A lot was going on and most of it was ball prep. I find this very uninteresting both as a dancer and as a teacher because all the teachers in all the different classes pick all the same dances as needing review.
I erred when signing up for Pinewoods - I got us in to the weekend and not both sessions as I was supposed to. But that error enabled us to sign up for the Asilomar weekend in October. He he he.
In October there was a wedding - and how does this all tie together? Well…
At Pinewoods I was introduced to a not so new but otherwise unknown dance from Switzerland - Zytglogge (32 R 3, Blackburn). Fun dance. Even when done plain jane and unadorned it is a fun dance and not difficult. Add some embroidery and it can go over the top into just plain silly. Highly recommended. So highly recommended that Sandra Bethray and I put it on the upcoming Kilts and Ghillies Tea Dance program - April 30th (a Sunday - yes a Sunday) 2017.
At Keira and Marc’s Wedding Ball I met their band (and a Very Good Band it was btw). I know of the band leader from a very nice CD self named for the musicians, fiddle player Peter Macfarlane and pianist Lilian Linden. I immediately hired Peter for the 2018 Kilts and Ghillies Tea Dance. When I first heard their CD I wrote a dance to his jig Penobscott Bay (4th tune in a set of jigs 8x32 with the lead tune North Country) and used that fact to introduce myself. Peter wanted a copy of the dance and Sandra wanted it on the Tea Dance. Done.
Peter is a canoe builder in Vergennes, VT and leader of the Vermont Strathspey and Reel Society. Until I heard the CD he was unknown to me. The CD was an impulse buy and sometimes good things happen.
My dance is Eggemoggin Reach (named after a great Scottish body of water (riiight), a 32 J 3C/4L. http://my.strathspey.org/dd/dance/16733/
There is a story here. Sorry :-)
In 1971 I attended the Hurricane Island Outward Bound program - rowing and sailing in Maine. Hurricane Island is in the Penobscott Bay as is the Eggemoggin Reach, a stunningly beautiful stretch of water, which we sailed as part of our weeklong ‘cruise’.
Fast forward to Asilomar where I met many lovely people and some very nice dances. A new one, not yet published, written to honor a lovely lady, who I met passing in a dance, is St. Faolan of the Woods (32 J 3/4L) by Andrew Smith. Not yet in the SCDDB - pooh. I do have the notes! Also shortlisted for the K&G Tea Dance in 2018.
The Summer:-
Spent, mainly, trying out dances for the Tea Dance.
1 August 2016 - Scotia Club (Manhattan west side)
This class was team taught by myself and at least three other teachers - Purpose - for fun.
Carols A-Plenty 32 J 3 Lou Hanson (my Portland Mermaid)
Abbot of Unreason 32 J 3 Milton Levy (of NYC and Gang the Same Gate)
Cranberry Tart 32 J 3 Terry Glasspool
Johnsonville Diamond 32 S 2 Rod Downey
Bill Little’s Strathspsey 32 S 4 Roy Goldring
New Virginia Reel 128 R 4 sq Anna Holden
Orpington Caledonians 32 R 3 J. Brenchley
Sleepy Maggie 32 R 3 Bk 11/5
The Laurel Jig 32 J 3 Sawyer (unpub)
Balquidder Strathspey 32 S 3 Bk 24/2
8 August 2016 - Scotia
As before, team taught.
Johhny’s New Jig 32 J 2 Kass
Old Way of Killiecrankie 48 R 3 set RSCDS Leaflet
Wee Cooper o’ Fife 40 J 2 Foss
Saint John River 32 S 4 P. Edwards
Startled Rabbits 32 R 5 D. Haynes
Eightsome Reel 464 R 4 sq Bk 2/12
Dundee Whaler 32 S 4 Clowes
John Cass 32 J 5 Bk 49/10
Australian Ladies 32 R 3 Campbell
9 August 2016 - New Haven
Waltzing to Iowa 32 W circle Schneider
Johhny’s New Jig 32 J 2 Kass
Saint John River 32 S 4 P. Edwards
Scott Meikle 32 R 4 Bk 46/3
John Cass 32 J 5 Bk 49/10
Zytglogge 32 R 3 Blackburn
14 August 2016 - Loch Leven Dancers (rehearsal)
Screaming Eels 32 J 3 Princess Bride
Zytglogge 32 R 3 Blackburn
The Shores of Solway 32 S 3 Goldring
Abbot of Unreason 32 J 3 Milton Levy
Kildonan Sands 32 S 3 Goldring
Pinewoods Reel 32 R 3 JBD
16 August 2016 - New Haven
Espie McNabb 32 J 3 MMM
Anderson’s Rant 32 R 3 MMM
Shores of Solway 32 S 3 Goldring
Banks of Allen 32 J 2 MMM*
Abbot of Unreason 32 J 3 Levy
Les Remparts des Séville 32 J 3 Bk 50/2
Miss Nidra Aitken 32 S 3 set F. Walduck
23 August 2016 – New Haven
Brudenell Jig 32 J 3 2nd Graded
No 32 R 3 set Joubert
Bridge of Nairn 32 S 3 Bk 13/11
Joe Foster’s Jig 32 J 3 set Noden
Miss Nidra Aitken 32 S 3 set Walduck
The Baldooser 32 J 3 Priddey
The New Season (September)
27 September 2016 – New Haven
Lovers’ Lane 32 J 3 set J. Lataille
Findlays’ Jig 32 J 3 Goldring
Thornycroft 32 R 2 Goldring
Birkenside 32 S 2 Goldring
Red Baron 32 R 2 Boyd
Abbot of Unreason 32 J 3 Levy
Portland Mermaid 32 S 3 Price
More Bees A-Dancing 32 R 3 Goldring
4 October 2016 - Kilts & Ghillies Program for 2017 set
Driving Through Eutaw 32 J 3 Leary
Shores of Solway 32 S 3 Goldring
Anderson’s Rant 32 R 3 MMM
John Cass 32 J 5 Bk 49/10
Johnsonville Diamond 32 S 2 Downey
No 32 R 3 set Joubert
Les Remparts des Séville 32 J 3 Bk 50/2
Chris Ronald’s Strathspey 32 S 3 Wallace
British Grenadiers 32 R 3 MMM
Abbot of Unreason 32 J 3 Levy
Robertson Rant 80 S 4 sq Bk 39/8
Zytglogge 32 R 3 Blackburn
Joe Foster’s Jig 32 J 3 set Noden
Peggy Spouse MBE 32 S 3 Bk 46/11
More Bees A-Dancing 32 R 3 Goldring
Saw Ye My Wee Thing 32 J 3 MMM
Swirling Snow 32 S 3 set Taylor
Deil Amang the Tailors 32 R 3 Bk 14/7
28-30 October 2016 – Asilomar Weekend San Francisco Branch
I was there to have fun, and I did. I also found two dances:
St. Faolan of the Woods 32 J 3 Andrew Smith
A Toast to the Mousies 32 R 3 Sarah Gratiot
Pat Coyne taught these dances by Anna Holden:
Bannocks and Brose 32 J 3
From the Broomielaw 32 S 4
Miss Alison Little 32 R 2
I like her teaching. Sure she makes mistakes but her sense of humor is so dry it a joy.
1 November 2016 – New Haven
Pint o’ Ale is Fain 32 J 3 McMurtry
Betelgeuse 32 R 3 Gregg
Bedrule 32 S 3 Bk 33/7
Eggemoggin Reach 32 J 3 Price
Toast to the Mousies 32 R 3 Gratiot
St. Faolan of the Woods 32 J 3 Smith
Chris Ronald’s Strathspey 32 S 3 Wallace
**********
The short form -
Chris Ronald’s Strathspey:- Good enough for a ball!
Orpington Caledonians:- Nice!! Fun music good dance.
St Faolan of the Woods:- 2 thumbs up.
Toast to the Mousies:- I like the Keith Smith tune. I like the dance. 2 thumbs up.
Eggemoggin Reach:- Why is it so hard to get dancers to go big and wide and bold???
Pint o’ Ale:- A nice easy opening Jig.
Swirling Snow:- be careful, the allemande will bite you if you’re not careful. But nice!
More Bees A-Dancing:- Fun, but please forget Maggieknockater.
Joe Foster’s Jig:- I like it. I learned it as a reel. the teacher found nice 6x through reel music, no strike that, he found great
Zytglogge:- Find it, do it!!
British Grenadiers:- Why? Because of the Jim Lindsay music, he includes Radetsky March! Fun!
Anderson’s Rant:- Smoooth!
No:- Scotland’s referendum, Brexit and Trump!! BTW it is a nice dance.
Miss Nidra Aitken:- Read better than it danced. Familiarity issue?
Portland Mermaid:- More difficult than I thought. Twice now I have had difficulty when teaching it. No name figures, nothing new, just the arrangement?
The Baldooser:- I like it. It reads harder than it dances and it dances similarly to John Drewry’s Flying Spur - it is 2 dances in 1. One dance for the corners another for the active couple.
The Banks of Allen:- My opinion? AS written it is fun, mildly demanding and rewards the effort expended.
As interpreted in diagram - bloody awful! Where does it say that 1st and 2nd couples, when they dance diagonally into the center, have to end with their backs to each other?? That is, IMHO, a gross misinterpretation of what is written. As a rule - keep it simple.
What I teach is- dance diagonally in or down- ending side by side with the other couple:
2L 2M 1M 1L
Now pivot and face the other couple 2M 1L
2L 1M
and continue, forming lines of four on the centerline and across the dance. Curve? Why? Just to make the dance a turkey?
Side Issue:- Any good Reel? The music is a jig!
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