A Social Affair
Local Scottish country dancers combine traditions with old-fashioned fun
Heather Flint (left) and Evelyn Nixon teach the historic moves of Scottish country dancing every Monday evening at the Comox United Church. The dance form has been around since the mid-18th century.
Photo by Boomer Jerritt
First you must dispel all your mythologies about what Scottish country dancing is all about. It doesn’t have anything to do with the Highlands, the famous Sword Dance, or even kilts and pipers, although the latter two elements can be present.
Second, and most importantly, you must be prepared to have fun and get out and meet some agreeable people of all ages, delighting in a dance form that has been around since the mid-18th Century. Indeed, coinciding virtually with the birth of Scottish ‘Bard’ Robbie Burns, whose 250th birthday is being marked, with much ado, this year.
Finally, even if you had previously been oblivious to its existence, Scottish Country Dancing is ‘big’ in the Comox Valley. The Comox Valley Scottish Country Dancers have been around for about 35 years and the current membership is 60, says dance instructor, Evelyn Nixon.
As an instructor, she is joined by fellow instructor Heather Flint every Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Comox United Church, each year from September through April.
Despite the fact that the dance genre is Scottish in origin, Nixon is quick to point out that she is not Scottish and it’s not necessary to have a north of Hadrian’s Wall heritage to be involved. Indeed, she observes that the dance form is extremely popular in Japan.
“You don’t need a kilt; you don’t need a partner; and you don’t need to be a Scot,” says Nixon. “You just need to like to dance and want to come out and meet people. It’s wonderful exercise and a lot of fun.”
In her case she found it kind of a social lifesaver when she first took up dancing in Victoria in 1978.
“I had been recently widowed and I had a cousin who had taken up Scottish country dancing,” she says. “I was invited to come out. I went and I just loved it. I still remember the first dance I learned that night. It changed my life. My social group expanded and I began to enjoy life again.”
When she moved to the Comox Valley nine years ago, Nixon got involved in dance right away. She joined and became a teacher. The rest for her is, as they say, history, but she assures her enthusiasm has never waned but has become more profound as the years have gone by.
“Anybody who likes to dance will love it,” she says. “The music is emotional, but it’s also uplifting. It’s the mixing of people that I like the most. While Highland dancing is predominantly solo dancing, this is a group endeavour. It’s really a great place to meet people and I’ve made some wonderful friends over the years.