Seattle Burns Night

RSCDS Seattle Burns Night Celebration and Dance was held on January 18, at the lovely Lake Ballinger Center in Mountlake Terrace. Of the 82 people who attended 39 were first-time Scottish dancers!

Harry Khamis, Chair of the Branch, welcomed everyone, and Leslie & Michael Bourgoin, organizers of this year’s event, gave an introduction.  All of the usual Burns Night fanfare occurred, including toasts, speeches, piping, and the knife-wielding Calum MacKinnon who, before he gave the stirring “Address to the Haggis,” warned the audience that some of the language was R-rated and violent, but if he pronounced the words correctly no one would know what he was saying anyway!

After all the toasting, the chairs were cleared from the floor to make room for dancing. Lesley Allan had her hands full as she organized the crowd for “around the room” dances and set dances. 

This Burns Night was everything a Burns Night should be: a celebration of Robert Burns with the traditional ceremony, fabulous musicians, excited, happy dancers, and of course tasty refreshments. Special thanks go to the fabulous musicians Vienna Scheyer (violin) and Guinevere Saenger (keyboard).