Friday ~ Children's Class

We welcome boys and girls, aged 6 and over. The classes are currently held from 16.30 hrs to 18.30 hrs on Fridays at the halls at the Rainham Methodist Church, Wakeley Road, Rainham.

Enquiries to – Margaret Anne Robertson on 01634 304372 or Barbara Meade on 01634 372823

The Children’s Scottish Country Dancing (SCD) class has been running since November 1993. The adult demonstration dance team had impressedtwo ladies in Newington so much that they soon joined the Association. Their children came to special Club events and were keen to do more dancing, so a few club members took up the challenge of teaching them, found a hall and the class began – with about seven children, all of whom were relatives of members.

The word soon spread as one of our members taught at a local infant school, and before long we had two classes and a waiting list. Numbers have gone up and down over the years, with usually an average of twenty children in the class.

Several Mums stay for the duration of the class, some of them joining in when we need extra dancers. Through this introduction to SCD, several parents have become adult members.

The classes are informal and fun, but we also aim to teach the children the correct steps and formations of SCD, and to this end also enter them for dancing examinations, known as the Medal Tests. Since 1998 the children have been very successful, initially passing the tests through the Internal Dance Teacher’s Association (IDTA) and more recently through the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS). This now enables us to hold the tests locally, with the examiner travelling to us, instead of us travelling to London as we had done previously.

An afternoon Tea Dance is always arranged in their honour when the certificates and medals are presented to the children, and they get a chance to show their dancing skills to proud parents, grandparents and friends.

The children dance in demonstrations at our annual Ceilidh, at school fairs in the area, and have been involved in Ceilidhs depicting dancing through the ages. They have also danced at the MacLennan International Festival of Dance in North Kent.

Their most ambitious event to date was a dance show based on the Twelve Days of Christmas, in December 2005, when the entire class of thirty seven children were involved in a happy afternoon of dance and song..

Margaret Anne & Barbara

For information on Dance Formations and Steps Click Here