Alba Scottish Country Dancers

What is Alba?

We are a group of 'young' Scottish Dancers from throughout Scotland - Dumfries, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness to name but a few places, who meet monthly to dance in Glasgow. Most of us have danced in University/College Dance groups, and we primarily aim to occupy the gap between University and non-University or RSCDS dance societies. To qualify, you at least have to have a 'young' attitude to dancing.

We run meetings once a month. They are on a Friday night in St Peter's Church in the West End of Glasgow More details of the individual forthcoming events are available from the events page. We do not have a formal teacher. Instead club members voluntarily take turns in running the evening. Occasionally we invite other dancers to take an evening. Although the club is not intended for beginners but rather those from intermediate standard upwards, all ages and dance abilities are welcome. We recap most dancers and walk through the difficult or unfamiliar dances. We usually dance to CDs/minidiscs and we break up the evening for cakes and juice at half time. Birling, twiddling and frolicking are strongly encouraged and excess formality is strictly forbidden. We are also very family friendly as several of our members now have families. Children are very much welcome to attend the evenings, and are invited to dance in the more child friendly dances.

Apart from the monthly meetings, Alba also attends competitive and non-competitive festivals. We dance in the ladies' and mixed technique sections and provide a lively show of dance in the display sections. We have several victories in the mixed and display sections from festivals held in Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ayr. In the 2007 trip to Newcastle Festival, one of our newer dancers wrote this about her experience of going to Newcastle with Alba.

Alba has also produced two dance books, 'The Woodside Collection' and 'Alba Smiles Better' with all the dances and music written by club members.