Step Dance on The Isle of Skye

I am very excited to announce that I will be running step dance classes at the Gaelic College on the Isle of Skye through the summer. In addition to weekly step dance taster sessions for students attending short courses in Gàidhlig and music, there will also be a series of step dance workshops aimed at people in the local community and open to everyone.

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    In 2003, aged 12, I came to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye for the first time to attend a week of step dance classes with Harvey Beaton from Cape Breton and Donal Brown from Scotland (of The Scottish Step Dance Company and Breabach). The memory which stands out is of one hot afternoon after class going down to the beach for a swim with the ladies in the class (there was only one other “child” other than myself on the course). We ended up diddling tunes and doing cèilidh dances in the sea. The reason this memory sticks out is because we danced a 'Dashing White Sergeant and, while we went round in a circle, there was a jelly fish in the middle, but when it came to the part where the two sets close in together no one knew where the jelly fish went!
    Anyway the week was an absolute blast – the steps, the classes, the cèilidhs in the evenings – it was a totally invaluable experience.  In the Short Courses brochure for that year it says:

“Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is delighted to welcome Harvey back this year to teach this summer. Its was Harvey’s classes which began in Summer 1993 that got the step-dance revival going in Scotland. Harvey comes from Inverness County in Cape Breton. He is much appreciated for the wealth of traditional step-dance he is able to perform for his easy-going teaching style” . (2003)

Although there has been debate around the nature of the revival and the origins or indeed identity of step dance reimported from our Cape Breton cousins, it is without a doubt that there was a flourishing of step dancing in Scotland throughout the 1990s. Testament to this, in 2003, in addition to the week with Harvey and Donal, step dance workshops also featured as part of the Alasdair Fraser week  as well as another week taught by dancers Frank McConnel (Dannsa) and Keri (Scottish Step Dance Company).
    Now, 11 years later, I am delighted to be back to keep that revival going and will be offereing workshops to people visiting the college to do short courses as well as to local people living in the community and the surrouding area. Classes open to everyone are on Wednesday evenings from 6.15pm – 7pm and take place at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. The workshop series will cover a repertoire of strathspey, jig and reel steps in the relaxed and informal context of theTalla Mhòr. With a focus on footwork, rhythm and technique, the workshops are designed to give people knowledge of a variety of steps which may be incorporated into set dances or used as building blocks for their own creativity.
    Classes are open to all ages and ability levels with the possibility of more class times and dates to be added based upon uptake.

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