Tag: dance

  • My second highland dance exam

    My second highland dance exam

    I did my silver highland dance exam today. This is something most students do at age 9 or 10 so I’m only slightly over the hill. I dance with the Pam Dignan dance school and I think it’s wonderful that Pam gives everyone, young and old, the opportunity to dance, perform and sit exams. I’ve…

  • Irish Jig

    Irish Jig

    Elizabeth danced the Irish Jig at her final school assembly today. This time I got it all on camera. She hasn’t forgiven me for missing the end of the Hornpipe when my phone battery ran flat. It’s nice for her to see herself dance as it’s not something she gets to do very often. Filming…

  • Dancing, hair and Dickens

    Dancing, hair and Dickens

    Elizabeth got her first ever 1st overall trophy today in the intermediate section of a highland dance competition. She came 1st and 2nd in every dance taking 1st overall. She was absolutely thrilled. The trophy is massive and by far the biggest and heaviest one she’s ever got. I’m still having weekly highland dance lessons…

  • When every child gets a trophy except for one

    When every child gets a trophy except for one

    Elizabeth had a rather challenging highland dance competition yesterday. There were 7 dancers in her group and she came last which she can handle as it has happened before. But yesterday they awarded 6 trophies which meant every child got a trophy except for her. That’s a bit mean, I think, and not something I’ve…

  • Elizabeth dancing the Highland Laddie

    Elizabeth dancing the Highland Laddie

    Elizabeth performed the opening dance for her school’s international festival last night. This is the Highland Laddie which is danced to the tune of the same name and is a renowned regimental march. Indeed the dance steps were apparently choreographed by soldiers in the first world war.

  • Starstruck

    Starstruck

    We did something a little bit different today. We went to the ballet. The Scottish Ballet is performing Starstruck and they’re visiting Aberdeen this weekend. It’s the first time we’ve been to the theatre since the pandemic began and it was so nice to go out again. It’s also nice to support the arts which…

  • Highland dance exam

    Highland dance exam

    Elizabeth had her highland dance exam today. It all went well as far as we know but she won’t get any feedback for a little while as it was recorded and the judges will have to watch it. I took this photo of her waiting outside the dance studio in her full dance outfit. They…

  • Scottish poetry and highland dancing

    Scottish poetry and highland dancing

    I managed to clock up over 12,000 steps on my Fitbit yesterday while sitting on my butt. It’s not like the last time I boasted about doing exercise without doing any exercise – last time I really did exercise, thanks to active travel. However yesterday we used the car-club car to get around and so I…

  • Highland dancing and trees

    Highland dancing and trees

    Elizabeth had her Highland Dance exam today and it went very well. Here she is before the exam. Her kilt was too long so I got some braces and hitched it up. That did the trick and meant that I didn’t have to attempt hem surgery which would have been a huge undertaking with all…

  • Brussels sprouts, ceilidhs, and ethical clothing

    Brussels sprouts, ceilidhs, and ethical clothing

    I went to the allotment yesterday after an absence of almost a month due to treacherous ice on the bike path. It was just as well I went as most of my netting had been blown off and was no longer protecting plants. Something has been having a good nibble of this: I wasn’t even…

  • Going native

    Going native

    For a few months earlier this year the kids learnt Scottish Highland Dancing at school. It’s a traditional form of step dancing but unlike Irish dancing, it involves upper body movements as well. It’s a competitive dance rather than a social or barn dance and almost always performed at Scottish Highland Games. Dancers typically wear…

  • A haircut, a new vegetarian, and dancing

    I had my hair cut today. It has been 7 months since the last cut. The hair dresser was not impressed and took several centimetres from the bottom. I think I’m half a kilogram lighter as a result. She also chastised me for not brushing my hair everyday. When your hair is as long as mine there…