THEREELNEWS london newsletter... · Treasurer JohnBiro [email protected] 519-681-9823...

THE REEL NEWS - August 2019 of 13

THE REEL NEWSVolume 26, Issue #1 August 2019

ROYAL SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE SOCIETYLONDON, CANADA BRANCH

117 Bournemouth DriveLondon ON N5V 4T1

www.rscdslondoncanada.org

Submissions for the next newsletter can be sent to theNewsletter Editor Marjie Martin by October 2, 2019

Chairperson’s Message Margaret Campbell

I hope everyone is having a great summer. It will soon be time to get back in the swing of things withregular Wednesday classes starting on September 11th and the Friday social class on September 13. Itseems like this summer has flown by. We started the summer with a Strawberry Social tea dance in Juneand enjoyed two nights of dancing at Carling Heights, one in July and one in August.

Again this year we’re offering introductory classes for three nights on September 11, 18 and 25. Ourposters and advertising in various publications have already generated some early interest and we had 13new dancers out to our free night in May. I know everyone will make newcomers welcome and helpthem as they learn. Thanks to Gayle Frisa and her sub-committee for all their promotional efforts and tomembers who put up posters and gave out business cards.

This year’s class format will be the same as last year. For those joining at 8:00 for announcements, weask that you arrive on time, be warmed up and ready with your shoes on, and form a circle so we canproceed with announcements without delay.

Membership fees remain the same as last year and are due onWednesday, October 2nd. Paymentsreceived after that date will incur a late fee of $25. Please get your registration in before the deadline andremember that we accept post-dated cheques to that date. There is a great deal of work involved inupdating member information and of course, fees are due in Scotland. Your understanding and co-operation are much appreciated.

I’m delighted several members are taking a more active role in the Branch. This year Colin Campbell,Patricia McClelland and Christine Neufeld join the roster of teachers on Wednesday night. This benefitsall of us and allows us to learn from different teaching styles. As well, the Committee of Managementwelcomes Marjie Martin as Newsletter Editor and Gail Richter as Membership Secretary. I’d like to

http://www.rscdslondoncanada.org

mailto:[email protected]


thank Helen Bell for an excellent year as Chair. I’m happy she’ll continue on as Past Chair, offering herguidance and support as I take on my new role.

We have a great line-up of events starting with a Ceilidh at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 18th atElmwood Presbyterian Church. This is a fun night with easy dances. We strongly encourage new dancersto attend, and children age 8 and up are welcome. Our Christmas dance takes place on November 30th.After much discussion by the Committee of Management, we decided to continue with an evening dance,rather than holding it in the afternoon, as this is one of our two more formal events of the dance year.Please see the attached Calendar for details of all this season’s events.

I look forward to another great year of dancing with all of you. The Committee is working hard to makeit a success. This is your Branch, and your dance year, so if you have questions or suggestions at anytime, please contact me or any member of the Committee. See you in September!

Committee of Management for 2019-2020Chairperson Margaret Campbell [email protected] 519-644-2265Past Chair Helen Bell [email protected] 519-471-0623Secretary Barb Jessop [email protected] 519-951-9206Treasurer John Biro [email protected] 519-681-9823Membership Secretary Gail Richter [email protected] 519-473-0447Social Convenor Calla Mahone [email protected] 519-432-5027Newsletter Editor Marjie Martin [email protected] 519-688-1198Publicity Coordinator Gayle Frisa [email protected] 519-666-0847Library/Archives Dorothy Drew [email protected] 519472-3610Teacher Rep Marie McLennan [email protected] 519-471-5493





[email protected]







Membership Registration: 2019-2020 Dance Year Gail Richter

The Branch RSCDS registration form is attached and can also be found on the RSCDS London Branchwebsite. It is now time to renew your membership for the 2019 - 2020 dance season.

The fees remain the same as last year. The fees are as follows:

Active member: $145 Joint member $280 Young adult: $110 Youth: $85 Associate: $60 Friend of the Branch: $15

We will be offering a three (3) class introductory session for $20 (new members only). The $20 will beapplied to the regular membership fee if the participant joins our Branch.

Please bring your completed registration form and money to the September classes.

Remember that any registration received after October 2nd will have a $25 late fee applied. We willaccept post-dated cheques, and if you will be away, please plan to get the cheque to us by the deadline.For those needing or wanting them, new name tags will be available for order for $10. Please fill in theappropriate space on the registration form. You may have just your first name or both first and last.

Dancing Shoes and Apparel Janet Schreiber and Marjie Martin

Although soft- soled shoes are generally advised for beginner Scottish dancers, you maywant to consider purchasing a good pair of ghillies or, for the ladies, ballet shoes are oftenthe shoe of choice. There are several different styles of dance shoes to choose from. Youmay also be able to pick up a gently used pair from our Thrift Store organized and run byJanet Schreiber. See resource section below.

Bursary Fund and Thrift Store




The Bursary Fund is maintained by the proceeds from the Thrift Store. This started in the early 2000’swhen Catherine Shaw was chairperson of TAC (Teachers’ Association of Canada). Catherine askedJanet if she would be willing to run a store at the annual TAC Summer School which was held inWaterloo, Ontario. At Summer School it was known as The London Shoppe. After a couple ofsuccessful years, the idea of a Bursary Fund to use the proceeds was created.

Initially this fund was designated to provide financial assistance to those who wished to attend SummerSchool. Over the years the Bursary Fund was extended to include financial assistance to branch memberswho wished to pursue their teaching certification and to provide assistance for members to attend out-of-town workshops. Since the Bursary Fund was established, there have beenseveral revisions to the criteria for distribution of the funds.

For the past several years the Thrift Store has been set up at a dance class in thefall and at the annual Workshop in February. All the merchandise in the store isdonated. The Thrift Store provides dancers with apparel and accessories forScottish Country Dancing at reasonable prices. It has a selection of men’s kilts,shirts, Prince Charlie jackets, kilt socks and sporrans. For the ladies there arelong formal gowns, short and long kilted skirts , and clothing suitable forwearing to weekly dance classes. Please note the sizing of the clothing tends tobe in the small sizes. In addition to the clothing, there are used dance shoes,dance books for Scottish Country Dancing , and a choice of well-made craftsby branch members.

Resources for Dancing Apparel and Shoes

Dancewear Plus - 515 Wharncliffe Rd. S. London ON 519-657-0600 (Shoes) The London Dance Shoppe 6-245 Maitland St. London ON 519-659-1265,

Londondanceshoppe.com. It is advisable to check for hours because they are irregular. They canorder narrow shoes.

McCulloch’s 1140 Dundas Street 1-877-234-1371 , mccullochscostume.com (Shoes) Scott’s Highland Services - 143 Stronach Cres., London ON N5V 3G5, 519-453-1371 Edee’s Place- 1180 Wallace Ave. N. Listowel, ON 1-800-399-0282 edeesplace.com ( shoes) Burnett’s and Struth Scottish Regalia Ltd.- 570 Bryne Dr. Barrie ON 1-877-828-3232

http://www.burnetts-struth.com Hours are 9 to 5 Mon. To Fri. And 9 to 3 Sat. They have a highlyskilled kiltmaker on site and a variety of tartans and accessories.

Branch Events

http://www.burnetts-struth.com


Spring Ball 2019 Margaret Campbell

Just in time for our annual Ball on Saturday, May 4th,the weather turned warm and the spring flowersbloomed. The Ball is the culmination of a year oflearning and the highlight of our dance season. Morethan 60 people came out for a night of great food,friendship and dancing, with rousing music provided byScotch Mist. A profusion of yellow daffodils andforsythia added to the ambience. It was great to seeformer member Mary Pate who attended while visitinghere from Edmonton.

A surprise presentation to Karen and Scott MacCroneadded to the festivities. Chair Helen Bell presented them with the RSCDS Branch Award in recognitionof their joint contributions to the enjoyment of dancing and success of our Branch. Karen joined theBranch in 2010 and Scott the following year. Among other accomplishments, Karen produced anoutstanding newsletter for six years as Newsletter Editor while serving on the Committee ofManagement. Scott manages our website and creates tickets for our Christmas Dance and Ball. Together,they participate in dance demos and have devised some dances we’ve all enjoyed. Congratulations again,Karen and Scott, for this truly deserved award.


Strawberry Social Dorothy Drew

A Strawberry Social Dance is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in June. Thisevent, on June 15, was a first for London ON RSCDS and about 35 people enjoyedthe dancing with tea with strawberries after. Helen Bell lead a fun programme andthe walk through for every dance meant everyone was able to dance. Everyoneappreciated the air conditioning at the Colborne Street United Church venue. Thestrawberrries, cake and ice cream and tea organized by Calla Mahon wasfabulous. We're all looking forward to another strawberry social next year.

.

SCDTA(C) Summer School 2019 Pat McClelland

The Scottish Country Dance Teachers’ Association (Canada), formerly known as TAC, put on a greatSummer School - as always! There were approximately 250 dancers in attendance, all eager to learn todance, to renew old acquaintances and tomake new ones.

From the Welcome Dance on Sunday July28th culminating in the Ball on Saturday,there was a delightful mix of music, themeddances and willing dancers; Mondayevening was focused on Local Favourites;Tuesday evening was a Western Themewhich included cowboy hats for all of the


dancers provided by a local organization; Wednesday evening was Line Dancing ;Thursday evening wasthe Ceilidh; and Friday evening was a Welcome Dance for the weekend attendees.

Morning classes were taught by Jimmie Hill, Linda Henderson, Geoffrey Selling, and Moira Korus (whois familiar to London dancers) with support during the afternoon classes from a number of other teachers.The teachers were enthusiastic, knowledgeable and engaging, each in their own way, and we had manyopportunities to learn new dances and improve our technique. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the classes andthe dancing so choosing a favourite is difficult, though Moira Korus’s class on the MacNab Jig wasparticularly fun. We also learned MacDonald of Sleat, and with Moira’s encouragement eight of usdanced this for the ceildgh.

The music was provided by the Reel of Seven-actually the Reel of Eight with the addition of LorraineMcCormick who was the Bob Blackie Music Apprentice. The music was lively, well-arranged, andprovided a real boost to the dancing. The musicians also played for the classes so we were quite nicelyenveloped in music throughout the week.

The dance that we learned in class will be posted on the SCDTA(C) website, which is very muchwelcomed by this dancer, as I was too busy enjoying the dances to record the names.

The accommodations were very comfortable and spacious.

Teachers’ Weekend and Summer School will be held at Mount Royal University in Calgary again nextyear. So start saving your shekels in preparation for a great opportunity to dance and to meet lots offellow dancers.

Notes on Scottish Culture Peter Auksi

CALLING ALL VEXILLOLOGISTS

Sure. Thought you’d never ask. Vexillology is from the Latin root, velum, ‘cloth, veil, sail,’ whichbecomes vexillum, ‘flag or standard.’ So the word means ‘discourse about flags, banners, etc.’ It’s asubject closely related to heraldry, the study of armorial bearings, which are colored emblems pertainingto a family or community. These emblems can be military or civil, and are made to be seen from afarthrough strong colors and contrasts. The clan banners at our Balls and the emblems on our brooches, klltpins, and hat badges all derive from and belong to Scottish vexillology. Once seen at tournaments,festivals, and carnivals, clan banners still appear at highland games, clan gatherings, historicalcommemorations … and London SCD Balls.


Armorial emblems first appeared in the twelfth century so that the combatants at joustingtournaments could be identified, even while wearing visors and helmets. At the Battle of Hastings (1066)the devices on shields were a means of identification in battle. In the early 1200’s there were about 1500distinct coats of arms in England. In 17th century France armorial emblems were registered and taxed,and so became money-makers for the state. Surprisingly, ‘arms’ are still around – in marine and navalflags (26 flags for each letter of the alphabet); the arms of commoners feature furniture, clothing, andtools as appropriate. The badge on Alfa Romeo cars features the arms of the Duke of Milan; that onPorsche cars, the arms of the Dukes of Wurtemberg. Even Shakespeare bore the arms granted to hisfather in 1596. We still find coats of arms in municipal institutions, banks, insurance companies, colleges,sports clubs, and pubs/brands of beer. Arms quickly identify their owner, and have been described asbeing “like the modern business card.” When one graduates from Western, the academic procession isled by a person carrying a ‘gonfalon,’ a vertically hung banner emblazoned with Western’s coat of arms.Gonfaloni originated in Florence, Italy, where communities and neighborhoods displayed them in publicceremonies. A few famous plants appear on arms – the fleur-de-lis, and Tudor English rose, for example.Canada has a coat of arms, as do all the provinces; and the Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle are knownto all vexillologists. Nowadays arms are often a mere ornamental motif, but they were once marks ofcommand or ownership, or a sign of identity.

Why are coats of arms, a heraldic leftover, still so importantin English and Scottish culture? For centuries they have both beenmilitarized societies where group identity, self definition, and clanloyalties mattered greatly. Heraldry signals that the past and historymatter; and it signals the importance of continuity and identity insociety. In England the College of Arms was founded in 1484; andcoats of arms are still assigned by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. InScotland, the banners of Knights of the Order of the Thistle arehung in the 1911 Chapel of the Order in St Giles High Kirk inEdinburgh, and in England the banners of the Knights of the Orderof the Garter are displayed in St George’s Chapel at WindsorCastle.

A shield is the essential location of heraldic composition, though in time arms appear onhelmets, tunics, horse trappings, and the tunics of servants. What typically appears on a clan banner?Often there is a patch or background of the clan tartan, a central symbol such as a helmet, sword, unicorn,or favored animal (stag, boar, wolf, or dog), and a motto, which could be a single word or phrase, allwithin a framing circular belt. Ecclesiastical arms feature doves (peace) and pelicans (self-sacrifice).Fifteen per cent of European arms have lions; 2% have eagles. Bears are also popular. On Scottish clanbanners, the mottoes are mainly in English, followed by Latin and French. Gaelic is used sparingly.Many mottoes are firmly religious: “Grace me Guide” (Forbes), “All My Hope Is In God” (Fraser ofLovat), “Commit Thy Work to God” (Sinclair) … or ethical: “With Strength and Right” (Eliot), “ByFidelity and Fortitude” (Farquharson) … or military and bellicose: “To Conquer or Die” (Maclaine ofLochbuie), “Without Fear” (Sutherland). Some of quite inspirational: “I Learn to Succor the Distressed”(Macmillan). Many use a single word: “Unite” (Brodie), “Courage” (Cumming). The Douglas motto


“Never Behind” appears on many other clan banners, as does the Sutherland motto: “Without Fear.” Afew unusual symbols also appear on clan banners – dolphins, for example, a gryphon, strawberries, thesun, a hand holding a sword, a heart pierced by arrows. Thistles, not unexpectedly, appear frequently.

Armorial and heraldic culture also appears to have spawned a great deal of associatediconographic artifacts, namely crest badges and kilt pins. Most of us overlook crest badges, but nearlyevery clan has one. Scottish crest badges are heraldic badges worn to show allegiance to an individual ormembership in a specific Scottish clan. They consist of a crest and a motto, which are heraldic propertyand protected by law in Scotland. Anyone may wear a crest badge; individuals not entitled to the heraldicelements within the badge, wear the badge surrounded by a strap and buckle. Clan chiefs who own thecrest and motto wear the badge surrounded by a plain circlet, and as chiefs are entitled to place threeeagle feathers behind the badge. Like clan tartans, crest badges do not have a long history and derivefrom the romanticism of the Victorian period. Originally, the badges used by clans were specific plantsworn on bonnets or hung from spears or banners and the like. Crest badges must be silver or white metal,and never colored. They are also called “plant badges.” The plant pertaining to a clan is worn pinnedbehind the silver-crested bonnet badge or, for ladies, behind their sash brooch. Some typical plants arewhite heather (Macpherson), holly (Macmillan), juniper (Ross), Scots pine (Grant), oak (Macduff), andcranberry (Macauley). Plant badges are rare, but can frequently be seen at Highland Games or clangatherings. Who is a clan member? Anyone who professes allegiance to both the clan and thechief can be considered a clan member. Clan membership often goes simply with one’ssurname - - or individuals wear a crest badge of their mother’s clan.

And kilt pins? They are pieces of jewellery worn on the lower corner of the outer apronof a kilt to prevent it from blowing open. It is a weight, and does not pin the outer apron to theinner fabric, an error based on “a common misconception.” A kilt can not swing properly if allthe cloth layers are pinned together. Wearing kilt pins came in during Queen Victoria’s reign,partly as an opportunity to display wealth (precious stones are set in them), and possiblybecause silver accessories on a dead clansman would help to pay for a decent burial. Clansymbols, national emblems, and native plants and animals are featured on kilt pins.

A lion rampant has been the Royal Banner of Scotland since c. 1222; the flag of Scotland is theSaint Andrew’s Cross or the Saltire [“a white saltire on a sky blue field”] since at least 1513. To findyour own clan’s banner, simply Google “Scottish clan banners” – with the clan name.


Branch News

Announcements:

Congratulations to Helen Bell on the success of her grandson Ryan Suzuki. He was selected in the 1stround of the NHL draft, 28th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes!

Congratulations to great-grandparents Nancy and Dennis Duncan on the birth of a great granddaughter ,Zoah McGuire, born on June 25th on the sunshine coast in BC, a little sister for Madden , two and a half.The happy parents are Dennis and Carlie.

Annual General Meeting Recap - May 2019 Barb Jessop

On May 15 thirty-seven members, representing over half of the currentmembership, attended the Annual General Meeting.

Outgoing Chair, Helen Bell, mentioned that several new members havebeen welcomed. She also spoke about the challenges that the Branch isfacing including ongoing declining membership and the impact on theclass structure. The present format of two classes in the same room willbe retained until membership grows sufficiently to justify renting anotherroom. Helen thanked the teachers for the way they have handled the newWednesday night schedule during the past year. The annual Ball on May4 was a success and Helen thanked all who were involved. TheWorkshop and Tea Dance, led by Moira Korus in February, drew a goodattendance and was well received. Helen thanked Margaret Campbell fororganizing the event and Catherine Shaw for her willingness to lead a beginners’ class on short notice.

Calla Mahon was presented with the Branch Volunteer Award in recognition of her many contributionsto the branch. Congratulations, Calla!

Helen introduced the 2019-20 Committee of Management: Margaret Campbell – Chair; Helen Bell –Past Chair; Barbara Jessop – Secretary; John Biro – Treasurer; Social Convenor; Calla Mahon–Membership Secretary- Gail Richter; Marjie Martin – Newsletter Editor; Dorothy Drew – Archivist; and


Gayle Frisa – Publicity Coordinator. Gayle has agreed to stay on for another two year term but she doesneed someone to help her out.

Helen led a discussion about the viability of a Workshop for the upcoming year and the possibility of anafternoon Christmas Dance. The Committee of Management will make final decisions at a later date.

In other business, last year’s minutes and the year end reports from the Committee of Management wereapproved and John Ferguson was appointed as the financial verifier for 2019/2020.

Upcoming Branch Events

CEILIDH DANCE FRIDAY OCTOBER 18th 2019

Be sure to grab your dancing shoes and head to our first event of theseason, a Ceilidh Dance for a fun-filled night of easy Ceilidh dancesfor anyone from ages 8 and up. This event is being held at ElmwoodPresbyterian Church at 7:30 pm. This is an event everyone can enjoy,even the newest beginner dancers, so be sure to promote this event toour new dance members.

CHRISTMAS BALL SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30TH 2019

The Christmas Dance will be a special celebration to be held at the Polish Combatants Hall. More detailswill be provided later.


Dance Programme

1. Corn Rigs R 8x32 4-122. The Duke of Atholl’s Reel J 8x32 16-33. Sugar Candie S 8x32 26-94. Round Reel of Eight R 88 27-75. EH3 7AF J 8x32 40-66. The Gentleman S 8x32 35-57. A Special Occasion R 3x48 The Other Kangaroo Paw8. Neil M. Grant J 8x32 49-19. Phoenix Rising S 4x32 C. Shaw (Coast to Coast)10. The Highland Lass R 8x32 30-311. St. Andrew’s Fair J 8x32 5 SCD/8212. City of Belfast S 3x32 48-613. The Australian Ladies R 8x32 Glasgow Assembly14. The Laird of Milton’s Daughter J 8x32 22-1015. Mac Donald of the Isles S 3x32 Carnforth 2

The briefs/video links for this dance programme will be posted at a later date on the RSCDS LondonCanada Branch website. Look for complete details in our October newsletter.

Upcoming Out of Town Events

Sep 6, & Fri nights Cleveland Hts OH, SCD Classes, St Ann’s Ch., Coventry St, 7:30-9;30Sep 9 - Dec 9, 2019 Stratford SCD Classes: St Pauls Anglican Ch., 7:00-8:30pmSep 9, 2019 Stratford CeilidhSept 20-21, 2019 Keppie Workshop/Ceilidh (Mississauga)Oct 4-5, 2019 Hamilton Branch Welcome Dance & WorkshopOct 26, 2019 Windsor BallDec 8, 2019 The 56th Annual Gleneagles Ball (Vancouver)Dec 8, 2019 Windsor SCD Tea Dance 2:30pmFeb 9, 2019 Windsor SCD Tea Dance 2:30pmMar 9, 2020 Stratford Tea Dance: Avondale United Ch.Mar 28, 2020 Windsor Border Cities Workshop

mailto:[email protected]?subject=SCD Query

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Stratford RSCDS Events query


http://www.dancescottish.ca/Whats-On-Near_files/2019-Keppie-Gathering-registration.pdf

https://www.rscdshamilton.org/events

https://rscdswindsor.org/events/

https://rscdsvancouver.org/calendar-events/2019-12/

http://rscdswindsor.org/events/




THEREELNEWS london newsletter... · Treasurer JohnBiro [email protected] 519-681-9823...

Documents

Transcript of THEREELNEWS london newsletter... · Treasurer JohnBiro [email protected] 519-681-9823...