As another year of Scottish dancing draws to a close, so does my second year as chair of the St. John’s Branch of the RSCDS. While President Bush is forced to resign after two terms (thank goodness!), I have voluntarily decided to step down, and will be leaving the position in the capable hands of Catherine Wright. It has been an enjoyable couple of years in office, and I have learnt a lot from being involved in this capacity. My task was made easy due to the help of a dedicated executive and I would like to thank them for all their assistance during this time.
As Past President, Brenda was always someone I could turn to ask how things should be done. Robert has put in three years as secretary keeping us all straight with minutes and correspondence. As treasurer, Julia has been a whiz with the books and ensured our spending does not go off the rails like the federal Liberals! I would like to thank them and the rest of the executive for their hard work over the past year. Thanks are also due to Geraldine who ensures we have refreshments every week, to Mary who is doing a marvellous job producing our newsletter, and to Margaret who still handles our publicity despite having become a full time graduate student.
Our organization is run entirely on a volunteer basis and its success depends on people giving unselfishly of their time and talents. In this regard I would like to say a big thank you to our teachers – Penny, Martin, Bill, Sue and Noreen – and to our band, Corryvreckan, for all the hours of preparation they put in so that we can enjoy dancing.
I would encourage each of you to do your bit in the coming years to volunteer your time and talents to ensure the RSCDS remains strong and vibrant. Have a great summer everyone, and try to spread the news about dancing so we have even more members when we meet again in September!
At one of the first dancing classes after Christmas, Penny Gillies led the Beginners’ Group through some typical “ceilidh” dances, one of which was the Virginia Reel. As we were doing this dance, the patterns seemed very familiar. I looked at Keith and said, “We know this one – we used to dance it in Pangnirtung!”
Keith and I lived in Pangnirtung on Baffin Island from 1974-1978. It is a small community north of Iqualuit (at that time known as Frobisher Bay) on Cumberland Sound. The population was almost entirely Inuit, the residents having fairly recently “moved in to town” from outpost camps. Sealing, caribou hunting, and fishing arctic char were all pursued. Artistic endeavours (soapstone carving, printmaking and weaving) were emerging as a source of employment, and the community had developed infrastructure such as a school, hamlet office, church, nursing station, RCMP and of course, the Hudson’s Bay Company. The Auyuittuq National Park was a short boat or skidoo ride away. The setting, on a fjord ringed by mountains, was spectacular.
For the week between Christmas and New Year’s, everyone in the community assembled in the school gymnasium for “the Christmas games.” These were traditional and modern games, trials of skill and foolishness combined, for both children and adults. The games were followed every evening by a community dance, which regularly lasted until the next morning.
The dances were held in the community hall, and were variations on Scottish Country dancing. Everyone danced, young and old. It was not unusual to see women dancing in their amautiks (a parka-like garment which enabled Mom to carry the baby on her back, inside her coat). The community hall was a very dilapidated building, with a vent in the roof. One of my clearest memories is of approaching the hall on a beautiful starry night. We must have been late, for the dancing had already begun. We could hear the accordion music and watched steam being expelled from the vent in the roof in time to the beat of the music. The floor heaved rhythmically as the dancers went through the figures. Those dances certainly worked up a sweat!
Not being well-informed on Scottish Country dancing at the time, I couldn’t tell you exactly what dances we danced, but I can report that they were danced with great enthusiasm. I do know that one of them was the Virginia Reel! The accordion player, Simeonie Keeinainak, was very talented and in great demand to play at these dances.
(Some years later on CBC, we heard a program on Simeonie, and how he is passing his skills on to younger people by teaching them to play, and keeping the tradition alive).
The knowledge and love of these dances comes from the influence of the Scottish whalers. The Greenland (bowhead) whale was recognized for the commercial value of its oil in the early 1600s. According to Kenn Harper, in his pamphlet on Pangnirtung (1972), between 1814 and 1817 about 150 ships sailed annually to the Greenland Sea to harvest whales. Many Scottish names are associated with the whaling industry in the Cumberland Sound rea, including William Penney from Peterhead, from whom the Penney Ice Cap gets its name. Around 1900, whaling was concentrated in Kekerton (small islands close to present day Pangnirtung,) where the station was owned by Mr. Noble of Aberdeen. The whalers started with seasonal operations, but eventually set up winter stations. No doubt the dancing, which they taught to the local people, helped fill in the long dark winter days and nights. These dances continued to be enjoyed in the 1970’s.
The Hudson’s Bay Company continued to operate a small whaling station in Pangnirtung up to the middle of the last century and the remnants of these buildings were visible there during our sojourn. Who would have thought that dancing the Virginia Reel in St. John’s in 2005 would have brought back such memories?Congratulations this month to Brenda Burness, and her son and daughter-in-law Brad and Heather! Max Thomas William, a little brother for Sophie, and new grandson for Brenda, was born on March 29, 2005.
How would you like to combine Scottish country dance classes with a sightseeing holiday in Prague? Dvorana Dance offers just such a combination, with hotel, meals, tours, and shows included, July 9-16, 2005. For all the details, check out their website.
Ron Wallace from California is the instructor, with the Dunsmuir Dancers and music by Gary Thomas. Application deadline is May 30.
“Do not volunteer any
directions about the dance, or even the correction of mistakes. Appear not to notice it, and
wait quietly until your turn comes, when you can do it right. If you do interfere, depend upon
it, no one will thank you, or think you know more about the dance than themselves. Besides,
it only adds to the confusion.”
(from: Hazzard, William P. The Ballroom Companion: A Handbook for the Ballroom and
Evening Parties. Philadelphia: George S. Appleton, 1849. Reprinted from Reeltime,
RSCDS Newhaven Branch, Late Summer/Fall 2002.)
“The first thought that usually occurs to one taking part in a dance is, ‘I am about to
enjoy an hour or more of unmingled pleasure.’ With this should come another, which is that,
‘All my pleasure depends entirely upon the kind cooperation of others; I am, therefore, under
an obligation to them that my part shall be strictly fulfilled.’ It will, therefore, be understood
that each one participating in this mutual-pleasure-giving dance should enter upon the duties
with honesty of purpose and kindness of heart. When all unite in such a disposition, the
pleasure is augmented in proportion to the number engaged.”
(Dodworth, Allen. Dancing and its Relations to Education and Social Life. New York:
Harper & Brothers, 1885. Reprinted from Reeltime, RSCDS Newhaven Branch,
Fall/Winter 2002.)
-Admittance 50 cents, refreshments included.
- The music to consist of a fiddle, a pipe and tabor and a hurdy gurdy. (NB: no chorus to be
sung until dancing is over.)
- No lady to dance in black stockings – nor must she have her elbows bare.
- To prevent spitting, no gentleman to chew tobacco or smoke.
- No lady to dress her hair with tallow candle, nor must she have a bunch of hair sticking up,
top of her head.
- Leather small clothes except newly washed are forbidden, as they might soil the ladies’
gowns – and to prevent tearing the planking, no gentleman to dance in nailed shoes or boots.
- No whispering allowed – if anyone shall be found to make insidious remarks about anyone’s
dancing, he or she shall be put out of the room.
- No gentleman to appear with a cravat that has been worn for more than a week or a
fortnight.
- Long beards are forbidden, as it would be very disagreeable if a gentleman should happen
to put his cheek against a lady’s.
- Those ladies who have not white cotton stockings and black morocco shoes will not be
admitted under any pretence whatever. Two old ladies will be provided to examine all who
enter.
- No gentleman must squeeze his partner’s hand, nor look earnestly upon her, and furthermore
he must not even pick up her handkerchief, provided it were to fall – the first denotes he loves,
the second he wishes to kiss her, and the last that she makes a sign for both.
(A selection from “Rules of Etiquette 1903" reprinted from RSCDS Kingston
Newsletter, December 2004, originally credited to David Holestrom, Petronella Newsletter
via RSCDS Ottawa Branch Bulletin, December 2003.)
“Here are some basic rules for good manners on the dance floor:
– Never break into the middle of a formed set. Take your place at the bottom. Do not force
another dancer out of place.
– Do not leave a set in the middle of the dance. Even if you are fourth couple, you are part of
the team and must remain standing to show the lines of the set.
– Do not give instructions when the teacher is instructing. Listen carefully and try to help
others only when the dancing starts.
– Do not always dance with the same partner. Try to be sociable and ask some of the people
who have been sitting out. If you are an experienced dancer, do ask some of the beginners.
They will gain confidence and learn more quickly. A beginner should not hesitate to ask a
more advanced dancer if the dance is within the new dancer’s capabilities.
– If you want to help the beginners in your set, do not shout, whistle or push. Try to tell them
in a quiet way and don’t grumble if they make a mistake.
– Be alert during the dance so that you will be ready to move up in time, give a hand or be
active. Don’t chat during the dance.
– Greet newcomers in a friendly way by introducing yourself and then introduce them to other
members of the set.
– If the teacher announces, “This dance is only for those who know it,” please don’t get into
the set.”
(From “Good Manners and SCD” by Freddy Sverdlove, reprinted in The Tartan Times,
v.LIII, no.4, Mar./April 2005, from the RSCDS New York Newsletter.)
Last word from Miss Milligan (Quoted by Freddy Sverdlove in the above.): “Good manners should be a natural accompaniment of these dances. For without courteous handing, thoughtful stepping up and down, and the quick anticipation by the helping couples, Scottish country dancing can never be the delightful pastime which it ought to be.”
On April 9, 2005, the demonstration team, under the guidance of Bill Scott, performed for the annual Suzuki Benefit Concert at St. David’s Church on Elizabeth Avenue, our venue for Thursday night technique classes, and summer dancing. Performers on this occasion were: Noel Lilly, Karen Oakley, Kathy Simonsen, Bridgette Hamilton, Susan Scott, Ingrid Pardoe, Bill Scott and Elizabeth Green.
Martin Mulligan traded heavy rain in St. John’s for a torrential downpour in Washington, D.C. on the weekend of April 1-3, where he taught at a RSCDS workshop with Elaine Brunken, (our guest teacher for the Summer 2004 workshop.) As a result, we were treated to some interesting new dances and music which Martin brought back with him.
(Someone should write a song with such a great title!) We say goodbye this month to Adele Guinard, who has been dancing with us all year. Adele was visiting from France, completing a master’s degree. We wish her all the best with her future career, and hope she visits again some time.
Iain Banks, Raw Spirit: In search of the perfect dram. Arrow Books, 2004.
If you are looking for some amusing reading this summer, and
have a love of single malt, Scottish countryside, cars, or the life and writing of one of
Scotland’s best modern fiction/science fiction writers, this is the book for you.
Iain Banks has won great acclaim for his writing, but when his publisher offered him the
task of researching and identifying the perfect dram, he (and his helpful friends!) couldn’t
believe his luck. The resulting book is a combination of autobiography, a description of
the distillery business, its history and various locations, vehicles he has owned and loves,
GWRs (great wee roads,) and of course his notes on the sampling of malt whiskies. It is
written with wit and passion, and a great sense of humour. I highly recommend it.
Mary Bridson
This is the story about how the RSCDS steps were deliberately changed during WWII, and the reasons for so doing.
A person of some prominence in the RSCDS in Scotland told about a meeting he attended shortly before or during WWII. There were only three people present. One was Miss Jean Milligan, the other (who will remain nameless) moved to another country and has since passed away, leaving only our hero as the last living person to attend the meeting.
This meeting was called because it seems that the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were receiving instruction in Scottish country dancing society style at Holyrood House. The pas de basque was being taught in such a way that when the “beating” foot went into 3rd position, the heel of the foot was actually placed on top of the other foot, rather than fitting snugly into the instep, which is the way we do it now. And in the strathspey travelling step, the foot was pulled through in a much more Highland way, with the sole of the foot being aimed at the calf and well off the floor, rather than being aimed at the floor and pulled through low to the ground.
The problem? The Royal Family always wear street shoes, not ghillies. For example, in the 1992 “Year in the Life of the Royal Family” they were wearing normal shoes at that dance The Ghillies Ball at Balmoral. Street shoes have hard, sometimes irregular, soles, and doing these steps was tearing the silk stockings of the Princesses. (Shudder!)
The adjustment: modify the steps so that the stockings would not get torn.
The result to us: both steps changed, and the long evolution of the long slow draw through in the strathspey travelling step began.
The person who told me this story did not want it to disappear from our heritage, but had not “written it up” for obvious reasons. He told it with no malicious intent; it surfaced in the context of a discussion about the evolution of modern Scottish country dancing. I don’t have his permission to credit him, or I would do so. I can only say he has been involved with Scottish country dancing for decades, and this meeting and change were no figment of imagination. I do not doubt his honesty or memory at all . . . and it actually appears to be a valid “piece of the puzzle” in discussions of technique.
(Reprinted from the Nova Scotia Branch RSCDS Newsletter, May, 2004. Contributed by Ken McFarland. )
We had a good turnout for the Potluck Supper on April 18, followed by a very brief meeting, then an evening of dance led by Bill and Sue Scott. The food was wonderful, and we certainly needed all those energetic jigs and reels to burn up the calories afterwards. A new executive was acclaimed, and we thank them for volunteering. A big round of applause to all the retiring executive, and as always, to our teachers, Corryvreckan, and others who work to keep things running smoothly.
The next newsletter will be in September, for the start of the Fall session. The editor would love to receive any news over the summer, particularly any Scottish country dance events you may have attended, or other interesting snippets that you’d like to share.