London
Scottish country dancing across the capital
Day School and Musicians' Workshop, Saturday 19 October 2024
Maria Fidelis School, Drummond Crescent, London NW1 1LY
Meet the day school staff​
We are sorry that health reasons prevent Graham Donald from joining us as planned and send him our very best wishes for a swift recovery.
We are grateful to David Queen who has stepped ably into Graham's day school shoes to join Deb Lees, Andrew Nolan and Murrough Landon, class musicians Barbara Manning, Ken Martlew and Dave Hall and Màrtainn Skene who will lead the musicians' workshop.
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Andrew Nolan​​
Classes: Intermediate (am), Advanced (pm), Optional Highland
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Originally from near these parts, Andrew learned to dance at a children's class in Isleworth and it has stuck with him ever since. Since gaining his certificate in 2012 while at University in Edinburgh, he has taught as far afield as Sydney to Ottawa as well as in the UK at the RSCDS Summer and Winter School. He is active within the Edinburgh Scottish Dancers group and also enjoys playing for SCD. Andrew takes a particular interest in less well known or 'forgotten' dances so hopes there will be something new for everyone in the class.
Barbara Manning
Musician: Very advanced (am), Intermediate (pm), Optional Step
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After many years as a keen Scottish country and highland dancer, Barbara Manning turned her classical music training to band use over 35 years ago, and since then has accompanied dancing in many parts of the UK and Europe, the USA, Ukraine and Russia, besides visiting Summer School both as a dancer and musician. She has played for numerous day schools and London Branch technique classes and has featured on recordings and with McBain’s Band on Radio Scotland’s Take the Floor from St Columba’s, Pont Street and on the Earls Court Radio Show, besides playing on stage at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for the Royal Ballet School’s Annual Performance in 1985.
She currently plays mainly with the Silver Cross Band and in a duo with Ken Martlew (see below), besides featuring solo on either piano or fiddle. In November 2016, Barbara was delighted to receive from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association the personal award of Vicki Avery for Service to Amateur Theatre.
Dave Hall
Musician: Intermediate (am), Advanced (pm), Optional Highland
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Dave danced and played music from an early age encouraged by his parents, both of whom danced and played. As a child he competed in Highland dancing competitions and got interested in the lively Scottish country dancing scene in Manchester in his teens. He formed his own Scottish Country Dance Band in 1983, aged 15.Dave got his RSCDS Teaching Certificate in 1993 and was recently granted Life Membership of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD) after over 25 years connection with them. He taught the London Branch demonstration team from 1998 to 2003 and has taught and played at the Society’s Summer and Winter Schools. Dave has enjoyed meeting dancers from around the world as fellow dancer, teacher, musician and keen traveller.Music and dancing remain at the core of his hobbies, providing exercise, opportunities to meet folk and an array of lifelong friends. While technique and improving standards is a great interest of Dave’s, it is still the thrill of moving as a group of people to music with great lift and verve that keeps him involved with the Scottish dance scene.Away from Scottish dancing and music, Dave enjoys walking in the hills and cycling with his wife and two daughters.
David Queen
Classes: Advanced (am), Very advanced (pm), Optional Step
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David started dancing at 5 years of age and qualified as a Scottish Country Dance teacher in 1993. He teaches branch classes at Ribble Valley RSCDS in the Northwest of England and regular day schools around the UK. He has also taught at the RSCDS Winter School, New Zealand Summer School, TAC, Spring Fling and was very recently the Depute Director for St Andrews Summer School where he has been a regular member of staff over the last 20 years. David has also been very fortunate to receive invitations to teach around the world in such diverse locations as Japan, Russia, USA, Canada and across Europe.
David enjoys promoting good technique and derives a great deal of satisfaction from seeing dances performed to a high standard. His classes seek to help all abilities of dancer to achieve their own personal best whilst ensuring that they have fun!​​
Deb Lees
Classes: Very advanced (am), Intermediate (pm), Optional Personal Critique
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Deb began Scottish country dancing at Newcastle University: one class and she was hooked, going to her first dance four days later! She started her Scottish country dance teaching journey at the University class and for many years she taught the advanced/demonstration class and the step class in Newcastle. Deb now lives near Perth and enjoys teaching Scottish country dancing and step classes and workshops across the UK and continental Europe, including St Andrews Summer School.Teaching workshops is always a great privilege and she has enjoyed some tremendous hospitality and worked with great musicians. She is really looking forward to some fantastic classes in London!
Ken Martlew
Musician: Advanced (am), Very Advanced (pm), Optional Hugh Foss
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Ken has been an organist and pianist since childhood. He read music at Oxford before switching to medicine. He discovered SCD around 1980, gaining his RSCDS Teacher’s Certificate in 1993. Ken then started playing for classes, becoming a regular pianist for Summer School, also Cambridge, BHS and London Branches. He has taught or played for countless SCD events in some 14 countries, and has run Scottish country dance music workshops in Germany, France and The Netherlands. Ken danced with the London demonstration team and tutored a successful RSCDS Teacher’s Certificate course. In 2023 Ken was awarded the RSCDS Scroll of Honour.
Màrtainn Skene
Musicians' Workshop lead
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​Màrtainn Skene is a traditional musician from Brae Lochaber, living in Glasgow, out of the Scottish West Coast tradition of dance music. His band was nominated in the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards 2022 and has been a regular contributor to BBC Radio Scotland's long-running Take the Floor. They gig all over the UK, outwith which Màrtainn tutors for Gaelic arts organisation Fèisean nan Gàidheal. With a hint to the day school programme he says, “as I’m sure we can all agree, there’s no thrill quite like a flattened seventh or a dusty manuscript from 18th century Perthshire.”
Murrough Landon
Class: Hugh Foss Dances
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Murrough first started Scottish country dancing, briefly, when the Gay Gordons group was founded in 2005. After a long interlude in Geneva he returned to London in 2011. It was around then that he came across dances and other writings by Hugh Foss, such as his Notes on Evolution in Scottish Country Dancing and Roll Back the Carpet. He was intrigued by his concept of fugal dances, started teaching some dances at the monthly Gay Gordons experts’ group and later moved on to help with the Gay Gordons’ weekly classes. He began the RSCDS teaching course in 2019, eventually gaining his certificate in 2023.
