Stepping Into A Bright Future

GEORGINA COBURN looks at the latest developments in the work of the Strathspey-based dance group Dannsa.

DANNSA is a collective committed to “the development of the cultural identity of Scotland through Dance, Gaelic Song and Traditional Music”. The group formed in 1999 and have continued to delight audiences with their energetic and exciting dance performances.
 

Providing the unique opportunity to join in dance through audience participation in  their touring performances, Dannsa have worked with remote and rural communities in the north and west of Scotland and have also toured Ireland, Northern Ireland and Sweden.

Dancers Frank McConnell, Mats Melin, Caroline Reagh and Sandra Robertson (also Dannsa’s Joint Artistic Directors) are joined by piper Fin Moore as the fifth core member of the group.

Dannsa regularly perform on tour with a pool of Scotland’s most talented musicians including singers Mary Anne Kennedy, Liz Maclean, and Fiona Mackenzie, fiddlers Karen Stevens, Allan Henderson, Gabe McVarish, Mairi Campbell, Ronan Martin, and Kenny Fraser, and piper Donal Brown.

They plan to re-launch the company through the implementation of a new business plan in 2005–2008, and have appointed Sheila Faichney (former Head of Marketing for Visit Orkney) as Development Manager from April 2005 to assist with the growth and expansion of the group’s activities.

Following registration as a company limited by guarantee, their plans for sustained growth include reorganising with a Board of Directors and Management Group, and establishing a trading arm of the company.

One of the results of Dannsa’s successful touring schedule has been the creation of additional work at the request of its audiences, including a demand for short teaching courses, education programs and CD production. The business plan in the next three years will be an outgrowth of Dannsa’s performance and community involvement and a strong foundation for its future.

“It is an ambitious and inspiring programme which is a direct outgrowth of their dynamic approach to performance”

Building upon the relationships developed through teaching and performing in existing communities with a strong dance and music tradition, Dannsa will revisit areas previously visited and will also seek to develop new audiences through touring new geographical areas, active participation in the summer festival season, and a 2005 tour with Hamish Moore’s Na Tri Seudan.

The group’s association with Na Tri Seudan began following a Celtic Connections performance with 18 participants in 2004. The Glasgow show was extremely well received, and funding was sought to make this collaboration possible again through the Scottish Arts Council’s Tune Up scheme (summer dates are still to be confirmed).

Dannsa’s future projects include extensive touring which will take place in June, July, August and October 2005, music CD production, educational work including the production of a CD ROM, and working with schools.

The group are based in Kingussie, and will be building on interest generated by their September tour in Cairngorm National Park and hope to work with schools both east and west of the Cairngorms.

Dannsa will also host their third Weekend of Dance Festival, “Strathspey Away”, in Kingussie (11th-13th November). It will include ceildhs, performances and classes in  Stepdance, Ballroom dance, Ceilidh Dance, Country dance, Irish Set Dance, Fiddle, Gaelic Mouth Music and mouth organ. Dance videos will also be shown over the weekend.
 

In addition, they hope to engage in health initiative development, in professional development and performance exchange with contacts in Cape Breton, and further expand international cultural links in dance and music.

It is an ambitious and inspiring programme which is a direct outgrowth of their dynamic approach to performance and the presentation of a living tradition to celebrate and share with communities here and abroad.

According to Sandra Robertson, at the heart of Dannsa’s programme is an ethos of inclusiveness “to encourage and increase people’s appreciation of dance, and bring people of all ages and abilities together through attending performances, ceilidhs and workshops. Often the celebration of one’s own traditions to a mixed audience of visitors and residents can create a new appreciation of one’s own culture and an increased joy in sharing it”.

To me, this is the spirit of traditional music itself as a unifying experience and a natural outgrowth of a communities’ sense of  identity.

© Georgina Coburn, 2005

Links

• Dannsa website
• Tune Up website