Our first Friends & Family Weekend

It is not often possible for us to attend family themed Scottish dancing events in our area, so when we saw that a whole family and friends weekend was planned, just 20 minutes from our door, we jumped at the chance.  

Due to personal circumstances, I feared it wasn’t something we could afford. However, thanks to the kind generosity of the Hill family, there was funding available to ensure we could go.  

As Ysobel’s first exposure to dancing workshops, and with other children learning to dance, the weekend couldn’t come soon enough! 

As soon as we arrived on the Friday evening, Ysobel immediately made friends with a lovely young girl and they were just about inseparable the whole weekend. There was a wide ranges of ages present and I was very pleased to see so many other children there and some familiar faces too. The welcome dance was a lovely introduction, and Ysobel was very happy to dance with lots of other people.  

On the day of the workshops, the children’s classes were held in a room adjoining the main hall. This reassured both of us that I would not be far away, but still allowed us to focus on our own classes. Meeting again at break times meant we could catch up on what we had both learned. The chosen venue was excellent in being able to provide this consideration. Our lunch was provided and there was plenty for everyone, with all needs catered for. 

The teachers rotated between the classes and focussed on different things so there was opportunity to experience different styles of teaching, and give everyone something they could engage with. For our final session, we learned a dance that we would demonstrate to the other groups on the final day, applying the techniques that we had worked on earlier on the day. For the children’s class, they wrote their own ‘Lego’ dance and planned to teach the adults. It was a very fun and engaging technique to demonstrate to them how dances are built and put together.  

After a break of a couple of hours to refresh, we returned for a delicious evening meal and dance. Again, Ysobel was very happy to dance with lots of other people, to the extent I barely saw her all evening! The support and patience from all dancers for the less experienced in their set was lovely to see. We did not want to leave! 

On Sunday, there was a demonstration from the adult beginners class and the children’s class, before we were encouraged to learn the children’s Lego dance. It was lovely, and the children enjoyed telling off the adults when we went wrong! We then enjoyed some time around the town, before returning to the main hall for the advanced demonstration and a short ceilidh.  

The weekend was completed with a presentation to all the children, including a certificate and goody bag of local treats. The adults were even allowed goody bags too! A final warm and well deserved thanks to the organisers before a delicious lunch and saying our goodbyes to friends old and new.  

The weekend was fantastic and I hope more such events can be held in future, particularly in areas that have fewer opportunities such as this. I asked Ysobel what she thought of it, she said; “It was fun and exciting, I loved it. I would want to come again”. 

Thank you to the RSCDS YSC for organising and hosting this event, and to the Hill family whose generosity made our attendance possible.