- A simple enough strathspey, on our Halloween program, but new to the group so it need introducing.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
10 September 2018 – Scotia Opening PartyBlue Bonnets –
The Program:
It's all right – (32 J 3) – 2nd Graded Bk (See)
The Dancing Bees – (32 R 3) – Goldring
An Autumn Posy – (32 S 2) – Island Bay 2 (Butterfield)
The Barmkin – (88 R 4 sq) – Goldring
New York Frolic – (32 J 3) – Leary-leaflet
The Rose of the North – (32 S 3) – Goldring
Deil Amang the Tailors – (32 R 3) – Bk 14
Intermission
EH3 7AF – (32 J 3) – Bk 40
Broadway – (32 S 3/3L) – Sunday Class (Ronald)
Shiftin' Bobbins – (32 R 3) – Clowes
Anna Holden's Strathspey – (32 S 2) – Bk 42 (Drewry)
Blue Bonnets – (32 J 2) – Bk 3
Fair Donald – (32 S 3) – Bk 29
Trip to Timber Ridge – (32 R 3) – Bk 52 (Henderson)
It's all right – (32 J 3) – 2nd Graded Bk (See)
The Dancing Bees – (32 R 3) – Goldring
An Autumn Posy – (32 S 2) – Island Bay 2 (Butterfield)
The Barmkin – (88 R 4 sq) – Goldring
New York Frolic – (32 J 3) – Leary-leaflet
The Rose of the North – (32 S 3) – Goldring
Deil Amang the Tailors – (32 R 3) – Bk 14
Intermission
EH3 7AF – (32 J 3) – Bk 40
Broadway – (32 S 3/3L) – Sunday Class (Ronald)
Shiftin' Bobbins – (32 R 3) – Clowes
Anna Holden's Strathspey – (32 S 2) – Bk 42 (Drewry)
Blue Bonnets – (32 J 2) – Bk 3
Fair Donald – (32 S 3) – Bk 29
Trip to Timber Ridge – (32 R 3) – Bk 52 (Henderson)
28 August 2018 – New H<- -aven
The last of the Guinea Pig sessions!
I taught
Cutty Sark – (32 J 3) – Bk 40
The Lea Rig – (32 S 2) – Bk 21
Beach Dancer – (32 J 3) – Eddy West
One Set Short of a Hundred – (32 S 3 set) – Paris Book
Rory O'More – (32 J 2) – Bk 1
Jaywalking – (40 J 3) – Tyler
Trip to Timber Ridge – (32 R 3) – Bk 52 (Henderson)
< – – – > < – – – > < – + – > < – – – > < – – – >
Cutty Sark:- A simple no thinkum warmup dance. Nice to know about
The Lea Rig:- Once an old favourite and we burned it out and stopped doing it.
But We have a at least one new generation of dancers who haven't seen it before. Resurrection time? Ya, you bettcha. And the response from those dancers was such that it is one the K&G dance.
Beach Dancer:- Contra dancing has a term for dances that requires a bit extra in energy, or thought, or anticipation, or moving smartly. These dances are called Zesty contras.
This dance has a 4 bar sequence that earns itself that term. The track needs to be completed in 4 bars - most dancers would automatically time it in 6. _Edinburgh, we have a problem._ Well sort of…
The real problem though is the next 4 bars. From a zesty pace to a very sedate 4 bar RH turn. :-) Oh my do the dancers have to work on their brakes.
Made the cut and it is on the Tea Dance program. (BTW - Eddy West was a New Zealander).
One Set Short of a Hundred:- No spectacular formations. No tricky phrasing, no surprises - and yet it earned a place on my Top Fifty List. I just haven't yet gotten around to putting it there. From the Paris Book which is quickly gaining my attention. Definite Thumbs up for the dance and a thumbs up for the book.
Rory O'More:- Need a different dance with a poussette? Look in Book 1- there are many. Rory O'More is one of them and is ok, so is Meg Merrilees (24 R 2) which is on the upcoming K&G Tea Dance. I would not recommend a steady diet of any one of them though.
Jaywalking:- Interesting (even in a Chinese sense). Uses Best Set in the Hall figure (for lack of consensus on a better name) into half reel of four. Worth a look. I liked it. but can your class handle it? A picture is worth a thousand words, so…
I taught
Cutty Sark – (32 J 3) – Bk 40
The Lea Rig – (32 S 2) – Bk 21
Beach Dancer – (32 J 3) – Eddy West
One Set Short of a Hundred – (32 S 3 set) – Paris Book
Rory O'More – (32 J 2) – Bk 1
Jaywalking – (40 J 3) – Tyler
Trip to Timber Ridge – (32 R 3) – Bk 52 (Henderson)
< – – – > < – – – > < – + – > < – – – > < – – – >
Cutty Sark:- A simple no thinkum warmup dance. Nice to know about
The Lea Rig:- Once an old favourite and we burned it out and stopped doing it.
But We have a at least one new generation of dancers who haven't seen it before. Resurrection time? Ya, you bettcha. And the response from those dancers was such that it is one the K&G dance.
Beach Dancer:- Contra dancing has a term for dances that requires a bit extra in energy, or thought, or anticipation, or moving smartly. These dances are called Zesty contras.
This dance has a 4 bar sequence that earns itself that term. The track needs to be completed in 4 bars - most dancers would automatically time it in 6. _Edinburgh, we have a problem._ Well sort of…
The real problem though is the next 4 bars. From a zesty pace to a very sedate 4 bar RH turn. :-) Oh my do the dancers have to work on their brakes.
Made the cut and it is on the Tea Dance program. (BTW - Eddy West was a New Zealander).
One Set Short of a Hundred:- No spectacular formations. No tricky phrasing, no surprises - and yet it earned a place on my Top Fifty List. I just haven't yet gotten around to putting it there. From the Paris Book which is quickly gaining my attention. Definite Thumbs up for the dance and a thumbs up for the book.
Rory O'More:- Need a different dance with a poussette? Look in Book 1- there are many. Rory O'More is one of them and is ok, so is Meg Merrilees (24 R 2) which is on the upcoming K&G Tea Dance. I would not recommend a steady diet of any one of them though.
Jaywalking:- Interesting (even in a Chinese sense). Uses Best Set in the Hall figure (for lack of consensus on a better name) into half reel of four. Worth a look. I liked it. but can your class handle it? A picture is worth a thousand words, so…
diagram courtesy of SCDDB and Keith Rose
Trip to Timber Ridge:- This one is neat! Highly Recommended. Two, maybe even three, thumbs up. Another Bk 52 gem. Fast moving and exciting. Fun, fun, fun until daddy takes my ghillies away. And the music helps make it.
We all have our usual list of program enders. Reel of the Royal Scots, Reel of the 51st Division, Etc. etc. (what are yours?) Trip to Timber Ridge just made it onto my list and will, in fact, be closing the 2019 Kilts and Ghillies Tea Dance. It has that 'thing'.
21 August 2018 – New Haven
Still summer social dancing (and K&G tryouts).
The dances I taught were:
Dragonflies – (32 S 5 person) – Lataille
The Dancing Bees – (32 R 3) – Goldring
Slytherin House – (32 S 3) – Bk 52 (Ronald)
Rendez-vous à Vichy – (32 J 3) – Paris Book (Latour)
The Aviator – (32 J 3) – Bk 52 (Fischer)
From Paper to Pearl – (32 S 3) – Collin
<<--->> <<--->> <<--->> <<--->> <<--->> <<--->>
Dragonflies:- Every teacher has a small collection of back pocket 'go to' dances. No thinkum dinkum dances for those times when the standard repertoire doesn't fit the numbers, or you have a small time gap that needs filling quickly, or…
This is one of mine. For music I use Hamish Henderson's Refusal as recorded by Susie Petrov and her band Local Hero on her vinyl album 'Hold the Lass till I get her".
The Dancing Bees:- A simple easy early in the evening dance. Roy gold ring seems to have a knack for devising these.
Slytherin House:- Published in Book 52, written by a NY/NJ dancer/teacher, it is a dance with snake passes. It is well liked and is quickly becoming a favo()urite in the local area.The music (recorded by Jim Lindsay) is wonderful and certainly helps. (He even includes snatches of film score).
In fact, the album (RSCDS Book 52) is a great listening album of great dance music. Simply put - Superb!! The book and the CD both rate a 98 or better - none of the dances or their music sets are boat anchors. Most are better than very very good and have excessive amounts of redeeming social value.
I predict that dances from this book is going to be fueling ball programs for a generation - watch how quickly these dances climb the ranks of Campbell's lists.
Rendez-vous à Vichy:- Antoine Rousseau programmed 3 dances from the Paris Book on his evening program at Pinewoods this summer. All Nice, and this is one of them. I like it. Thumbs Up. 👍
The Aviator:- A Carola Fischer production. I have discussed it before. It is still a two thumbs up dance. The critical piece is the peel off turns - the dancers have to time those turns with their partner who is reeling. It is the reeler who 'controls' the rate of turn. It is when you and your partner are in constant contact and work at staying in sync that this dance blossoms into something special. It rewards every eery of energy expended. Still two thumbs up!! 👍 👍
From Paper to Pearl:- I have been looking at two of Gaye Collin's strathspeys for the Tea Dance program. This year this dance wins the award and makes it onto the program.
I admit, I do have an agenda here. Our band leader for 2019 is Sharlene Penman who will be visiting the NYC area from New Zealand so Sandra and I have been looking at New Zealand dances.
The dances I taught were:
Dragonflies – (32 S 5 person) – Lataille
The Dancing Bees – (32 R 3) – Goldring
Slytherin House – (32 S 3) – Bk 52 (Ronald)
Rendez-vous à Vichy – (32 J 3) – Paris Book (Latour)
The Aviator – (32 J 3) – Bk 52 (Fischer)
From Paper to Pearl – (32 S 3) – Collin
<<--->> <<--->> <<--->> <<--->> <<--->> <<--->>
Dragonflies:- Every teacher has a small collection of back pocket 'go to' dances. No thinkum dinkum dances for those times when the standard repertoire doesn't fit the numbers, or you have a small time gap that needs filling quickly, or…
This is one of mine. For music I use Hamish Henderson's Refusal as recorded by Susie Petrov and her band Local Hero on her vinyl album 'Hold the Lass till I get her".
The Dancing Bees:- A simple easy early in the evening dance. Roy gold ring seems to have a knack for devising these.
Slytherin House:- Published in Book 52, written by a NY/NJ dancer/teacher, it is a dance with snake passes. It is well liked and is quickly becoming a favo()urite in the local area.The music (recorded by Jim Lindsay) is wonderful and certainly helps. (He even includes snatches of film score).
In fact, the album (RSCDS Book 52) is a great listening album of great dance music. Simply put - Superb!! The book and the CD both rate a 98 or better - none of the dances or their music sets are boat anchors. Most are better than very very good and have excessive amounts of redeeming social value.
I predict that dances from this book is going to be fueling ball programs for a generation - watch how quickly these dances climb the ranks of Campbell's lists.
Rendez-vous à Vichy:- Antoine Rousseau programmed 3 dances from the Paris Book on his evening program at Pinewoods this summer. All Nice, and this is one of them. I like it. Thumbs Up. 👍
The Aviator:- A Carola Fischer production. I have discussed it before. It is still a two thumbs up dance. The critical piece is the peel off turns - the dancers have to time those turns with their partner who is reeling. It is the reeler who 'controls' the rate of turn. It is when you and your partner are in constant contact and work at staying in sync that this dance blossoms into something special. It rewards every eery of energy expended. Still two thumbs up!! 👍 👍
From Paper to Pearl:- I have been looking at two of Gaye Collin's strathspeys for the Tea Dance program. This year this dance wins the award and makes it onto the program.
I admit, I do have an agenda here. Our band leader for 2019 is Sharlene Penman who will be visiting the NYC area from New Zealand so Sandra and I have been looking at New Zealand dances.
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