New dancers: 1

Our tutor Rod Downey gives some tips to new dancers about practicing steps and formations.

If you want to practice any of the steps, begin with skip change (hop step) close step, where the first bit in parentheses happens on the first movement.

One of the local clubs, Lower Hutt has some nice videos online to demonstrate steps and formations.

You’ll recognise some of the names: allemande, pas de basque etc.

Another place to look at is the RSCDS Learn page which has a lot of teaching resources you can trawl through.

There is also a lot of technical information there about the music which is beyond my ken.

See more about music to dance to here

Dance instructions and videos

The Scottish Country Dance Database (SCDDB) is an excellent source of dance instructions and videos. When you click on the links for the dances below, select Videos in the menu to watch videos and listen to the music.

The New Rigged Ship is good for skip change

If you can find people to do it with, Linton Ploughman is an easy one with the elements we have done

The Linton Ploughman apparently was Robbie Burns.

Even listening to the music and imagining your steps will help. I suggest learning pas de basque (spring, beat, beat; R, L, R, and L, R, L) while washing up as you can lean on the sink, and keep your legs turned out.

Click here to see Rod demonstrating pas de basque at the kitchen sink!

Rod Downey
26 March 2020

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