RSCDS BANFFSHIRE BRANCH
ESTABLISHED IN 1929
Celebrating 95 Years of the Branch
1929 to present day
January 2025 BRANCH NEWS
RSCDS WINTER SCHOOL 2025 16th February to 20th February 2025 Three members of the RSCDS Banffshire Branch attended Winter School this year held in the Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry. Kate Strathdee, well known Scottish Country Dance Teacher, was on her 22nd Year at Winter School. The Winter School has classes for all levels of dancers and a superb programme of social events during the five nights of the School. One of the highlights was an afternoon session held by Jimmy Hill, RSCDS Teacher who taught “The Lancers and The Quadrilles”. Jimmy is an enthusiastic individual with a sound knowledge of this type of dancing from the 17th and 18th centuries. The event was very well received by all who attended. The finale is the Ball held in Blair Atholl Castle. The evening started with a warm welcome by a piper and a glass of wine or soft drink, followed by the traditional “Grand March” and then the “Traditional Eightsome Reel”. The five piece dance band was fantastic with uplifting music played by Ewan Galloway on first accordion for the first half of the evening and Jim Linday on second box. For the second part of the evening Jim took the lead. Ian Robertson, the Director of Winter School is an exceptional all round musician. His fiddle playing was fantastic along with Muriel Johnstone on piano/keyboard - all accomplished musicians. Ian did a wonderful job as Director. If you have not been at Winter School before, the dates for next year are : 15th - 20th February 2026. To find out more about the event – Here – RSCDS Winter School 2026
RSCDS Chair, Gary Coull and RSCDS Banffshire member along with Kate Strathdee, Charly Candia (Management Board rep for Banffshire Branch) and Jim Stott, Chair of RSCDS Aberdeen Branch
CLASSES WITH A DIFFERENCE
The Banffshire Branch introduced
'Classes with a Difference' following a Theme of the teachers' choice. The teachers try and choose dances that are not on the 'Rally/Social Dance programmes'.
We are very fortunate to have 13 Dance classes across Banffshire/North East of Scotland, all taught by RSCDS Banffshire qualifited Teachers and Core Teaching Instructors.
To find a dance class near your - check out all the dance classes available
<Bees and Honey' CTI Instructor Dianne Ballie
Classes with a Difference Sunday 26th January Theme - BEES & HONEY The weather was kind and we had a good turn-out of dancers at Spey Bay Hall, who were introduced to another of my interests – Beekeeping! We began with a round-the-room dance, “Johnnie’s Jig” as a warm up (I was introduced to beekeeping when John got our first colony of bees in 2010). Then a reel, “The Lonely Honeybee” (scout bee returns to the hive and gives her fellow workers directions to a good source of nectar). After that we went to the apiary to look after the bees as we danced “The Beekeepers Medley” and another reel “Beeswing”. Bees need plants, and plants need bees (and gardens and gardeners), so we danced “The Compleat Gardener”, “Cherrybank Gardens” and “More Bees A-Dancing”. “The Bees of Maggieknockater” took us back to the apiary for the honey harvest and “The Honey Moon” jig. Finally, when moving bees onto the heather, a beekeeper has to be a bit of a “Highland Rambler”, and so we ended a lovely afternoon. Report by Dianna Baillie CTI Teacher of Scottish Country Dancing The dances – Johnnie’s Jig, Sheila Gradon (St. Columba’s Book) The Lonely Honeybee, Dorothy Bell (RSCDS Belfast Platinum Anniversary) The Beekeeper’s Medley, Trevor Rayner (A Skye Collection 2) Beeswing, Roy Goldring (Graded & Social Dances 2) The Compleat Gardener, Irene Paterson (RSCDS Graded Book 3) Cherrybank Gardens, John Drewry (Bankhead Book 1 / RSCDS 30 Popular Dances 2) More Bees a-Dancing, Roy Goldring (Graded & Social Dances 2) The Bees of Maggieknockater, John Drewry (Canadian Book / RSCDS 30 Popular Dances 2) The Honey Moon, W.E. Allan (Miss Milligan’s Miscellany) The Highland Rambler, Roy Goldring (RSCDS Leeds Silver Jubilee / RSCDS 30 Popular Dances 2)
Link to you tube - 'More Bees a - Dancing below
The dance is 'More Bees a - Dancing' by Roy Goldring. The music used was from track 4 Dancing on'
'Travels - by Linda Thomas - Teacher Forglen SCD Class
The dances were all entitled “Welcome to …” or “Trip to …” and included Having moved around quite a lot in her life, Linda Thomas chose as her theme the notion of Hello and Goodbye. Welcome to the Stagger Inn Welcome to Ayr A Trip to Tobermory (Drewry) A Trip to the Netherlands Welcome to Dufftown A Trip to Disney Welcome to Argentina A Trip to Somewhere Else A Trip to Timber Ridge A Trip to Lunenburg (the only dance to include the Hello Goodbye formation) Twelve dancers had an enjoyable afternoon with some interesting moments and lots of laughter.
Silver - RSCDS Teacher Isobel Turner
For the class at Arradoul SWI Hall on Sunday, March 30 2025, a lovely sunny afternoon, I took “silver” as my theme, simply because I like silver – some of the connections were rather loose! We started with a very easy warm-up dance, “The Fairy Ring” (rings can be made of silver!), starting by walking and building up to dancing. We then danced “Wellington Street”, 8x32 reel, from the Leicester Silver Collection with nothing too difficult. The third dance was “Silverdale Sunset”, a 32-bar strathspey, which proved more challenging; we’re used to balance-in-line in reel or jig time but it’s rather different in a strathspey. It is a 2-couple dance, intended to be done in a 4-couple set, but 3-couple sets suited our numbers better. The next two dances came from Jim Stott’s “Argentine Collection 20202, Argentina taking its name from the huge amounts of silver found there. “The Road to Cafayate”, 8x32 jig, lived up to Jim’s description of his day-trip there as following “many winding roads and this dance reflects the bends and turns in the road”. “ Aberdeenshire meets Argentina”, 3x32 strathspey, included the “Rosette” progression devised by John Drewry but less well-known than some of his other inventions. The link with silver was more obvious in the next two dances. ”Silver Acorn” is a 3x32 strathspey in a triangular set with some similarities with “The Wind on Loch Fyne” but unusual in that the men always return to the same position while the ladies progress. “Silver Branch” , 3x32 jig, is a little unusual in having 2nd couple as the dancing couple and in including inverting triangles up and down the set, better known in the normal double triangles configuration in “The Nurseryman”. We finished with an 8x32 reel, “Elizabeth II” which has the alternative title “Silver Jubilee Reel”. I tried to include dances “with a difference” including some with a bit of a challenge but I hope without being over-taxing – after all, “It’s just for fun”! Isobel Turner
Congratulations to Dr Anne McArthur
life member of RSCDS Banffshire Branch
Dr Anne McArthur , RSCDS Banffshire Branch member has been awarded the BEM in the King's New Year's Honours List.
The Citation will read:
Dr Anne McArthur
Committee member, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. For Services to Scottish Country Dancing and to the community in Portsoy.
Frank Thomson - Accordionist
.The Banffshire Branch was delighted to see Frank Thomson receive the RSCDS Scroll of Honour at the Autumn Gathering in November, 2024. Frank has supported the Banffshire Branch over many years. He came to our rescue as the accompanist for the Dance Section of the Moray Music Festival in Elgin. He continued to be the accompanist for the next six festivals, the latter two run by the Banffshire Branch. When the Branch produced a dance and resource pack for children and young people to celebrate their 90th Anniversary, Frank gave of his time to record the music which is free to download from the website. He also composed some of the original tunes. Frank is our ‘go to’ person whenever we need a musician. We thank him for his support over the years and congratulate him on his award.
Frank Thomson, Musician
Frank's Scroll, Scottish Country Dance
Link to Youtube found here
Link to Strathspey Dance Server here
Link to Dance Dictionary found here
Wakefield Nursing Home, Portsoy
Members of the Banffshire Branch danced at Wakefield Nursing Home on 26th February. The staff and residents gave them a warm welcome. Grace Henry, a former Branch dancer now resides there so it was a good opportunity for a catch up.
Day School and Evening Dance with Angela Young - RSCDS Teacher & Scott Band
The Banffshire Branch of the RSCDS was delighted to welcome dancers to the Portsoy Church Centre on Saturday 22nd March for a dance workshop and an evening dance. It is over a decade since the Branch had run a day of dance and the committee wondered if people would turn out. They need not have worried as over 50 people came through the door at 2pm for a wonderful afternoon of dancing. The teacher was Angela Young from Perthshire but really an Aberdeen Quine and the musician was Scott Band from Kirriemuir. The class was varied with all ages, even two youngsters, and all levels of experience, teachers to beginners. Angela was not phased. She opened the class with a round the room dance making the dancers think of patterns rather than steps then, it was on to Scottish country dancing. Angela had decided that the dancers should dance a number of dances in the two and a half hours. She began with the jig, Speirs Bruce, the Pole Star by Roy Goldring from the Scotia Collection followed by The Mairrit Man’s Favourite from Book 24. The first strathspey chosen was Bydand by John Drewry. Bydand means steadfast and is the motto of the Gordon Highlanders, the North East Regiment. Following a cup of tea and shortbread the dances chosen where A Time for Change, a 32 bar reel by Jim Rae and the strathspey, The Silkie Woman by Barry Pride from the Jacobite Book. Silkies are mythological creatures that can shift between seal and human form by removing or putting on their seal skin. The class ended as it started but with the dancers dancing rather than walking. A group of very happy dancers left the Centre at 4.45, some went home, some went to local hostelries and some had brought a picnic to eat in the Centre. The dance started at 7.30 and again over 50 dancers were present. Scott had brought in his drummer to help him. It was a happy group of dancers who took to the floor making it a lively and inviting atmosphere. Thanks go to the committee for their initiative and hard work to make the day a success. Anne McArthur
