January

Tuesday, January 28, 2025, we were pleased to have two dancers who’d danced with us before but not recently show up and sign up for the Midwinter Ball! We did one dance from the Madison Ball then spent the rest of the evening doing requests from the Midwinter Ball program including one dance we did with the basics class.

Dances done:

1. Bonny Blue Bride 32J3

2. City of Stirling Reel 32R3

3. The Highland Ramber 40R3

4. Quarries’ Jig 32J3

5. Chicago Sapphire 32S3

6. Pelorus Jack 32J3

7. The Minister on the Loch 32S3 (Set)

8. Sugar Candie 32S3

9. The Kissing Bridge 32R3

Tuesday, January 28, 2025, Noel Chávez took the basic dancers through many of the new dancer friendly dances from the Midwinter Ball. They also worked on strathspey traveling, setting and transitioning from one to the other and practiced dancing from a brief rather than a walk through.

Dances done:

1. Bev’s Delight 32J3

2. Sandy O’er the Lea 32S2

3. Catch the Wind 32R3

4. First Love 32S3

5. Beach Dancer 32J3

Tuesday, January 21, 2025, we danced some of the more ‘interesting’ dances from the Midwinter Ball and Winter School. We also danced one dance with the new dancers.

Dances done:

1. First Harvest 32J3 (new Sue dance)

2. Barbara’s Strathspey 32S3

3. Beach Dancer 32J3

4. The Loch Michigan Rant 40R3

5. The Bees of Maggieknockater 32J4 (Set)

6. Cherrybank Gardens 32S3 (Set)

7. Quarries’ Jig 32J3

8. Gang the Same Gate 32S3

Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Noel Chávez and Mady Newfield worked on Midwinter Ball dances with the new dancers. They covered Ball ettiquette, how to read a crib, and the use of counting off sticks. They also tried dancing a dance from a briefing only.

Dances done:

1. The Barmkin 88R4 (Square)

2. First Love 32S3

3. The Highland Ramber 40R3

4. Bev’s Delight 32J3

Tuesday, January 14, 2025, we reviewed the remaining Midwinter Ball dances and tried one of the Winter School dances, plus a couple of other fun dances.

Dances done:

1. Bev’s Delight 32J3

2. First Love 32S3

3. Catch the Wind 32R3

4. The Barmkin 88R4 (Square)

5. Beach Dancer 32J3

6. Chicago Sapphire 32S3

7. Trotter Likes Belly Rubs 32R3 (new Sue dance)

8. The Scallywag 40J3

9. Flowers of Edinburgh 32R3

Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Mady Newfield and Noel Chávez continued to work with the new dancers to prepare for the Midwinter Ball. They covered skip change and pas-de-basque in setting and casting off, grand chain, mirror reels on the sides, and reels of 3 across the set. At the end of the class, the new dancers joined the regular class to dance a Midwinter Ball dance together.

Dances done:

1. Catch the Wind 32R3

2. First Love 32S3

Tuesday, January 7, 2025, we worked on dances from the Midwinter Ball. We walked through the reel transitions in Lady June Gordon, the pick-up chain, double triangles, the strathspey poussette, diagonal rights and lefts, alternating tandem reels, and the quicktime poussette.

Dances done:

1. Lady June Gordon 32J3

2. Sandy O’er the Lea 32S2

3. City of Stirling Reel 32R3

4. The Starry Eyed Lassie 32J3

5. The Minister on the Loch 32S3 (Set)

6. The Great Horned Owl 32H3 (new Sue dance)

7. Pelorus Jack 32J3

8. The Kissing Bridge 32R3

Tuesday, January 7, 2025, Noel Chávez worked with the basics class on the easier dances from the Midwinter Ball program.

Dances done:

1. Beach Dancer 32J3

2. The Barmkin 88R4 (Square)