Articles in This Issue

Picnic Surprise Fall Dance

by Liza Halpenny

Despite pouring rain, a happy group gathered October 27th for our Fall Dance, with the theme “Pacific Northwest Picnic Surprise.” What was the surprise? The premier public showing of a video by the same name. (You can learn about this video in Tom’s article.) A second special event at the dance was the 10th anniversary celebration of the formation of the Southwest Washington State Branch, with cake!

There was lots of great dancing, too, of course. Lisa Scott and Betsy Branch provided spectacular music which pulled everyone onto the dance floor to enjoy the program put together by Linda Mae Dennis. The event was chaired by Theresa Ryan and dancers came from as far away as Bend and Seattle. Everyone present contributed to the picnic of joy.

Fifty Progression Paths

by Tom Halpenny

I was curious to research the variety of paths that 1st couple can travel in order to "progress to second place" while 2nd couple move to first place? I examined
The Campbell Tyler list of 500 Most Frequent Dances and identified over fifty progression paths. The following table lists dance Minicrib fragments with corresponding dance titles.

2019 Tac Summer School

by from Lin Pettengill

For all those interested in the 2019 TAC Summer School in Calgary, Alberta Canada, here's a wee initial announcement from the director:" ~ Ed.

In 2019 TAC summer events (teachers conference weekend and summer school for all dancers) will be in Calgary. We are trying very hard to get the word out to dancers well in advance and this is practically on our doorstep! Please see initial information here: http://www.rscds-swws.org/TAC_SS_2019_flyer.pdf

Pacific Northwest Picnic Surprise

by Tom Halpenny

A group of friends gathered on majestic Mount Hood for some Scottish dancing and were surprised and delighted by a chance encounter with a Sasquatch! The creature took an interest in our dancing and especially our apparel, and we were pleased to include Sasquatch in our circle of friends. This was all captured in a video you can play below!

The cast on location, L to R: Tom Halpenny, Mel Whitson, Larry Greene, Liza Halpenny, Holly Gibson, Linda Mae Dennis, Ken Heinemann, Susan Shaw, Sydney Thomson, John Shaw, Eunice MacKenzie, Martin MacKenzie, Akana Ma, Janice Taylor

The vignette titled
Pacific Northwest Picnic Surprise is a collaboration of Scottish dancers from the Portland and Southwest Washington State branches for the RSCDS Virtual Festival project. Entries were requested from RSCDS Branches and Affiliated Groups around the world, to choreograph a dance made up of Scottish Country Dance steps and formations using RSCDS tunes, while adding creative interpretations of the theme
"Around the World". More than a dozen videos were submitted, with a winner to be announced at the November 3rd Annual General Meeting in Perth, Scotland. We can view a playlist of all submissions at RSCDS Virtual Festival 2018. Pacific Northwest Picnic Surprise was shown at the Oct 27 SWWS Branch Fall Dance with theme by the same name.

A committee began planning the production in July and the video recording took place September 1. Special thanks to Mel Whitson who organized the planning meetings and Linda Mae Dennis who imagined the story line. Theresa Ryan, Tom and Liza Halpenny, and Ken Heinemann joined the planning to firm up the story, devise the Scottish dance, and recruit the cast. The project progressed through activities such as arranging music and video recording, scouting venues, exploring costumes, building the props, arranging and running researsals, and recording the video on location.

Cynthia Soohoo and Nathaniel Soohoo-Hui arranged and played the special Scottish dance music for the project.
Patrick Hogan recorded the music in his studio which was merged into the video as it was recorded live.
Akana Ma played Sasquatch, star of the show, who was ably assisted by Janice Taylor with her fast-kilt-change ability.
Sydney Thomson made the natural kilt and assisted with the dressing.
Linda Mae provided the high-quality credits posters and special effects with vigorous bush shaking.
Ken built the topical "Please do not feed the Sasquatch" sign.
Martin MacKenzie figured out the technical requirements to record the video with its clear audio track,
and Eunice MacKenzie skillfully operated the video camera.

Many thanks to all who participated with your camaraderie, energy, and creative ideas. Until next time!

Scottish-American Wedding Traditions

by Mel Whitson

Contributed by Melissa Whitson and generally excerpted (with editorial liberties taken by the contributor) from the book The Plighted Troth, published by the RSCDS Orange County Branch

Scots were known for “nipping and scarting” during wooing, meaning that using a sharp tongue was the Scots way of showing love. Here’s an example: A gentle lover, who had observed all the proprieties with his sweetheart, said on becoming engaged, “Weel onywey I’ve been ceevil to ye.” She replied, “Aye, senselessly ceevil, ye muckle gowk (big fool).”

    
  The ceremony – brides’ attire and a few traditions:
•	Scottish wedding dresses were in pale pastel shades as well as white and in Scotland, velvet was sometimes 
        favored for the fabric (gets cold in Scotland).
•	A veil was not worn but a wreath of white flowers was placed in the bride’s hair.
•	She would wear a plaid (tartan sash) pinned to her dress.  The groom may pin the sash to her shoulder during 
        the ceremony, after they were pronounced “man and wife.”  Alternatively, the sash was presented to the bride 
        by the groom or by the groom’s mother at the rehearsal dinner.
•	A sixpence would be placed in the bride’s shoe for good luck.
•	The bride and groom would link thumbs of their right hands and press them together as a vow of their fidelity.
•	An oatcake would be broken over the bride’s head to bring good luck, with all the unmarried ladies taking 
        home a piece to put under their pillows for three nights, to (hopefully) result in dreams that revealed their 
        future husband.
    

    
    A selection of wedding celebration toasts:
•	Lang may your lum reek! (Long may our chimney smoke)
•	A cozy but, an’ a canty ben, ta couthie women and honest men! (A cozy kitchen, a cheerful parlor, to affectionate 
        women and honest men)
•	May the moose ne’er leave your meal-pock wi’ the tear in its e’e! (May the mouse never leave your grain bag 
        with a tear in its eye – in other words, may you always have grain)
•	The ingle neuk wi’ routh o’bannocks and bairns! (The chimney corner with abundance of oatcakes and children)
•	Here’s to a’ your fouk an’ a’ our fouk, an’ a’ the fouk that’s been kind to your fouk an’ if a’ fouk had aye been as 
         kind to fouk as your fouk’s been to our fouk, there wad aye hae been guid fouk I’ the warld sin fouk ben fouks.
•	And here’s to a’ wha drink this night, and here’s to them what’s far awa’, and muckle joy and pur delight.