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BROUN'S REEL
link to ARCHIVES
| February 2008 |
| Editorial | Popular Dances | Reims at Easter | Spring Fling |
| Printing cribs | Walk / lunch | W.R. Festival | obituary - Mike George |
Loyal readers will have known for some time that I'm an ardent fan of the Scottish rock band Runrig, and may know that last summer (summer?) I stood in heavy rain for twelve hours at Drumnadrochit to see them perform at their open-air “Beat the Drum” festival. This year their only British summer tour date is in July at Edinburgh castle - and I'm not going. The price, at £35, with a £4.50 handling charge and a £4 secure postage cost, is just too steep - and I'm told that that's not particularly expensive as rock groups go!
There were those who thought that our dance tickets in March at £8 for members and £9 for non-members were rather expensive when you had to take a Faith Supper. £8? That's only 24 minutes of Runrig! Michael, in his article which I read after beginning the editorial, agrees that Scottish Country Dancing is very reasonably priced. I'm told that a round of drinks costs more than that. An evening's dancing at your local class or a recorded Saturday branch dance must be one of the cheapest nights out anywhere: certainly cheaper than a visit to the pictures!
When I'd read about the RSCDS's financial problems in the last edition of The Dancer and the fierce debate there had been over subscription charges, I wondered what other subscriptions cost me annually. My RSPB membership costs me £34 pounds a year - but they do suggest you can give up to £80 if you wish. ALL, the Association for Language Learning charges me £50 per year for two magazines twice a year and a minor discount off a VERY expensive annual conference. My Runrig Fan Club subscription comes a lot cheaper, at £12.50 with three magazines a year and advance news of tour dates - and the occasional rare chance to meet the band. Individual membership of the National Trust for Scotland costs me £44 per year - 3 magazines again, but very useful free admission to properties in the wet summer of 2006 (it was wet where I was, in any case).
So the RSCDS, at £15 for HQ membership and £3 for local membership, seems a pretty good deal. Only the Runrig fan Club works out at better value - and look at the ticket costs there! In fact, compared with my other subsciptions, I begin to wonder whether the RSCDS charges enough. Ah, but it's a charity, you say, and non-profit-making - but so is the Association for Language Learning. The only reason that the RSCDS's costs aren't higher, it seems to me, is that so much of its activities are subsidised. To those nodding sagely in the knowledge that Summer School receives a kind of subsidy in the form of lower rents from the University of St. Andrews , that's not what I mean at all; I'm thinking of the legions of people who give up their valuable time and expertise to work for Scottish Country Dancing for free. The RSCDS could never afford to pay for that.
There are two lines of thought to consider next. One is that you get what you pay for. If you don't pay enough, the quality of what you get will diminish. The second is that matter of free gifts of time and expertise. Do you value you what you are given free enough? Is what has no cost to you worthless, or, as I believe, priceless?
Joyce Cochrane
Is SCD good for you? Even your pocket?
The Editorial in recent issues of “Broun's. Reel” addressed some of the problems of ageing dancers, arguing that dancing is not just about footwork. It is as much about timing: being in the right place at the right time, being aware of one's partner, moving to the rhythm of the music and....but I suggest that you re-read them yourself, it is worth the effort. Perhaps less stress was laid on the fact that one can get much enjoyment, and exercise of a sort, even if one is no longer capable of the antics of one's earlier appearances on the dance floor. Two good friends of Susan and myself, who dance not a hundred miles away, have just entered their tenth decade AND STILL THEY ARE JOINING IN THE DANCING. There is hope for us all. It supports contentions that Scottish Country Dancing is good for one's health as it helps to keeps one fit. Though a health warning might be in order when I consider the many hip replacements, knee or ankle operations that I can count amongst fellow dancers. Incidentally, I have been intrigued to learn that a Committee empowered to make financial grants to organisations encouraging sports and other healthy activities was supporting darts and snooker, but not dance. Snooker? Darts?? Exacting demands made on the proponents, maybe, but hardly aerobic activities.
And talking of finance, the combination of Scottish and Yorkshire folk can be daunting to someone who is hoping to make a quick buck (euro? pound? dollar?). But even the canny Scottish Country Dancing committee member has to yield when it comes to organising the Annual Ball/Dance, and finds that the venue of choice will only allow for in-house catering. The accountant controlled demand for profit is incontrovertible and unavoidable. Both York Club and YNH Branch have catered-by-committee in years gone by, and a very good job they each made of it. In recent years the dances have been held where the catering staff of the venue have to be employed, and costs have shot up. Just before Christmas Susan and I attended a Ball in a not too distant University Hall: for a very modest buffet the food component of the ticket was £11. Factor in the cost of a band, and incidentals, and the ticket price becomes off-putting. And yet...And yet, a relative tells me, a recent visit for two, to a pizza house and a bowling alley for a modest evening's entertainment made a very large hole in £100.
One comes to the conclusion that DIY Scottish Country Dancing is very reasonably priced. That is, when participants are many. When numbers attending fall (as they can do) then prices must rise if only to reduce the loss to an acceptable size. And we find raffles are introduced, so making more work for the Committee: nobbling prizes, cajoling cash out of members, and finding time to make the Draw. In two venues we attend, the draw for the raffle is made separately from the interval, so there are two lengthy breaks in the activity, two opportunities for limbs to stiffen. A solution might be just to provide a warm drink and a biscuit in the interval to act as a nucleus around which socialising may occur. This could result in a smaller bill from the catering side of the venue, less need for a raffle, and a lower ticket price that might even attract more dancers to the event. Also, dancers might find that the effort to restart dancing is less agonising than it otherwise might be.
Whilst a faith supper, pool tea, pot latch, or whatever is the local name for catering by attendees bringing contributions to a feast during the interval, usually provides a tasty meal, the lengthy pause before one dances again does produce an unavoidable stiffening of limbs. I wish programme devisers could accept that it is in the best interests of their customers to start each half of a programme with a no-setting dance. The undue strain on leg muscles can be ameliorated by a suitable choice of the dance with which the half starts. “Chequered Court”, “Wild Geese”, “The Montgomeries' Rant” – popular dances all – each has far too much setting to be a suitable starting dance.
Proof of their popularity appears in the “Top Twenty” list for 2007. This is compiled from the programmes of the 89 dance sessions I have been able to attend, during which I have met 407 different dances. Of these, 48 were new dances, and 190 were danced but once each. My “Top Twenty” lists 18 dances that have appeared 9 times or more. It is in keeping with the idiosyncratic nature of these lists that the number of dances in the list varies from year to year, and that the frequency of the dance (this year 9, last year 10) also is altered to produce a list about 20 dances long. When I remember that there are about fourteen thousand dances from which a programme may be selected, I wonder that any dances at all are danced more than once a year.
However, two dances make their first appearance in this List: Clutha (from Book 31) which this past Year seems to have rekindled interest in itself, and The Dream Catcher, another dance to make the cut in its introductory year. The remaining dances are well known and frequently met. There are 4 strathspeys, 8 reels, and 6 jigs. Only one of the strathspeys is of what, until now, I have regarded as the standard length of 8x32. Most new strathspeys seem to be coming in a shorter format 6x32 or 3x32, or the equivalent (e.g: The Dream Catcher ) . Perhaps devisers are acknowledging the feeling of many dancers that some 8x32 strathspeys can be unduly lengthy (and, to some dancers, bore-ring?).
As in the past, in the Notes column:
numbers in brackets indicate the position of the dance in last year's list,
R means that the dance is reappearing after an absence,
FA marks the first appearance of that dance in these lists.
S indicates that the dance is from an RSCDS publication.
Rank |
Dance |
|
Appearing |
Notes |
1 |
The Montgomeries' Rant |
R 8x32 |
22 times |
(3) S |
2 |
Shiftin' Bobbins |
R 8x32 |
15 times |
(15) |
3 |
Joie de Vivre |
J 8x32 |
13 times |
(11) S |
|
Pelorus Jack |
J 8x32 |
|
(5) S |
5 |
Cherrybank Gardens |
S 3x32 |
12 times |
(7) |
6 |
Chequered Court |
J 8x32 |
11 times |
(11) S |
|
Mrs Stewart's Jig |
J 8x32 |
|
R S |
|
Miss Gibson's Strathspey |
S 8x32 |
|
R S |
9 |
Highland Rambler |
R 8x40 |
10 times |
R |
|
Ian Powrie's Farewell to Auchterarder |
J 1x128 |
|
(11) |
|
MacDonald of the Isles |
S 3x32 |
|
R |
|
Miss Johnstone of Ardrossan |
R 5x32 |
(3) |
|
|
Reel of the Royal Scots |
R 8x32 |
|
(1) |
14 |
Clutha |
R 4x 48 |
9 times |
FA |
|
The Dream Catcher |
S 1x96 |
|
FA S |
|
The Irish Rover |
R 8x32 |
|
(15) |
|
Maxwell's Rant |
R 8x32 |
|
R S |
|
Wild Geese |
J 8x32 |
|
R S |
There you have it for another year. I really must get that anorak cleaned.
Michael East, Dunnington
Branch Liaison with the Management Board
As you may be aware, each RSCDS Branch is assigned member of the Management Board to act as liaison between the Branch and the central organisation. As the members of the Management Board change, so does the Branch liaison responsibility. In the most recent round of re-assignment, York and North Humberside Branch has been “given”, if that is the right word, me. This means that Branch members can contact me to raise issues or concerns, make suggestions and ask questions. If you have any great ideas for publicity, marketing, running events, promoting dancing, or if you need information that is proving elusive, I should be able to direct your ideas and queries to the right place.
My email is russell3@russell3.karoo.co.uk. My phone number is 01482 633267. I am happy to hear from you.
Helen Russell, North Ferriby
Reeling in Reims (The Champagne capital of France )
Yes- champagne and Scottish dancing do mix. Allan and I spent a really enjoyable Easter weekend in Reims, dancing with the Paris group. We had enjoyed the Paris branch's weekend in Pau four years ago, and were keen to join them again. The teacher was Mary Murray from Canada , Angela Young was the pianist for the classes, and the band was Marian Anderson- what a dream team!
The classes and the evening dances were held in the Salons Degermann – a magnificent large art-Deco hall, dating from 1900 in Versailles style with mirrors all round. It was 21 years since the Paris branch had held a weekend in these rooms, and many dancers such as Muriel Johnstone, Bill Zobel and those from the Paris branch held happy memories of the room. The lovely setting for me brought back memories of dancing in the Assembly Rooms in York . Helen and Ian Russell from the branch also attended, and we met lots of old friends from home and abroad. From our Harrogate weekend , Jim Stott ( the teacher) and Dave Hall (the band) both told us how much they had enjoyed the weekend at the Cairn Hotel.
The organising committee had done an excellent job and the weekend ran really smoothly. At meals wine was served liberally, and the food was lovely. As regards photographs, we were all given T shirts with a logo of a champagne bottle – black for the men and white for the ladies, and a group photo was taken - it was interesting to see how some people liked these T shirts, particularly the men and the black T-shirt, but how many ladies felt that a large white T shirt was not quite so elegant! A photographer recorded the weekend and a disc was made available - what a good idea. To our embarrassment Allan seemed to manage to get into a group photo of the ladies before the ball and was forcibly trapped by French ladies who suggested that the photo could be used for the game of guessing the odd one out!
Mary Murray as a teacher is such good fun, and always so pleasant, calmly teaching over 100 dancers. We felt some pride when she taught the dance “ Branches Together” devised by the late Roy Goldring for our joint Branch dance with Leeds last year. Mary had chosen this dance as the weekend represented people from so many branches - Japan , Canada , Germany as well as the French and British.
Stephen Webb from London taught an interesting new Strathspey “La Fleur de Lyon” which he and Nicole Michon had devised in memory of Maguy Paillot, whom many of us knew from Summer school. Ken Martlew has written lovely music for this dance, and it was a pleasure to see it performed at the evening dance. Again it is always good to see Duncan Brown's “ Chequered Court ” on the programme- it is really popular and we always say we know him! Throughout the weekend, Angela's piano playing was such a delight and she always looks so happy. The dance programmes were familiar. Marian, Max and the band seem to us to get better and better, and again their happiness when playing, lifts the atmosphere even more.
Reims was interesting - the cathedral is magnificent and we went to a fascinating museum in the map room of the Hall of Surrender where the ending of the Second World War was signed. Allan was busy practising his beginners' French in shops such as the patisseries – still some way to go ! We crossed on the Hull to Zeebrugge ferry and were impressed by our new sat-nav, as we negotiated our way to Reims so easily, and to Bruges on our return. Maybe we should have had one ages ago!
We had a guided tour dressed in evening dress of the Mumm Champagne Cellars. I was amazed by the miles of underground limestone caves. We then had a dinner in the atmospheric cellars with champagne flowing freely. Marie-Sollange Pollard had arranged our table with a mixture of French and British, which was such a good idea. I talked to Stephen Webb from Hertfordshire and on hearing we were from York , he described how welcoming Albert Williams was in their club in Hertfordshire, and how sorry they were to lose him and Molly to York . They had devised a dance called “Albert's Welcome”. I was interested to hear that Stephen had imported “Rob Roy” to the club from dancing in Africa where he worked as an engineer, but had to confess that despite Albert's best efforts I don't think that we ever quite mastered the dance in York . We too remembered how friendly Albert and Molly were.
The meal was delightful and champagne and wine flowed freely - then we had to go and dance at the ball back in Salons Degermann. Tom McKinlay the evening M.C. admitted that he felt quite apprehensive about the dancing after such free flowing alcohol, but actually everything went really well and the standard of dancing was as good as ever - maybe better as people were relaxed and happy, and mixed well.
The weekend was very sociable and I would definitely recommend dancing in France- fun, food, friendship, fantastic music and dancing. Many thanks to Gerry Reinhart and the organisers.
Margaret Highet, York
SPRING FLING, GLASGOW , 2008
It was a rather dismal, rainy Friday when I set out to travel from York to Glasgow for the RSCDS Spring Fling. Consequently, I didn't expect the weather in Scotland to be any better – previous experience having told me that the rain tends to get worse the further north I travel. I was, however, wrong and by the time I reached Edinburgh the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. After a short underground ride from the centre of Glasgow , I was at my hotel in the West End of the city. There was some time to go sightseeing before the evening's ceilidh and I particularly enjoyed the beautiful buildings and grounds around the University of Glasgow , which were a lovely change from the horrible 1960s architecture of my university in York !
The ceilidh was good fun, and a great way to meet everyone there with dances such as Strip the Willow and Postie's Jig. I was especially impressed with the number of people who had travelled from outside the UK in order to dance, which included a group from Estonia and others from Latvia and France !
The next morning we had classes. I was in the beginners class and there were only enough people for two sets, which made a quiet but friendly group. We were taught by Craig Houston and Alasdair Brown, with excellent music by Mo Rutherford. Both Craig and Alasdair put us through our paces, correcting our footwork and teaching dances that would be in the evening dance. In the afternoon, I tried Highland dancing taught by Mo Rutherford. It was a lot of fun, but I definitely felt it the day after! By the evening dance on Saturday, many people were sporting ankle or knee supports and I eventually had to join them. The dance itself was very good with a large turnout by the Glasgow dancers. Maybe it was because I was tired, but the dancing seemed to be much faster than usual!
On Sunday morning, the beginner and intermediate classes were taught by Alasdair Brown once more, and he gave a very interesting class in how to use body language to hint where people who are unfamiliar with a dance should go. The final class on Sunday was a dance devising class. My group composed a strathspey called ‘Flung Away', which involved an Estonian-influenced move that is similar to half a grand chain. After lunch a group of us headed into Glasgow city centre to travel home, groaning in pain every time we had to climb a set of stairs!
I had a brilliant time, met some wonderful people, and look forward to hopefully attending the next Spring Fling! Thank you to York and North Humberside RSCDS branch for paying my tuition fees for the weekend and York SCD Club for paying my train fare. It was well worth it!
Laura Smith, York
The Branch would like to inform all our readers that it is happy to provide financial assistance to young dancers to aid them in attending any of the Society schools, such as the Spring Fling attended by Laura. If you know of any one who might be in this category, or if you are under thirty five and looking for assistance, please contact the Secretary.
Malcolm .
PRINTING CRIBS FROM OUR WEBSITE , www.rscdsyork.com
Some of you are having problems when printing the cribs from our website. These cribs are formatted in a table using Microsoft Word. Options for printing are:.
1 If you use Internet Explorer as your browser you should be able to print directly from the web page, setting your own options for text size (click on Page/Text Size in the drop down menu) and margins (use File/Page Setup).
2 If you prefer, and have Internet Explorer and Word, you can use Edit/Select All/Copy, then paste into Word and adjust text size and margins there.
3 If you are using a different browser. eg. Firefox, it can't deal with these tables and the cribs show up with different line spacing so you can not print directly from the web page. (If you do, you will end up with 9 pages well spaced instead of 3.) However, if you have Word and you copy all and paste from Firefox into Word, then the formatting will revert to its original setting.
4 If you are using a browser other than Internet Explorer, and you do not have Word I think that the best solution would be to go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx select the version suitable for your operating system and download it for FREE.
Hope this helps. Let me know if it doesn't.
Rita Eastwood (kimberlow@dsl.pipex.com )
BRANCH WALK & LUNCH, BISHOP WILTON , 5th JUNE
This will take place on Thursday June 5 th . It will be a morning walk of about 5 miles, starting and finishing at "The Fleece Inn" at Bishop Wilton.
Walkers - please arrive by 9.45 am. We will have the opportunity to order our choice for lunch from the menu before we set off. The walk starts at 10 am. Do join us - it can't possibly rain as much as it did last year!!
If you are not walking, but wish to join us for lunch, please arrive at "The Fleece" by 12.30 and place your lunch order straight away.
Directions for Bishop Wilton - leave the A166 ( York to Driffield road) at the foot of Garrowby Hill.
Alternatively, approach via Pocklington. Follow signs for Millington , but one mile out of Pocklington look for the Bishop Wilton turning on the left
Jean Swearman, Beverley
WHITE ROSE FESTIVAL, HAREWOOD, 12th JULY
This year the White Rose Festival continues at what has now become its usual venue, Gateways School , Harewood, near to Harewood House. The Branch is entering one team again, and we hope to hold practices in Beverley on Sunday evenings again; sessions run from 7.30 to 9.30 at St. Nicholas Church Community Centre in Holme Church Lane . Again, Ian Russell will teach the team. Practice sessions will take place on the four Sunday evenings preceeding the festival. As usual, we're looking for members who would like to take part - please contact Ian ( 01482 633267) , your class teacher or any committee member.
It was a great shock to all of us to learn of Mike's death of a heart attack on February 18th at the age of 77. There are few people who packed as much into their lives; he was enabled in this by Brenda's support. He touched a great many lives in several different spheres. Everyone's got their own story about Mike. This is probably mostly my story about him rather than an account of his life - if you were at his funeral, you too will know how many things he was involved in and how many people appreciated him so much. I make no apologies for writing at some length.
I actually missed out on meeting Mike the first time he came to our Cottingham class. That year I was working hard doing a diploma in French, and missed several Monday nights; I was cycling in those days and the weather often seemed bad. Imagine my surprise when I turned up one night and for the first time there was a proper teacher there! That, of course, was Mike, and I recognised him as the man who changed Mollie's tyre after she'd had a puncture taking us home from a dance at which we'd met him. You tend to remember people who rescue damsels in distress while wearing a kilt. That kind of chivalry was typical, and was also the reason that ever after he got changed into mufti to travel home!
Mike recognised that my interest in Scottish Country Dancing was genuine and gave me a great deal of encouragement to improve and go on, for which I will always be grateful. After he and Brenda had been to Summer School one year - it was the year Book 33 came out, and boy, did he teach those dances well - he encouraged me to join the RSCDS and to go to Summer School myself. Not only had he learned a great deal himself there, and from Derek Haynes's Borrowdale weeks, but he was desperately keen to pass on both what he'd learned and the enthusiasm for dancing that he had. There was almost a three-line whip to get people to sign up for day schools - those were the days when we had waiting lists!
The RSCDS was terribly important to Mike, and he really believed in its principles and in getting as many people as possible to belong. He encouraged as many people as possible to go to dances, and so he made sure that we could all do the dances on the next programme so that we could go to any dance and not feel left out. He would arrange lifts for all and sundry so that getting to dances was always possible. He also encouraged members to become involved in the branch committee, always celebrating any role any of the group played in the branch. We've all seen the kind of “empire- building” where some one person has all the information and all the control over what goes on; for Mike, that was anathema, and everything was to be shared with everyone.
Naturally, it was Mike who encouraged me to take the Preliminary Teacher's certificate at St. Andrews . For some months before I went, he had me teach two dances each week, so that I'd taught every dance twice before I went - a procedure he repeated for two years before I took my full certificate! I was to find that this was most unusual when I got to St. Andrews ; hardly anyone had taught their class at all, and some had never even danced the set dances. Several of my class-mates felt that their teachers were rather jealous about their classes and most reluctant to share with someone who could threaten their position later (that empire-building I mentioned); Mike on the contrary was generous over sharing the class and encouraging me to join in the teaching. Clare, who had not long been a member of our Monday group, received the same encouragement.
When Mike first joined our class as its teacher, he was told (apparently in no uncertain terms!) that he “shouldn't do any of that footwork and technique and stuff”. Gradually over the years we did start to get more of this; Mike was always delighted by good dancing (he loved watching Clare dance), and was thrilled when the second year of his beginners' class started to pay dividends. Good teaching from the start does make a difference, he knew, and I wished I'd had that input all those years before.
In the last few years Mike had been much bothered by arthritic knees, as well as calf and Achilles injuries. He found not being able to dance properly very frustrating - not being able to dance at all even more so. A pacemaker, stretching exercises and a variety of strappings and knee braces meant that he could continue to dance, and the love he had for the dance and the great pleasure it gave him were obvious. He was always keen to learn new dances; nevertheless, he didn't like dances which “broke the rules”; he loved symmetry and good writing, with “The Dream Catcher” being a recent favourite.
It does sound so far a bit like “St. Mike”, but of course he was a real human and had his faults, the main one being that he didn't like being wrong - a fault many of us share, of course. It wouldn't have been so bad if whenever he went wrong Brenda, with her encyclopedic memory, hadn't known the right way to do something! He could be cantankerous at times, as the mug said. Apparently it was Brenda too who faced his bad moods when his bridge team or Hull FC lost (the latter more frequently than the former, by all accounts). Again, speakers at his funeral could pay far better tribute than I to his devotion to bridge and his lifelong passion for Hull FC.
Mike's work with the Scouts and the Cub Scouts is well known, as is the amount of work he did for the Scout Camp at Raywell. He went weekly as a volunteer helper to the Stroke Club, and after he retired from Reckitt's joined the Cottingham De Luda group. After going on a cruise with Brenda when they had both sung with the on-board choir, he joined a choir in which they could both sing, and got a great deal of pleasure out of this. A favourite piece they sang with the choir was “Finlandia”.
I've said nothing about the family: again, if you were at the funeral, you will have heard how important his family were to him. He was particularly proud of his two grand-daughters, Susannah and Anneka, and was very close to his grandsons Alistair and Dan - perhaps you met them at their Golden Wedding dance. Brenda will miss him sorely; we offer her our condolences, and extend them to all the family - to Chris and Kate, David and Sally and Cathy and Paul.
Joyce Cochrane
NEWSLETTER No. 112 February 2008
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Editorial
In the editorial to the last Broun's Reel, I began to look at a few technical points which might improve the dancing particularly of older members. I did say that I wasn't going to concern myself with footwork, but you may think that this time I'm contradicting myself. If you remember, I mentioned two dancers in our class whose carriage was particularly good, and I also commended one or two other things they did well.
Both ladies always phrased their dancing correctly - they were in the right place at the right time, and they took the right number of bars to do it. They achieved this partly because they listened to the teacher's instructions (and remembered them!) but mainly because they listened to the music. So they danced to the music, knew how many bars something would take, and danced for the appropriate number of bars. It wasn't just that each step started at the beginning of the bar, it was that each part of the step was in time with the music. I'm repeating myself here, but there are a lot of people out there who don't actually listen to the music! That rhythm in your ears should translate into the movements of your feet: that's fundamental.
To complete the moves in the dance, my two exemplary dancers introduced light and shade into their dancing - another topic beloved of St Andrews teachers in front of exam classes. All your steps are not the same length: some variation between longer and shorter steps is not just desirable but necessary, and actually adds to the overall impression. Again, to do that, understanding of the patterns, the figures, is essential - and so is listening to the music. Awareness of the other dancers involved in the figure also affects the length of your step. Someone once put down my ability to complete a figure in the requisite number of bars to my long legs (yes, mine!), but it was rather the length of my step.
Then, it's necessary to be on the balls of your feet, or on your toes. If your feet are flat on the floor, you've got more of them to move through a bigger angle of movement, and it requires more effort and time than merely swivelling on the balls of your feet. Your feet are actually moving further if they're flat on the floor, and you haven't the balance to change direction at a split-second's notice. So I would urge you to get up on your feet if you possibly can - it really will make dancing easier. When you dance a turn, particularly a tight turn as in corner-partner-corner-partner, make sure your feet are as close together as possible. You've less distance to travel that way (plus I think it looks better!) For me, when turning, your feet and your partner's feet should be close together, and your shoulders further away. Using elbow grip and leaning in towards each other means that your feet are further apart and you're making more work for each other, not less.
So there you are - technique you can all work on, and I haven't said a word about turn out! One day I'll quote Peter Clark on turn-out. Till then, try out what I've said - and if you do nothing else, listen carefully and, in the words of Sly Stone, "dance to the music".
Joyce Cochrane
THE COMMITTEE AND ME
In the December edition of Broun's Reel, Malcolm wrote an article about our branch of the RSCDS. He listed the activities which have to be organised , hence "the Committee", who plan the programme for the coming year and decide who will do what and arrange when and where the dances take place.
Two years ago I was asked if I would like to be on the committee. I was reluctant. I had always considered Scottish Dancing a relaxation, away from teaching and all that it involved. When I really thought about it, I realised that people just as busy, and in many instances busier, had given time to serve on the committee. They have provided me with the means to enjoy Scottish Dancing for more years than I care to remember. I was still rather reluctant and unsure what my contribution could be, but agreed to stand.
Being on the committee has certainly opened my eyes to the amount of work needed for the branch to operate successfully. The knowledge and experience of the other members certainly helped me during the last two years. Taking part in discussions and decision making for forthcoming events is an interesting experience.
I was very nervous about devising a dance programme, but was assured that guidelines were available to produce a balanced programme of reels, jigs, strathspeys and formations. Jean and I worked together a couple of times (on the premise that two heads are better than one!) spending an evening sorting and sifting, hoping that we would produce a satisfactory list of dances. Fortunately for you all, other kind members of the committee arranged the music for us.
This brings me to MC- ing and to say that it is not a compulsory part of being on the committee. I won't comment on my own "performances" except to say that hopefully I will have mastered the technique of starting and stopping the music, unaided, by the end of my three years.
In April five people will be retiring from the committee, leaving two very experienced members and one relative newcomer. If you haven't been on the committee before, please think about joining us. We need "new blood". If you have served before, perhaps several times, we would welcome you back.
Your branch needs you ...at least five, six or seven of you.
Chris Hare, Hessle
AFTER 25 YEARS...
March this year will be the 25 th anniversary of my first venture on to the Branch committee. I wasn't nominated. I volunteered at the A.G.M. because there was a vacancy. Of those elected at the meeting, Helen Brown was going to be the only woman. Yes, in 1983 there was a surplus of men, compared with this year, when Malcolm has been the sole male representative. Our constitution allows us to serve for three consecutive years before taking a compulsory year off. We are elected for just one year, and occasionally members have served for only one or two years. No problem with this, but it is relatively rare.
Many of us keep going back for more. After all, it's one way of knowing what's going on and even introducing new ideas. In 1983 I knew few people outside the York area, and even fewer knew me. I was a bit wary when I went to my first committee meeting one Sunday evening at the Bell Hotel in Driffield, but I was made very welcome, and by the end of the meeting I was the new treasurer, the chairman was from Scarborough and the secretary lived in Hull. There were others from York, Hull and Hornsea. I was getting to know people. That year I had an assistant in Arthur Keech, who volunteered to collect cash from our shop sales if I was busy doing other things. Very good he was too, writing down every item meticulously (and keeping carbon copies).
Twenty five years later I am again the treasurer, but no carbon copies -I rely on the computer to remember everything. Thanks to our constitution, I have only served sixteen of the twenty five years as treasurer, one year as secretary (hard work for me) and one as chairman (relatively easy). Although there is a core of us who keep returning, an analysis of committee members throughout the life of the Branch (32 years) shows that 57 different people have been involved on a committee which is comprised of up to 10 people, but which usually runs with less - sometimes with only 6. At the end of the current year, there will be only 3 of the current members eligible for re-election. People are quick in coming forward when help is needed before and during events, but we need more input into the organisation , not to mention at least one more body at meetings to make a quorum!
Rita Eastwood
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
The extra sheet on the back of this edition of Broun's Reel is your application form to renew/start your subscription to the Branch for 2008/9 due on 1 st March.
It is a fairly self-explanatory form requiring your name, address, e-mail (if you have one - it sometimes saves on postage). It shows the current annual subscription (£15 to the RSCDS and £3 to the Branch making a total of £18). The administrative subscription is for those who are members of another branch e.g. London or Glasgow but who would like to be a member of the Y & NH branch as well, their main RSCDS subscription being paid through their home branch. The majority of our members are Annual members but we like to check that our records are correct when we ask if you are a current Long Term member (we only have 1!) or a Life member (we have 7).
We find it saves unnecessary waste paper if we ask if you want to receive a copy of either the Day School form and/or the Weekend School form.
This year we have added the choice for multimember households to say whether they would like to receive only 1 copy at a time of The Scottish Country Dancer magazine. This has been a wish for many of you over the last few years and, using the new database at HQ (see the last Broun's Reel), we can grant you that wish - but only if you tell us!
It would be much appreciated if you could forward your subscriptions to me or your committee member as soon as possible.
Helen Brown, Branch Secretary
At the New Year's Eve dance, you will have noticed the presence there of Alasdair's two little girls, Abigail and Ilona . At the end of the evening, they assured Daddy that they'd put their dancing shoes in his shoebag . Of course, when they got back to Glasgow, there were no little dancing pumps in Alasdair's bag - so it looks like they were put in someone else's bag. If you've not been in your shoebag since New Year, can you please check that you've not got them? If you brought friends or family to the dance, could you ask them to check too? The shoes are in a pink plastic bag. Please let Malcolm or Helen know if you come across them.
A TRIP TO THE NETHERLANDS (Not Book 32)
The day after Boxing Day I got up very early, left Helen, and caught the early plane to Amsterdam. As Helen prepared for the arrival later in the day of Alasdair and family, I wondered around Schipol airport searching for a lady carrying a yellow magazine! Fortunately we found each other, and we were soon in her car travelling to Nunspeet for a week of English & Scottish dancing.
The main core of the course was English dances - from Playford to some recently devised dances - all instructed ("called") by a very experienced and knowledgeable lady from the Birmingham area. I was the Scottish teacher, so she kept losing part of her class as I taught the experienced and then less experienced Scottish dancers. We had classes in the mornings and afternoons, and then dancing in the evening. Obviously most of the evening dancing was English, and I had a great time trying to remember and dance all these new dances, especially as they were usually danced "for as many as will", i.e. one long set down the room - danced like that you never knew when the music was going to end, and as they all used just the one tune, it took some getting used to. We did do a few easy Scottish dances in the evening as a break from the English, and on the last night we had nearly an hour of it. When the dancing finished at about 10.30 there was short break for refreshments, and then the party started, with other forms of dance - Israeli one night, and Dutch the next.
After the classes in the afternoon there were other activities, and one afternoon we watched a DVD showing the English dances from films & videos of Pride & Prejudice, etc.
We had meals in the main dining room, sitting at tables of six, so I got to make quite a lot of new friends, and it was certainly a change from going to the post Christmas Sales.
I had a really wonderful few days, and we are currently investigating the possibility of organising a branch weekend to the complex. There is accommodation for about 60 or so people available (not as luxurious as the Cairn, but perfectly acceptable). The current idea is for classes in the morning, dancing in the evening, and at least a couple of all-day trips to places of interest, possibly getting together with other dancers from the area.
Malcolm Brown
HALF-EMPTY OR HALF FULL?
In the last Broun's Reel, Malcolm asked "Are you a cup half empty or a cup half full person? Should have known better than to ask a linguist! I'd say I was a cup half-empty person, even though this is usually taken to mean that you don't look on the bright side. My reasoning is this: a half-full cup is no more than that, whereas a half-empty cup means it was once full and I've already enjoyed half of whatever was in it!
Joyce Cochrane
YORK CEILIDH
I am happy to report that our experimental joint venture with the City of York Pipe Band in running an evening of ceilidh dancing on January 12th worked out very well. I haven't heard the final figure but we sold over 175 tickets and the dancing, to use Lesley's words, was somewhat " cosy " but a thoroughly good time was had by all.
Ian Watson, York
BRANCH ANNUAL DANCE, STOCKTON ON THE FOREST 29th MARCH
Our March dance, at Stockton on the Forest on Saturday 29th March, is really a replacement for the Annual Ball, which of course this season took place as the Joint Ball with Leeds. The band is the West Telferton Band, with their amazing fiddler: I'd encourage you to get tickets pronto! Tickets cost £8 for members and £9 for non-members; I think that's incredible value. Refreshments take the form of a Faith Supper; as usual, you are advised to bring your contributions on disposable plates if possible. The programme has been chosen by Margaret Highet .
STEP-CLASS. DUNNINGTON. 12th APRIL
The Step class (open to ladies and men) will take place on April 12th, at its usual venue, the Reading Rooms in Dunnington. Kathy Lawmon, who taught us last year with such great enthusiasm, and who has taught Ladies' Step at St. Andrews for the last two years, will again be accompanied by Patricia Cass from Newcastle. The morning session begins at 10.30 and is for beginners and intermediates; the afternoon session, from 2.00, is for intermediates and advanced dancers. Each session will cost £5. Further details and application forms are now available; if you've not been before but are interested, please contact Joyce Cochrane (01482 871790).
BRANCH AGM & DANCE, DUNNINGTON. 12th APRIL
The Branch dance in April, with recorded music, will take place on Saturday 12th April at the Reading Rooms in Dunnington, beginning at 7.30 p.m. Prices are £3 for members and £4 for non-members; please bring the usual contributions to a Faith Supper. The AGM will be held at the interval and is usually a fairly short affair - and you won't be pressured into doing anything there and then, so no worries! The programme has been chosen by Helen Brown.
NB: the Voortrekker Monument devised by Duncan Brown has recently been published in the Pretoria Branch Book.
BRANCH DANCE. PICKERING. 10th MAY
For our dance in May we are returning to Pickering Memorial Hall on Saturday 10th May. For those who don't know it, it's a super hall with quite a modern design, a decent floor, a super view over Pickering Beck, and there's parking not far away. I was really impressed last time. Usual arrangements apply. The programme, danced to recorded music, has been chosen by Doreen Wu and the Pickering group.
DANCING PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT CLASSES
The Dancing Proficiency Assessment (DPA) now consists of three levels. It is aimed at all members of the RSCDS, and is not just for those who want to become teachers. It gives an opportunity for dancers to improve the standard of their dancing and to have that achievement recognised . The revised DPA allows entry at three different levels. The levels are progressively more demanding in terms of difficulty of dances, formations and required level of performance, beginning with Level 1 (introductory, and accessible to competent adult dancers), Level 2 (valuable preparation for dancers considering becoming teachers) and Level 3 (demands an even higher standard of dancing). You may apply to be assessed at any level; it's not necessary to start at level 1. Malcolm would consider running a class preparing for the Dancing Proficiency Assessment open to both Branch members and dancers from outside the area; if you would be interested, please contact Malcolm.
BRANCH WALK AND LUNCH. 5th JUNE (tb.c )
Last year we trialled a branch walk and lunch together, led by Gill Hoyle, and deemed a great success even by those who were half-drowned in the rain! We have therefore decided to go with the same again; Alan Swearman has agreed to lead it, and the suggested date is Thursday 5th June. Alan and Jean will work out a route and a pub for lunch. Watch this space for more details!
MORLAND SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE WEEK
The 22nd Morland Scottish Country Dance week, held from May 26th to May 31st, takes place near Penrith and the Lake District area. Classes are held in the morning, and dancing in the evening -I believe that you have to find your own accommodation. Classes are taught by Malcolm Brown and Avis Harrison, with dancing in the evening to the Chris Dewhurst band.
Due to lack of support this event has now been cancelled.
RECOGNISING STROKES
Ian Watson sent me the following article on recognising strokes, which given the average age of Branch members may prove useful. Knowing also that some of my own class are long-term volunteers at the Hull Stroke club, I thought others might be interested in this article too.
YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE
Remember the first three letters of STROKE
STR
A TRUE INCIDENT During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. [They offered to call an ambulance.] They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food, while she appeared a bit shaken up, Nancy went about enjoying herself for the rest of the afternoon. Nancy's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital and had passed away at 6.00 pm. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Nancy would be with us today.
Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It will only take a minute to read this...
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke ... totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Remember the three steps:-
STR
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S = SMILE ask the individual to SMILE.
T = TALK ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE coherently, (for example "// is sunny out today").
R = Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999 immediately!! and describe the symptoms to the operator.
NOTE Another 'sign' of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is 'crooked', ie if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.
A prominent cardiologist says that if everyone who reads this tells 10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved
.... AND JT COULD RE YOUR OWN...