RSCDS Twin Cities Branch on Facebook

Clann Tartan
Clann Tartan, a Scottish historical reinactment group, hosts Scottish country dancing on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at Lake Hiawatha Community Center in Minneapolis, and the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at St Christopher's Episcopal Church in Roseville. For information about the Dance Guild, call Julie Yoder at 651-698-8375 or Mary McKinley at 651-699-6853.

Madison (Wisconsin) Scottish Country Dancers

Royal Scottish Country Dance Society - Central Iowa Branch

Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Scottish Country Dancers

Royal Scottish Country Dance Society - Chicago Branch

Highland Mist Scottish Country Dancers of Missouri

Tapestry Folkdance Center
Tapestry sponsors contra, English country, swing, international, and other dance classes and events. Their beautiful new building is also the location of RSCDS Twin Cities Branch Monday night classes.

Morris Dancing in Minnesota

Minnesota Scottish Celtic Dance Association
Information about highland dance, including where to get lessons

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Minnesota Scottish Cultural Events and Organizations

Clann Tartan
Scottish living history group.

Duluth Scottish Heritage Association

Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans

Minnesota Tartan Day
Promotes and celebrates the nation-wide Tartan Day holiday, Scottish heritage in Minnesota, and the vital role that Scottish-Americans have played in our state. Also the home of the Scottish News in Minnesota newsletter.

Minnesota Scots
A cooperative group representing many of the Scottish cultural organizations in Minnesota, including RSCDS.

Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games
Formerly known as the Macalester Scottish Country Fair, this event is now held at the Dakota county fairgrounds and takes place in early May.

St. Andrew's Society of Minnesota
A non-profit Scottish cultural, social, educational, and charitable organization.

Scottish American Center
Dedicated to helping Minnesotans learn about Scottish and Scottish-American culture, connect with and celebrate their Scottish heritage.

Scottish Ramble
Held every year on a weekend in mid-February, this indoor Scottish festival features Scottish dancing (competitions, performances, and audience participation opportunities), music, story-telling, workshops, vendors, and much more.

Twin Cities Scottish Club
A non-profit organization to promote Scottish culture, tradition, history and entertainment. They also host an occasional ceilidh dance.

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SCD Around the World

Royal Scottish Country Dance Society Web Site
RSCDS Headquarters in Edinburgh maintains a web site with news, listings of RSCDS branches (called "local associations") around the world, upcoming schools and events, information on books, music, and videos produced by the Society, and more.

Strathspey Server
Trying to remember the name of that dance with the 3 couple poussette followed by rights and lefts? Planning a trip to Prague and wondering if there are any dance opportunities while you're there? The strathspey server is a free, e-mail based bulletin board and a great way to get in touch with other Scottish country dancers around the world. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail message to strathspey-subscribe@strathspey.org. Once subscribed, you'll receive e-mail messages posted by other members and you can post your own or respond to other postings. A searchable archive of previously posted messages is available. The strathspey server web site also includes lots of other useful SCD info and links. .

TAC
The Teachers' Association (Canada) web site provides information on the aims and services of an organization of Scottish country dance teachers from across North America and around the world.

The InterCity Scot
An online newsletter of Scottish country dance groups, classes, and events around the world (most listings are for North America).

Interactive Map of Scottish Country Dancing
A Google Maps-based site showing the locations of Scottish country dance groups and Scottish country dancers around the world.

Grand Chain
An extensive listing of Scottish country dance groups and their activities, as well as Scottish country dance bands. There are also many links to other useful SCD information on the Web.

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SCD Dances and Music Online

DanceData
An extensive database listing thousands of Scottish country dances and their published sources, tunes, and recordings. Crib notes for some dances are also available

Scottish Country Dance Dictionary: Dance Cribs Section
This resource includes cribs for selected popular dances.

Dances from the Scottish Country Dance Archives
Selected dances originally published in the Scottish Country Dance Archives, a subscription-based service that was active during the 1960s and 70s.

Minicrib Scottish Country Dancing Notes
A free, downloadable file of cribsheets for over 1400 dances, compiled by Charles Upton. Requires MS Word software to view the file.

Music In Scotland
This site includes an index of Scottish country dance music available on CD as well as information on Scottish, Irish, and other celtic musicians.

JC's Music for Scottish Country Dance
A database of Scottish country dance music in ABC format.

JC's ABC Tune Finder
A searchable database of dance tunes (including Scottish). Tunes are available in multiple formats, including ABC notations, as well as standard notation. (To convert tunes from ABC format to standard notation, paste the ABC notation into this free converter.)

The Session
This web site is a forum to exchange tunes and information about them. The focus is on Irish tunes, but there is quite a bit of crossover with the Scottish repertoire.

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Where to Buy SCD Stuff Online

Ghillies/Dance Shoes

Hullachan Pro: This is manufacturer of ergonomically-designed Scottish and Irish dance footwear. The site includes articles on how to properly fit dance shoes.

St. Andrew's Shoemakers: This company is the descendent of James Senior's, who were official supplier of Scottish country dance shoes to the RSCDS for many years. After James Senior died, the business was bought by this company.

Highland Island: This Massachusetts-based online store sells several different brands of ghillies.

Highland XPress: This Texas-based online store sells several different brands of ghillies.

Dance Books

RSCDS headquarters Web Site or e-mail: info@rscds.org

TACBooks

Dance Music

TACSound

RSCDS headquarters Web Site or e-mail: info@rscds.org

Highlander Music

Music In Scotland

Scotloads (includes some music available as MP3s)

Clothing and Accessories

NOTE: There are many companies that sell kilts and other Scottish dance clothing and accessories, and this list is not an attempt to be comprehensive. The businesses listed below are a few that are recommended by our branch costumer, Jim Morehouse, and/or other branch members. Please see the branch costume guidelines before purchasing anything for use at Twin Cities branch performances.

The Celtic Croft A Minnesota-based mail order company that is a good source for sporrans, belts, and other accessories at reasonable prices. They usually have a booth at local Scottish events like Macalester Scottish Country Fair and the Scottish Ramble.

Hardskins Minnesota-based artisan Jason Pate creates leather sporrans, belts, and other accessories that are ideal for the Renaissance Festival.

Miscellaneous Useful Links

Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary
Primer on Scottish country dance basics, including types of musics, steps, formations, and more. Also includes some dance cribs.

Kilts and Tartan Made Easy
A detailed, non-commercial, introductory guide for anyone thinking of wearing a kilt for the first time compiled by Nick Fiddes, the founder of Scotweb and governor of the Scottish Tartans Authority.

SCD Etiquette and Conventions
Includes our own guide to surviving your first ball, including tips on how to prepare, what to wear, what to expect, and etiquette guidelines.

RSCDS Twin Cities Branch Costume Guidelines
Descriptions, pictures, and other Information about costumes used for performances by the Twin Cities branch.

Scottish CountryDance Animations

Web site for a CD-ROM you can purchase showing animations for about 250 different dances.