Caledonian Society

Fancy a go at Scottish Reeling? Whether you know the Eightsome Reel like the back of your hand or don’t have a clue what that means, come along to our regular practices! We're an inclusive group and everyone is welcome.Unfortunately due to COVID-19, our society will look slightly different due to social distancing when dancing. However, we're still excited to learn with everyone and hopefully get back to normal very soon! This year we will also be running plenty of online events so anyone can join us.We meet on Wednesdays for dance steps 5:00-6:30 pm? and Saturdays for a social!Subs: £4Here’s a link to our WhatsApp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/BEI8gse2eexCPaxMtjI7CqHere are our next few events;Online Q&A session 14/01/21, 6pm to 6:45 pmhttps://us04web.zoom.us/j/77274106078?pwd=VFV1bmt3VTI1L3RqU3lkZWxNNENHQ…  Meeting ID: 772 7410 6078 Passcode: 9tpTQ1Online Games Night 16/01/21 17:00 - 18:30 Check What's On Calendar, Facebook or Instgram for the link on the day!Online Basic Steps Taster Session 20/01/21 17:00 - 18:30 Check What's On Calendar, Facebook or Instgram for the link on the day!Online Cocktail/Mocktail Making and Tasting 23/01/21 Check What's On Calendar, Facebook or Instgram for the link on the day!Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/uclcalsochttps://www.instagram.com/uclcalsoc/?hl=en[email protected] Here's some links to some of the core dances:Dashing White Sergeant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m_ZuXddYz0Hamilton House https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv08FQ9XvZUEightsome reel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZI9iWZ52Vk&t=337sReel of the 51st https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk_tpP8oRSY&t=29sReeling FAQ-What is reeling?A reel is a traditional Scottish group dance. It can be similar to a ceilidh, country or folk dancing. -Do I need to have reeled before?No, everyone is welcome regardless of ability! At all our practises we teach the basic steps, then we walk through each dance in slow time before building up to a full speed dance to music. The steps are called out at every stage of this process too for more guidance. If you’re still worried, you can pair with a more experienced reeler who will guide you in the right direction during the dance. Everyone makes mistakes and it's just for a laugh with no judgement.-How are you socially distancing?Unfortunately, instead of holding hands and twirling the night away we will be more spaced out than usual to ensure we can stay 2m apart. There will be no physical contact, instead with distance being maintained at all times. Our room will be bigger to compensate for the wider circles while dancing. Hand sanitiser, masks and latex-free gloves will also be provided by the society for all sessions, although we do encourage people to bring their own to ensure there's enough for everyone. -What should I wear?Whatever you feel comfortable in. It can get warm as you’re dancing so layers are a good idea. The only thing we advise is you wear comfortable flat shoes, there is a lot of moving around, spinning and turning; no one wants a twisted ankle or to be stood on by bulky or heeled shoes. Masks will be provided should you wish to wear one. We also strongly recommend you bring a large bottle of water as it can get quite hot and there will be limited opportunities to refill (to avoid transmission at water fountains etc.)-How do the practise sessions run?We will start by teaching the basic moves for reeling i.e. how to ‘set’ and ‘turn’. We will then learn a dance through demonstration and practise before dancing it in full to music. After each dance we will pause for drinks and socialise with each other before moving onto the next dance.-Do I need to come with a partner?No. The more the merrier and we love sharing the joys of reeling with everyone but if you don’t have anyone to come with don’t worry! Formal reeling etiquette says you shouldn’t dance  same partner more than once so you'll meet plenty of people regardless. Anyone can ask anyone to be their partner for a dance but if you’re shy we will always make sure to include everyone who wants to dance in a group.-How much does it cost?Annual membership is £12. This covers all teaching, food and drinks at our weekly practise sessions. If you want to come as a one off, or want to bring a friend for one week we charge £4 subs per session. Members do not have to pay subs. Ball tickets and social night prices will vary depending on what we’re doing and how much venues and bands charge, you will be told about these as and when they arise - obviously with ever changing social distance guidelines we would like to be as flexible as possible to adapt to changes, but do we try to keep these affordable for as many members as possible. Typically the perks of an annual membership outweigh the costs so it's well worth purchasing one early!