FALL, 2011
PAGE 1
THE THISTLE
The Newsletter of the
Nanaimo Scottish Country Dancers
The Thistle
Club Executive:
President:
Doug McConnell
[email protected]
Past President:
David Handley
[email protected]
Vice President:
Katherine Miller
[email protected]
Treasurer:
Iona Verhoeks
Ionaverhoeks
@gmail.com
Secretary:
Kim Morgan
[email protected]
Social Convenor:
Anne Oxley
[email protected]
Webmaster:
John Duffus
[email protected]
http://nanaimoscd.com/
cms/
Editor:
Dorothy Young
[email protected]
Classes:
Social Class each
Tuesday at 7:30 pm
Beginners/Basic
Class each Thursday at
7.30 pm
All classes are held at
Pleasant Valley Hall,
6100 Doumont Rd
Nanaimo
For more information
contact:
June—250-756-6182
Hazel—250-758-6224
President’s Musings:
In August we had our annual picnic hosted this year by Richard and Wendy
Strachan. Unfortunately I was unable to attend but by all reports it was a huge
success and enjoyed by all those attending. A big “THANK YOU’ from us all to
Richard and Wendy for continuing the tradition of Gabriola hospitality.
Thursday 15th September saw our annual Open House with over 40 people
attending. There were approximately 14 first time visitors attending and to date 12
have returned to our regular classes Refreshments were provided and our new
Social Convener, Anne Oxley, did a tremendous job with these.
Classes have commenced on their Tuesday/Thursday schedule and attendance
has been very good although it will probably be another few weeks before we
know what the total membership will be.
We had our inaugural Board Meeting on Wednesday 21st where we welcomed
our new Executive members Kathryn Miller Vice President, Kim Morgan Secretary,
Iona Verhoeks Treasurer and Anne Oxley Social Convener.
A special thank you to retiring Executive members Wendy Strachan, Edith
Morgan and Joan McConnell for their service to our club and their contribution to
the Board of Directors.
The annual St. Andrews night social will also include conferring honorary
membership on our Past President David Handley and former Past President
Marguerite Bell.
The New Year Ball will be on January 7th 2012 at the Nanaimo Yacht club and
Brian McFadden has volunteered to once again be Chairman for this very popular
event.
The Tea Dance is scheduled for April 21st 2012 at Dover Bay School and Hazel
MacDonald is once again taking on the organization of this. Events like these
would not be possible if people like Hazel and Brian did not devote their time and
effort to make them successful and it is therefore incumbent on us, the members,
to volunteer our help and assist in any way we can.
At our Annual General Meeting in April, retiring President David reminded us that
our club’s Mission Statement, as indicated in our Constitution, is for the
advancement of Scottish Country Dancing. How to achieve this, or even what
would be considered as “advancement” is open to all kinds of interpretation. As
President I intend to pursue this matter and I am asking all members for their
input via suggestions, ideas, etc.
I look forward to another season of dancing and trust we all have an enjoyable
and fulfilling year.
Doug McConnell
FALL, 2011
PAGE 2
THE THISTLE
The Appeal
Whatever (or whoever) introduced you to Scottish
Country Dancing you most likely are drawn to it by
one of these reasons:
Great
Great
Great
Great
Great
music
fun
exercise (mental and physical)
sociability
worldwide access
The music should inspire all of us to dance with
enthusiasm and zest and we try to bring the best
recorded music available (and there’s lots of it).
Every class should be instructive, challenging and
somehow fun all at the same time. As a teacher I
try to include all of these elements as well as
building on your knowledge and dancing experience. The mental and physical exercise needs
little elaboration as we all (hopefully) go away
feeling we learned something and are ready for
bed. The sociability in dancing is somewhat
unique in that we encourage everyone to dance
with a different person throughout the evening.
Some people find this disturbing and if you let us
know we will try to accommodate you.
Dancing
can be experienced in many countries around the
world – France, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand and many more. This
can be experience firsthand when attending workshops or Summer Schools when all colours,
nationalities and ethnicities are together.
As a teacher I have to be “up for the challenge”
each week. My enthusiasm and love of the
dance should inspire each one to try harder, listen
more closely and give it your best effort.
It’s a wonderful hobby with endless opportunities
to learn, make new friends and an excuse to
travel near and far. Keep it up everyone!
Hazel MacDonald.
What Makes a Great Dancer??
There has been a whole lot of talk of late about the
“quality” of dancing in our Scottish Country Dance
classes. It is being said that it has declined and there
are people out there now who are looking for answers
so we may correct this “problem”. I believe that most
dancers try to do their very best, so what is it that
separates an OK dancer from a good dancer.
Things that have a big impact on how well we dance
are age, health, confidence and enjoyment, therefore,
the younger we are, in most cases, the better we
dance. As we age and have to deal with things like:
bad knees, painful hips, and various other health problems we wonder what we can do to make it look like
we are still dancing at our very best. We can't turn
back the clock, but we can use some strategies that
might help!
Phrasing: Correct phrasing (getting to where you
should be in the allotted number of bars) is one of
the most important aspects of Scottish Country
Dancing. Remembering that each step you take
uses 1 bar of music means that over the course of
an evening a lot of effort must be spent concentrating on where you are going or on what's going
to happen next. We can't do Scottish Country
Dancing without thinking, a lot.
Feet: It has been drummed into us for years and still
holds true that closing each step in 3rd position
with a nice turnout makes you look like a welltrained, experienced dancer. Another really great
thing you can do that will make your feet look like
those of a real dancer is to point your toes. As
Bonnie Bellinghausen says in her article: Neat Feet
Part 4, “Pointed toes are part of Scottish Country
Dancing technique and we should not forget it!
What a difference it makes when watching dancers
who point their toes.” She admits that this is a
little more difficult for some men, but well worth
the effort of adopting the habit.
Posture: Good posture – standing tall, head held
high, shoulders back and with a smile on your face
makes you appear years younger and adds grace
and elegance to your dancing.
Now, if you can all incorporate these 3 points into your
dancing and also remember where you're going during
the dance, we will have a great class of “quality” dancers!
Happy “Quality” Dancing!
June McFadden
FALL, 2011
PAGE 3
THE THISTLE
My First Summer School
When my mother (Hazel MacDonald) suggested that
we go to the Teachers Association of Canada (TAC)
summer school together last July, I didn’t even know
what the acronym TAC meant. After a week of learning at Bishops University near Sherbrooke Quebec, I
developed a much greater appreciation of Scottish
Country Dancing and had a wonderful summer holiday with my mom.
Scottish Country Dancing is huge worldwide. There
were 300 dancers at the summer school from all over
Canada as well as the Eastern USA, the UK, Japan,
Portugal, New Zealand and Australia.
TAC is a world leader. We often hear June and Hazel
talk about the RSCDS (Royal Scottish Country Dance
Society) and TAC (Teacher’s Association of Canada). These groups support the education of Scottish
Country Dancing around the world. Because the
Canadian association is extremely well organised, they
attract people from all over the world (including
Scotland) to their events and to buy from their online
store. I was shocked to look on their website and see
the resources they ship worldwide (tens of thousands
of cds, videos, and dance books).
Live music invigorates the feet and spirit. All classes
and dances were accompanied by live musicians. Highly skilled accordion players, fiddlers, and
pianists attended each event. I only saw one musician
dance (very well), but they were all well versed in the
steps and formations of Scottish Country Dancing.
Mothers and Daughters often dance together. We
found six pairs of mothers and daughters participating
in the summer school.
Next year’s summer school is being held in Portland
Oregon. I would recommend the summer school to
anyone keen to learn more about dancing.
Kirsty MacDonald
Grab the Grandkids!
We’re launching a Family Scottish Country Dance
Class this fall! Instruction will be geared to young
children (5 to 8 years old) along with their parents
and grandparents, but if older children are happy to
join in, we’re happy to have them!
Classes are on Sunday afternoons, from 2:30 – 3:30,
at St. Andrew’s United Church Hall, (at the corner of
Fitzwilliam and Wesley Streets) and run for six weeks,
Let's face it - English is a
crazy language
There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't
invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't
sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we
explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work
slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
starting October 9th. And here’s a deal for you: Six
weeks of dancing for the whole family costs just $25!
Call Sydney at 250 753 1584 or Pam at 250 754 6664
or send an email to [email protected] to sign up or for
more information.
Submitted by
Sydney Robertson
FALL, 2011
PAGE 4
THE THISTLE
Thistle Guidelines
PURPOSE: The purpose of the "Thistle" is to:
•
Inform or educate members about the activities of the Board.
•
Promote Scottish Country Dancing and music.
•
Provide a forum for our teachers to teach/
advise on technical aspects of Scottish Country
Dancing
•
•
•
800 words or less,
•
Conform to the purposes above
GUIDELINES FOR EDITOR.:
The editor:
•
will assess all submissions for compliance with
the purposes above.
Keep members abreast of RSCDS activities as
they may affect NSCD
•
at her/his discretion, may ask writers to revise/rewrite articles to meet the purposes
Provide a forum for members to write about
experiences in Scottish Country Dancing beyond the confines of mid VI.
•
to reduce the length
•
consult with the President if uncertain whether
submission is acceptable.
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS:
Submissions must be:
November, 2010 File NSCD Thistle, approved by
Board 2010 11 23
Standard Etiquette for Scottish Country
Dancing
l. Arrive on time whenever possible.
2. An invitation to dance may be extended by
either a man or a woman. It should be worded
in a clear and friendly way. A friendly hand
should be extended to the partner.
3. Always join a set at the bottom, but avoid
walking through the set to get there or to
another set. Also, don't pass a set in need of a
couple, or leave a set once you have joined it.
(Except under the direction of the MC, in order
to allow more people to dance—such as a fourth
couple leaving to join two couples, making two
3-couple sets.) Stay in lines and places while
sets are forming, as it is hard to count if everyone is moving about. The first couple in a set
traditionally counts off the number of couples
lined up.
have any questions, ask the instructor, not
other dancers. The question may also be of
interest to others. At the end of every dance,
you should thank your partner and clear the
floor.
5. Do not form new sets until the next dance is
announce by the MC. This allows for a better
exchange of partners and distribution of ability
in sets, which is so important for a sociable
evening. Also, it is more flexible and friendly
NOT to line up partners for all of the dances
ahead of time.
6. Be sure to ask a variety of partners to dance.
Remember especially:
•
•
•
4. Listen quietly during all instructions. If you
•
the person you came with
dancers frequently sitting out
women often dancing as men, or men often
dancing as women
beginning dancers and visitors
FALL, 2011
•
PAGE 5
THE THISTLE
the party MCs and class teachers, as a way of
showing your appreciation for the evenings
they have planned for your enjoyment
7. Notes or "cheat sheets" should be studied off
the floor. The dance floor is a place for sociability.
8. At a party where notes have been circulated in
advance, it is most courteous not to join in a set if
one does not know the dance, especially if it is a
more difficult one.
The catastrophes that result are embarrassing to
the dancer and irritating to the set.
9. Friendliness is a part of the good manners
which Scottish Country Dancing promotes. A
pleasant smile, a friendly word, general mixing,
and good spirits are the hallmarks of a successful
evening.
Submitted by
June McFadden
Mark Your Calendars
For sale
November 12th
Burgundy wool kilt, nice muted tartan. Size large 12 or
14. $20 donation to SPCA and it's yours!
Oceanside Scottish Country Dancers’
Old Fashioned Social
Black leather dancing shoes, (not ghillies), with gel insole. Ladies size 8. $25
Dinner/Dance with
Mary Ross
[email protected]
$30.00 each dancer
Submitted by
Katherine Miller
$20.00 each non-dancer
Lexiphiles
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To write with a broken pencil is.... pointless.
When fish are in schools they sometimes.... take
debate.
A thief who stole a calendar.... got twelve months.
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles.... U.C.L.A.
The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes.... was on shaky ground.
The batteries were given out.... free of charge.
A dentist and a manicurist married.... They fought
tooth and nail.
A will is a... dead giveaway.
If you don't pay your exorcist.... you can get repossessed.
With her marriage, she got a new name... and a
dress.
Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft and I'll
show you.... A-flat miner.
You are stuck with your debt if.... you can't budge
it.
Local Area Network in Australia.... The LAN down
under.
A boiled egg is.... hard to beat.
When you've seen one shopping center.... you've
seen a mall.
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Police were called to a day care where a threeyear-old was.... resisting a rest.
Did you hear about the fellow whose whole left side
was cut off?.... He's all right now.
If you take a laptop computer for a run you
could.... jog your memory.
A bicycle can't stand alone... it is two-tired.
In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism.... it's your Count that votes.
When a clock is hungry.... it goes back four seconds.
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine....
was fully recovered.
He had a photographic memory.... which was never
developed.
Those who get too big for their britches will be....
exposed in the end.
When she saw her first strands of gray hair.... she
thought she'd dye.
• Acupuncture.... a jab well done.
Submitted by
Anne Berry