Scottish Country Dance Weekend
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Thursday, 16 Oct | |
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18:00 - 21:00 | ??? Evening club dance for early arrivals |
Friday, 17 Oct | |
17:00 - 20:00 | Registration |
20:00 - 23:30 | Welcome dance |
Saturday, 18 Oct | |
09:00 - 12:30 | Workshop with coffee break |
12:30 - 13:30 | Sandwich lunch??? |
15:30 - 17:00 | Walkthrough |
17:30 - 19:30 | Gala dinner??? |
20:00 - 23:30 | Ball |
Sunday, 19 Oct | |
10:00 - 13:00 | Workshop with coffee break |
13:00 - 14:00 | Picnic lunch??? |
Shona started playing violin at the age of 8 at school and later
became enthralled with Scottish music when her sister started learning
the accordion. She has received lessons from several different
teachers including Jenna Reid, Gill Simpson and Douglas Lawrence.
Shona has won numerous competitions, including the RSCDS Class, Senior
Solo Fiddle MSR, Slow Air and the Overall Senior Fiddle trophies at
the NAAFC. She was Senior All Scotland Fiddle Champion in 2011 and
2019 and was awarded this title in 2021 as well.
Shona has played for
country dances up and down the UK and further afield with her sister,
Susan's band for the last 17 years and has recently been playing with
Nicol McLaren & the Glencraig SDB whom she has played in Bahrain and
Shetland for the annual Up Helly Aa as well as all over the country as
well. Shona has been involved with the RSCDS Summer School, firstly as
a tutor on the musicians course, then as a class musician as well.
Shona has also played for the RSCDS Winter School in Pitlochry on 4
occasions and was invited, along with Ewan Galloway, to play for RSCDS
Sydney's Winter School in 2023 in Kiama. Along with her sister, Susan,
Shona attended the MG Alba Na Trads Awards - the Scottish Music's
version on the "Oscars" where they walked away with the title of
Scottish Dance Band of the Year 2018.
Ewan, based just outside Edinburgh in Dalkeith has been playing the accordion since the age of 14. He thinks playing Scottish music gives everyone a great lift, and loves to see dancers smiling and enjoying themselves. He is proud to keep Scottish music alive. Ewan has performed a number of broadcasts for the BBC show .Take the Floor. with his complete band. Ewan is the mastermind behind the wildly popular "Stagger Inn" events, a virtual haven for Scottish music lovers worldwide. These events became a lifeline during the pandemic, uniting fans from across the globe. He even produced a special one-hour show dedicated to Scottish Country Dancing. He has travelled to the Netherlands, Argentina and more recently with Shona on Fiddle to Australia to perform for the RSCDS Summer School in Sydney. As well as this he has also taken part at the RSCDS Summer School in St Andrews for a number of years. His presence at any event secures high quality music and endless happy faces on the dance floor.
Heather grew up dancing in Forres, and after time in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow, is currently based in Falkirk. She has been a frequent teacher at Summer School in St Andrews since 2012, and has also taught at Winter School, Spring Fling and Spring Fringe in the UK, and the RSCDS AGM Weekend. She was invited many times to teach at day schools or weekend courses close and far, last time as far as Ottawa, Canada. Some of Heather's dancing highlights include being presented to the late Queen at both Buckingham Palace and Holyroodhouse. She currently sits as a member of the RSCDS Management Board and guest teaches for the Glasgow, Falkirk, Stirling, and Dunfermline branch classes. Smiling faces are guaranteed when she is teaching!