Your SCD pics

**Arlen** · 10th February 08, 10:16 PM

Well, quite a few of us are seasoned dancers or have recently gotten involved with SCD.
Panache just posted some beautiful pictures of himself and his lovely lady wife at their SCD valentines ball.
Glen has posted pictures of his classes and gatherings.
Our very own Hamish, if I'm not mistaken, has danced in the Royal Albert Hall!
I think, perhaps, it's time for an SCD thread.

We can ad pictures we like from specific balls or events or just updates on fun things we've tried.
What say you?

I'll have a start.

What is good about SCD?
here are some examples...

Diane is in the demo team four our dance group, The thistle and Ghillies.
When they danced at the Boise highland games they showed that the Ladies are delicate and beautiful and the men are dashing and courteous.

And that everyone can get involved.
The audience at the games had fun and my friend Kevin (On the right in the white shirt) showed my Mother-In-Law (In the pink shirt) just how good a reel can be.

Sometimes, after everyone has had a good dance and gotten a bit sweaty, they'll goad you into getting on stage and telling jokes.

Or sometimes they'll get the ladies doing an impromptu sword dance. (Hidden under the crinolines.)

But whatever happens, the dancing is fun, the people are friendly and the kilts are plentiful.
Nothing like swinging the pleats.

**McGurk** · 11th February 08, 02:10 AM

I'm sorry, I cant call it scotish country dancing, it was a ceilidh, and thats what its always been called to me, from childhood.

To be honest, I find it really difficult to associate ceilidhs with scotland or ireland any anything celtic. The band that played for my wedding where the ones who played most of the ceilidhs when I was younger, and EVERY one I went to, it was a geordie band with a geordie caller, so to me, there's northing more geordie then a ceilidh!

Anyways, here's me geordie ceilidh at ma wedding!

**Phil** · 11th February 08, 02:29 AM

Looks like a great ceilidh and you could post one of those pics in the windy thread. Are there more kiltie weddings down your way nowadays? When I was in Alnwick last year there was one going on and a whole lot in kilts then. Ceilidhs I find a lot more fun than country dancing where you get into bother if you put a foot wrong. Half the fun I think is getting newcomers up and helping them through a reel. They always seem to enjoy it and fun is what it's all about isn't it?

**McGurk** · 11th February 08, 03:34 AM

Originally Posted by Phil

Looks like a great ceilidh and you could post one of those pics in the windy thread. Are there more kiltie weddings down your way nowadays? When I was in Alnwick last year there was one going on and a whole lot in kilts then. Ceilidhs I find a lot more fun than country dancing where you get into bother if you put a foot wrong. Half the fun I think is getting newcomers up and helping them through a reel. They always seem to enjoy it and fun is what it's all about isn't it?

When I was planning the wedding, I was expecting to be fairly unique in being in a kilt around here. In my home town (South Tyneside) It would have been fairly unique, but around here, there's actualy quite a few weddings where kilts are worn. (but still, its a minority.) I'll be going to a cousins wedding in north yorkshire, and I expect I'll be the only one in a kilt!

In reality, there is no cultural border between england and scotland, its just a gentle gradient between edinburgh being mainly scotish and york being mainly english.

I agree entirely about the Ceilids, being more fun. That was the whole reason we had one at the wedding. I dont enjoy discos, but always loved ceilidhs when I was younger. It ment everyone was in the same boat, noone knew how the dances went, so no one could use it as an excuse for not dancing!

Everyone had a great time (even one very shy and quiet girl got up to dance and had a great time, which stunned me because I was sure she'd spend the whole night being miserable!) and people where saying, we'd have to find an excuse to do it again!

**cessna152towser** · 11th February 08, 05:23 AM

Some great pics there, Arlen and McGurk, thanks for sharing.
Arlen, I think I spy a Utilikilt or similar non-trad kilt in your second pic, that is something not seen over here in Scotland at SCD.
McGurk, as I live close to the border I have been to one or two ceilidhs across the border in Northumberland and found them most enjoyable and there are usually a few kilts in evidence.
I have recently re-started attending a weekly SCD class after a few years away from it.

**McClef** · 11th February 08, 07:41 AM

Great pictures Arlen and nice to see so many kilts in evidence!

**Arlen** · 11th February 08, 12:53 PM

I'm sorry, I cant call it scotish country dancing, it was a ceilidh, and thats what its always been called to me, from childhood.

To be honest, I find it really difficult to associate ceilidhs with scotland or ireland any anything celtic. The band that played for my wedding where the ones who played most of the ceilidhs when I was younger, and EVERY one I went to, it was a geordie band with a geordie caller, so to me, there's northing more geordie then a ceilidh!

I'm assured that there's a difference between a Ceilidh and SCD dancing. Seems to me that 'Proper' SCD dancing is just more complicated, is all.

It's not at all unusual to have the dancing and the callers there.
A lot of the dancers I know here are from Newcastle and their grandparents or great-grandparents are Scottish.
They were the ones who brought the dancing down there and made it popular.
I hear and you seem to confirm, that it is thoroughly entrenched down there. And fantastic to know it!

**Panache** · 11th February 08, 12:56 PM

Here is one from our class Christmas Party showing the dashing Panache in action!

Cheers

Jamie

**Arlen** · 11th February 08, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by cessna152towser

Some great pics there, Arlen and McGurk, thanks for sharing.
Arlen, I think I spy a Utilikilt or similar non-trad kilt in your second pic, that is something not seen over here in Scotland at SCD.

I 'THINK' he was just a gent from the audience who got pulled in when they were teaching dances to the folk at the games.
I don't recognise him from any of the classes, but I do know a few folk in the group who wear their utilikilts to the classes now and then.

Nice to see more people wearing it as an everyday garment.