My friend, C who is a keen Scottish dancer participant, invited me along to one of her Social Scottish nights which several local clubs (as far away as Palmerston) were going to be attending. C invited me, on the assumption that now I am learning to dance, that i must have some natural talent and ability at dancing.. or like all dancing.. Anyways, despite C, misplaced faith in my dancing ability, it was a good night.
It was $5 and a plate for a shared supper afterwards. Pretty affordable i thought. I was expecting to perhaps see a range of ages, but I must admit that there were very few participants representing the under 40's age group. Just a sprinkle of us in our 20s.. & a majority of the members from these clubs being 60 plus.. numerous grey heads dotted the hall that we were at (they hired a local church hall for the occasion) and there was probably at least 50 people present. Not everyone was dancing, there were a few members due to health and age, who were no longer capable of dancing, but still went along to soicalise. Their were a few members who still participated, but walked the steps rather than danced them, thus adjusting their occupation to suit their physical abilities. I found people to be pretty friendly, and willing to mix and mingle and ask for dancing, despite my lack of knowledge regarding sequences or steps. They gave out instructions before the beginning of each dance, what the sequence was, and we stepped through it, which certainly helped me to learn it. Also, while I was dancing, other members in the group also helped me, by taping on their shoulders or pointing, where I had to go next. Therefore, by their help, they facilitated my ability to engage in Scottish dancing and also made it an enjoyable experience for me!
What I like about Scottish dancing, is that it is soicable: you dance with a partner in a group, so you end up meeting and interacting with a range of people, people are willing to dance with you, even if you are unknown to them. It is also quite tiring.. so I felt like i got some good exercise, all while I was having some fun!! I think this is definitely something I might like to pursue in the future.. :)
