Royal Scottish Country Dance
Society
Delaware Valley Branch
Sponsoring Scottish Country
Dancing throughout the Philadelphia area
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Handy Branch InformationWe've added a new location for social dances and classes!Tuesday January 12 begins a new series of basic classes at St. Paul's in Chestnut Hill at 7:30. Now is an especially good time for newcomers to join the existing class, and to get some dance basics under their belts (kilts?). Teachers Jill Emery and Steven Rusche are guiding already-enrolled and new students through their paces, as the class learns country dance steps, formations, progressions and, of course, the traditional and contemporary dances themselves. Come along and join the fun and bring a friend. Register here. St. Paul's is located at 22 E. Chestnut Hill Avenue, just behind Borders at the top of the hill. Park on Chestnut Hill Ave., walk up the driveway and the parish hall will be directly on your left. The Branch tasks and committees page lists who is responsible for each of our many tasks and activities.
Volunteer Opportunities Help make each of our
branch events a success. Many hands make light work and better parties.
Volunteer to organize tea, head a clean up crew, or talk through a dance
at the next ball. Feeling artistic? Volunteer to create the banner or
decorate for a ball or tea dance. We are always looking for people to
chair events or help out with smaller tasks for each event. No experience
necessary!! If you are interested in volunteering in some way please
email us delvalrscds@gmail.com
The 2008 Annual General Meeting minutes are online.   |
Dancing for NewcomersLively music! Aerobic exercise! Good company! Cool dance patterns! Kilts!Anyway you look at it, Scottish Country Dancing is great fun. It's *social* dance, which means there's no audience, just the pleasure of dancing together to the best of our various abilities. Most of us aren't of Scottish ancestry. We love the music and the dance form -- and hope you will too! Curious about Scottish Country Dancing?Check out online videos for a sense of the dancing & music. Some day we'll post video of our local dancers, but until then, search for "RSCDS". Two on YouTube that we like are Polharrow Burn and an information video from Louiville, KY which shows both quick and slow time dances, and how the dances are taught. Now's the time to start!If you can walk vigorously and have some sense of direction, you can learn this kind of dancing! Our youngest dancers are in elementary school, our oldest in their 80s.You can join introductory classes at the following locations
To learn what to wear, what to bring, and details about the classes, check our Class
description page. |
The Branch Chair's Corner
Chairman’s Corner: Jan, 2010 On January 17th, a number of Branch dancers drove through the rain to Harrisburg for their Twelfth Night afternoon dance/ball. It was a wonderful event for many reasons: great music provided by Waverly Station with our own Dan Emery on pipes, flute etc., fun dances, great food, a good floor and lots of welcoming people who made us feel at home and appreciated! The Twelfth Night dance reminds me how worthwhile it is to leave the comforts of home from time to time and to dance in other venues. There is always something exciting about dancing in a different location with a different group. It's fun to see how others organize their events, to dance with new partners and to be reminded that Scottish country dancing is really a wonderfully standardized activity so that once learned, it can be done anywhere. You'll recognize the names of dances, the formations, the rhythm of the briefings and of course, those great tunes. I just received notice of a dance held in Japan a few weeks ago and the program and presentation of the announcement were absolutely familiar. That is the remarkable achievement of the RSCDS---in making an activity so accessible all over the world. Nor do you have to drive far to find wonderful dance opportunities. On the 27th of February, there is the annual workshop in New Jersey (not held in Cranbury this year!) that includes a workshop taught by our own Cecily Selling, a lovely restaurant lunch and then an afternoon tea dance. The event is about an hour away from most Branch areas. We try to post these “neighbors'; events” on our website and I encourage you to look them over and attend some or all of these events. There are always Branch members attending and it's easy to arrange carpools (a nice chance to get to know fellow Branch members while in transit!). So, for you mostly stay-at-homes, try dancing outside the Branch and see how much fun it can be! |
Are you a Member?It is membership time once again!! We invite everyone to join the Delaware Valley Branch and the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. Joining is easy. Simply fill out the 2009-2010 Membership Form and mail it to the Branch Treasurer, Jill Emery. We are offering several different membership categories. Choose the one that suits you best.
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Dance ContestPart of our 40th Anniversary Celebration there is a dance contest! Details, submissions to-date, and tunes are all here. Check them out! In brief... The Delaware Valley Branch will celebrate its 40th Anniversary in late March of 2010. We're going to publish ONE new dance to commemorate that milestone. We will dance it at the anniversary party, of course, publish the PDF on our website, and all attendees will get a beautiful print copy to take home. Here's the scoop:
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Our Branch offers classes, socials, and events throughout the Delaware Valley:
- Chestnut Hill, PA
- Lansdowne, PA
- Media, PA
- Colleges: Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and Haverford
- Crosslands (near Longwood Gardens in Chester County)
- Newark, DE
- Cherry Hill, NJ
Whether you're just curious about Scottish Country Dance, looking for Beginner lessons, or are an experienced dancer who is passing through Philadelphia, please check out the Calendar, Class & Social, and Events pages, and come join us!
If you are considering having a Scottish dance performance for a local organization or event, see the Performances page.Phone & Email
For more information
about branch dances and peformances, please call or email
Geoffrey Selling,
215-248-5998
Web Comments, corrections,
additions?: contact
Christen Gore, 410-371-8547
Branch
tasks and committees.
The Delaware Valley Branch thanks
Larry Miller of ©The
Meredith Miller Memorial Internet Project, Inc.
for hosting our website.
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