We have never experienced a time like this. To help support the worldwide community of Scottish country dancers, we are issuing a series of newsletters to our members and subscribers - Dance Scottish At Home. This will develop and improve as time goes on, and we will be responding to what you would like to see and read. Our aim is to include articles, music, games, podcasts and online classes that will entertain and connect us with our dancing friends across the globe.
You are encouraged to share Dance Scottish At Home with dancers and musicians in your Group, Branch and wider network. We are all part of the Scottish dance family and now is the time to show it.
Your feedback and ideas are welcome – please click here to share them with us.
To receive this newsletter just scroll to the bottom of the page and sign up to the RSCDS eNewsletter - you will need to enter your full name and email address. All non-members welcome!
Dance Scottish At Home - 3rd July 2020
Welcome to our first July edition of Dance Scottish At Home – with dance, music and historical gems to entertain at this time.
A Summer Celebration
Monday 27th - Friday 31st July with a special Saturday playlist - Each week leading up to our virtual Summer event, we will share information about the event and how you can become involved. This week Ian Muir, Music Director, has important information for musicians.
Over the week there will be a series of musicians’ workshops each containing some broad hints and tips about playing for dancing. Each workshop will have a theme – Jigs, Strathspeys, Reels – and each will come with music, backing tracks, help sheets and commentary from Ian.
You can join our Dance Scottish Summer Celebration community right now and purchase a special limited edition t-shirt or tote bag! These are available in various sizes and colours - to browse the design options, visit our official RSCDS Teemill site:
At Home Podcast
This week’s “At Home Podcast” brings new recordings from Michael Philip and his band, Malcolm Brown takes us behind the story of “Links with St Petersburg”, John Browne, of the Craigellachie Band, introduces his “Album of the Week” and Ian delves into the music from last week’s “What’s Behind the Name?” with Lady Catherine Bruce’s Reel. And there’s another musical quiz – this time every dance is connected by water.
The Thursday Challenge
This week, we'd like to hear about your favourite place to dance. Maybe this is your regular hall for classes, or it is a place that has long ceased to exist? Do you have one favourite place or many? Send us pictures, too!
What behind the name?
The two dances in this week’s article have a connection! Crieff Fair does not feature highly on the popularity stakes and many of you may not have danced it often, if at all. On the other hand, The Duke of Perth is one the most popular dances and most dancers will have danced it many times. It is part of the traditional dancing culture of Scotland appearing on many dance programmes outwith the typical Scottish country dance field.
RSCDS online class
Join a different RSCDS Teacher each week for a mixture of basic movements, warm ups, technique and steps to keep you active. Live every Wednesday at 19:00 UK time, the class will give you the chance to dance with RSCDS members around the world at the same time. *Please note that not all recorded classes begin immediately - skip ahead on the recording to find the start time, or just let it run and enjoy the music!*
Dance puzzles
Do you enjoy solving puzzles? This week we have provided 2 challenges to entertain, perplex and intrigue you.
Find the full Dance Scottish At Home newsletter here >
Welcome to our latest issues of Dance Scottish At Home – with more dance and music gems to keep your brains buzzing!
This month, editions of Dance Scottish At Home include the latest "At Home Podcasts", stories behind your favourite dances, and of course some new SCD puzzles to get stuck into!
Highlights of these issues include our regular podcasts, the latest Thursday Challenges, a newly devised dance The Toilet Roll Reel, the story behind some of your favourite dances, our online classes and some brand new dance-themed puzzles.
This first newsletter contains rich information and fun facts on how to continue enjoying Scottish country dance and music online during these challenging times.
Each week a different RSCDS Teacher will be there to guide you through a mixture of basic movements, warm ups, technique, steps and dances, giving variety across the classes.
Live every Wednesday (currently at 19:00 BST), the class will give you the chance to dance with RSCDS members around the world at the same time.
Hosted on Zoom, the classes will give you live video and instruction, with the opportunity to post written Q&As throughout the session, which can be answered at the end of class. You can also post messages on the ‘Chat’ area of the Webinar to other dancers.
It may take a few minutes for everyone to access Zoom, especially for the first time, so please join at 7 and class will start after approximately 5 minutes.
The classes will be kept to within a half hour slot, as learning remotely will be a different experience for everyone.
Previous classes
Missed a class and need to catch up? View all the past sessions below. *Please note that not all recorded classes begin immediately - skip ahead on the recording to find the start time, or just let it run and enjoy the music!*
ONLINE CLASS - 15TH APRIL 2020
ONLINE CLASS - 22ND APRIL 2020
