Programme

Origins and development of Social and Scottish Dancing

  • SCD and the 19th century social dance heritage in Europe (Fabio Mollica)
  • Development of dance notation systems and SCD (Simonetta Balsamo)
  • Some influences affecting the development of modern SCD: An analysis of the first six books published by the SCDS (Marjorie McLaughlin)
  • Genuine vs. invented traditions in SCD (Rosemary Coupe)
  • How dancing style has developed within the RSCDS, with a comparison to other social dance environments and practical demonstrations (Bill Clement)
  • Ladies’ Step Dances - Sources and Styles (Atsuko Clement)

Topics (not only) for teachers

  • Teachers’ clinic (Graham Donald)
  • The value of technique in fostering enjoyment of dancing (David Hall)
  • The importance of warm downs and stretches at the end of class (Andrew Timmins)
  • Development of dance notation (Simonetta Balsamo)
  • Teaching SCD to children & linking it to culture and language (Tess Parker Edelmann)
  • A novel approach to dealing with mistakes (Bruce Hamilton)
  • Dealing with difficult classes (Armin Busse)

Organising successful workshops (and other SCD events)

  • Ingredients for success: organising a SCD musicians’ workshop (Keith Smith)
  • Flying with instruments (Bernie Hewitt)
  • Conducting a successful specialized workshop (Irene Paterson)
  • A conference for Teachers, Musicians and Organizers - Not the usual goals, not the usual methods (Bruce Hamilton)
  • SCD workshops – dos and don’ts (Susi Mayr)
  • The MC’s duties (Bruce Hamilton)
  • Notes on building a dance programme and MC-ing (Bill Zobel)

The attraction of SCD – ways to discover SCD & reasons to keep doing it

  • Panel discussion – The Future of SCD: can we get there from here? (Andrew Timmins, Anselm Lingnau, David Hall, Irene Paterson) - “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
  • SCD in non-Scottish environments – a study (Maria Zotko)
  • That was fun! That was fun? Grappling with the aesthetics of Scottish Country Dance (Bruce Herbold)
  • RSCDS current and future plans - interactive session (Alex Gray, Ruth Beattie, Liz Foster, Helen Russell, William Whyte)

Using the Internet and other new media for SCD

  • SCD and the Internet (Anselm Lingnau)
  • Computers and SCD (Malcolm Brown)

A chance to dance

  • Revisiting some reconstructions. Rescuing some lost children of the RSCDS - a demonstration and practical dance class (Bruce Herbold)
  • What a difference a tune makes - how well do you know the music you’re dancing to? (Angela Young)
  • Hugh Foss’ »Belhaven« (Andrew Timmins)
  • Variations on a theme – new formations in SCD (Malcolm Brown)
  • Dance in Dardagny with Angela Young, David Hall and Keith Smith