23 September 2025

Dave Hall gave us a lively start to the next season with an excellent selection of dances and different formations to tackle.

 

We began our warmup with the Boston Two-Step before paying serious attention to some Strathspey exercises, ahead of our first dance, Une Mazurka sous les etoiles. This included the tourbillon, familiar to most, and the less familiar Figure of Love (to be pronounced in a very particular way!).  Dave advised that the dance instructions had recently amended the Strathspey Poussette,  to a Poussette in waltz hold. We were not too keen on that idea and persisted with our much-loved standard poussette.

Moving in to reel time Red boat Sailing the Blue required faith that the pattern would work itself out as each dancer faced their partner only at the beginning and end of the dance. Our next dance, the jig  Stanford Swing from the Devil’s Quandary book, introduced some of us to La Barrette, although Dave assured us that it had been danced for decades. It took a bit of concentration but was definitely pleasing to dance once we grasped the requirements. The final dance of the evening The Faraway Isle, was devised by John Drewry as ‘as dance for the isle of Majorca’.

 

Many thanks to Dave for starting the season off in such style and to Adam for his usual fabulous accompaniment. Thanks also to Nadia for visiting us on her trip from New York – it was great to have your company, Nadia.

 

Next month we look forward to Sam Schad’s class on 21 October.

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21 October 2025

Sam Schad's classes can be relied upon to fulfil the 'fast paced“ part of the “Fast paced social dance” promise and this month was no exception. We were advised that the theme of the evening was to be ‘small furry animals’. Our warmup dance The Waratah Weaver did not seem immediately to fit this brief (Waratah being the floral symbol of New South Wales) but Sam explained that a very young dancer had likened the dance to squirrels dancing through trees. Who could resist?  The supporting dancers raised their arms to simulate trees and the squirrel impressions from first couple, Chris and Antonia, as they weaved in and out of the others were memorable!

 

We then moved through a variety of small animal related dances from The Squirrel (reels, rondel) to The White Rabbit (weasel reel), Foxhill Court (espagnole, dance to corners and set), The March Hare (set to corners and partner). The animals started to increase in size as we enjoyed Sunshine and Sweeties Jig (commemorating the Edinburgh Zoo pandas) and later, The Pink Panda (A John Drewry dance from the Cherry Blossom book). In between these two, The Rabbit Run returned to small animals with a Sam Schad devised dance. We abandoned animals for a while to dance a couple of Book 53 dances, Portincaple Oak and Pinewoods Reel, before finishing with A Toast to the Mousies and Keith Smith’s lovely, scampering tune.

 

As usual, the dances covered are listed below with links to the cribs and videos on the Scottish Country Dance Data Base. 

Many thanks to Sam for an invigorating and fun filled evening, and to Adam for the usual wonderful music. Next month Jeremy Hill will be our teacher (18 November) then, in a change to the previously advertised programme, Joan Desborough, accompanied by Neil Esslemont on small pipes, will deliver the 9 December class.  David Queen, who was to be our December teacher will instead join us in May 2026.

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The Waratah Weaver 4/4L · J32 See: A Second Book of Graded Scottish Country Dances 

The Squirrel 3/4L · J32 Boyd: Kilmarnock Album

The White Rabbit 3/4L · R32 Skelton: Reel Reflections

Foxhill Court 3/4L · S32 Drewry: The Canadian Book of Scottish Country Dances

The March Hare 3/3L · R32 Bentley:

Sunshine and Sweeties Jig 3/4L · J32 Short:  Bk 48

The Rabbit Run: Schad

Portincaple Oak 4S · M64 Thorn: Bk 53

The Pink Panda 3/4L · R32 Drewry:  The Cherry Blossom Book

Pinewoods Reel 3/4L · R32 Dickson : Bk 53

Toast to the Mousies 3/4L · R32 Gratiot: Bk53

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18 November 2025

Many thanks to Jeremy Hill for a challenging and invigorating class this week and to Adam Brady for his wonderful music.

 

Before giving details of dances covered, a quick reminder that our December class will be earlier in the month on 9 December and will be led by Joan Desborough, accompanied by Neil Esslemont on small pipes. Other dates for your diaries include RSCDS London’s  Christmas dance on 13 December (music from Dave Hall and his SCD band) and its Burns Ceilidh and Supper on Saturday 10 January (music from Caledonian Reelers. NB the Burns event will be entrance by ticket only so do remember to buy yours online in advance).

 

Right, back to this week’s dancing….

 

Jeremy began by noting that he had been reviewing dances from RSCDS books 45 - 49, as part of his role with the RSCDS Management Services Committee. Book 47 was published in 2013 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the society and several of the featured dances have become firm favourites, including Bill Clement MBE, Linnea’s Strathspey, Flight to Melbourne and Glastonbury Tor. Others however seemed to have slipped from the general repertoire and we revisited 2: the One o’Clock Canon and Memories of Mary Ann. 

 

We first worked our way through the challenges of The One o’Clock Canon (as the name suggests, it is indeed a canon) and concluded that, whilst enjoyable to dance and possibly very satisfying once mastered, it was perhaps no accident that its speed and comparative complexity had impacted on its popularity for regular (rather than dem) dance programmes. In contrast, Memories of Mary Ann was an enjoyable and straightforward strathspey which I, for one, would happily dance more frequently.  

 

We moved on to Preston Mill, a reel for 5 couples from Book 45, then, leaving the RSCDS books behind temporarily, enjoyed ‘The Faculty of Actuaries’  co-devised by Jeremy (with Ian Farr) to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Faculty of Actuaries in 2008. The movements of the dance portray the main emblems in the Faculty’s Arms, including an owl’s eyes and an hourglass.

Our final dance Rundumadum (or Round and Roundabout) featured in Book 49 and lived up to its name with a circulating knot in addition to the more regularly danced circles to the left.  Thanks again to Jeremy for constructing such an enjoyable evening - it was a lot of fun.  

 

Links to dance cribs and videos below

One O'Clock Canon 4/4L · R64 Brockbank: Bk 47

Memories of Mary Ann 3/3L · S32 Stephens: Bk 47

Preston Mill 5/5L · R32 Martin:  Bk 45

The Faculty of Actuaries 4/4L · J32 Farr & Hill

Round and Roundabout 3/3L · S32 Schmidt: Bk 49