strathspey@strathspey.org:43963

Richard Goss

Re: Scottish Country Dancing VS Scottish Folk Dancing

Jan. 30, 2006, 10:15 p.m. (Message 43963, in reply to message 43951)

"In a sense it is analogous to Scottish Highland attire which is living
attire not folk costume. (Where else is this true?)"
   
  Pure RSCDS and twee propaganda, where else, by the same criteria,
  almost everywhere in Europe.
   
  During my extended stays in Scotland, outside SCD balls, I could go
  months without ever seeing a kilt (staying in St Andrews, in
  Edinburgh 3 times a week, once a week in Perth, occasional visits to
  Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Stirling. About the same odds as seeing a
  kilt in London.
   
  Here in Spain, my village, other neighboring villages, in Palma 3
  times per week, I see "national dress" at least twice a week. And
  interesting enough very seldom at folk dance events, where the dem
  teams only wear these clothes while actually doing a dem, quickly
  changing into civies for social dancing. National dress is regularly
  seen in church, and worn by musicians about half the time. It is
  also the uniform, or at least part of the uniform for many local,
  non international sports. Another difference is that I know of only
  one shop that sells a cheap version of it for tourists, most worn by
  locals are hand made and handed down within families. OK, I live in
  one of Spain´s 18 regions, but from experience, the same seems to be
  true in Aragó, Catalunya, and Asturias, and across the border in
  Portugal.