James' News Roundup

In this 2009/2010 season the dem team has been out and about as usual. For the Branch, the team turned out to dance at the interval on each of the four open air dances at Kensington Gardens in August and September. We were on display twice during Dance Scottish Week and prepared the refreshments for the September dance at St Columba’s on the 19th. We performed at the family day on 28 November and then, at the Christmas dance on 19 December, we repeated the display that we had danced in adverse circumstances at Polesden Lacey in July. We felt it was viewed to much better effect in the Lower Hall at St Columba’s.

We have been in demand to provide entertainment at significant birthday parties, including an 80th at the 20th Century Theatre in Ladbroke Grove on 5 September, a 90th at Kent House, Knightsbridge on 12 December (at which the birthday boy danced with gusto) and a joint 10th birthday party for twin girls (and about 30 of their friends) at a school in Kingston on 22 November. This latter was quite the most challenging and we came away, like our hosts,

tired but happy.

On 25 August at lunchtime we provided an entertainment at the Purley Cancer Care Day Centre. Ian Hall, down from the shores of Loch Fyne on a family visit, was kind enough to play for us gratis, so we were able to bring a little unusual cheer to the centre’s staff and clients at no cost to their budget, largely funded by donations.

On 12 September we were invited by FEIS the Gaelic music workshop and festival to run their Saturday evening ceilidh in Roehampton. We arrived in time to hear performances by some of the superb




	The team, September 2008 - Photos courtesy Andrew Dunsmore of www.picturepartnership.co.uk

fiddlers, accordionists and singers who had been teaching on the course before they formed into a scratch but very good-sounding band for our brief display, much appreciated by the audience, whom we then got dancing. We were told by several people that it was quite the best organised dancing in the history of FEIS and they were still hard at it when we called it a night at one o’clock.

On 24 October we made our annual visit to Cecil Sharp House for the Dance around the World Festival. DatW runs over a weekend and features continuous displays of dances from many different countries and in many different styles. We performed for about 25 minutes and then ran an hour’s class with about 25 participants

On 30 November, St Andrew’s Day, we returned to the College of North West London for a lunchtime St Andrew’s party where, along with Highland dancer Amanda Bignell, we showed the students what Scottish dancing is about and got them to participate in some ceilidh dancing. They were a little reluctant at first but in the end joined in and had fun, which is what, I hope, our pastime is primarily about.

The Burns season was busier then ever and we performed at four different functions including an unusual open air event at Borough Market to “Welcome the Haggis” prepared by celebrity chefs Graham Harvey and Sheila McConachie with your scribe delivering the traditional address. He found himself at the critical moment short of a knife to despatch the beast but Michael Nolan generously proffered his sgian dubh just in the nick of time. He is still cleaning it, (Michael says).

Dem team numbers have dwindled a bit for one reason or another and we currently have 13 women and five men who regularly attend class: Catriona Bennett, Elaine Davies, Yoshimi Kuroda, Marian Morris, Marjory Reid, Jan Rudge, Alice Stainer, Catriona Stewart, Kate Sweeney, Anna Twinn, Elaine Wilde and Angela Young; James Fairbairn, David Hall, Sin See, Chris Twin and Alvin Tan. If you feel you are of the right standard and are willing to commit to class and to going out on engagements then please contact the class teacher Angela Young in the first instance.

We have as usual been well served by musicians and I record my thanks to Rod Dorothy, Neil Esslemont, Dave Hall, Ian Hall, Roger Huth, Peter Jenkins and Sandra Smith.

James Fairbairn (February 2010)