End of year feedback

Well, that is another year of classes finished.

I would really appreciate it if you could provide some feedback on the class over the last year and give some indication of what you would like from demonstration class. Here are some pointers to get you going:

1. Have you enjoyed demonstration class this year? What have been the good points and what have been the bad things?
2. Have we got the balance of the class right? Did we focus too much on the big dems and competitions or did we not do enough for these? Did you get enough feedback about your own dancing or should you have got more? Was the choice of dances/figures/etc correct for the class?
3. Was the class formal enough or too formal? What was your opinion of the skirts and kilts attire for class? Did it help you with your dancing or just a waste of time?
4. What, in your opinion, is the purpose of demonstration class? Is it only to prepare for the big dems and competitions or should it be about preparing a group of dancers to do any demonstration for the society? Should it be about doing obscure and difficult dances or about developing peoples performance abilities and thus lots of repetition of the same dances so that you know them inside out?

Thank you for taking the time to respond. If you do not want your comments to become part of this blog, then please email me directly with your comments. These will not be posted.

Thanks,

Alasdair

Week 4, Semester 3

Last week was taught by Liz Green. I believe she did some work on strathspey covering the Knot and in reel or jig time hello goodbye setting.

Step Practice

• Skip change of step: Need to get a straight leg with pointed toe at the start. Need more elevation, hop, at the start.
• Pas de basque: Most of you are getting a good weight transfer now.
• Strathspey travelling: Also need to get a straight leg here.
  

Exercises

• Hello goodbye: Move only on the jete of the left pas de basque. That is, set and move, set and move, etc.

Formations

• 1 couple allemande: progression in four bars. 1: dance round to the men's side. 2: dance down inside the set. 3: bring the lady in and under. 4: retire.
• set and rotate: keep the body facing across for the setting. Cast round (including 1man and 2 lady), change places with your partner and chase round one place.

General Stuart's Reel
8x32 Reel Book ?

• I prefer the corners to dance for four bars in the turn, although the manual says two.
• Think of the body angles for the hello goodbye setting.
• Remember to slide into place at the end of the 6 bar reels

The Earl of Home
8x32 Strathspey Book 12

• Watch the lines going across in the set and pass right shoulders.
• First couple adapt the end of the 1 couple allemande to face their corners.
• Think of the body angles in the set to corners
• Again, 6 bar reels so slide into place.

The Gilly Flower
8x32 Jig Book 36

• This dance requires "continuous motion" for the first couple. Dance through the sideline positions at the end of each phrase.
• It is horrible for 1st man to go from the set and rotate into the reel of 3.

Week 2, Semester 3

Step Practice
We worked a bit on pas de basque. Main errors were:

• Not getting 3 beats
• Need a straight leg on the jete
• Need to close in 3rd position
• Turn out

Formation
We did the all round poussette in reel time. It is a bit of a beast of a figure and can never really be done neatly.

1. Away from centre and quarter turn
2. Up or down and quarter turn
3. Into the centre
4. Away from the centre and quarter turn
5. Up or down and quarter turn
6. Into the centre and start to turn.
7. Turn to own side.
8. Retire to own side lines.

Longwise Eightsome
32S + 32R Bk 18

This dance contains some difficult phrasing, e.g. right hands across half way in 4 bars, and cross right and cross right in 8 bars.

The Palindrome
2x32S + 2x32R Brockbank

The full instructions for this dance can be found at http://scottishdance.net/dances/ThePalindrome.html.

This dance is a bit of fun and attempts to be palindromic, i.e. the same forward as it is backwards. It is a good challenge on the brain and there are lots of covering points in the dance.



Next week's class will be taught by Liz Green.

Week 1, Semester 3

How can you have a semester 3? Semesters are meant to split the year into two, originally both blocks being six months.

Step Practice

• Skip change: Need more flight
• Slip step: Need to point feet when off the ground
• Strathspey traveling: Make sure that the movement is smooth and the you are closing in 3rd position
• Strathspey setting: Make sure that the movement is smooth and slow down the following leg.

When forming sets for class remember the three questions:

1. Is your set wide enough?
2. Is your set long enough?
3. Do you have straight lines?

I shouldn't need to ask you these anymore.

W James
8x32 Jig Tweeddale Collection Volume 2

Concentrated on technique whilst dancing a simple dance.

Gang the Same Gate
8x32 Strathspey Bk 36

Concentrated on technique whilst dancing a familiar dance. Watch for straight legs and that you are closing in 3rd. Also be careful of the phrasing.

The Blackwater Reel
8x32 Reel Bk 41

Be careful that the reels in the last 8 bars do not spread too much beyond the size of the set.

Week 11, Semester 2

Well, a few of us showed up for demonstration class last night. As requested, we had a bit of a focus on circles.

Step Practice

• Slip step: Need to get the legs well turned out. Closing in 1st position and getting a good spring in the step.
• Skip change: Need to get a good straight leg at the start of your skip change of step
• Strathspey traveling: Need to think about being strong and smooth. Need to get a good urge at the start of the step and make sure that you close in 3rd everytime.

Figures:

• Circle round and back in jig time: Make sure that you keep your body and hips facing across the circle.
• Circle in strasthpey time: Keep the shoulders facing across and twist your hips. Still need to see a good strong strathspey traveling step. Close in 3rd rear aerial when changing direction in the circle
• 3 couple knot: Key thing is to release hands at the end of bar 5. Make sure that you have a good wide turn so that you end up directly opposite your partner and not diagonally opposite.

Airyhall Delight
8x32 Jig Book 40

• 1&2 set, right hands across half way. 1&3 half rights and lefts.
• 3&1 set, left hands across half way. 2&1 half rights and lefts.
• 1st couple lead down for 4, up for 2, all three couples set
• 6 hands round and back.

Difficult points in this dance are

• 1st lady going from the left hands across into the rights and lefts.
• Getting back up to second place and setting

???
3x32S+3x32R

• 1st couple cross down into 6 bar mirror reels of three on the side lines.
• 1st man crosses in front of 1st lady while 2nd couple continue reel into top place.
• All 3 couples dance the knot, 1st couple finish facing their 1st corner
• Half reel of 4 on the first corner diagonal, 1st couple turn left so that 1st lady faces 2nd lady's place and 1st man faces 3rd man's place, half diagonal reel of four on the second corner diagonal with 1st couple crossing right at the end. Finish 213 on the opposite side.
• 6 hands round and back.

Dance is repeated with the head of the set at the opposite end.

This dance is a bit of a goer, but a lot of fun. Hopefully it will get published in the NS 60th book. Suggestions for titles are welcomed.

Week 10, Semester 2

Step Practice

• Pas de basque: concentrating on the extension (see note by adjudicator for Newcastle)
• Strathspey setting step: concentrated on getting a smooth movement with the leg coming slowly up to 3rd rear aerial.
• Skip change of step: concentrated on getting a bit more flight without becoming bouncy.

Figures

• Four couple allemande: there is no step to the ladies side nor is there a step up the dance.
  
• Set to corner, partner
  
• Swirl

Sunday Morning
4x32 Reel 5/1982

• Petronella turn, set down the set, turn right 1+1/4: Do not try to cover too much distance with the setting, use the turn to cover the rest of the distance.
• Reel of 4 on sides
• 6 bars of a reel of 4 across and turn right to 3214: This cannot be done neatly and ruins the dance
• 4 couple allemande

Edina's Pride
8x32 Strathspey Gray (I believe it was republished in the Edinburgh branch 80th anniversary book)

• Cross below 2s and cast round 3s, turn right: Have to cover distance for the cross but slow down in the cast. Think about positioning so that you can flow into the next figure.
• Circle
• Swirl
• Set to corner, partner

Main thing about this dance is phrasing. Your strathspey traveling was generally good with no passing of feet except in the circle.

McKeown's Hornpipe
8x40 Hornpipe Drewry Canadian Book

• Variation on a double figure of 8: phrasing of this movement is important
• Mirror reels of 3
• 1 petronella and set while the 2s&3s cast to second place, men make an arch, pass person on right in front and cast to the end, cross right
• Repeat
• Circle

Again, the phrasing is important. The corners need to make the middle movement quite bulbous so that they have some distance to cover. The more you danced this the better you got, although you were quite out of breath at the end.

Messages:
We decided to have another class next week since the hall was booked.

Week 9, Semester 2

This class was taught by Liz Green as I had to go on a work trip.

I believe Liz taught Miss Gibson's Strathspey amongst other things. I think that she worked on your setting steps.