strathspey@strathspey.org:30234

Lee Fuell

(Fwd) Tribute

April 1, 2002, 2:19 p.m. (Message 30234)

All,

From an article in The Times of London, August 1990:  In 1944, the Scottish 
Country Dance Society presented then-Queen Elizabeth a bound collection of the 
books published by the SCDS.  At that time, The Reel of the 51st Division was very
popular, having been sent home from the Laufen POW camp in Germany by
mail from the soldiers who devised it.  The Queen was disappointed that the 
Society had not published the dance, and made it known she wished to see the 
dance in the next book the Society published.  As a result, the SCDS changed its 
policy of only publishing traditional dances and included Reel of the 51st
Division in The Victory Book at the end of the war.  

Of course, Queen Elizabeth later became the Queen Mother, who just
died Saturday.  Not only was she instrumental in giving us a great
dance, she helped change the policy of the SCDS from publishing only
traditional dances to accepting newly-devised dances.  Without her,
we might not have (or at least not have in RSCDS publications) all the great 
modern dances by devisers like James Cosh, Jon Drewry, Roy Goldring, and their 
ilk.  Perhaps an appropriate tribute to this great lady would be to dance Reel of the 
51st Division in our respective groups this week.

Respectfully,

Lee
Donald Lee Fuell, Jr.
President, Cincinnati Branch
Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
http://www.rscdscincinnati.org
xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx