Festivals
New Scotland participates in a number of dance festivals each year including national and international festivals in Britain and international dance festivals abroad. We regularly attend two competitive festivals and a variety of non-competitive festivals including the Scottish Universities Scottish Country Dance Festival (SUSCDF), the Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival (IVFDF), the biannual Dunedin Dancers International Folk Dance Festival, and festivals abroad. Recent dance trips abroad have been to Poland, France, Belgium, Spain, the Czech Republic and Germany.
If you are interested in attending any of these festivals with New Scotland, you will find information about dates and location in our events page and these events will also be advertised at our classes and via our mailing list.
Dance Festivals in Britain
Scottish Universities Scottish Country Dance Festival (SUSCDF)
SUSCDF is an annual dance festival held, each year by one of the universities on the 'Scottish dance circuit' (this includes Newcastle University as well as the Scottish universities!). The festival occurs in early December and takes the form of an evening dance with a buffet meal and breaks in the dancing during which groups from the participating universities put on dancing displays.
SUSCDF St Andrews - New Scotland display
This is a fun event, it is not a competition and teams can vary in number from one person to as many couples as you can fit on the floor. The dance itself is open to all and is always good fun; so even if you are not performing in the 'dem' it is well worth coming along to SUSCDF.
Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival (IVFDF)
The Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival is an annual British dance festival which has been running for over 50 years. The festival runs over a weekend in late February/early March, starting on the Friday night and finishing around mid afternoon on the Sunday.
IVFDF is hosted by a university dance group (or groups) and includes workshops in dozens of different dance forms (both traditional and more modern) and other related (and not so obviously related) areas such as music, 'calling', Tai chi, and sword fighting(!). There are also ceilidhs with English and some Scottish ceilidh dancing (yes, at IVFDF, the English have hijacked the Gaelic word 'ceilidh' and attached it to their traditional 'Barn Dance' - well 'ceilidh' is a much better description!) and evening dances including a traditional Scottish Country Dance.
A large contingent of New Scotland travels to IVFDF each year.You don't have to be a dancer to come along to IVFDF and enjoy yourself; so bring along your friends whether they do any dancing of any sort or not! The weekend is all about trying new things.
Molly dancing display
Dunedin Dancers International Folk Dance Festival
The Dunedin Dancers (New Scotland's 'Big Sister') hold their biannual International Folk Dance Festival near the end of July in odd-numbered years. Around three foreign dance groups travel to Edinburgh for this festival which lasts for a week and is lots of fun!
The festival involves a number of dance performances - in locations such as Stirling Castle and Falkland Palace - with a main performance at the Churchill Theatre, Edinburgh. There are also many opportunities to meet and socialise with the visiting groups with events such as an organised quizz/treasure hunt and informal ceilidhs.
The 16th Dunedin Dancers International Folk Dance Festival, July 2001
Many New Scotland members have taken part in this festival over the years and recently we have become more closely involved with its organisation and running. If you are able to take part in this dance festival (even if only in the evenings after work), it is something not to be missed!
For more details of the Dunedin Dancers International Folk Dance Festival, you can visit the Dunedin Dancers website at http://www.dunedindancers.org.uk/.
Dance Festivals Abroad
Almost every year New Scotland participates in an international dance festival abroad, usually within Europe. Over the last few years this has included festivals in Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, Belgium and Poland. We have also organised 'exchanges' with foreign dance groups, most recently with La Travers´e from Monéteau (Yonne), France.
Dance festivals usually occur during the summer or over Easter and can involve a long weekend or a week or more. We usually take around 20 or 30 country and Highland dancers, and musicians including of course a bag-piper or two!
Performances at dance festivals vary greatly in length from 5-10 minute slots to long performances of up to 90 minutes. Performances will almost certainly be in a variety of venues (including outdoors on cobbles!) and there is usually at least one parade (walking though the streets in costume).
Ludwigstein, Germany
We usually perform a number of country dances or medleys of country dances (often 3 dances linked together), and ceilidh dances, interspersed with Highland dancing, and music solos. For longer performances we add more variety with changes of costume, the addition of a demonstration of the history of the kilt, and more unusual dances such as the Hebridean Weaving Lilt and the 'Broad woman' (a variation on the Broad Swords - honest!).
Dance festivals are a great way of making new friends and meeting new cultures and indeed the socialising between groups from different countries is an important part of any festival. There will be dance groups from many countries present and plenty of opportunity to socialise with them!
New Scotland tries to ensure that even if you only started Scottish country dancing the autumn before, you will be competent to participate in a dance festival the following summer if you put enough time and effort in; or even the following Easter with a lot of hard work! If you have only just started country dancing and are keen on participating in a dance trip abroad (and we always welcome people who are!) then we would recommend that you attend the Tuesday 'Country Dance Basics' class as well as the Thursday 'Beginners' class, and that you progress up to 'Intermediate' class as soon as the beginners teacher thinks you are ready (ask him if he doesn't mention it!).
Zilona Gora, Poland
Additionally to country dancers, who are usually members of New Scotland, we also welcome Highland dancers and musicians from outside the society on our dance trips abroad. So if you are a Highland dancer or folk musician interested in participating in a dance festival abroad (you do not have to be a student!) then please contact us at nscds@ed.ac.uk.
Dates and locations of each years dance trip(s) will be advertised on our events page, at classes and via our e-mail list.
If you have the opportunity to come on a New Scotland dance trip abroad, then it is well worth doing!
Telc, Czech Republic