21 January 2024

Class with a Difference

By Anne Taylor and Dianna Baillie

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 A brief lull between severe weather warnings (the snow had disappeared overnight & storm Isha wasn’t due till evening) meant the class at Spey Bay was good to go. Anne & Dianna took it turn about to teach the dances (which all had ‘New’ in the title, as it was the first class of the New Year).
We started off with ‘The New Forest Circle’ (New Forest SCD) as a warm up, then Newburgh Jig (Bk48). Anne took us through New Abbey (Roy Goldring) where we were encouraged to cover across all the sets and New Amsterdam (Chris Ronald, Big Apple Coll.) had a couple of new formations there to challenge us - a very enjoyable dance once we got it.
The Newholme Jig (Ian Barbour, Magic Medicine), followed by ‘A Guid New Year’ (Maggie & Duncan Keppie) taught by Dianna and Anne finished off with ‘Ways in New Hall’ (Bk42) then ‘The New Opera’ (John Drewry, Australia Bk.)
Ladies’ Chain, Espagnole, Set and Rotate, Rondel. The new ones -  Celtic Cross Progression, Swing Corners and a modified Corners Pass and Turn (half turn & twirl instead of Turn) were formations covered.
A very enjoyable afternoon had by all and can’t wait to see what Bill and Rosemary have in store for us next month.

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Class with a Difference 18th February 2024

RSCDS Teachers, Bill & Rosemary Legge

We had two three couple sets and we danced to make it a seven. 

Our theme was "Something old and Something new"

Our dances were -

 

Scotch Mixer

The Waggle o' the Kilt

Toast to the Mousies

Mathilde is a Delight

Chased Lovers

Scottish Reform

The Riverside

Report by Bill Legge

The dates for the next 'Class with a Difference' can be found here

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Estonian Visitors to Banffshire

Estonian Dancers come to Portsoy

 

Eight young dancers and four adults travelled from Avinurme in Estonia to Portsoy this week. It was a second visit for three of them.  They had travelled to Riga, flew to Edinburgh and bused to Aberdeen.  Anne McArthur picked them up there and took them to Portsoy with a stop to visit Delgaty Castle.

 

The dancers stayed in the Sail Loft in Portsoy overnight.  They had a hectic schedule sampling the delights of Bonnie Portsoy. There was pizza, fine pieces and a ceilidh with some members of the Banffshire Branch and Anne McArthur's Dancers on Wednesday night.

 

Thursday was a beautiful sunny day although very cold and windy.  The dancers were accustomed to the cold as they live near the Russian Border but the wind from the North Sea was something else. 

 

The group visited the Salmon Bothy Museum, walked around the historic harbours then headed to Soy Kilts where Moira showed them how to make a kilt.  After a very informative visit it was off to Portsoy's famous ice cream shop, the gift shop and Portsoy's Harrods of the North - the Thrift Shop. 

 

In the afternoon Anne McArthur taught the dancers the highland fling and the sword dance with some of her little dancers then it was a visit to Hook, Line and Sinker for a fish and chip supper and back on the minibus to Aberdeen.

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