From Lyon to St Andrews: A Joyful Journey to Summer School

What an experience our trip to Summer School has been!

Some called it the “French invasion” as 40 dancers from Lyon (and a few friends from Paris) arrived in St Andrews to take part in week 2. We had been planning this project for more than a year as most of the dancers were attending Summer school for the first time: our weekly classes were regularly taught in English so our dancers would be able to understand their teachers, we introduced pilling “lessons” so that everyone could prepare the evening dances, and three of our dancers started teaching to be ready to take their units 2&3.

But nothing could actually prepare us for the fantastic social experience this week turned out to be : is there anywhere else where people from 8 to over 70 years old from all backgrounds can enjoy their holiday together from breakfast to late at night, dance the “chenille”, celebrate birthdays, or simply enjoy an afternoon (or sunrise) at the beach ? We got to know each other better, to discover new talents and to share pure joy on the dance floor and beyond, especially when we learned that our three candidates had passed their exams with flying colours.

So on behalf of RSCDS Lyon Branch, thank you to all the organisers, teachers and musicians who made this week possible!