Victoria Branch

Formed: 1973

Chairman: Dorothy Williams

Secretary: Blain Thierry
101-2277 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8R 1G6, Canada
Tel: (250) 595 1932
Email: ebthierry@shaw.ca
Web page: http://www.rscdsvictoria.org

Treasurer: Elizabeth Thierry

Scottish Country Dancing in Victoria started in the early to mid 1900’s with the various local ex-patriot Scottish societies, eg. Sons of Scotland, St Andrew’s and Caledonian Society, who did their favourite dances at their social events. The Victoria Scottish Country Dance Society was flourishing by the late 1950’s. It became affiliated to the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society in late 1962 or early 1963.

In late 1972, the VSCDS asked for and was granted permission to form a Branch of the Society and, at their Annual General Meeting in May, 1973, the Victoria Branch, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, came into being. There were about 75 members then; today, we boast 110 members. We look forward to celebrating our 30^th Anniversary this year, although we haven’t planned any formal events yet.

We have classes at the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. We also have social dancing every Friday evening, which is open to all levels. We have a demonstration team which performs at a few select events each year. We also have an Entertainment Team which performs at seniors’ residences and various civic functions during the year. They are particularly busy in late January as various organizations celebrate Burns Day.

We organize various social events during the year: Burns Social, Beginners Dance, Dancing in Beacon Hill Park, a Fall Workshop and New Year’s Hogmanay Social and Potluck Dinner. We hold our Christmas Social jointly with the Vancouver Island Scottish Country Dance Society, with the two groups taking turns arranging the evening. These events are always well-attended.

We extend a hearty invitation to members of the Society to join us, either in class or at one of our social events, if you ever find yourself in the Victoria area.