I've decided I would like to write somethings about the week I have just spent in St Andrews. I did take the diary I had started on the cruise with me, and actually finished it! But as I didn't write about everything, I feel there are a few things I would still like recorded so they are happening here.
I went to the summer school for Scottish Dancing 5 years ago for the one and only time. It is run by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and in some ways is quite a formal affair that is mainly attended by people at least a generation older than us. Although we did hear tails of the olden days, and though it seems like it's been the same for years and years, turns out it was stricter in Miss Milligan's day.
Summer school consisted of two classes in the mornings, Monday - Saturday. The afternoons were free time, though we did tend to have a walk through at 5pm for the evening dances. The evening dances varied in intensity but usually quite knackering!
Someone I met during the week posted on Sunday her facebook status as:
Had such a great week dancing - highlights including the chemistry dance, dashing white sergant round a wall, dancing in the sea, excuse me dancing and finally 'under arrest'! ... Basically everything!...Thank- you to everyone involved I hope you had an amazing time too
I agreed with all those and am going to try bullet point the highlights from the week that I'd like to remember:
Raffles! It appears the way that Scottish Dance societies make money (not in a bad way, just try to cover their costs) is to hold raffles on the evening. The first one we went to was at the St Andrews Branch at the Boy's Brigade Hall (no need to say at all that it was at the Boy's Brigade, I just found the name rather entertaining!) on the Tuesday night. I bought a strip or two on my way in having bought my ticket as did quite a few of us. The drawer (I really have no idea if it's drawer or draw?? 25/8 am thinking it's surely draw?) took place in the interval. The winning tickets were picked from a tesco (or some other supermarket chain) carrier bag and it was a very slow process as there were a lot of prizes to choose from and the winners got to pick their own. Me and the two girls I was sitting next to were commenting on the fact that no seemed at all pleased to have won. People were just standing up and walking up, but quite honestly they walked with as much excitement as if they were walking out the door to the loo! We decided we'd woop and cheer if one of us won. And lo and behold with 3 prizes to go my number came up and totally true to their word they wooped and cheered, startling everyone in the room, and so I had to walk up from the other end of the room to claim my prize - slightly embarrassed but I went with it and the cheers actually made me feel special! Then there was the tricky decision of what to choose. Options: large set of lavender candles, a porcelain-type Scottish Dancing doll, or a toilet bag that looked ever so slightly worn... I won't go into the thought processes that went through my head in those 3(?) seconds (you'll be pleased to hear) but I went for the candles. And then spent time struggling on how to get them home!
So that was part one of the raffle story!
Warm sand under toes
Compliment
Mid morning tablet
Robert's socks
Rebecca
Nap time
Last night party room
- Carnoustie carnage - this was such a highlight of the week, and happened relatively early on (wednesday night), that it got a fairly full write up in the diary. So I decided to try scan the diary entry in. Being originally in the private diary I had used names. When scanning I thought I would cover with post-it bits, forgetting it wasn't the same as photocopying and the post-it bits would show up!
First night party room. Firstly it's pretty funny that there's a designated party room, but even more so that there are signposts to it around the uni halls! We headed there after the first evening's welcome dances. I was somewhat reluctant not being a party person, but I ended up there and it was pretty special. There was a man playing the piano in there who turned out to be one of the musician's for the school. We listened to him for a bit and chatted and then two of our group went to get their instruments: a fiddle and a banjo. They ended up kinda working together to play for us and we danced (mainly under my orders, the new folks weren't surprised to discover I was a teacher afterwards!) Eightsome Reel and Mairi's Wedding. One set a piece although Mairi's Wedding was 10 times through 40 bars for our 5 couple set!! Epic for the musicians but we were very grateful! During these numbers I looked round and first saw that a drummers had appeared with his snare drum in the band, and then later a lady on the recorder! It was true... i don't know the word for it.. but I loved the organic nature of it!
No comments:
Post a Comment