Latest News

Fun, fitness & friendship!

- Robert Vale: Dancing on the Grass (and on the Lino)
  From the Dominion to Dundee When dancing shuts down over the summer, Wellington dancers still enjoy their sport thanks to the annual Dancing on the Grass organised by the Wellington Region of the RSCDS. This takes place on four summer Tuesday evenings on the grass in front of the Old Government Buildings in Lambton Quay. Before getting on to the dancing, what about the venue? The building was designed by William Clayton to accommodate all of New Zealand’s public servants. Originally intended to be made of concrete so as to be fireproof, that proved too expensive and so it was constructed all in Kauri instead, made to look as if it was stone, presumably to make the government look solid and dependable. It was, as building projects often are, over budget when completed in 1876. Surprisingly, for nearly fifty years the building was heated with open fireplaces, but because of its wooden construction, smoking inside was banned right from when it opened, unlike in Wellington’s wooden-bodied trams which even provided smokers with metal plates fixed to the woodwork on which to strike their matches! Having served the Colony of New Zealand from 1876, the Dominion of New Zealand from 1907 and housing government Ministers until 1921, the Old Government Buildings are now the home of the Faculty of Law of Victoria University. But what about the dancing? Dancing is outside (on the grass) in front of the main entrance, so we provide a bit of a spectacle. In previous years tourists on Lambton Quay liked to stand and watch but there weren’t many tourists this year. One night this year one of the bus drivers gave us a toot on the horn and a wave as he drove down towards the city. Dancing on grass is quite a novel sensation. It’s certainly different than dancing on a flat floor, it’s a bit bumpy and in summer if there’s not been much rain it can be quite firm and scratchy. There’s also a large floodlight sticking out of the grass which you need to look out for when casting behind your line. Some people wear their dancing shoes and some like bare feet. There are little acorn-like things hiding in the grass which can give you a nasty surprise in bare feet, like stepping on a piece of the kids’ Lego in the dark. Dancing on the grass on 2 February. Robert is dancing just to the left of centre (with the statue of Peter Fraser, New Zealand’s Prime Minister from 1940-1949, behind him). Photo from video by Pat Reesby Each of the four summer dancing sessions is led by a different tutor from one of the Wellington clubs. The dances are usually the fairly familiar ones that appear on many club dance programmes throughout the year although there were a couple of exceptions this year that confused quite a few of us. The tutors generally choose dances that are not too complicated and they’re walked, so it’s all a lot easier than trying to dance from just a briefing. And what about the Lino? Well, being Wellington in the summer, it can be wet and it can be cold. This year, for both those reasons, we danced inside for two of the four sessions. The inside space is the student café of the VUW Law Faculty (it offers a very cheap vegan lunch). The door to the café is round the other side of the building from the grass and the main entrance. The café is a good sized space with one extra feature, which is the series of columns that hold up the floors above. These are cunningly placed so that you have to dance round them when casting, or dancing a figure-of-eight, which adds to the excitement. And the flooring in the café is lino, or to give it its proper name, Linoleum, which is made from jute and linseed oil. There’s a fine Scottish connection, as the city of Dundee was famous for “jute, jam and journalism”. Known in the 19th century as Juteopolis it was the centre of the global jute trade. Dundee was also famous for producing Keiller’s marmalade and for still being the home of D C Thomson, the publishers of well-loved comics like The Beano and Scottish cartoon strips The Broons and Oor Wullie. Dancing on the grass is a great way to enjoy some dancing when clubs are closed for the summer. You get to meet people from other clubs, you might then see them later in the year at a dance. One of the four nights this year was a beautiful warm, still night and it was magical dancing outside as the dusk fell. There’s also something special about being able to dance right outside the heart of government, just across from the Beehive. This year it felt extra special to be able to dance at all, given the situation in many less fortunate countries. Being able to dance in front of Parliament (or at least the Beehive) seems so unlike what might be permitted in the UK, the USA or even in Canberra, where the people seem less able to get close to the seat of power. Robert Vale13 February 2021... Read more...
- Aileen Logie: Rabbie Burns – Scotland’s National Bard
  Many Johnsonville dancers were at the club’s Bowling Club Ceilidh on 30 January where the theme was Burns. Part of this was the Address to a Haggis in Scots – probably largely unintelligible to many! If you’re wondering what all that was about, read on. Aileen giving a fine rendition of the Address to the Haggis at the club’s summer ceilidh. Photo: Kristin Downey Burns night is celebrated in Scotland on the 25 January – Robert Burns’ birthday. He lived from 1759 to 1796, dying young at 37 years, but packed a lot into his short life. January is cold and dark in Scotland, so this is a winter feast with warming fires, whisky and poetry/singing/dancing involved. It’s very popular and second only to Hogmanay. Burns was a man of the people, not rich, good looking and utterly charming to the ladies (to whom he comes across as irresistible). He believed all people are born equal, rebelling against the established (unequal) religious and moral views of the time. The New Atholl Collection commemorates the bicentenary of Robert Burns’ 1787 Highland Tour. We danced Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia from this collection at our summer ceilidh. This sums up the epitome of Scots’ character and his poetry and songs strike the heart-strings of all Scots – hence his abiding popularity. Indeed the Scottish Parliament was opened in 1999 with Sheena Wellington’s wonderful rendition of Burns’ poem/song – A Man’s a Man For A’ That. Burns saw that many Scottish cultural traditions, historical records and literature, and tunes were being lost and he set out to collect these and keep them alive. His many poems were often set to existing older tunes for either singing or dancing. He himself was fond of dancing. The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society catalogue features many ‘Burns’ dances – too many to mention them all, but there are some done regularly at Johnsonville such as Corn Rigs and The White Cockade, and we did Ha ha the Wooin’ o’ It at our Summer Ceilidh. Other well-known ones include – Burns Hornpipe, The Star o’ Rabbie Burns, Salute to Rabbie Burns, Dainty Davie, Green Grow the Rashes, Birks of Abergeldie, Deuks Dang Ower My Daddie, Ca’ the Yowes, Kenmuir’s On ‘n Awa’, My Love She’s but a Lassie Yet. There are also lots of Burns tunes commonly found in sets for other dances – again the list is too long to detail. Rabbie was a contemporary of Niel Gow – a well respected tune composer (you’ll know many of these too!) and they met up a few times. The lead tune for The Barmkin was composed by the two men together while having a drink at the Inver Inn in 1787 (tune title – Landlady of Inver Inn). So, what happens at a Burns Supper? There is a celebration of his poetry and songs with many toasts. The haggis was a symbol of working class fare, nourishing poorer people and at the same time using up all parts of animal efficiently (much as sausages do). The haggis is brought into the room on a silver salver with great ceremony and a piper leading the procession. The Address to the Haggis can be simply translated into sections: 1st and 2nd verses compliment the haggis on its fulsome appearance (chieftain of the pudding race), fat face and buttocks like distant hills, also enticing amber bead droplets exuding through the pores. 3rd and 4th verses describe the knife cutting into the haggis (gushing entrails bright) and the glorious sight and smell. People rush forward with their spoons to partake until their bellies are fit to burst and the head of table says a thankyou grace. Aileen plunging the knife into the haggis while Graeme who piped in the haggis stands alongside. Photo: Désirée Patterson 5th and 6th verses poke fun at those who dabble in continental faddy food (ragout, olio, fricassee) which would make a sow sick and good folk vomit. Such poor devils are weak with thin legs, small fist and not fit enough to run across a field or flood. 7th and 8th verses compare a haggis fed man – his tread makes the Earth tremble and any blade in his hand would whistle while cutting off legs, arms and heads like the top of a thistle. To finish, it beseeches those choosing food for Scots to avoid watery stuff in wee bowls but give them haggis to earn their gratitude. Haggis is always served with Neeps (Swede turnip) and mashed Tatties….and whisky. It is usually preceded by The Selkirk Grace by Rabbie Burns. Some hae meat and canna eat, — And some wad eat that want it;But we hae meat, and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be thankit. In a nutshell, Rabbie brought us many well-loved stirring poems and songs, ranging from beautiful to satirical. He created valuable collections of tunes, history and culture of his times. His humble beginnings were working with his parents on the farm in Ayrshire in the Borders. It was a hard life punctuated with landlord troubles, colouring his attitude to figures of authority abusing their power. His ‘artistic temperament’ made him very popular, including siring 14 children by four different mothers. After using up all his money, he later took a job as an exciseman (oh, the irony) and settled down with his wife Jean Armour. He died of heart failure. We remember him often by singing Auld Lang Syne at the end of every Scottish Event – his most enduring poem about friendship. Other often quoted lines include: O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us. (O would some power the gift give us to see ourselves as others see us.)The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ menGang aft a-gley,An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ painFor promis’d joy. Aileen Logie7 February 2021... Read more...

Print Friendly, PDF & Email