Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society ( RSCDS for short ) was founded in 1923 and sees itself as an umbrella organization for groups and associations that practice Scottish Country Dance .
history
Country dancing had been a part of social life in Scotland since the late 18th century , but was in danger of being forgotten in the 19th and 20th centuries under the influence of continental European dances like the waltz or quadrille and American dances like the one step and the foxtrot .
The first attempts at a "revival" of country dance in Scotland took place in 1912 when Jean C. Milligan founded the Beltane Society in Glasgow ; however, they fizzled out when the First World War broke out. Ysobel Stewart of Fasnacloich tried in 1923 to start the music publisher Paterson's Publications Ltd. to encourage them to publish the descriptions of some dances which she remembered from her youth and which have now either not been danced at all or in a (in her opinion) very degenerate form. J. Michael Diack, who worked for Paterson's Publications, put Stewart and Jean Milligan in contact, and the two decided to set up a club. Diack promised them that Paterson's Publications would support them financially and publish a first book with 12 dances and accompanying music.
The first meeting of the "Scottish Country Dance Society" took place on November 26, 1923 at the Athenaeum in Glasgow; The association was formally founded in the following December. The first book came out a little later - 6 of the 12 dances were by Mrs Stewart, the other 6 by Miss Milligan - and the Society began teaching dance classes in Glasgow. The “Glasgow Branch” of the SCDS was founded from the first dance group, around 100 people.
In 1924 the Society began training and examining teachers. Branches were founded in Glasgow, Edinburgh , Perth , Dundee and Aberdeen . The Society was chaired by Lord James Stewart Murray (from 1952 the Duke of Atholl ), who was considered an authority on the Scottish music and dance tradition. In 1927 the first summer school took place in St Andrews , where it is held annually (except during World War II ) to this day.
In 1930 the Society had 16 branches and over 1,000 members. They devoted themselves to the collection of dances in the rural areas (where they had still been held) and started old manuscripts from the 17th – 19th centuries. Century. The aim was less the historically correct reconstruction of the past than a standardization and practical reinterpretation of the choreography, technology and terminology for the future. Jean Milligan was perfectly placed through her professional activity as head of PE teacher training at Jordanhill College to make Scottish Country Dance a compulsory part of the curriculum.
Through the activities of the SCDS, Scottish Country Dance began to regain popularity. Dance groups and branches were founded at home and abroad. In addition to the publication of dances from old manuscripts, the Society began to recognize newly invented dances in the second half of the 1940s - a step that was not undisputed at the time. In 1947 Princess Elisabeth (now Queen Elisabeth II. ) Was declared the patron (patroness) of the SCDS, and in 1951 King George VI bestowed it . her the title "Royal". The RSCDS had 11,500 members and 55 branches, two of which ( Boston and Cape Town ) were overseas. 118 dance groups worldwide were affiliated to the Society. In Germany, the first dance groups were founded in Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart in the 1960s .
Goals of the RSCDS
When the RSCDS was founded in 1923, its goals were set as follows:
- To practice and maintain Country Dances as danced in Scotland ( "Country dances as danced in Scotland" );
- Collect old books and pictures illustrating Scottish dances;
- From time to time to publish country dance descriptions with diagrams and music in simple form at moderate prices.
Since then the goals have been adjusted and are now:
- Traditional Scottish Country Dances ( "Scottish country dances" ) to preserve and promote their exercise;
- To provide or assist in targeted training or instruction in the practice of Scottish country dances;
- To publish in all available ways information and music related to Scottish Country Dancing and in particular to publish or have published descriptions of Scottish Country Dances with music and diagrams in simple form and at reasonable prices.
- Collect books, manuscripts, illustrations, and other memorabilia relating to Scottish Country Dancing and the Society;
- To do generally all other things which (in the Society's opinion) are related to or conducive to the achievement of any of the stated objectives.
The transition from “Country Dances as they are danced in Scotland” to “Scottish Country Dances” is particularly noteworthy. While the former formulation still recognizes the (historically correct) basic identity of Country Dances in England and Scotland and aligns the Society's activities primarily with Scottish customs , the latter formulation postulates Scottish Country Dance as an independent form. However, this is a modern statement that derives its justification from the further development and standardization (and thus a partial departure from historical models and a “scientific”, conservative approach) by the activities of the Society itself than it is a statement about the state before founding the Society.
The RSCDS today
Today the RSCDS has around 17,000 members worldwide. In addition to the maintenance of Scottish Country Dance, the tasks include training dance teachers, organizing courses for dancers (annual "Summer School" in St Andrews , Scotland ) and publishing dances and music for Scottish Country Dance.
literature
- Hugh Foss: Notes On Evolution in Scottish Country Dancing. Dumfries 1973.
- Alastair MacFadyen and Alan MacPherson (Eds.): The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society - 75th Anniversary. Edinburgh 1998.
- RSCDS (Ed.): The Manual of Scottish Country Dancing. 2005 (1st edition 1992). ISBN 0-902997-03-3 .
