The October 2024 Party

Weather Bomb

Scotland was promised a “weather bomb” for Sunday, which in Edinburgh meant that the wind whipped up some time after 5:17 PM. I know because when my husband and I and our bags of dance party supplies got on the bus, the wind was still mild, and when we alighted, leaves and paper were whipping through the air. Mr McLean held onto his cap and sped before me in his electric wheelchair.

The weather forecast had been so dire that it discouraged our Glasgow regular from coming, and he sent an RSVP. It was the only RSVP I received: great training in stoic detachment.

“If we have only ten people, we will have the best party possible for ten people,” I said to myself and anyone in earshot.

We happy few

And in the end we had 13 people, including Mr McL, eight men/boys able to dance, and four women. The four women included me, and I must think of crafty ways to attract more girls to my dances. Apparently handsome gentlemen, free dance lessons, and homemade chocolate chip cookies do not suffice. This is surely impossible, however, so perhaps what is needed is more advertising. For example, I could volunteer to give lectures and travel from parish to parish extolling the virtues of old-fashioned dancing to the girls.

As previously mentioned, I failed to find professionals to teach us this month, so we taught ourselves. Our waltzing authority led us through the British Dance Council-approved directions, two of us swingsters reviewed the 6-Count Lindy Hop, and our Royal Scottish Country Dance Society representative worked for 35 minutes solid to get us all to learn Hamilton House.

Refreshments table

First, however, we began by setting up the refreshments table (squash, water, coffee, milk, sugar, paper cups, spoons, chocolate chip cookies, curry pecan cookies, muffins, potato crisps, paper napkins) and saying the Prayer to St. Michael. Then I made a few announcements and ascertained that there is interest in weekly practice. This was all very swift, though, to make sure the waltzing teacher among us started on time.

Programme

Our schedule looked like this: 35(-ish) minutes for the waltz, 5 minute break, 35 minutes for Lindy Hop, 5 minute break, 35 minutes for Hamilton House, and then 20 minutes or so of “free dance,” followed by Strip the Willow. We had two minutes left at the end, so we sang the Salve Regina.

I added Strip the Willow because the “free dance” has been a much more sedate affair than it sounds–people sit about–and thus we have been ending with more of a whimper than a bang. The wild Strip the Willow adds a bang indeed. This time, however, the free dance seemed a lot more lively: perhaps because my playlist included 5 swing dances in a row. And to my great joy, two of the “leftover” men decided that, since they were brothers, they would consent to forming a pair for S the W.

Traditional dancing roles

To explain a thorny issue in one paragraph: the local swing dance scene has done away with traditional dancing roles and encourages men to dance as follows and women to dance as leads–not as stop gap measures but to do away with traditional dancing roles. However, we are traditional Catholics, so we don’t agree with this goal. Also, our men won’t dance partner dances with other men. They won’t.

However, I have impressed upon them that Highland Dancing is different, and that Highland Dancing was originally for men, and that Scottish soldiers traditionally danced together, and (especially) when stuck in POW camps with nothing else to do, Scottish officers come up with new Highland Dances. (That’s how the Reel of the 51st Division came into being.) At least, that’s what I credit for the two brothers consenting to stand up together, and much hilarity ensued.

Dancing with the wheelchair

What strikes me most about yesterday’s party is that we laughed a lot. Also, Mr McLean attempted to dance with me by moving his wheelchair hither and thither, which was very funny. It was also the first time we had danced together since cancer landed him in a wheelchair, which is not amusing in itself, but yesterday we laughed anyway. (Wheelchair dancing is an official “dance sport,” by the way.)

Swing po polsku

Another departure from the norm is that I found old Polish jazz tunes that work for Lindy Hop and not just the foxtrot or tango. (1930s Poland was tango-mad.) A third of our guests yesterday were Poles (not unusual for Catholic circles in Scotland), and so I was pleased to offer them “Ada, to nie wypada” (“Ada, this will not do,” sung by Albert Harris ) and “Panie Janie” (“Mr John” [Frère Jacques], performed by the Lazy Swing Band). Incidentally, I went through the lyrics beforehand. My inner censor reluctantly rejected “Ja Się Boję Sama Spać” as “on the line”, and I thought “Sex Appeal” might disturb those who could understand only those two words. Also, two Polish songs were probably enough to start with.

Anyone interested in learning more about swing jazz tunes can find out a lot by Googling “Lindy Hop playlist” and then listing to the suggestions over YouTube. When I find something I like, I buy it (79 – 99 pence) over my phone, and then eventually put it in a playlist.

A warning: Ada, to nie wypada easily turns into an ear worm, and it was a long time last night before I was able to sleep!