About Seattle Branch RSCDS

What is the RSCDS Seattle Branch History of the Branch Branch Organization RSCDS Scroll of Honor Award 2007 Elinor

Elinor Vandegrift

Scottish Country Dance is the social dancing of Scotland. It combines the grace of ballet footwork with the figures of  modern progressive social dance. The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS), founded in Glasgow in 1923, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation and practice of the country dances of Scotland. Currently, the  RSCDS has over 20,000 members in over 160 branches and 500 affiliated groups around the world.

Purposes of RSCDS

a) To preserve and further the practice of traditional Scottish Country Dances.
b) To promote and encourage the formation of Branches.
c) To provide, or assist in providing, special education or instruction in the practice of Scottish Country Dances.
d) To promote/publish information and music relating to Scottish Country Dancing and in particular to publish descriptions of Scottish Country Dances with music and diagrams in simple form and at moderate price to participants.
e) To collect books, manuscripts, illustrations and other memorabilia relating to Scottish Country Dancing and to the Society.

Seattle Branch, RSCDS

The Branch is a not-for-profit corporation of the State of Washington. All members of the Branch are members of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, 12 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh, Scotland. The Branch teaches weekly classes in several locations in the Seattle area. We gather for monthly social dances, hold dance workshops, and give dance demonstrations at  community events.

RSCDS Society's Scroll of Honor

For outstanding contribution to the preservation of Scottish Country Dancing, Elinor Vandegrift has just received recognition from the Society for the year 2007.  She has been one of our Northwest teachers for many years.  Thank you Elinor for your outstanding leadership over the years.

History of Our Branch

In the spring of 1963, two teachers from Scotland, Ian Munro and  Mairi MacRae, began a Scottish Country Dance class at Montlake Fieldhouse. The group grew and in 1965 formed The Seattle and District Scottish Country Dance Club. Steve and Iris Woodruff obtained teaching certificates, and Noel Lillie joined the group about 1969. We had workshops with out-of-town teachers, and an annual dance every June with visitors from Canada and points south. In 1973 there was a membership slump and we danced in the Woodruffs' basement. The first Fort Worden Weekend Workshop was held in September, 1974. In 1976, Elinor Vandegrift joined the group as another teacher. In 1978, the first May Ball was held at the Mountaineer's Club. We became a Branch of the RSCDS in September 1978. [from Happy Birthday to Us! by Nancy Covert, Bob and Kathy Bannister. The Puget Scot, Sept. 1988]

Since that time we have expanded our teaching staff and added several classes in greater Puget Sound at locations that work for our participants.  Ft. Worden Workshop, which happens annually in September,  continues to be a vibrant event, drawing participants from the Northwest, and across the country.

Organization of the Seattle Branch

The Branch is run by a Board, consisting of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Teacher Coordinator, and several Class Representatives (Class Reps.). They meet regularly (typically half a dozen times a year) to conduct the business of the Branch. The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in May and have terms of 1 year. The Teacher Coordinator is selected by the Board; Class Reps. are elected by their respective classes.

Board

Chair - Presides at board meetings.     Motivates people to help in committees. Facilitates running of Branch.
Vice Chair - Arranges locations for dances and events. Runs certain events.
Secretary - Records minutes of board meetings and the AGM. Handles Branch correspondence.
Treasurer - Collects money, pays expenses, keeps accounts, monitors progress against budget.
Teacher Coordinator - Communicates between board and teachers committee.
Class Representatives - Take attendance at classes and collect money, distribute publications, sells dance pass and memberships. Inform classes of what is going on in the Branch. Communicate class concerns to board.
Previous Chair - Helps provides continuity. Non-voting member of current board.

In addition to the Board, there are several committees. Typically a committee has a chair and 2 or 3 other members, although some, like Ft. Worden, or the Workshop committee, have several members with their own division of duties. Here is a list of the committees with a brief description.

Committees