The Ghillie Gazette

President’s Message

by Linda Gertz

Welcome back to another fun year of Scottish Country dancing! Hope you all had an enjoyable summer. Don & I spent ours getting our yard redone with nature-scaping. We have lots of mostly native plants in our yard that are suppose to take little care once established, leaving us free to do one of my favorite things - travel! (We will miss the first two Mondays of class because of traveling to Zion & Bryce National Parks.)

Saturday, October 12th, beginning at 7:30 pm, our monthly dance will be a “Come Dressed as a Dance” themed party. I look forward to seeing what people create. We will have a list of dances to give you ideas closer to October. On Saturday, November 9th, we are thrilled to have Scottish Rose playing live music for us to dance to! They are great, so you need to come & hear them. We will also have the Bizarre Bazaar at the November party - a time to bring things you no longer need or want to send on to a new home. Looking forward to fun times and making happy memories with you while dancing.

Teacher’s Corner

by Don Gertz

Welcome back to a new year of Scottish Country Dancing, or as Evelyn Hood subtitled her book “The Darling Diversion”.

I hope everyone had a good summer and are as raring to dance as I am. We have a fun and special year ahead of us. We’re celebrating our 25th year as a Branch and our 35th annual workshop and ball, so put March 8, 2014 on your calendars now. It sure doesn’t seem that many years have slipped by.

Our branch is so good at welcoming new dancers to our family. I’d like to encourage everyone to try to bring at least one new person to class and share the joy of dancing with them.

Music is such an important part of dancing, that I often get caught up in the wonderful melodies and occasionally forget to join in on time. Don’t be surprised if it happens to you too. But do try to be ready to dance with the music. Though we have to rely on CDs most of the time, we will be having Scottish Rose play for our November dance and will have live music (to be announced) for the workshop & ball. Luckily, there are a lot of great CDs available now. I had to rely on about 10 LPs when I started teaching. I still use the re-mastered CDs for a number of those LPs because they’re classics. It really doesn’t matter if the music is new or old. When the band starts playing, you have to dance to it.

Happy dancing!

High Desert Workshop and Ball October 5, 2013

by Susan Allely

It is time again for the High Desert Scottish Country Dance Ball on Saturday, October 5, 2013 in Redmond, Oregon. Our guest teacher this year is Marjorie Mc​Laughlin from San Diego, CA. For more information, email Susie: allely at uci dot net or check out our website: http://www.hdccd.com.

The theme this year is “Just for the Fun of It!” So, all the dances on our program are Fun, Familiar and Easy to Remember. All but two of these dances are on You​Tube for you to watch and refresh your mind to help this ball be fun and relaxing. No stress allowed. Just come, learn from the workshop and dance at the ball.

The two dances that are not on You​Tube are “Just for the Fun of it” (could not pass that one up) and “The High Desert Celtic Society Triumph” is a dance that our guest teach, Marjorie, really likes.

I hope you will find the program just enough of a challenge, but not so much that it will take away from the fun. It’s a party. Just for the fun of it!

What is the I.F.M. Fund?

by Linda Gertz

Some club members may wonder “What is the I.F.M. Fund”? It is the Ian & Florrie Milligan Memorial Fund (so should really be the I.F.M.M. Fund). They are a couple who moved here from Scotland and missed Scottish Country Dancing. So in the 50’s they started inviting people to dance at their home the first Saturday of each month. The number of people grew to where their home was too small of a venue, so they moved to several places before landing at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. Don danced with their group before starting up the Portland RSCDS group. They didn’t teach foot-work at the Milligan’s dances. You just did the dance and tried to copy someone’s foot-work who looked like they knew what they were doing.

A Scholarship Fund was set up in 1983 to help Don Gertz go to Scotland for his teacher’s certificate. It was funded by a garage sale. When Ian passed away in 1986 our group established the Ian Milligan Scholarship Fund with $100 in it and had a long term paper drive headed by Vern Field to support it (until recycling came into being). The purpose of the fund was for teacher training. When Florrie passed away, we changed the name to the Ian and Florrie Milligan Memorial Fund. Another change was made to have the fund not only cover teacher training, but to also cover musician training, as the club wanted to aid a musician going to a workshop. The board authorized moving $500 to the fund and to let people know about how to apply for it.

If you are a teacher or musician or if you want to take classes to become a teacher or musician, you apply by writing the board a letter stating what the class is, how taking the class/training will help the branch and the cost of the class. The board will then make a decision on the request. We considered setting a limit - like half the cost of the class, instead the board decided it would look at each case individually to determine the amount the club will cover for each case. This fund has gone unused for quite a while, mostly due to members not knowing of its availability. So now you know about it!

July 2013 RSCDS Portland Branch Treasurer’s Report

by Pat Taylor

Eugene Branch Welcomes New Certified SCD Teacher Kalindi Devi-Dasi

by Leone Burger

It’s my great pleasure to announce that we now have a new Certified SCD teacher here in Eugene! Our class member, Kalindi Devi-Dasi, has successfully completed the RSCDS requirements to qualify as a Level 3 teacher (formerly known as a Preliminary Level).

A great deal of effort and determination was required on Kalindi’s part to achieve this goal. The first step was to pass a written exam, which must be taken only on a pre-determined date and under strict monitoring. Then she had to pass a dancing exam to ensure that her technique was equal to RSCDS standards. Finally, she had to demonstrate that she was able to satisfactorily teach 16 bars of an assigned combination of footwork and figures within a given time period. Kalindi traveled to St. Andrews in Scotland to be tested on her teaching section. As she traveled to Edinburgh during the following week, she received the exciting news that she had passed the exam!

Our appreciation goes out to many who helped in this effort, including our Eugene class and many of the Portland and Vancouver, WA teachers and dancers who contributed to Kalindi’s success.

Reel Runners Wear Kilts

by Holly Gibson

When the idea of a group of dancers participating in the Kilted Mile was first floated around the Portland and Southwest Washington branches, many people belied their supposed lack of speed and stamina by bolting out the door and up the street whenever they were asked if they would like to participate in the race. For some reason, the idea of running a mile in eight pounds of wool on a potentially 100 degree day didn’t really appeal to them. How absurdly rational!

In the end, there were five of us who thought the idea sounded like fun: Linda Mae Dennis, Tom Halpenny, Kate Prouty, Bryan Jones, and me. Those who were new to running were already quite active in their “real” lives and it didn’t take long to work up to four laps around the track. After several practice sessions together at a track in Vancouver, we naturally fell into a group of three runners and a group of two. This made the idea of performing different Scottish Country Dance figures quite easy, and we began to incorporate right hands across, reels, promenades, turns, and dancing back to back into our weekly practices.

Along with the running and the choreography was another very important part of the practice: ice cream. We soon formed the habit of walking to a nearby ice cream shop for a scoop of ice cream after our practice sessions. The only glitch was when the track we had been using was being resurfaced, and we had to find another place to run. Lucky for us, Vancouver has several tracks within easy walking distance of Ice Cream Renaissance. For our last two practices, we met near the ice cream shop, put on our kilts, and walked to the track. There were a few stares and shouts as we went by, but we also had people ask us what group we were with and we were able to tell them about Scottish Country Dancing.

On the day of the race, we mapped out where we would “dance” each figure in order to get maximum visibility. The trickiest part was getting the two groups of runners together to do a reel of five on the straightaway right in front of the crowd. During our normal practice sessions it had been quite easy to spot each other since there was nothing on the track; however, none of us took into account all the tents that would be on the field during the race that would be blocking our view. All the practice paid off though because as the group of three rounded the corner, the other two were just the right distance ahead to allow time for us to line up for the reel. The crowd seemed to love it and even the announcer got into the act as he called out our names as we crossed the finish line. I don’t know if the Dancing Kilted Mile will become a tradition or not, but if it does it will certainly show people that dancers do indeed have more fun.

All due credit goes to Linda Mae Dennis for having the idea of both a group of dancers running in the Kilted Mile and for all those taking part in the games to be wearing matching t-shirts (expertly designed by Maggie Hannahs) identifying us as dancers.

Thank You for Best Ever Portland Highland Games!

by Linda Mae Dennis

THANK YOU to everyone who helped out at the Portland Highland Games! It was great to see so many of the t-shirts all over the place. The Scottish Country Dancers didn’t just blend in this year.

It was a great team effort - from getting everything set up, the early performance of the Portland Branch, manning both the Portland table and the SwWA booth, getting a LOT of notice in the kilted mile, snagging people out of the crowd to dance on the upper field, and getting everything taken down and sorted out.

Even the weather cooperated - although a little on the cold side early, and a little on the hot side later. It was a wonderful day. Thanks to everyone who participated and thanks to each of you for your unique contributions. Onward and Upward!

Sally’s Ode to TAC Summer School

by Sally Palmer

Seven of us dancers went to New Brunswick for the annual TAC summer school. It was a great trip, and I wrote a poem to remember it by. I just sat down and wrote whatever came into my mind, without any planning or regard to what I’d put in or left out. I had thought maybe I’d go back and add things that I had left out, but now that it’s done, I think I’ll just leave it alone. See you in Sept - Sally

TAC Trek: An Ode to the TAC-ers of Twenty Thirteen

It all started off out at PDX in the dark of a midsummer’s day
We gathered around the departure gate, and soon we were whisked away
To the far-off lands of Acadia,
Where we wanted to dance and play.

We FINALLY alit, then we drove quite a bit, 
And then became hopelessly lost.
But not to worry, we weren’t in a hurry, 
And eventually located our host.

We stayed with Michele in a lovely dell
Among cats, goats, and cute little dogs.
And while we were there we had quite an affair
With the liquid Acadian fog.  

But we bounced right back and dried ourselves out
And continued ahead to the north.
The Chocolate River was also lost, 
But we found it and sallied forth.

Another short drive and we would arrive
At our dorms where we stayed for the school.
A  beautiful place where we had our own rooms, 
But that gym - it was HOT - never cool!

We danced and we sweated, we ate and we sang
We walked and we laughed and we ran.
And when it was done we were sad indeed,
But moving ahead was our plan.

We spent a nice day on Prince Edward’s Isle
With a very nice view of the bay.
And during that time, we saw beautiful scenes
As we drove through the towns on our way.

We found ourselves, later that day
In Cavendish, recalling a fable.
And spent some time in the Haunted Wood
And went in the House of Green Gables.

But alas, it was time to take our leave
So we headed back south to mid-Maine
Spent one more night with Michele and then
Slept a little and nursed on our pain.

The very last day proved interesting, 
One more chance to get lost, and then
A quick little glimpse of the Portland Head
And we dashed across town with a grin - really?

The airport in Portland  was nice to us
They politely provided some stress
For we needed one more little challenge to beat
So on and on we did press.

We made it to Cleveland with just enough time
To dash through the halls to Gate C
Expecting a nice game of Quiddler there,
Instead it was Sprint 1-2-3!

I’ll always remember this trip with a smile
As I think back upon it with glee
To travel so far with you wonderful friends
Just meant all the world to me!

Respectfully submitted to my fellow travelers with much love, admiration, and gratitude,

Number Six, Sallycat P Xword

Pinewoods Letter from July 20, 2013

By Susan Harris

I just got back to Portland, from Pinewoods. The cooler weather is a relief! It was so hot and humid in NYC that opening the door and stepping outside felt like stepping into an oven. A sense of self-preservation makes you want to scuttle back inside. Even with a good night of sleep, after being out for a couple of minutes, you feel exhausted. Nick and I went to the Metropolitan, the Cloisters, walked in Central Park, but the feeling of being wilted from the heat accompanied every activity.

Pinewoods Scottish-English Country Dance Session, near Plymouth, MA, was really a good experience and the music was amazing. However, although I’d been told that Beginners could participate, there really was no class set up for Beginners. The class named “Basic Scottish” was not at all basic! Everyone was at least at the Intermediate Level, and, of course, I couldn’t expect “beginning-type” teaching to occur just on my account. So, the introduction and clarity that I’d hoped to experience was not available. I didn’t pick up much ability as it was all too confusing and advanced but I enjoyed the week.

The campers are awakened by a bag-piper walking through the woods, passing by the cabins, and piping everyone awake at 7 AM. The camp was in the woods and the bird song was beautiful. There was non-stop Scottish music day and night, until bedtime, and there were top-notch musicians. There are music lessons as well as dance. I might go again. It was gorgeous, clean, comfortable, well planned, and had amazingly good food, all healthy and well prepared. The dining tables were outside, at the edge of a lake - there was indoor dining space in case of rain. The participants were mostly about 45-75, most were from NE and the Boston area where there’s a lot of Scottish dancing. No cell phone use or smoking were allowed at the camp; there was no wi-fi/computer connection available either. The grounds are pristine, with old growth pines and some deciduous trees. The mornings were fairly cool with cloud cover the entire time that stopped the heat from becoming overwhelming.

There was a dance every night from 8 - 11 PM. We enjoyed a performance by 40 Morris dancers from the UK practicing for a NE tour. We also danced around a Maypole, which was amusing.

I hope you’re having a good summer and that all is well! with best wishes, Susan (I’m the person that you kindly took to the Scottish dance in Lake Oswego, last spring)

Reflections of a Beginning Scottish Country Dancer

by Marcy Sherfey

As an antidote to my looming empty nest, a good friend suggested some time ago that we start a dance class together. We visited a clogging class in January 2012. But since they were already a few months into classes, they invited us to return in the Fall for the next beginning class. Then about a year ago, we saw your ad in the paper for Scottish Country Dance in Lake Oswego. We gave it a try in September 2012. My friend went back to try clogging, while I stayed because I loved the music and how friendly and welcoming you all were.

I have enjoyed dancing with you for almost a year now! My brain scrambles every week to remember and keep up as well as I can. I love the music, watching and joining in with your joyful steps, smiles and encouraging, patiently-extended hands of all ages. What a great experience this has been! Thank you for welcoming me into this wonderful dance community!

October Dance Program

by Linda Mae Dennis

November Dance Program

by Don Gertz

High Desert Ball Program

transcribed by Darrick Wong

Upcoming Events

Here's a list of events coming up in the next ninety days. This calendar is kept up to date at http://portlandscottishdancers.org/events.html.

Membership

If you want to vote in the Annual General Meeting (AGM), your membership must be renewed before the Meeting, which is the second Monday in May.