GENERAL CLASS (beginners welcome to start in September) : weekly from the start of September to the end of April, Thursdays 7.30 to 9.30pm in the Guide Hut, off Victoria Park, Lockerbie. £4.00 per session. Dancing to CDs.
Teacher : Gillian Hardstone

Classes start at 7.30pm prompt. Please arrive a wee bit beforehand to change into your dancing shoes.

STARTED in 2020 : Monthly INTERMEDIATE WORKSHOP
4th Sunday of the month, 2.00 to 4.30pm, Longtown Community Centre, Longtown. £4.00 per session. Dancing to CDs.
Teacher : Gillian Hardstone

RSCDS: - LOCKERBIE BRANCH – Intermediate Class Aims and Approach

We wish to ensure that the Intermediate class is welcoming and not exclusive, but that it fulfils its purpose, so this note is to set out clearly the aims of the class and the skills required for dancers to join us.

The aim of the class
To provide a class for Intermediate level dancers who are keen to improve their technique and individual all-round performance as well as rising to the challenge of more complicated formations and dances than they have thus far encountered as Beginners/Improvers. The class also aims to introduce dancers to more of the ‘Core Repertoire’ of Scottish Country Dancing than might always be possible at a Branch class, so that they are better equipped to attend social dances within and outwith their immediate area. The class hopes to help bridge the ‘knowledge, experience and confidence gap’ between Nice and Easy Dances and general Branch Dances.

What do we mean by Intermediate?

Dancers should be sufficiently competent and confident

a) to dance the following steps in rhythm to a basic standard :
slip step, skip change, pas de basque, strathspey travelling step, strathspey setting step

b) to dance all the basic formations listed below without a recap:
hands round (circle), hands across (wheels), cast, set and cast, cross and cast, turns (RH, LH, 2H), advance and retire, leading (up and down), back to back, rights and lefts, allemande (2 and 3 couple), promenade (2 and 3 couple), grand chain, ladies’ chain, corners chain, figures of eight, reels of 4, reels of 3 (basic R and L shoulder, 8 bars), poussette in reel and jig time, double triangles.

The class will help you to develop more accurate footwork and to maintain it for longer during a class or dance; and to improve your dancing of formations to a good standard; as well as teaching handing, phrasing, transitions between steps and formations, and introducing teamwork and covering.

We will teach other formations including set to corners, turn corner partner corner partner, set to corner and partner, set to and turn corners, men’s chain, strathspey poussette (all-round or diamond) and strathspey half-poussette, set and rotate, espagnole, knot (2 and 3 couple), and set and link (2 and 3 couple); and will consolidate/extend reels of 3 (R and L shoulder, 6 and 8 bars) and reels of 4. We may also teach half-formations and variants of formations.

The teachers have agreed the following:-

Dancers who are at Intermediate level (or above) as per the guidance above are very welcome to join the class. If you are interested in joining us, please consult your class teacher before attending. It may be that you can discuss what you need to learn to enable you to attend the class in future.

The Intermediate class will usually take place on the fourth Sunday of a month, from 2.00 to 4.30pm (hall will be open from 1.30pm).

We aim to cover technique throughout the class, with an emphasis on dancing (steps, technique, formations) and dances from the RSCDS Core Repertoire

All members must be prepared to dance to the best of their ability throughout the class, and to accept feedback/critique of their dancing. This will be carried out sensitively. Individual feedback will be available if wished.

The teachers will aim to focus on improving DANCING (i.e. how we dance) with emphasis on steps, accurate formations, use of hands, counting, phrasing and covering.

There will be the opportunity to dance well-known and simple dances to a higher standard, as well as learning more challenging/ interesting dances that are often included on general social programmes.