Another good reason to enjoy Scottish Country Dancing

[TatterDel]

I bought several old SCDS books on Ebay and they have the music and steps in them.... but I don't know where the nearest SCD group is. I found one up near Nashville but that's over an hour a way and with the gas prices I can't afford to drive that far.
I sure wish there was a group in Tullahoma, TN (or at least within a 30 minute drive).

[Panache]

I must admit that "artificiality" definitely comes to mind with the SCDS. I say this as one who loves to dance.

There is even a group which meets blocks from my work place, and I've joined them for their Burns dinners. Maybe it's being a neophyte to their repetoire, but a good number of their dances give me pause about participating on a regular basis. The steps can be sooooo compicated!

At first it does seem a bit daunting. Once you get the basics down it isn't too hard. There is also a whole range of different dance in SCD. Some are very complicated and for advanced dancers while others are simple and easily learned. Oddly what makes a particular dance easy or hard isn't neccessarily the steps/moves but how they are arranged. I have done some beginner dances that were very hard because they din't flow well, yet I managed to get through an advanced dance like "Gang the Same Gate" several months back because each move flows well into the next.

Give it a try!

Cheers

Jamie

[Alaskan Kilted Guy]

I admire you folks that enjoy dancing. I for one don't dance at all, as I feel very self conscious when I do. It has never been a fun event. Now, that being said, maybe dancing kilted would be a whole different matter.....I might have to give it a shot.

[Kiltman]

At first it does seem a bit daunting. Once you get the basics down it isn't too hard. There is also a whole range of different dance in SCD. Some are very complicated and for advanced dancers while others are simple and easily learned. Oddly what makes a particular dance easy or hard isn't neccessarily the steps/moves but how they are arranged. I have done some beginner dances that were very hard because they din't flow well, yet I managed to get through an advanced dance like "Gang the Same Gate" several months back because each move flows well into the next.

Give it a try!

Cheers

Jamie

In Spokane most of us are in our 60s. It's really good for us semi-seniors. Keeps the mind and the body working. Every now and then we have a dance and invite the contra dancers to come. What a difference to do contra dancing you don't need to think and only go around in circles. Nothing against contra, it's just to point out yet another advantage to SCD. Oh, yes, and in a kilt.

[Andrewson]

I'm trying to imagine pas de basque or strathspey setting step in

"Sunday boots, which subsequently became their working boots"



a bit less graceful I should think.

Well very different anyway. The Fletts found two different forms of the pas de basque (i) both feet remain on the ground for the final beat, (ii) the front foot is extended. Before 1914 (i) was by far the most common. The Fletts found no dancing master who taught version (ii) and many stated it was wrong. Version (ii) is what is taught today by the RSCDS. The steps are now more 'balletic' and are probably based more on highland dance steps than those used in country dances.

The Fletts go on to say there was no excessive pointing of the toes by either men or ladies. "The strathspey travelling step ... appears to be made possible by modern use of light heel-less dancing pumps ... and we never met it in older people". The present shoes seem to have come from those worn by highland dancers competing at games rather than social dancing.

Indeed their use for social dancing was deprecated by D. G. MacLennon in his "Guide to Teachers, Dancers and Judges" which set out the standards for Highland and Traditional dancing in 1925: "Another matter that should be discouraged is the wearing of solo dancers' stage pumps - heeless, thin soled. These 'slippers' were never worn by anyone in a ballroom as they are bad for flat feet and fallen arches."

I have certainly suffered from the lack of support in those shoes but, as in the case of the kilt, I don't intend to be put off by the historical inaccuracy. The lightweight shoes are needed for the steps as they are now done and I just enjoy the dancing.

[Draelore]

Getting the shoes to fit right has been a bit of a challange, but I am enjoying the heck out of SCD!!

Andy

[Arlen]

I admire you folks that enjoy dancing. I for one don't dance at all, as I feel very self conscious when I do. It has never been a fun event. Now, that being said, maybe dancing kilted would be a whole different matter.....I might have to give it a shot.

Take it it from someone who recently got the heart-breaking comment at a wedding of 'Oh my god, you dance just like your dad!' Scottish country dancing can be really fun and help you to dance better.

For what it's worth, here are the two main things which helped me a lot.


1: There is a severe shortage of men. So the ladies are always very happy to have a gentleman to dance with and being so appreciated really helped me to start working on actually learning to dance well.


2: One of the secrets to dancing well in SCD is having strong legs and an ability to control your body.
It sounds odd, but doing martial arts really helps with this.


So, we can conclude by saying that SCD makes you a sought-after man and you have to be relatively manly to do it!

[Graham]

Interesting! I'm new to X-Marks the Scot, and I'm sorry to say that I had not heard of Scottish Country Dancing before. So I just Googled it, and discovered that it seems pretty big here Downunder. (Now I'm wondering how I could have missed it before!)

The Ozzie website doesn't have many pictures. The only pictures I could find were on the Tasmanian site. Lots of tartan, mostly on women and bairns though, they seem to have a shortage of adult men.

It's looks like fun. I'd need a lot of lessons though, I've never danced before.

The Tassie site was probably the Hobart group, like us in the north of the island, they have trouble attracting men to dance.

For a couple of years I was the only man in our group, now there is one other and he is nearly 80.

Still, I don't mind there being mostly lasses

SCD is great fun, I dance twice a week, sometimes more. I've never done it in trousers...and never will.

[davedove]

1: There is a severe shortage of men. So the ladies are always very happy to have a gentleman to dance with and being so appreciated really helped me to start working on actually learning to dance well.

I find that's true of most dances. I just started some ballroom dance classes and while my class seemed to somehow get the same number of men an d women, the class before us had about a third more women than men.

I think the problem is most men don't like to dance unless they know what they're doing. But, of course, if you don't try it you'll never learn.

So guys, if you have any inclination to try out any type of dancing, go for it. You will probably be very popular there.

I will have to try out SCD some day.

[MartinGrenoble]

... I'm sorry to say that I had not heard of Scottish Country Dancing before. So I just Googled it, and discovered that it seems pretty big here Downunder. ...

In a small way, it is pretty big all around the world.
Small because none of us seem to have found a way of advertizing our pastime to get new people into our clubs.

I'm not surprised Greenguzzi had not heard of SCD before; it remains a very confidential activity, even though all the groups would love to increase their membership.

Even when they do discover a local SCD group, I have found that women are reluctant to give it a try as they think they have lost their youthful grace, men are reluctant because it is not a TV sport, the young are reluctant because it's not noisy enough, the old because it's too energetic ... and the Scots are reluctant because nasty school ma'ams made them do it as kids, and they hated it!

Lots of people are put off by the relatively long apprenticeship period during which they feel complete idiots. But those that persevere are rewarded when, all of a sudden, the patterns click into place, the rhythms feel completely natural -- and they are hooked for life.

I began my dancing a little earlier than kilt wearing, about 50 years ago, and have found it a great way of meeting people wherever I have been.

Martin,
in Grenoble, France.