Scottish Country Dancing in the NYC Metro Area You have reached a general interest dance page for RSCDS style dancing in the NY metropolitan area sponsored by Scotia Dance and Music Publishers (SDMP).  Adult classes in highland and step dancing are available  through the New York Celtic Dancers. If you are looking for information about the RSCDS New York Branch, go to http://www.rscdsnewyork.org, which also has pages or links for all the local dance groups.  You will find information about the book The Tin Woodman and Other Dances by Milton Levy and/or the The Tin Woodman CD recorded by Roy Hendrie on http://www.scotia-dance.org. Scottish Country Dancing is the historic social dancing of Scotland done to exciting jigs, reels and elegant strathspeys. For centuries, these dances were enjoyed at court and in the countryside. It is a form of pattern dancing that evolved into square dancing in North America. There are other types of Scottish dancing, such as Highland and step. Don Herbison-Evans at the University of Sydney in Australia has a fascinating treatise on Scottish dance at http://linus.socs.uts.edu.au/~don/pubs/scottish.html. Today, hundreds of groups around the world enjoy the sociability of this unique dance form. Many of these groups are part of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS). Each of these groups offer classes with a friendly, helpful program in which to learn. Five groups sponsor dancing in the New York City metropolitan area: Cameron Scottish Dancers* New Jersey Branch of the RSCDS (2 classes) New York Branch of the RSCDS (4 classes) Scotia Dancers of New York* Westchester Scottish Dancers Our weekly schedule lists classes by day of the week. *Designates a group that provides financial support for our dance and music education programs. Social Events.  In addition to regular classes, the RSCDS NY area dance groups sponsor a number of social events during the year. The RSCDS NJ Branch generally starts the season with the Boat Basin Dance. Scotia, CDNY and Cameron sponsor an English-Scottish Workshop and Dance. Cameron and the Caledonian Club will hold monthly ceilidh dance nights this year on the first Friday of the month. These events are a great time to introduce your friends to the world of Scottish Country Dance.  The Scotia Dancers have a Halloween Party scheduled for 29 October. On 3 November, the New York groups sponsor the Jeannie Carmichael Ball. During December we have the John Drewry Night in Brooklyn, the Cameron Tea Dance and the Scotia Dancers Holiday Party. The Westchester SCD celebrates Hogmanay with its New Year's Eve Dance. From January to June we have various Burns' Night celebrations followed by  a By Special Request Dance, a St Patrick's Day Party, the Rerr Terr, the Island Fling, the RSCDS NY Branch weekend, the Westchester Ball and Summerdance. During the summer, we slow down a bit and just have Thursday night dancing sponsored by RSCDS NY Branch. Please visit the Scotia Dance and Music calendar for a full schedule of dance and other events. You may also request information by e-mail at ScotiaDMP@aol.com or by message at 212-330-7643. Demonstrations. If you are looking for a colorful  music and dance presentation for your group or organization, consider a Scottish theme. We have groups that will present a show and/or lead audience participation. SDMP has helped arrange performances and demonstrations from North Carolina to New York and as far west as California utilizing local teams of dancers and musicians.  For further information, e-mail ScotiaDMP@aol.com or call 212-330-7643.   This page is sponsored by: Scotia Dance and Music Publishers c/o Jack E. Cole, Jr. PO Box 850 Planetarium Station New York, NY 10024-0540 Scotia Dance and Music Publishers is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Scottish music and dance education.  Click on our web site to see how you can help support our educational effort. Copyright © 1996-2007 by Scotia Dance and Music Publishers.   All rights reserved. Some images on this page are copyright Patrick Gallagher, Celtic Art,Ltd.  Used by permission. You are visitor number since 9 November 1996. Page last updated on 22 October 2007.