strathspey@strathspey.org:52687

Agnes MacMichael

Re: No more sword dances?

June 4, 2008, 11:40 p.m. (Message 52687, in reply to message 52683)

Hi all
I think highland dancing is very entertaining.  I don't particularly like
the competitive side of it.  I have seen and heard some of the tantrums -
and that is just the mothers - but the children themselves get so hyped up
that they are positively manic.
My two grand children did highland - and other types of dance - in a dance
school - they went in for the exams to prove their skill, but they never did
any competitive dancing - i.e. at Highland Games etc.  I would not encourage
them to go into the competitions and they did not want to either.  They did
the dancing for enjoyment.
My oldest grand daughter has travelled overseas with a group I am involved
in doing her highland dancing.  She concentrated on the Highland Fling and
the Sword Dance.  Her favourite was the Sword dance.  My husband made a
special case for her sword to travel in and we never had any problems taking
it with us.  It was declared and put with 'special items' or 'fragile
items'.  The audiences and cultures we performed for really enjoyed her
dancing and she has even had a standing ovation and given a special gift
from a mayor of one of the villages we performed in.
The dance teacher has to order these swords from India.
My point in this is that I don't understand how it is not entertaining.
Agnes Macmichael
West Lothian, Scotland