What is Countrytime!?
Countrytime! is a weekly dance class, teaching the skills and techniques used in Scottish Country dancing.
Scottish Country Dancing (SCD) is similar to Ceilidh Dancing, in that it involves dancing together with a set of people, rather than with a single partner or on your own in an unstructured group. But it’s different from Ceilidh Dancing too, because it is more formal, and involves steps and techniques that are not practical at a big Public Ceilidh. SCD originated in Scotland but is now a popular activity all over the world, enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s active, and fun, and social, can be exercise for your brain too, like learning any new skill.
Countrytime! aims to grow the SCD community in Cape Town by introducing more people to this wonderful style of dancing. We recommend that new dancers start with a course of introductory classes, after which they can progress on to an intermediate level course. These courses are held periodically on Mondays evenings for either 6 or 8 weeks at a time.
The course covers theory and practice together, and dancers learn how to dance jigs, reels and strathspeys, in a friendly and supportive environment. We start by showing dancers the basics, giving them an opportunity to learn easily and quickly, and to grow in confidence and skill. It is exhilarating, it is SO satisfying and most of all, such fun.
The classes cover:
Technique – steps, handholds, timing
Footwork – travelling step, Strathspey setting step, pas de basque, slip step
Formations – the building blocks from which dances are constructed
Dances – classes attendees build knowledge around a set of dances that they know well and can dance easily
And most of all,
Enjoyment – through mastering new skills, sharing them with others, moving to vibrant jigs, reels and strathspeys that make your feet tap
The next introductory course is planned for later in the year, with an estimated start date of Monday September 28.
How to join?
Countrytime! is run in short course format, with each course running for 8 weeks, every Monday night for 2 hours, from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm, including a brief guided warm-up and a short break in the middle of the class. Attendees are not required to have any prior dancing experience, but do need to join the course from the beginning so as not to retard the progress of the group.
Costs: R400 for an eight-week course.
