Introduction

The dance season starts in September. We usually start the season with an Open House at which everyone is welcome, and prospective members may come out to classes free of charge until the end of September. See the Class Schedule for place and time of the Basic class.

Scottish Country Dancing - a Brief Introduction

circle Scottish Country Dancing (SCD) is a sociable form of dance and is not to be confused with Highland Dancing. Typically, dancers form a longwise set of 4 couples with a line of women facing a line of men. A couple consists of a man and his opposite lady, and the couples are numbered from first to fourth from the top of the set. When the music starts it may be a jig, a reel, a strathspey, or, rarely, a hornpipe or minuet.

To hear a sample of a jig, a strathspey, and a reel played by our local band, Scotch Measure, click the play button.
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Sometimes only one couple is dancing, other times three or four couples will be dancing, depending upon the formations, but every dancer will have the chance to be dancing couple.

balance Socials are held several times during the year and members have the opportunity to meet and dance with other members of the Branch. Socials feature live music by Scotch Measure and are topped off at the end of the evening with delicious food.

To see a video of Scottish Country Dancing, please visit here.

We all know the benefits of regular exercise, and SCD is a moderate exercise with plenty of hopping and skipping to increase your heart rate and help you burn those calories. But do you know that SCD may also help to improve your bone strength?
Exercises which generate impact forces between 1.5 and 3.5 times bodyweight could offset bone loss. A recent study reported in Scottish Country Dancer April 2009 reports that a pas de bas step, common in SCD, generates an impact force almost twice bodyweight. All this and great music, too.

Commonly Asked Questions

  • Do I need a partner?

    No, you don't. As a matter of fact, throughout the evening you are urged to dance with a different partner for each dance. How's that for being sociable?

  • Do I need special shoes?

    No. A non-marking soft soled, low heeled shoe is okay. Once you decide that SCD is for you, then ladies usually buy ballet slippers, and men gillies.

  • Is it physically taxing?

    It's moderate exercise, with a lot of gentle hopping. Each class starts with warm-up exercises to stretch your muscles.

  • How much does it cost?

    The fee for the 2010 - 2011 dance season is $175.00. For this you get 28 weeks of classes starting in September and ending in April. The Basic class, which meets on Thursday evenings, is the one for beginners. In addition we have several socials during the year at which the band Scotch Measure provides the music, and the admission fee is usually $10.00.
    Go to the members page to see a copy of the membership application form which gives fee details, to the classes page to see the class schedules, and to the events page to view all the events we hold during the year.

For further information please contact us.

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