Selkirk dancers enjoy Plattling

Hear from the young dancers from Selkirk who were invited to perform in Plattling, their twinned town. 

We flew out to Munich from Edinburgh on Wednesday 17th July 2024, bursting with excitement, all packed with our kilts, sashes, country dancing dresses, brooches and dance shoes. This invited trip to Plattling was an absolute chance of a life time to dance in front of so many people. 

Karina said “like all the other girls, we had never been to Germany and were warmly welcomed at Munich airport by our welcoming hosts waving Scottish flags as we walked out of arrivals”.  We boarded a coach and then arrived to check in to the incredible hotel Zur Isar, Plattling where we were welcomed by Mayor of Plattling, Hans Schmalofer, and various others from the town’s committee.  Sam Cleland, our accordion player, and his wife Julie drove over in their camper van and met us for drinks and dinner.

After breakfast on Thursday 18th we were taken on an insightful tour around the town and surrounding area which included a tour of a fire station and groups of four being raised up off a fire truck ladder to see for miles and miles around into a beautiful scenery. 

We attended Tanzschule Heartbeat Dance Studio as guests of the owner who said "I was too large to be a ballet dancer so I started a dance studio for all offering dance movement and mindfulness wellbeing". His dance members, young and old, had come along to teach us some of their dances and mindfulness fun activities. A delicious afternoon tea followed with homemade cakes, which included a courgette cake.  We then demonstrated some of our Scottish country dances. The three hours passed with joy, even tears of laughter, ecstatic environment and no language barrier; just pure dance enjoyment from two different cultures. 

That evening at 6pm we took part in the Nibelungenmarkt festival opening procession. Karina said "I was a bit nervous about how it would go and if people would be as excited to see us as the other incredible acts, but my fears were put to rest at once when met with rambunctious applause, cheers and smiling faces all around us. Taking part in the parade and festivities gave us a true experience of a community coming together to celebrate from historically medieval connections through-musical instruments, dances, costumes, and entertainment". 

During the opening speeches, Karina spoke and announced each dance in Scottish; Rob translated the speech and dances in German. We danced in front of hundreds and hundreds in the crowded market square. 

On Friday 19th we all visited Bayern theme park thanks to the generosity of the owners; we had a fun time with fast thrill-seeking rides and screams of fear mixed with laughter. 

That evening, some attended a banquet for 200 as honorary guests of the town held in the Nibelungenmarkt. The amazing smells of food with the wood burning and BBQ created such an atmospheric vibe from the various entertainment on offer. Selkirk Riddle Fiddlers played and a mixed age group of us Scottish country dancers danced for the mayor and his guests. Gifts were exchanged and official photographs were taken.

On Saturday 19th we were guests of the owners of Stadtwerke outdoor swimming pools where we all chilled out for the day in the sunshine. That evening, our hair was styled, our kilts on and we were ready to dance at 8.30pm for a crowded market where the evening’s entertainment took place.

We had an early start on Sunday 21st with a chance for some downtime swimming.  We had a quick change in the afternoon to take part in Volksfestplatz, an historical procession which was twice the size of the opening procession. 

The groups that participated were all different ages – from very young to old, all dressed in amazing medieval detailed and colourful costumes.  Their instruments included strange looking medieval Bavarian bag pipes, drums and guitars, with entertainers on stilts, jugglers and acrobatics. During the closing speeches, we danced for the last time and a willing crowd of volunteers joined in.  We all then went out in the evening for dinner.

All too soon it was time to pack up and on Monday 22nd we headed to Munich.  Some chose to visit Allianz Arena, home to FC Bayern Munich and others took in the city sights, enjoying the architecture, and at 12 noon, church bells chimed around us in Marienplatz Square. The Rathaus-Glockenspi is a large mechanical clock famous for its life-size characters that re-enacts scenes from Munich's history; it came to life like a fairytale.  There was just time for some retail therapy for gifts, our last lunch out before checking in for our return flight home.

Karina said "I think I speak for all of us when I say it made the trip all that more special and we will always remember the bonding, fun laughter, as a mixed group we made memories, shared and cherished a fantastic experience together". 

You can enjoy an overview of the trip in this video, filmed and edited by Frank Brown.