Our first Road to Michaelmas dance workshop is this afternoon (September 7). For exact time and address, please send an email to dmclean@yahoo.ca. That is the only address I will be checking today.
Today’s event will feature the basic steps of the waltz, two or three of the easiest ceilidh dances, and half an hour at the end to practise or cut a rug with the swing-dance enthusiasts. We will begin with a prayer to St. Michael and end with an anthem to Our Lady. Dress code: church clothes. Donations: warmly welcomed but not essential..
For two years MMWP parties took place once a month or so, with a recess during Lent. This year we are trying something different: holding the workshops in successive weeks before the big dances. The idea is that this will give everyone a goal to work towards.
Next week (September 14) we will be having a more advanced waltz class, building on the skills we learn or review today, as well as two or three slightly more complex ceilidh dances and our usual half-hour “free dance.” The freedom of the free dance is that our young men are free to ask young ladies to dance or to stand around eating cookies and talking about rochets and credence tables. Of course, if they do this too much, they may suddenly sense the presence of their hostess and hear her hinting about how nice it would be if they asked Such-and-Such or So-and-So to dance.
The final Sunday (September 21) we are having a professional swing dance class, followed by more ceilidh dancing, and our half-hour free dance. If I remember (and I do hope I do), I will ask for volunteers to help wash the dishes after the Michaelmas Dance (September 27). I will also make my usual Appeal to Chivalry, which is my confident assertion of the Edinburghers’ willingness to make all visitors feel at home.
As usual, I do not know if we will have gender parity today, so I would be grateful for your prayers on this subject. Young men we shall certainly have, at least two middle-aged ladies, and a handful of children. To put it bluntly, we need young women. We always have gender parity at our big dances, but our at little ones… Let’s just say I have blushed many times before astonished teachers.
Meanwhile, tickets to the Michaelmas Dance will be on sale for cash, although of course you may pay by bank transfer, too. Adults £25, Students £20, Teenagers (accompanied by parents) £15. I hope to see you this afternoon!
NOTA BENE: Everyone under 18 must have parental permission to attend. Parents can contact me at dorfle@yahoo.ca.