5th - 14th September 2003

The tremendous enthusiasm and hospitality of the Kuban Scottish Dancers culminated in an amazing ten-day Scottish Dance holiday in Russia, as anticipated in issue 240 of The Reel.

Over forty of the total of 53 participants assembled at Heathrow on Thursday 4th September ready for the four-hour Aeroflot night flight to Moscow. The airline meal kicked off what was to be a feature of our Russian experience - food to excess! A coach took us into Moscow for breakfast and a tour, with our guide continually instructing us to "pay attention to the left or right". The highlight was a visit to the Kremlin with its icon-filled churches, followed by more food (lunch). An impressive traffic jam delayed our return to the airport but, after a mobile phone call, Aeroflot delayed our flight by an hour. After all, our party did fill half the plane. A meal on the Krasnodar flight was followed by yet another upon arrival at the Intourist Hotel where we met the other participants, coming from Europe (Eire, France, Germany, Spain, UK) and also Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the USA.

Many thanks to those who responded to the appeals for equipment (shoes, kilts, etc.) in both issue 240 and the last RSCDS Bulletin. Much was delivered last year. The rest was shared amongst the participants of our trip. It was pleasing to recognise the collected kilts being worn with aplomb by the Kuban dancers. I was glad the Russian authorities did not search my luggage. Could I have explained carrying twelve pairs of ghillies and a ladies' dress?

Our two weekends were spent in Krasnodar, enabling as many Kuban Dancers as possible to join us. Coaches shuttled us between the Intourist Hotel and the Palace of Culture where the dancing took place in a main hall and in a smaller mirrored room on wooden floors. Regional and national TV got wind of these exceptional proceedings. Now the whole country is aware of the dancing in Krasnodar.

Krasnodar, in southern Russia near the Black Sea, is the home of the Kuban Scottish Dancers, lead by Ilona Gumenyuk. Read her story in issue 240. Collaborating with Fiona Grant (RSCDS Bristol Branch) who set up the DanceTour Company to ease the way through the Russian bureaucracy, they spent over a year planning the event.

During the intervening week, we moved on to the Yamal Hotel at Nebug near Tuapse, overlooking the Black Sea, near the Caucasus Mountains. Here we danced in a large sports hall, again on a wooden floor.

Our classes had an international flavour, our teachers being Malcolm Brown (York), Shirley Butterfield (Christchurch NZ), Fiona Grant (Bristol), Gate Gray (Cardiff), David Queen (Preston) and Alan Twhigg (San Francisco). Our musicians were members of Scottish Measure -James Gray (Edinburgh), Andrew Lyon (Glossop) and David Queen (Preston).

In particular, at the Yamal, Alan, Cate, Malcolm and Shirley taught classes featuring dances from their respective countries. Alan featured dances from USA's West and East coasts, ending with "Tomalena", a five couple dance which readers in many parts of Germany, where this dance is popular, will know. It was devised for the retirement of Thomas (Toma-) and Helena (-lena) Garvie who were instrumental in keeping SCD alive on the Monterey Peninsula, California.

The Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Rant has yet to be written but Cate featured, in particular, dances devised in South Wales by husband Alex in the Tweeddale Collection of SCD Books. The music is available on Scottish Measure's "A First Dram" CD, and also the "Host Of The Air" CD on which James Gray (piano) plays with Susie Petrov (Accordion) and Laura Risk (Fiddle). Cate also taught "Alison's Round Reel" which, afterwards, was probably the first dance to be actually danced by participants in the Black Sea but apparently it was difficult completing the reel in time, due to deficient breast strokes.

Malcolm taught a challenging selection of dances devised in England and chosen with the group's experience in mind. The Brown family were represented: wife Helen's "Threave Castle" was included, as was son Duncan's "Dunnington Strathspey" following on from the success of his popular dance "The Chequered Court" in Book 42. (Malcolm's own dance "The Flirtation Chase", devised for Builth Wells 10th Anniversary, was taught later in Krasnodar.)

Shirley taught dances from the 1998 "Canterbury Tales" book devised by members of the Canterbury Region of the RSCDS NZ Branch. In particular, the well received "Worcester Boulevard" and "Ferrymead" were featured.

During our first weekend in Krasnodar, on the Saturday David and Fiona took Country Dance technique classes for the assembly which was split into two groups. I was pleased to meet Sasha Strekalova (age 11) and Veronika Kovaleva (age 13), members of llona's children's class, competently dancing with the adults. Perhaps SCO's future is in the hands of these youngsters far from Scotland?

On the Sunday, optionally, Cate taught Irene Fidler's (Newcastle Branch) step dance "The Thistle", with two strathspey and two reel steps, at a Ladies' Step Dance class, featuring a softer and more balletic style of setting step. Also David took a Highland Class. His original plan was to conduct an elementary class until he met some of the Kuban dancers at St. Andrews and viewed a video of them dancing. David's plans changed to conducting a more advanced class featuring, in particular, the "Reel Of Tulloch" and the finer points of Highland Fling steps. David was struck by the speed that the Kuban Dancers assimilated steps in spite of occasional language problems.

In parallel with these classes, Alan Twhigg led two sessions on Performance and Demonstration Dancing, illustrating how best to choose and choreograph medleys of dances for display purposes. For example, we learned a variation of the strathspey "Dundee Whaler" which flowed into a variation of the "Linton Ploughman", whose orientation moved through a right angle after each repetition. This in turn flowed into a square set in readiness for "The Highlandman's Umbrella". (It is hoped that Alan will write for The Reel on this topic in a future issue.)

Optional afternoon and evening classes in Scottish Quadrilles, Orkney and Shetland Reels, conducted by Fiona, and Cape Breton Step Dancing, conducted by Alan, also took place at the Yamal.

On the last day of classes back in Krasnodar, Alan, Fiona, Malcolm and Shirley previewed dances on the evening Ball programme. Kate Zakharova and her friend Mario Nizhegorodova joined my particular class. Kate, now 18, started dancing when three years old and enjoyed ballroom dancing, specifically mentioning the cha-cha and tango. She has danced Scottish for a year and attends two classes a week, Country and Highland. She also plays the piano.

At the interval, it sounded as if our class pianist, James Gray, was playing "Miss Gibson's Strathspey" to himself until we noticed a lower head next to him. It was Mario expertly playing. She started dancing Scottish a year ago when she was twenty, having heard about the Kuban dancers on the Internet. (See www.kuban.ru) Ten years ago she started playing the piano and has been playing Scottish for only a month! Ilona is currently trying to assemble a Scottish band. Clearly this will not be a problem with the local talent! Indeed Scottish Measure were enhanced by local musicians at the final Ball.

Our free time was occupied by activities in Krasnodar, around the Black Sea and in the Caucasus Mountains... and eating lots of food. For example, our eyes popped out at the vast array of food displayed at our Sunday lunch tables in a Cossack restaurant in Krasnodar, complete with accompanying music and dancing. Cossack costumes were also viewed in a Krasnodar museum Can one forget the sweet chestnut honey with nuts served at a tea tasting at the Yamal''

One excursion to the Kisilov Rock, a strange geological feature overlooking the Black Sea. involved a longish walk from the coach. The good news was that there was a short-cut back. The bad news was that it involved an unexpected vertical ten metre rock climb up from the beach. Needless to say, the fearless individual wearing a kilt (could it have been me?) manoeuvred himself to the rear. ensuring that those with cameras were in front.

Another trip took us to a camp, Terziyan, in the Caucasus where miles of trees covered its steep slopes. Here one could walk in the mountains, swim in the ponds, try a Russian Bath, stroke the cats and eat a never-ending barbecue featuring shashlik The Russian bath involved a group sauna (towels and sheets provided), in which there were clumps of branches for beating each other. That day we started collecting for a thank-you present for the Kuban dancers, thus giving the idea of a whip-round a special significance. This was followed by an optional plunge into a cold pool outside. Shall we dance “Strip The Willow" again with a straight face?

We also danced on the grass, the first three dances being "The Reel Of The 51st Division”, “White Heather Jig" and “Gang The Same Gate”. As far as I could ascertain, these were the very first Scottish Country Dances to be dancedin the Caucasus. Or do you know better? The sound of Bob Harman's bagpipes was also heard when we danced the “Gay Gordons” and a “Barn Dance”.

During our return from the Yamal to Krasnodar we enjoyed a visit to a space centre which combined a museum dedicated to Russia's exploits in space, with its sputniks and space suits, with the opportunity for children to try out various machines to see if they would literally like to give becoming a cosmonaut a spin.

The Hotel Yamal provided picnic lunches for us. When a carrier bag appeared we assumed that, within, there would be a sandwich each. However the other 50 bags (one each) soon followed! The typical participant took three days to consume the whole picnic, litre cartons of fruit juice cropping up at various gatherings thereafter until our return home.

We also enjoyed special events. In Krasnodar, the first Saturday saw an introductory dance MC'd by yours truly. Two dances on the programme were dedicated to the dancers in Russia:-"An Glas Eilean", a jig in a square set devised by Dorothy Bell (Bristol), and also "From The Black Isle To The Black Sea" devised by John Drewry (see page 7). This was already familiar to the Kuban dancers who could help the rest of us.

The second Saturday saw a Highland Ball MCd by Malcolm Brown. It started in fine form with Bob Harman playing the pipes for a Grand March. When recapping "Major Ian Stewart", Malcolm helpfully reminded us of the "zdrastvuyte (hello) and do svidaniya (goodbye) setting".

In between these dances, one evening we were the guests of the Kuban Dancers for a Russian Evening. At the door, we were invited to take a welcome pinch of bread from a large loaf, dip it in salt and eat it, before being escorted arm in arm by one of the dancers attired in Russian dress to our tables, liberally covered with vodka, wine and food. We were then treated to an amazing display of Russian song, dance and music as learned by the various groups based in the Palace Of Culture.

Amongst the three hours of entertainment, the local Cossack dancing was included. Another dance featured a girl dressed up as a Samovar, an allusion to SCD's "Tea Pots" formation? We were also treated to a solo Russian dance by Sasha Strekalova, one of the children I met at the class above.

Ilona, together with Kuban dancer Sveta Kostina danced Russian dances and attempted to teach them to us at an evening class at the Yamal, with mixed success. Like Ilona, Sveta is a natural dancer and I was amazed to be told that they learned their Russian routines together in just a couple of hours, routines that have to be seen to be believed. Sveta started Russian Folk Dancing as she wished at school between the ages of 10 and 17. Hearing about it from friends, she started Scottish Dancing to speak English. Now she just wants to do more SCD rather than speak English! She dances Scottish 4-5 times a week in Krasnodar, the Kuban dancers having four basic sessions a week – normal Children's and Adult's Classes (Sunday), Demonstration Class (Thursday), Highland Class (Friday) with an additional class (Wednesday). After our evening of Shetland and Orkney dances and videos, Sveta said she was surprised to find these other trasitions under the Scottish dance umbrella. She likes the fact that SCD is danced socially and is not just for demonstration.

Under the auspices of the Palace of Culture, different group of singers, musicians and dancers (now including Kuban Scottish dancers) meet. From an early age people pursue their specific interest perhaps being tempted to diversify and also try the class next door. The result is a collection of talented people of all ages.

Ilona is spreading the word in other ways.Between Krasnodar and Yamal, we passed a Pioneers’ Camp where, last summer, Ilona taught SCD to their young team leaders, also giving a performance for the children. Hopefully the team leaders will now spread the word teaching simple dances to their groups of children in the future.

In response to the Russian Evening, we reciprocated and entertained the Russians with an informal Ceilidh mixed with Country Dancing for all, an event graced by the head of the Palace of Culture. Amongst our talent, Ken Martlew supervised the choral and communal singing. Our teachers, plus others, treated us to "Schiehallion". Malcolm Brown, Penny Fee and Alan Twhigg respectively entertained us with "The Highland Fling" accompanied by Cate Gray's singing, "The Scottish Lilt", and the solo hard shoe dance "The Flowers Of Edinburgh". Cate's Ladies' Step Class demonstrated "The Thistle". Fiona's Shetland Class demonstrated "The Shetland Reel". llona's dancers presented in dance an interpretation of the works of Burns in the tango style. One cannot forget Fiona and llona's Flamenco dance. But perhaps the most amazing sight was David Queen dancing "Seann Truibhas" whilst simultaneously accompanying himself on the fiddle.

A dress rehearsal for the Ceilidh took place the previous evening at a formal dinner in the 7th floor restaurant at the Yamal, graced by local dignitaries. Beforehand, whilst walking outside, I heard Bob Harman tuning his pipes. I was able to see many bedroom windows open as Russian residents leaned out, looking everywhere for the origin of this strange noise.

The holiday was a true cultural exchange. The hospitality, enthusiasm, keenness and sheer talent of the Kuban dancers was enormous. The experience of dancing in Russia exemplifies that dancing is a means of communication. If you and your partner knew the next dance, then you could dance together even if there were language problems sometimes.

Fiona and Ilona's hard work was supported by that of the other Kuban dancers. Sasha Velichko, Ilona's right hand man, stayed in the background managing all the technical and many organisational aspects of our stay in Krasnodar – arranging the coaches, managing the table arrangements, the printing, the sound equipment et al. Sasha heard of SCD from his brother one and a half years ago. He likes both Country and Highland and goes to all 4-5 of the Kuban Dancers' weekly classes. A hobby has now become a passion and his second job. Sasha likes the atmosphere, the liveliness at ceilidhs. Whereas other forms of dance are for demonstration only, he likes the social side of SCD. Sasha said that people need SCD. After their work, which is grey and ordinary, SCD gives them life! Sasha has a wish to go to St. Andrews Summer School and has aspirations to teach. We wish him, and all the other Kuban dancers, well.

It was sad to say "Farewell". To lighten the occasion, at Krasnodar Airport those travelling in kilts were surrounded by children wishing to be photographed with them and asking for autographs!

This will surely not be the last time that the Palace Of Culture's stage is decorated with the St. Andrew's flag and the Scottish Royal Standard alongside the Russian and Kuban flags.