Week 11

Class taught by Liz Green

Week 10

SUSCDF Demonstration Practice

We spent the evening going through the SUSCDF demonstration. Here are a few points to remember:

• Keep the hands at shoulder height, don't let them drop, in circles and hands across
  
• Keep checking your lines, the whole point of the demonstration is to show the shapes
• Particularly watch your lines in the second dance where there are lots of couples doing the same thing at the same time
• Try to stand still, arms at the side, etc.
• Most of all, have fun!

Liz Green will be teaching the class next week, the last one before Christmas. It is also going to be our last class with James as our musician. James, thanks for putting up with me all term, you've been fantastic.

Week 9

SUSCDF Demonstration practice

I wish I'd had a camera to capture peoples reactions.

Week 8

SUSCDF demonstration practice

Danced through the dances in the demonstration.

Went over the links from the end of the second dance through to the end of the demonstration.

It would be really helpful if:

• people could read through the demonstration cribs handed out at the class
• everyone involved in the demonstration could be at next week's class
  

Week 7

Step Practice

• Strathspey travelling step
• Skip change of step

Exercise

• 2 steps forward, 2 steps backwards, 4 steps forward, repeat.
  

Mrs Hamilton of Wishaw
8 x 32 Strathspey Book 23
Contains:

• Reels of 3
• Rondel
• Grand Chain

Miss Hadden's Reel
8 x 32 Jig Book 23
Contains:

• Circle
• 3 Couple Allemande
• Advance and retire

Week 6

Step Practice

• Bas de basque
• Set left, set right, skip change right, skip change left, set left, set right, ...

The exercise was aimed at helping men (and ladies dancing as men) to change feet for a poussette and back again at the end of the poussette.

Clydeside Lassies
8 x 32 Reel (2 couple) MMM1
Contains:

• Circle
• Poussette

The Banks of Clyde
8 x 32 Strathspey MMM1
Contains:

• Rondel

Week 5

The Yellow-Haired Laddie
4 x 64 Minuet (3/4) Book 12

The dance is a lot easier than Tweedside although the step still takes some getting used to. The phrasing is a bit awkward in places.


Le Moulin Rouge
64 Reel Book 39
Contains:

• Wheel chain
  
• Rosace

We also tried out something with the poussette for the SUSCDF demonstration.

Week 4

No class due to school half-term.

Week 3

A Trip to the Drakensberg
8 x 40 Jig Book 38
Contains:

• Poussette
  
• 3 couple allemande

This is one of New Scotland's demonstration dances for the year.

Tweedside
3 x 36 Minuet (3/4) Book 19.

The hard thing about this dance is getting the hang of the step and the 6 bar phrasing.

Week 2

Laird of Milton's Daughter
8 x 32 Jig Book 22
Contains:

• Corner chains

Bubbles in the Pond
8 x 32 Strathspey Delaware Valley Book
Contains:

• Tourbillon

Dancers are meant to get out to the sidelines in the "bubbling up" movement (bars 17-24).

Week 1

Linton Ploughman
8 x 32 Jig (2 couples) Book 5

Maggie Lauder
8 x 32 Strathspey (2 couples) Book 10

Red House
8 x 40 Reel (2 couples) Book 7


The dances were linked together as if they were a medley.