The Milwaukee Scottish Country Dancers is a social group that enjoys learning and dancing the traditional jigs, reels and strathspeys of Scotland.  We host a fall and a spring dance as well as several dance parties throughout the year.  In addition, we occasionally perform at weddings, dinners and folk festivals.

Classes are open to anyone interested in Scottish Country Dance.  Beginners are welcome to watch and to dance.  It is not necessary to have a partner to participate.  You don't have to be Scottish!

For information contact:   Jennifer Michel (414) 254-8886, eth.schwa@gmail.com or Paul Gunderson (414) 962-8877, paeg@sbcglobal.net.

For information regarding demonstrations and performances call:  Ron or Diana Hankes (262) 679-8522.

For the Governance and Board of Directors of the Milwaukee Scottish Country Dancers, please look here.

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News

  We will not be dancing at the Hales Corners Public Library at any time during the 2010 calendar year.  Hales Corners is renovating its Village Hall and needs the space in the Library for governmental work.  We will instead be dancing second and fourth Monday nights in the hall of Our Lord's United Methodist Church.  Address and directions can be found below and on the Class Dates and Locations page.


  Thanks to Lindsay Milbrandt for these photos from the Hallowe'en Dance.  Thanks to Nancy McClements for even more photos!


The Milwaukee Scottish Country Dancers have a managed list for easy email distribution.  All current dancers with email addresses have been added.  For anyone else interested, please use the following link to start the process.

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Class Schedule

Classes are held on Monday evenings at one of the two following locations.  Please check here for the schedule.

Saint Paul's Episcopal Church Great Hall
 914 East Knapp Street
 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 * Entrance to the Great Hall is through the parking lot (kitchen entrance) on Marshall Street *
 (There is a  $3.00 donation to defray the cost of the hall rental.)

Our Lord's United Methodist Church

5000 S. Sunnyslope Rd.
New Berlin, Wisconsin

For those coming from Milwaukee you can get off of I-894 @ Beloit Rd, drive west until you get to Sunnyslope Rd (traffic light) turn left (south), and you will see it almost immediately on your left.
* Enter the left doors and then turn left again. You will be in the right room.
(There is a  $3.00 donation to defray the cost of the hall rental.)

  Class Dates and Locations
 

Old class site:

Hales Corners Public Library
W. Ben Hunt Conference Room
 5885 South 116 Street
 Hales Corners, Wisconsin

How we structure our classes:

In the first hour, the entire group does simple dances, step practice and formations.

Toward the end of the first hour, intermediate level dances will be taught.  These dances will include a step, a formation or formations taught earlier in the hour.

For the second hour, the class separates into two locations within the same building.  At the start of the second hour, beginning dancers will continue to practice as in the first hour - this time with a teacher, a teacher candidate or veteran dancer.  Intermediate and advanced dancers will develop their dancing skills on more advanced dances, truly challenging formations or dances in preparation for upcoming events.  Midway through the second hour, the entire group repeats one of the simple dances taught in the first hour or will dance another simple dance, which has a step, a formation or formations taught in the first hour.

Toward the end of the second hour, intermediate and advanced dancers will develop their dancing skills on more advanced dances.  Beginning dancers are welcome to watch this part of the class.
 

Demo team and advanced dancer information here.

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Upcoming Midwest Scottish Country Dances

33rd Annual Ball
March 20, 2010
Madison, Wisconsin
 Cheat Sheet

Grand Ball
April 17, 2010
Twin Cities, Minnesota
 Information

Nineteenth Annual Scottish Ball Weekend
April 30 - May 2, 2010
Ames, Iowa
 Information

Annual Ball
May 9, 2010
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Spring Dance
May 22, 2010
Racine, Wisconsin
 Information

Milwaukee Highland Games
June 7, 2010
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 Information

Midwest Workshop Weekend
June 11 - 13, 2010
Beloit, Wisconsin
 Information

13th Annual Highland Mist Ball Weekend
June 25 - 27, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri
 Information

Wisconsin Highland Games
September 3 - 5, 2010
Waukesha, Wisconsin
 Information

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Sale Items

You can order Milwaukee Scottish Country Dancers merchandise!  Please look here for our online store.

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Scottish Country Dance Groups
(mostly Midwest)

•  Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
•  Cincinnati Branch RSCDS, Cincinnati, Ohio
•  Detroit RSCDS Branch, Detroit, Michigan
  
•  Highland Mist Scottish Country Dancers, St. Louis, Missouri
•  Madison Scottish Country Dancers, Madison, Wisconsin
•  RSCDS Chicago Branch, Chicago, Illinois
•  RSCDS Twin Cities Branch, Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota
•  Scottish Country Dancers of Central Iowa, Ames, Iowa
•  Windsor Branch of the RSCDS, Windsor, Ontario

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Resources for Dancers

•  The Inter-city Scot Online  A newsletter of Scottish Country Dance groups and events in North America.
•  Scottish Country Dance Etiquette and Conventions  Thanks to the Twin Cities, Minnesota branch for this link.
•  Scottish Country Dance resource pages
•  Shoes, Dances, Music  An assortment of links, addresses and phone numbers.
  
•  Buying Your Kilt Made Easy (click the link on the right)
  
•  Standard Etiquette for Scottish Country Dancing  Thanks to the Madison Scottish Country Dancers for this link.
•  Hints and Tips for Briefing Scottish Country Dances
  
•  The Strathspey Server  A repository of information relating to Scottish country dancing.
•  Teachers' Association of Canada  An association of teachers of Scottish Country Dancing.

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Related Information

•  Center for Celtic Studies at UW-Milwaukee
•  Council of Scottish Clans and Associations
•  Irish Cultural and Heritage Center
  
•  MetroMilwaukee.org (excellent city guide)
•  Midwest School of Piping and Drumming
  
•  Milwaukee Blue (essential links, compactly organized)
•  Milwaukee Folk Dance Community Web Site
•  Milwaukee Highland Games
•  Robert Burns Club of Milwaukee
•  Saint Andrews Society of the City of Milwaukee
  
•  Shamrock Club of Wisconsin
•  Wisconsin Scottish Inc.

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Last modified January 31, 2010
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