Great dancing requires great music - I describe both in my dance book

 

As we reach the end of the year 2024, it is time wish you all a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR and to remind my dancing friends about my book praising dance and beautiful dancing women. I also recount ghost stories about St Andrews, and tales of wonderful dancing in Virginia and Scotland and elsewhere. Oh yes, I also promote "the greatest happiness of the greatest number" - the excellent utilitarian philosophy of Scottish genius John Stuart Mill. 

There is good belly laugh on nearly every page, and the book also offers you a full Ball programme.

I have been lucky during my long life to dance with some exceptional women. You can meet them in my book.  To dance, is to become beautiful. Dance is also a team sport:  the joy of working together to produce a great result.  Start with a fabulous partner, fit the two of you into a team of six or eight dancers, and you create - together - a beautiful feeling of partnership with the musicians, producing a form of physical and spiritual perfection. 

Ah yes!  The musicians! There is no great dancing without great dance music.

Let me here pay tribute to some of the wonderful musicians who have paved my path : Dave  Wiesler, David Knight, Mara Shea, Hanneke Cassel, Liz Donaldson and Elke Baker at Scottish Weekend; Ralph Gordon and Dan Emery; John and Moira Turner with their generations of Jinkers;  Bobby Brown in Canada; Mo Rutherford and her husband Neil Copeland in Perth; Billy Anderson in my days at St Andrews; Robert Mackay and Muriel Johnstone at RSCDS Summer School; Ian Robertson visiting France and - most recently - the Paris Band which creates great dance music and great vibes for the younger generation of which they are all members.  

In must mention George Leila and the Brady Brothers - Luke and Adam who represent the best of the future of our precious RSCDS (beneficiary of profits from sales of my dance book). I have enjoyed many, many other musicians but these are the dance magicians to whom I feel personally most attached. 

I thank you all for the joy that your musical talent has brought me over the years.

A picture of my favorite 3Ds: Emery, Wiesler, and Knight - those grey stones look like St Andrews.

Hogmanay is a time when most of my friends across the word will be celebrating the New Year 2025 on the dance floor. Have fun!  Dance well ! I'll be thinking of thee ! and may the new year bring thee joy ! 

Wanna see me dance? Go here: https://www.scottish-country-dancing-dictionary.com/video/silver-thistle-ball.html

The Silver Thistle Ball is a beautiful strathspey, created by Moira Turner and Stella Fogg with Dave Wiesler's music.  Later Moira created a surprise dance for Stella, a wee lassie who was born in Gourock, and as you may well imagine when you see it, the dance took us a long time to master:

https://www.scottish-country-dancing-dictionary.com/video/wee-lassie-fae-gourock.html