Dance Workshops
10:00 am – 12:15 pm | 1:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Please note: Morning workshop space is slightly limited due to the smaller venue size. Participants planning to dance the full day are encouraged to book early to secure their spot.
Music Workshops
10:00 am – 12:15 pm: triple time (Waltz / Jig)
1:15 pm – 3:30 pm: duple time (Reel / Strathspey)
Musicians attending the workshop will have the opportunity to play a waltz to open the evening dance, as well as the first three dances of the evening (one jig, one reel, one strathspey). Music sheets will be provided to registered participants one month before the event. If you have never played Scottish Country Dance music, please contact us for a sample. Participants are expected to be able to read music. Note for musicians who do not dance: You only need to pay for the workshop(s).
Dinner: Group Booking at The Bauer Kitchen at 5pm - Menu TBA (end of March). At your own expense (~$43-$47 for 2- or 3- courses dinner)
Evening dance: 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)
After-Party: Keep the evening going! We will head to a pub in UpTown Waterloo!
Teachers & musicians
Dance Teacher: Gary Coull - RSCDS Chair (UK): Gary began dancing at the age of 10 in Dufftown, Scotland with Jessie Stuart as his teacher and gained his full teaching certificate in 2013. Gary has taught at various weekend and day schools in Scotland, Europe, North America and Australia including RSCDS Summer School, the 40th anniversary weekend of the Stockholm Branch, TAC Summer Schools in Vancouver and Halifax and the Sydney Winter School. He is currently the Chair of the RSCDS. Gary loves a dance with a birl, enjoys dancing strathspeys (especially ones with a poussette) and thinks the most important thing about Scottish country dancing is having fun! By day Gary works for the University of Aberdeen, is married to Joanna and has 2 children, Bess and Flora.
Fiddler & Music Teacher: Elizabeth Anderson Howe (USA): Elizabeth plays the fiddle and teaches music around the greater Boston area. Elizabeth is the 2020 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and the winner of the 2016 Perth All-Scotland Fiddle Championship. Elizabeth’s early training came through a combination of Classical violin lessons and learning at fiddle workshops and camps. A formative moment came in the fall of 2016, when she spent a semester in Glasgow to study under fiddler Douglas Lawrence and experience the music culture of Scotland firsthand. She holds music education degrees from Berklee College of Music (B.M. 2017) and Ithaca College (M.M. 2022). As a Scottish dance musician, she has played the Boston Highland Ball, DelVal Hogmanay Ball, Twin Cities Highland Ball, and is a frequent staff musician at Pinewoods Dance Camp. Elizabeth teaches orchestra full time in Walpole, MA.
Pianist: Victor Lanvin (France): Victor is a classically trained pianist who has been playing since the age of six. He discovered Scottish Country Dancing seven years ago and began playing for balls at about the same time, learning the fine art of keeping dancers happy, energised, and on the correct foot. His approach to Scottish music was further shaped by attending the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, founded by Alasdair Fraser, on two occasions. Always striving to blend technique with a feel for rhythm and lift, Victor enjoys providing music that’s clear, lively, and, above all, fun to dance to.
Evening dance musicians
Elizabeth and Victor, joined by the musicians’ ensemble from the music workshop
Programme
https://my.strathspey.org/dd/list/68401/ or click here!
Fees
Full Day CA$80 - Discount 25-35yo -20% / Under 25 -40%
Or à la carte:
1 Workshop: CA$25
2 Workshops: CA$45
Half Day (1 workshop + evening dance): CA$65
Evening Dance Only: CA$45